How to transfer data from your phone to your Xiaomi phone: all the ways of 2026

Transferring data between Xiaomi smartphones: what you need to know

Transferring data from one Xiaomi phone to another is a challenge that every user faces when buying a new device or changing a gadget. Even if both devices are from the same brand, the process can cause complications from losing contacts to incorrectly synchronizing photos. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of transferring information, from standard MIUI tools to third-party solutions that work even on outdated models.

It's important to understand that the way you transfer it depends on the type of data, for example, contacts and notes are easier to sync through your Mi Account, and for photos and videos, it's easier to use cloud services or direct Wi-Fi transmission. We tested each method on devices from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra — all instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 and later.

If you’re switching from another brand’s Android (like Samsung or Honor), some of the methods will also work, but you may need to adjust them further. There are some nuances for iPhone owners, which we’ll cover at the end of this article.

1. Transfer via Mi Mover – the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a built-in application in MIUI that allows you to transfer data from one Xiaomi smartphone to another without a computer. It supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, applications (including their data), and even some system settings. The main advantage is that the structure of folders and file metadata is preserved, which is important for photos with geotags.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Make sure that both phones have the latest version installed. MIUI (Update through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🔗 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on one of them).
• 📁 On your old phone, open Settings. → Additionally. → Mi Mover (or search through the settings).
• 🔄 Select a role: on the old phone - "Sender", on the new - "Recipient».
• 📲 Follow the instructions on the screen, confirming the transfer of data.

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of data, so don't interrupt the connection or block the screen, it'll crash, and if the transmission is stuck, try restarting the application or using another method.

Charge of both phones > 50% |Similar version of MIUI|Stable Wi-Fi connection |Free space on new phone |Saving mode turned off-->

Sync through Mi Account (Xiaomi Cloud)

If you use a Mi Account, some of the data is already synced automatically, including contacts, notes, call history, and some settings, but photos, videos, and documents will require manual uploading to the cloud.

How to move data through the cloud:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired categories (contacts, notes, gallery).
3. Wait until the download is complete (progress is displayed in the same menu).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable synchronization.

Note that the free Mi Cloud plan only provides 5GB of space, and if you have more data, you will either have to clear the cloud or buy additional space, and the alternative is to use Google Photos or Yandex Drive (described below).

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Before syncing, check if your Mi Account is linked to another device. If so, untie it to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Devices to avoid conflicts.

3. File transfer over Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth

You can use built-in Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth to transfer individual files (photos, documents, music), which is suitable if you want to download a small amount of data (up to 1-2 GB) without an Internet connection.

Instructions for Wi-Fi Direct:

• 📶 On both phones, turn on Wi-Fi and activate Wi-Fi Direct in the settings (Settings) → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Wi-Fi Direct).
• 🔍 On one of the phones, find another device in the list and connect to it (confirmation will be required on the second phone).
• 📎 In the file manager (MIUI File Manager) select files, click “Send” and select Wi-Fi Direct.

Bluetooth is similar, but the transfer speed will be lower (up to 1-2 MB/s vs. 10-20 MB/s for Wi-Fi Direct), which is convenient for sending contacts in.vcf or small documents.

Mi Mover|Mi Cloud (cloud)|Wi-Fi Direct/Bluetooth|Cable OTG|Annex side (SHAREit, Xender)|Other-->

4.Use of OTG cable and adapter

If you have an OTG cable (or USB-C → USB-C adapter), you can connect your phones directly and copy your files to a flash drive, which is faster than wireless alternatives and doesn't require the Internet.

Step-by-step:

1. Buy a USB-C OTG cable (for new Xiaomi models) or a MicroUSB → USB-C adapter (for older ones).
2. Connect your old phone to your new one via OTG (the new phone will have a notification about the drive connection).
3. Open up. MIUI File Manager on your new phone, go to the section USB-accumulator.
4. Copy the files into internal memory or SD-map.

Important: Some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi 9A or Poco M3) may not support USB Host for OTG.

5. Backup and Recovery through MIUI

Local Backup in MIUI allows you to create a full copy of your data and settings and then restore them to your new phone, which is useful if you want to transfer not only files, but also:

• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness)
• 🔧 Application data (game progress, saves)
• 📞 Call log and SMS
• 📁 Gallery folder structure

How to make a backup:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select categories for reservation (we recommend that you mark everything except System Applications).
3. Click on “Create a backup” and wait until it is completed (the file will be saved in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder).
4. Copy the backup file to your new phone (via OTG, cloud, or computer).
5. On the new phone, in the same menu, select “Restore” and specify the path to the file.

Warning: Backup recovery may overwrite current settings on a new phone.Do not use this method if the new device already has important data.

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Local backup is the only way to transfer MIUI settings (such as themes, gestures, sound circuits) to a new phone.

6. Data transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi (and vice versa)

If you are switching from iPhone to Xiaomi (or back), standard MIUI methods will not work.

• 🌐 Move to iOS (only for transfer from Android to iPhone) – the official application from Apple.
• ☁️ Google Drive/iCloud — to transmit contacts, photos and calendars.
• 📱 AnyTrans or SHAREit – third-party programs for cross-platform transmission.

To transfer photos from iPhone to Xiaomi:

1. On your iPhone, turn on iCloud Photos and wait for all photos to load.
2. On Xiaomi, install the Google Photos app and log in to the same Google account as on your iPhone.
3. In the Google Photo settings, enable Backup and Sync.
4. The photos will appear in the Xiaomi gallery in a few hours.

For contacts, it is easiest to export them from iCloud to.vcf and then import them to Xiaomi via Contacts → Settings → Import/Export.

7 Third-party applications: SHAREit, Xender, Send Anywhere

If the built-in MIUI tools don’t work (like custom firmware), use third-party apps that support cross-brand transfer and often run faster than Mi Mover.

Comparison of popular applications:

How to use Sharet:

1. Install the app on both phones from Google Play or the App Store.
2. On the old phone, select “Send” and on the new one, “Get”.
3. Connect to a single Wi-Fi network or use an access point.
4. Select the files and confirm the transfer.

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Before using third-party apps, disable mobile data on both phones – this will speed up Wi-Fi transmission and save traffic.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you move data, users often have problems, and here are some of the most common solutions.

• ❌ Mi Mover does not find the device → Check that both phones are Wi-Fi enabled and Mi Mover is updated.
• ❌ Transmission's down at 99% → Turn off the power saving mode and try again. If it doesn't work, use another method.
• ❌ There is no space in the Mi Cloud. → Clean the cloud of unnecessary files or use Google Drive (15GB free).
• ❌ Photos after transfer without date → Move it through Google Photos or Mi Mover – these services store metadata.

If neither method works, try resetting the network settings on both phones (Settings → System → Settings Reset → Resetting Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth settings).

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Before transferring data, disable VPNs and firewalls (such as Avast or 360 Security) – these can block the connection between phones.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions

If your question is not covered in the FAQ, check the official documentation of Xiaomi or contact the Mi Community app for support. For complex cases (for example, transferring data from a damaged phone), you may need help from a service center.