How to copy data from one Xiaomi to another: all ways 2026

Introduction: why and how to transfer data between Xiaomi smartphones

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often turns into a headache. Contacts, photos, messages, apps, and even screen settings all need to be saved to keep from starting from scratch. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools for quickly and securely copying data between devices.

In this article, we will look at 5 proven ways to transfer information, from the official Mi Mover service to manual copying via cable, which method is suitable for your case, how to avoid data loss and what to do if something went wrong, and also unique nuances for models with MIUI 14 and later, where the transfer process has changed compared to previous versions.

Important: Make sure that both devices are at least 50% charged before you start, which will prevent crashes due to a sudden blackout. Also check the space available on your new smartphone: if you are carrying tens of gigabytes of photos and videos, you may need to clean up the memory.

Method 1: Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s official tool for fast transfer

Mi Mover is a built-in app from Xiaomi that automatically copies almost all data from the old phone to the new one.

• 📞 Contacts, call logs and SMS
• 📷 Photos, videos and audio files
• 📱 Installed applications (without data)
• 🔧 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, Wi-Fi)
• 📅 Calendars and notes

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. On a new smartphone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer (or find the Mi Mover app in the menu).
2. On your old phone, open Settings → About phone → Data Transfer.
3. Select the role: new phone - Receiver, old - Sender.
4. Connect devices to a single Wi-Fi network or use a direct connection via a Wi-Fi network QR-code.
5. Select the data to copy and confirm the transfer.

⚠️ Attention: If you have MIUI 14+, Mi Mover may not have an app port option, and this is because of Google's policy that apps are now downloaded from the Play Market, not copied directly, and that data inside apps (e.g., save in games) is not portable either, but needs a separate backup.

Both phones are connected to charging|Freely. ≥20% of memory on a new device|Power saving mode is off|Wi-Fi is enabled on both smartphones-->

Method 2: Copy with Mi Account (Xiaomi Cloud)

If you have a Mi Account, you can sync data over the cloud, which is convenient when devices are in different places or you don't have a cable. Xiaomi's cloud provides 5GB of storage for free, but you may need to buy extra space to carry a lot of photos and videos.

Synchronization instructions:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for the desired categories: Contacts, Notes, Photos, etc.
3. Wait until the data is uploaded to the cloud (time depends on the volume and speed of the Internet).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable sync in the Mi Cloud.

⚠️ Note: Photos in Mi Cloud are compressed to resolution 2048×2048 If you want original quality, use Google Photos (15 GB free or transfer files over cable.

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If you’re transferring data between different brands (e.g. Xiaomi → Samsung), use Google Account instead of Mi Cloud.It supports contacts, calendars and some settings on any Android device.

Method 3: Transfer via OTG cable or adapter

If you don't have access to Wi-Fi or the cloud, the most reliable way to do this is to connect directly to the cable.

• 🔌 USB-cable OTG (or Type-C adapter → Type-C for new models)
• 📱 Two Xiaomi smartphones (one of them should support the mode) USB-host)
• 🔋 Charge. ≥30% on both devices

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG-cable.
2. On the new device in the notification panel, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Open Explorer on a new phone – the old smartphone will appear as a removable drive.
4. Copy the folders you want (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, etc.) to the memory of your new device.

⚠️ Note: Not all Xiaomi models support the mode USB-A host to connect other phones. If the connection doesn't work, try it:

• 🔄 Reboot both devices
• 🔌 Use a different cable (low quality) OTG often unrecognized)
• 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (7 times to press the version)

Mi Mover (official instrument)|Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)|Cable OTG/adapter|Google Account|Another option-->

Method 4: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendars, and apps)

Google Account is a universal sync method that works not only on Xiaomi, but also on any Android device.

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and notes to numbers)
• 📅 Calendars and reminders
• 📱 List of installed applications (without data)
• 🔑 Passwords from Google Smart Lock

How to synchronize data:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Select your account and enable synchronization for Contacts, Calendar and other categories.
3. On the new phone, add the same Google Account and enable sync.
4. Wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 10 minutes).

🔹 Important: Apps synced through Google will be installed automatically, but their data (such as game progress) will not be saved, VK, WhatsApp).

Method 5: Transfer over a computer (for large amounts of data)

If you need to copy tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or other files, the most reliable way is to use your computer as an intermediary, which eliminates the risk of data loss due to a wireless transmission failure.

Instructions for Windows/macOS:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer through USB-cable.
2. Select File Transfer (MTP) mode on your phone.
3. Copy the desired folders (DCIM, Pictures, Download, etc.) to the computer.
4. Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.
5. Transfer files from your computer to your new smartphone.

🔹 Tip: To speed up the process, use Total Commander or FastCopy, which copies files faster than standard Windows Explorer, and you can also archive folders in.zip before perenosom to avoid errors in transfer.

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Transferring over a computer is the only way to guarantee that all metadata of the photo (date of shooting, geotagging, EXIF) is stored, and this data can be lost when transmitted over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even if you follow instructions correctly, you can get errors, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

1.Mi Mover doesn't see old device

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Connect to another Wi-Fi network (or use a mobile hotspot).
• 🔧 Update Mi Mover to the latest version in Play Market.
• 🛠️ If used MIUI 14+, Try to connect through QR-code instead of Wi-Fi.

2.There is not enough space on the new phone

• 🗑️ Clear the app cache in Settings → Warehouse.
• 📁 Transfer files to microSD (if supported).
• 🔍 Remove duplicate photos with Google Photos or Gallery.

3.Appendices have not recovered after the transfer

• 📱 Check if sync is enabled in Google Play: Settings → Account. → Application recovery.
• 🔄 Restart your new phone and wait for the automatic installation (may take up to an hour).
• 🛒 Install the missing apps manually from the Play Market.

⚠️ Note: If you transfer data from Xiaomi to Xiaomi POCO or Redmi (and vice versa), some settings MIUI This is due to differences in firmware — for example, the themes or controls are sometimes reset.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions