How to copy data from Samsung to Xiaomi: the full guide 2026

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about changing the brand, but also the need to transfer all the important data: contacts, photos, messages and applications. Many users are afraid of losing valuable information or spending hours manually copying each file.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer data between devices: from standard functions. MIUI You will learn what method is right for your case, how to avoid typical errors (for example, losing your call history when transferring through Google Account), and what to do if devices can not see each other over Wi-Fi. For those who are moving to the Galaxy S23 Xiaomi 14 Ultra, we have prepared some recommendations for optimizing the process.

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before you start copying, there are a few critical steps that need to be taken, and neglecting them can cause crashes, loss of data, or even locking up devices.

• 📱 Update your firmware. Go to Settings. → Update the software and install the latest patches, this will eliminate possible bugs in the Smart Switch.
• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50%.Transfer data via cable or Wi-Fi consumes charge faster than usual.
• 🗑️ Clean up the garbage. Delete unnecessary files (cache, duplicate photos) through Settings → Maintenance of the device → It'll speed up the process.
• 🔒 Turn off the screen lock (if possible). Some transfer methods require constant confirmation of actions.

Xiaomi also requires a pre-setting:

• 🌐 Connect to Wi-Fi at high speed (5GHz is preferred) and this is critical for wireless methods.
• 📦 Free up your memory. Check the space in Settings. → The phone. → Memory. You need at least 10 percent of the space to transfer.
• 🔄 Turn off optimization. MIUI. Go to Settings. → Special facilities → Optimization MIUI And deactivate it, and that prevents the background processes from automatically shutting down.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Samsung Knox (e.g. on the Galaxy) S22 Ultra or later, disable it temporarily. Knox can block data transfers through third-party apps.

Pay special attention to compatibility of Android versions. If Android 13 is installed on Samsung and Android 14 is installed on Xiaomi, some Smart Switch features may not work properly, in which case we recommend using alternative methods (see section 3).

2. Method 1: Using Samsung Smart Switch (official method)

Samsung Smart Switch is a proprietary data migration solution that supports porting to devices of other brands, including Xiaomi.The method works both via cable and over Wi-Fi, but has limitations: not all Xiaomi models correctly accept data through this application (especially if they are on custom firmware).

Step-by-step:

1. Install Smart Switch on both devices: Samsung preinstalled it (look for the app menu). On Xiaomi, download from Google Play.
2. Connect the devices: 🔌 Cable: Use the original USB-C cable (better from Samsung). Connect Samsung to Xiaomi via OTG-Adapter (if the ports are incompatible). 📶 Over Wi-Fi: On both phones, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, then select the Wireless Transfer option in Smart Switch.

Select data for transfer

Samsung

• Contacts, messages, call history
• Photos and videos (you can select separate folders)
• Annexes (only) APK-files, application data are not transferred!)
• System settings (Wi-Fi passwords, wallpaper, etc.)
• Start the transfer. Press "Transfer" and wait until it's done. Don't interrupt the process!

⚠️ Note: If contacts don't show up after migrating to Xiaomi, check sync with Google Account.Sometimes Smart Switch saves them locally rather than to the cloud.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data:

• 📎 1–5 GB: 5–10 minutes (cable) / 15–20 minutes (Wi-Fi)
• 📎 10–50 GB: 20-40 minutes (cable) / 1-2 hours (Wi-Fi)
• 📎 50+ GB: We recommend using a computer (method 4)

Install Smart Switch on Xiaomi|Charge both phones >50%|Shut down. VPN/proxy|Check the compatibility of Android versions|Freeing up memory on Xiaomi-->

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, photos and apps)

If Smart Switch is not suitable (for example, due to firmware incompatibility), the most reliable alternative method is synchronization through Google Account. This method is free, does not require additional applications and works on any Android 5.0 devices.+. However, it has a significant disadvantage: not all data is transferred in the original form.

What can be transferred:

• 📇 Contacts (in full, including groups and notes)
• 📅 Calendars (events, reminders)
• 📷 Photos and videos (via Google Photos, but in compressed quality)
• 📱 Applications (list of installed, without data)
• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords (if sync is enabled in Google)

What I CAN'T move:

• 💬 Communications (SMS/MMS)
• 🎮 Game and application data (e.g., progress in Genshin Impact)
• 📞 Call history
• 🎵 Music and downloads (if not downloaded to Google Drive)

Instructions for the perenos:

1. On Samsung: Open Settings → Accounts and archiving → Account management. Select your Google Account and enable sync for all categories. For photo: open Google Photos, go to Settings → Backup and sync and activate the option.

On Xiaomi:

• When you first turn on, select “Recover Data” and log in to the same Google Account.
• If the phone is already configured: go to Settings → Accounts. → Google and enable synchronization.
• For photos: install Google Photos from the Play Market and wait for the media files to download.

⚠️ Note: If Samsung has enabled data encryption (e.g., via Samsung Knox), some files may not sync with Google Drive. In this case, use method 4 (transfer over PC).

How to speed up synchronization:

• 📶 Connect to 5GHz Wi-Fi or Ethernet (via Wi-Fi) USB-adapter).
• 🔌 Put your phone on charge – Google Photos suspends booting at low charge.
• ⏳ Manually run sync in Google Photos (click on the avatar) → "Synchronize now").

💡

If contacts are not displayed after transferring to Xiaomi, check Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Default Memory and select Google Account instead of Phone".

Method 3: Wireless transfer via Mi Mover (for new Xiaomi models)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary application for migrating data from other devices, including Samsung. It is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones with a mobile phone. MIUI 9+ It supports Wi-Fi Direct portability (without connecting to the router), and the main advantage is that folder structure is preserved and most file formats are supported.

How Mi Mover works:

1. On Xiaomi, open Mi Mover (find through the menu search).
2. Select "I am a new user" → "Get data from Android".
3. On Samsung, download Mi Mover from Google Play and open it.
4. Xiaomi will appear QR-Code - scan it with a Samsung camera.
5. Select data for transfer (contacts, messages, multimedia, applications).
6. Confirm the transfer on both devices and wait until it is completed.

Advantages of Mi Mover:

• 🔄 Transfers your call history (unlike your Google account).
• 📁 Keeps the folder structure (for example, DCIM/Camera remain unchanged).
• 📱 Supports the transfer of settings of some applications (for example, wallpaper or alarm clocks).

Limitations:

• ❌ Does not transfer data messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).
• ❌ It may not work with Samsung Android 12+ Due to file access restrictions.
• ❌ Speed depends on the Wi-Fi chip model (on Xiaomi 13 Pro faster than on Redmi Note 10).

⚠️ Warning: If the Mi Mover is stuck in the Preparation phase, restart both phones and try again. If the problem persists, use a cable connection (method 1 or 4).

5. Method 4: Transfer data through a computer (for large volumes)

If the data is more than 50 GB or previous methods have failed, the most reliable way is to use a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux), which takes longer to prepare, but guarantees 100% control over the process and no losses.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with USB-ports (preferably) USB 3.0 for speed).
• 🔌 Two. USB-cables (original or certified).
• 📁 Copying program (you can do with a standard conductor).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Samsung to PC: Unlock your phone and select File Transfer Mode (MTP). If drivers are not installed automatically, download them from Samsung.
2. Copy Data to PC: Open This Computer → Find the Samsung device. Go to the folders: DCIM — Photos and videos Downloads – Pictures downloads, Music – media files Android/data — Application data (root rights required) Copy the files you need to your PC hard drive (for example, to a folder) Samsung_Backup).
3. Connect Xiaomi to PC: Unlock your phone and enable Debugging USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press the assembly number → return to additional settings → For developers, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).

Transfer the data to Xiaomi:

• Copy files from the folder Samsung_Backup c the corresponding folders on Xiaomi.
• For contacts, export them from Samsung to.vcf (Contacts) → Management → Export and import to Xiaomi.

Advantages of the method:

• 📊 Full control over the copied data.
• 🔄 Selective transferability (e.g., only last year’s photo).
• 🛡️ Security: Files are stored locally on PC, not in the cloud.

Disadvantages:

• ⏳ Longer than wireless methods.
• 🖥️ Requires a computer (not suitable for transferring "in the field").

⚠️ Note: If you copy application data (folder) Android/data), Xiaomi may not work because of different versions of Android or processor architecture (ARM vs x86). In this case, you will have to reinstall applications from the Play Market.

💡

Use a computer if you need to transfer more than 50 GB of data, or if other methods have failed, which is the most reliable, but also the longest.

6. Method 5: Transfer of messages and data of messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram)

Standard methods of transfer (including Smart Switch and Mi Mover) do not copy messages from instant messengers. To save them, you need special tools. Consider two popular cases: WhatsApp and Telegram.

Transferring WhatsApp history:

1. Backup on Samsung: Open WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup. Click "Create a copy" and wait until it's finished (the file will be saved to the file in the file). /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases).
2. Copy file on Xiaomi: Connect Samsung to PC and find file msgstore.db.crypt14 (or crypt12, crypt15 Copy it on Xiaomi to the same folder (/sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases).

Restore to Xiaomi:

• Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi and sign in to the same account.
• When you offer to restore the story, confirm.

Important nuances:

• 🔐 For WhatsApp, the phone number must remain the same. SIM-First transfer the history, then activate the new number.
• 🗃️ WhatsApp backups are tied to a Google Account.If you used different accounts on Samsung and Xiaomi, the story won't recover.
• 📎 For Telegram, media files (photos, videos) are not synced automatically.

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

Even when following the instructions, users face problems, and we have collected the TOP-5 errors and ways to fix them:

• 🚫 "Devices can't see each other on Wi-Fi" Check that both phones are on Wi-Fi Direct. Turn off. VPN, Proxies and firewalls. Reboot the router (if you use it to connect).
• 🔌 "Cable not recognized" Try another cable (preferably original). Clean up. USB-Dust port (carefully toothpicking). USB both-device.
• ⏳ "The transfer freezes 99%. "" Wait 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes it's delayed. If it doesn't work, disconnect both phones and try again.
• 📱 "Xiaomi does not display photos after transfer "Check folder" DCIM Reboot your phone — sometimes the media scanner doesn't update the library. Install the Gallery Doctor app to restore thumbnails.
• 🔒 "Password required to decrypt data If encryption was enabled on Samsung, enter the password from your Samsung account or PIN-If your password is lost, reset Samsung settings (the data will be deleted!).

Additional advice:

• 📡 If the Wi-Fi transfer speed is too low, try: Connect to 5 GHz. Disconnect other devices from the router. Use a mobile hotspot on one of the phones.
• 🔄 If the applications do not work after transferring, clear their cache (Settings) → Annexes → Select an application → Clear the cache).