How to copy contacts from Xiaomi phone: all ways to save photos and notes

Why standard contact export on Xiaomi often works wrong

Users of Xiaomi smartphones (including the line of Redmi, Poco and Mi) regularly face problems when trying to copy contacts: profile photos are lost, records are duplicated or some numbers are stored in an unreadable format. MIUI, This is the default link to your Mi Account or Google account, not yours. SIM-card or local memory of the phone.

For example, when trying to export through the standard menu Contacts → Contact Management → Import / Export system can offer to save data only in the format.vcf (business card), which not all devices read correctly. And if you try to transfer contacts to the iPhone, there is a high risk of losing Cyrillic characters in names due to encoding. This article will help you avoid typical errors and choose the best way depending on your task.

Method 1: Export contacts to a VCF file (for transfer to another Android)

The most versatile method is to save contacts to a.vcf file, which can then be imported to any Android smartphone. On Xiaomi, this feature is hidden in the depths of the menu, but works steadily even on older models like the Redmi Note 5 or Mi A2.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
• 🔧 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Contact management → Import/Export of contacts.
• 📤 Select Export to the file and specify the location of the save (internal memory or storage). SD-map).
• 📁 The file will appear in the Download folder or MIUI under the name contacts.vcf.

Important: If you have more 500 contact, the file may be broken up into several parts (for example, contacts_1.vcf, contacts_2.vcf). To avoid losses, check the number of files in the folder after export.

Sync with Mi Account disabled|Contacts are not duplicated on Google|Enough space on the internal storage|The file is saved in an accessible folder-->

⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI 14+, The system can automatically upload.vcf files to the Mi Cloud, and to avoid this, turn off mobile Internet or Wi-Fi before exporting.

Method 2: Sync with your Google account (for backup)

This method is suitable for those who actively use Google services (Gmail, Drive, Calendar), the advantage is that contacts are automatically updated when changed and are available on any device after logging in to your account. However, there is a caveat: Xiaomi can block background sync by default to save battery.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account (if not, add it through Add Account).
3. Activate the slider opposite Contact.
4. Click More (three dots) → Sync now.

To check that contacts have been copied, go to contacts.google.com, where the current phone book should be displayed.

• 🔄 Is the synchronization in the settings disabled? MIUI (Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime).
• 📵 Are there any restrictions on the Contacts section of the Permissions.
• 🕒 Has it been enough time (synchronization can take up to 10 minutes).

Synchronization with Google|Export to file VCF|Copying on SIM-map|Transfer via Mi Account|Another way.-->

Method 3: Copying contacts to SIM-Card (for old phones)

If you need to transfer contacts to a button phone or other device that supports only SIM-This is the most reliable method, but consider the limitations:

• 📵 One on one. SIM-The card usually contains no more than 250 contacts.
• 🖼️ Profile photos and additional fields (e.g. date of birth) are not saved.
• 📞 Numbers are saved in format +7XXXXXXXXXX, This can cause problems with short numbers (e.g. 112 or 911).

Step-by-step:

1. Put it in. SIM-Map to Xiaomi smartphone (if you already have one, skip this step).
2. Open Contacts → Three Points → Contact Management → Import/Export.
3. Select Export on Export SIM-map and specify which contacts to copy (all or selective).
4. Confirm the action – the process will take from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the number of records.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A POCO M3) exportation SIM It may be hidden. To activate it, go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Permits and enable access to the Warehouse and SIM-map.

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If the contacts are not copied to SIM, Try inserting the card into another slot (if you have a Dual phone). SIM). Sometimes. MIUI block SIM second-slot.

Method 4: Transfer via Mi Account (for Xiaomi owners)

If you have a Mi Account (usually created when you first turn on your phone), you can sync contacts through the Mi Cloud, which is convenient for transferring data between Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco devices, but has a limitation: only 5 GB of cloud storage is available for free.

How to copy contacts via Mi Cloud:

1. Make sure you are logged in to Mi Account (Settings → Xiaomi Account).
2. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
3. Activate the slider opposite Contact and wait for the synchronization to complete (the cloud icon will turn green).
4. On the new Xiaomi device, log in to the same account and enable contact sync.

The advantage of this method is to save all contact fields, including photos, notes and categories, but if you delete the contact on one device, it will disappear on the others (because synchronization is two-way).

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work (for example, you need to transfer contacts to your iPhone or filter out duplicates), use specialized applications.

• 📱 My Contacts Backup – Exports contacts to file and sends them to email.
• 🔄 Copy My Data – transfers Wi-Fi contacts to another smartphone.
• 🖥️ Super Backup & Restore – Creates backups of contacts, SMS and call logs.

Example of transfer via My Contacts Backup:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Run it and press Backup – the program will create a contact.vcf file.
3. Send the file to your email or save it to Google Drive.
4. Open the file on the new device – contacts are automatically imported.

Warning: Some applications (such as Super Backup) require root access to work with system contacts. On Xiaomi, this can cause MIUI to be reset to factory settings if you don’t disable system integrity checks (Settings → Additional → For Developers → Unlock OEM).

How to copy your contacts with Xiaomi to your computer

If you need to back up your contacts on your PC, there are two reliable ways to do this: through MIUI or using Google Contacts. The first method is faster, but the second one ensures compatibility with other services (e.g. Outlook or Yandex).

Method 1: Through MIUI (without the Internet)

1. Export contacts to the.vcf file (see Method 1).
2. Connect your phone to your computer through USB-cable.
3. Select File Transfer mode (if the request does not appear, lower the notification curtain and press USB to transfer files).
4. Copy the contacts.vcf file from the Download or MIUI folder to the hard drive.

Method 2: Google Contacts (Internet)

1. Sync your contacts with Google (see Method 2).
2. On your computer, open contacts.google.com.
3. Click More → Export and select the format (Google CSV for Excel or vCard for other phones).
4. Save the file on the computer.

⚠️ Note: When exporting through Google Contacts in format CSV To save your profile photos, use the vCard format (but it may not open correctly in Excel).

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For a full backup of contacts on a PC, it is better to use both methods: export via MIUI (for photos) and sync with Google (for editing convenience).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following the instructions, Xiaomi users face problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Restart the phone and repeat the export.

One last tip: Before any manipulation of contacts, back up via Mi Cloud or Google, which will take 5 minutes, but save you hours of data recovery in the event of a crash.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions