How to transfer all data from your old phone to your new Xiaomi smartphone: 5 proven ways

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting moment: more power, fresh design, new features. But the joy of updating can be clouded by one thought: "How do you move everything from an old phone now so that you don't lose anything?" Contacts, photos, correspondence, app settings have accumulated over the years, and losing data will turn into an hour-long recovery routine.

Fortunately, migrating data to Xiaomi in 2026 is easier than ever. The manufacturer offers its own tools like Mi Mover, and Google’s ecosystem and cloud services complement the capabilities. But there’s a nuance: not all methods are equally reliable, some work only with certain models, and certain types of data (such as SMS or notes) require a special approach. In this article, 5 working methods of transfer, tested on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+, Xiaomi 14 Ultra and other current models, taking into account typical errors and life hacks to speed up the process.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution, pre-installed on all new smartphones, which allows you to transfer almost everything from contacts to call history, without having to connect to a computer, the main advantage is to maintain the folder structure and support even outdated models (starting with MIUI 9).

How it works:

• 📱 On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select the option “Data Transfer” (if you missed it, find the Mi Mover app in the menu).
• 🔗 On your old phone, install Mi Mover from Google Play (if it’s not there) and run it.
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on a new smartphone.
• 🔄 On the old phone, select "I am the sender," on the new phone, "I am the recipient." Scan. QR-link-code.

The important thing is that Mi Mover doesn't carry Wi-Fi passwords and some application settings (like data from bank programs), and it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of data. If the transfer is interrupted, it will start over, so charge both phones to at least 50%.

Both phones are connected to charging|On the old phone enough free space (minimum 1 GB)|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Google sync on old phone disabled (to avoid duplicates)-->

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has custom firmware installed (like LineageOS), Mi Mover may not recognize it. In this case, use Google Account or physical cable (the method described below).

2.Move over Google Account: Universal Method

Syncing through Google Account is the most reliable way if you use the company’s services (Gmail, Google Photos, Contacts), it works on any Android device, including Samsung, Huawei or Realme, and does not require additional applications, the main advantage is that the data is automatically updated when you change on any device.

What exactly is being transferred:

• 📇 Contacts (including groups and tags)
• 📅 Calendar and events
• 📸 Photos and videos (if you have autoloaded in Google Photos)
• 📝 Notes from Google Keep
• 🎵 Music and podcasts (if uploaded to YouTube Music)

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the right categories.
2. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Google Contacts or Google Photos via browser).
3. On the new Xiaomi, when you set up, log in to the same Google account and wait for the automatic data download.

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Not tolerated. SMS, Call history and files outside of standard folders (DCIM, Downloads, etc.).
• 🚫 Applications are only transferred as lists for installation (the application data itself is not).
• 🚫 Google Photos (15GB free) may not be enough for all media files.

3. Physical transfer: OTG cable or adapter

If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi or the data is too large (e.g. 100)+ GB video, direct cable connection is the fastest solution:

• 🔌 USB-cable OTG (adapter USB-C to USB-C, If both phones are modern).
• 📱 Old phone with unlocked screen.
• 🔋 Charging at least 30% on both devices.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to the new Xiaomi via cable. a notification will appear on the new smartphone «USB-plug-in».
2. Select the File Transfer Mode (MTP).
3. Open Explorer on the new Xiaomi (or any other file application, such as Mi File Manager).
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM for photos, downloads, etc.) for internal memory or SD-mapping.

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Transfer speeds 2-3 times faster than Wi-Fi.
• 📁 Only the necessary files can be selectively transferred.
• 🔒 No risk of data leakage through the cloud.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone uses a file system F2FS (rare but found on some Samsungs, the new Xiaomi may not see it through MTP. In this case, use the memory card as an intermediate medium.

4. Cloud services: Yandex Drive, Dropbox, Telegram

If you have slow internet or little space on your Google Account, other cloud services will be an alternative, suitable for selective transfer (such as photos or documents only) and often offer more free space when you sign up.

Comparison of popular services:

Telegram has no strict limit, but files are stored only in the cloud (not automatically downloaded to the device).

How to transfer data through Yandex Drive:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On an old phone, upload files to the cloud (you can select folders for autoloading).
3. On the new Xiaomi, download files back or enable synchronization.

💡

If you want to move a large archive (for example, a backup of Titanium Backup), break it into parts of 1-2 GB using the ZArchiver archiver – so they will load faster into the cloud and not interrupt.

5. Application and Data Portability: Titanium Backup and Alternatives

Standard methods like Mi Mover or Google Accounts carry a list of apps, but not their internal data. For example, in a game you lose progress, and in WhatsApp you lose your correspondence history.

Best solutions:

• 🛠️ Titanium Backup (requires root rights) - saves applications, their data and system settings.
• 📱 Swift Backup (also root) – a more modern analogue with support for cloud backups.
• 🔄 App Cloner – duplicates applications with all data (works without root, but not on all firmware).
• 💬 For WhatsApp/Telegram: Built-in backup function in Settings → chat → Backup copy.

Instructions for Titanium Backup:

1. Install the application and provide root access.


2. Click on "Backup/Restore".




3. Select the applications that you want to save (check boxes).




4. Click the "Diskets" icon to create a backup.




5. Move the TitaniumBackup folder to your new phone (via cable or cloud).




6. On the new device, restore data through the same application.

⚠️ Note: Data transfer of certain applications (e.g. banking or with a DRM-And if you have a security like Netflix, you can disrupt their work, and you have to log in to your account or reinstall your app.

💡

If you don’t have root rights, the only reliable way to migrate app data is to use their built-in backup features (like WhatsApp or Viber).

6.SMS Transfer, Call History and Other “Small” Data

Contacts and photos are easy to carry, but what about SMS, call logs, or alarm settings? These are often ignored, but losing them can be a inconvenience. Here's how to save them:

SMS and call history:

• 📲 Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (free, rootless) exportes messages to a.xml file, which is then imported into the new phone.
• 🔄 In Mi Mover, this data is transferred automatically, but only if both phones are Xiaomi.

Alarm clocks and reminders:

• ⏰ Xiaomi Watches does not have an export feature in the standard app. Use third-party apps like AlarmMon or Sleep as Android that sync with your Google Account.

Notes and notes:

• 📝 If you use Mi Notes, sign in to the same Xiaomi account on your new phone – notes sync automatically.
• 📑 Google Keep or Evernote just need to log in to your account.

Important: If the old phone has Truecaller installed, turn it off before the call history perenosom – it can block access to system logs.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with the detailed instructions, users are having problems. TOP-5 mistakes and their solutions:

1. Mi Mover doesn't see the old phone, because it's different versions of MIUI or custom firmware. Solution: Update Mi Mover on both devices or use Google Account.
2. Photos moved but not displayed in the gallery Reason: files copied to the wrong folder Solution: move them to DCIM/Camera and restart the Gallery app.
3. Applications are installed, but data is lost Reason: not all applications support backup. Solution: check if the application has an integrated export function (for example, WhatsApp is Settings → Chat → Backup).
4. The new Xiaomi is slowing down after the transfer Reason: too many unnecessary files or cache were moved Solution: Clean the memory with Mi Cleaner (Settings → Applications → Clean).
5. Wi-Fi passwords are not portable Reason: Android restrictions Solution: use the WiFi Key Recovery app (requires root) or rewrite passwords manually.

If nothing works, try resetting the new phone to factory settings and repeating the transfer, and sometimes conflicts arise from data residues from previous attempts.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions