How to safely transfer all data from your old phone to the new Xiaomi: the complete guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to protecting personal data. Photographs over the past 5 years, correspondence with loved ones, work documents and even call history all need to be transferred without loss. But how to do it quickly, safely and without technical errors?

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to migrate data to new Xiaomi models (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark), taking into account the features of MIUI 14/15 firmware and the limitations of Android 13/14. You’ll learn which method is suitable for your case – whether it’s switching from an iPhone, another Xiaomi or a device on pure Android.

Important: If you're changing your phone for the first time, start with the Prepare to Move section, where we'll explain what data you can save and what you'll have to reconfigure, and power users can immediately go to the Mi Mover or sync instructions via Google.

What to do before transferring data

Before you start copying files, follow 3 mandatory steps:

Clear the unnecessary data on the old phone. Delete duplicate photos, app cache and old files - this will speed up the transfer process and save space on the new device.
Check compatibility. If you're switching from iOS, install the Move to iOS app on your iPhone (but it only works when you first set up Xiaomi).
Charge both phones to at least 50%. The data transfer can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the amount of information and the method you choose.

Pay special attention to applications with two-factor authentication (for example, banking services or instant messengers).

🔐 Save backup codes to restore access.
📱 Untie your old phone from your accounts (if you plan to sell it).
🔄 Check if the app supports data transfer between devices (for example, WhatsApp allows you to make a backup in Google Drive).

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is an application built into MIUI that allows you to transfer data over Wi-Fi Direct (without the Internet) or over a cable.

📱 Another smartphone. Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO (including the old models MIUI 9+).
🤖 Devices running pure Android (e.g. Samsung, OnePlus, Realme).
🍎 iPhone (only when you first set up the new Xiaomi).

How it works:

Turn on Mi Mover on both phones (on the new one during the initial setup, on the old one in the Settings menu → Additional → Mi Mover).
Select a role: on the old phone - "Sender", on the new - "Recipient".
Connect devices through QR-code (will appear on the screen of the new phone).
Select the data types to transfer (contacts, messages, photos, etc.) and confirm the beginning of the process.

The speed of transmission depends on the amount of data:

Data volume	Transfer time (Wi-Fi Direct)	Transfer time (cable)
Up to 5GB	10-20 minutes	5-10 minutes
5-30 GB	30-60 minutes	15-30 minutes
More than 30GB	1-2 hours	40-60 minutes

Critical Feature: Mi Mover does not tolerate installed applications (APK-files and their data (for example, save in games) This will require a separate backup through Google Play Games or manually copying folders /Android/data/ and /Android/obb/.

Both phones are charged at least 50 times%|The new Xiaomi has not yet set up a Mi Account.|On the old phone enough free space (at least 10% of the volume of data transferred)|Disabled. VPN and energy-saving regimes-->

⚠️ Warning: If you experience a “Disconnected” error during the transfer, restart both phones and try again. If the problem persists, use an alternative method (e.g., Google Account or computer).

Method 2: Sync through Google Account

This method is universal and works on any Android device, including Xiaomi.

🔄 Automatic data update (contacts, calendar, notes synchronized in real time).
☁️ Access files from any device (photos and videos can be viewed through Google Photos).
📱 Suitable for data transfer from iPhone (via iCloud and Google Drive).

Instructions for setting:

On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the right categories (contacts, calendar, Google Photos, etc.).
On the new Xiaomi, when you first set up, select “Recover Data” and log in to the same Google Account.
Wait for the sync to complete (it can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the internet speed).

Limitations of the method:

❌ Not tolerated. SMS/MMS (You need a separate backup through apps like SMS Backup & Restore).
❌ Apps are not automatically installed (only a list from Google Play, you will have to download them again).
❌ Photos and videos in original quality take up space in Google Photos (free only 15 GB).

📊 What data transfer method do you use most often?

Mi Mover

Google Account

Computer (USB/PC)

Cloud services (Dropbox, Yandex Drive)

Other

To transfer WhatsApp and other messengers:

Open the messenger on your old phone.
Go to Settings → Chat → Backup and create a backup in Google Drive.
On the new phone, install the same messenger, log in to your account and restore chats from the backup.

Method 3: Transfer data via computer (USB/PC)

If you don't have Wi-Fi or you have more than 100GB of data, the most reliable way to do this is to use your computer as an intermediary.

💻 PC or laptop Windows/macOS.
🔌 USB-cables (preferably original).
📁 Enough free space on the hard disk.

Step-by-step:

Connect your old phone to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
Copy all the necessary folders (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, WhatsApp for chat backups, etc.) to the hard drive.
Turn off your old phone, plug in a new Xiaomi and transfer the files back.

To transfer applications and their data:

Install the program ADB (Android Debug Bridge) on PC.
Connect your old phone and execute the command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab
Connect the new Xiaomi and recover the data: adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Attention: Backup through ADB Xiaomi may not work on phones with a locked bootloader. Xiaomi requires unlocking through the Mi Unlock Tool, which voids the warranty.

Which folders should you copy from Android devices?

📁 DCIM — photo and video. 📁 Pictures – images from messengers and screenshots. 📁 Downloads – downloaded files from the browser. 📁 Android/data — application data (game saving, messenger cache). 📁 WhatsApp/Databases — Backups (if you don’t use Google Drive).

Method 4: Transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi

The transition from iOS to Android is always more difficult because of Apple’s closed ecosystem, but Xiaomi offers two official ways:

Method 1: Move to iOS app (only when you first set up)

On the new Xiaomi, when setting up, select “Data Transfer from iPhone”.
On your iPhone, install Move to iOS from the App Store and follow the instructions.
Connect to the temporary Wi-Fi network created by Xiaomi and select the data to transfer.

Method 2: Manual transfer via iCloud and Google Account

On iPhone, enable synchronization of contacts, calendar and notes with iCloud.
On your computer, export contacts from iCloud.com to.vcf and import them to Google Contacts.
For photos, use Google Photos (set on your iPhone and enable autoload).

What can not be transferred from the iPhone:

🎵 Music and podcasts from Apple Music (you will have to download again).
🎮 Game savers (unless they support cross-platform synchronization).
📱 System settings (e.g. wallpaper, widgets, folders).

💡

To transfer messages from your iPhone to Xiaomi, use the iSMS2droid app (export SMS to XML and import to Android via SMS Backup & Restore).

Method 5: Cloud Services (Dropbox, Yandex Drive, Telegram)

If you have slow Internet or you don't have a computer on hand, you can use cloud storage, which is a good way to transfer:

📸 Photos and videos (up to 50 GB – free on most services).
📄 Documents (PDF, Word, Excel).
🔑 Backup copies of applications (if they support export).

Instructions on the example of Yandex Disk:

Install Yandex Drive on your old phone and upload the files.
On the new Xiaomi, install the same app and download the files back.
To automatically upload photos, turn on the option “Outload” in the application settings.

Comparison of popular cloud services:

Service	Free seat	Max. File size.	Loading speed
Google Drive	15GB	5 TB	Limited by traffic
Yandex Disc.	10GB	50GB	No restrictions (for Russia)
Dropbox	2GB	50GB	Limited without a paid subscription
Telegram (Saved Messages)	Unlimited*	2GB	Quick (but files are compressed)

* When using Telegram Premium, the limit is increased to 4 GB per file.

To transfer large files (for example, video to 4K), it is better to use Yandex Drive or Google Drive, since they do not compress content. Telegram is suitable for fast transfer of documents or compressed photos.

What to do after data transfer

File porting is only half the battle, and to keep the new Xiaomi running smoothly, follow these steps:

Check data integrity: Open the gallery and make sure all photos and videos are in place. Call a few contacts to confirm that the phone book is correctly transferred. Launch key applications (messengers, banking services) and log in.
Set up sync: Enable autoload photos in Google Photos or Mi Cloud. Activate SMS backup in Mi Account (set up in Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup).

Optimize the system

Go to Settings → Applications → Remove duplicates to free up space.
Include Smart Cleaning in Settings → Battery and Performance.

If any data is not transferred:

🔍 Check the MiuiBackup folder on the internal drive (there may be temporary files from Mi Mover).
📥 Try re-starting sync through Google Account or Mi Cloud.
💬 Contact Xiaomi Support via Settings → Reviews if the problem is Mi Mover.

💡

After transferring the data, reset the old phone to factory settings (if you plan to sell it).This will delete all personal information: go to Settings → About Phone → Reset settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi

Can I transfer data from Android 5.0 to the new Xiaomi?

Yes, but with limitations. For older versions of Android (below 7.0), Mi Mover may not work. In this case, use: Manual transfer via computer (method 3); Sync through Google Account (if the phone supports Google Services); Backup apps like Titanium Backup (requires root rights). If your old phone has custom firmware installed, go back to the stock version of Android first.

How to transfer data from Xiaomi to Xiaomi without losing photo quality?

To get photos and videos to the original resolution: Use Mi Mover over an OTG cable (not Wi-Fi). Or copy the DCIM folder to your computer and then to your new phone. Avoid compression when uploading to the cloud (in Google Photos, select "Original Quality"). If the photos are compressed anyway, check the camera settings on your old phone: they may have been saved in HEIF format (not all devices support it).

Why can't Mi Mover see my old phone?

The problem may be: Incompatibility of MIUI versions (both phones must have MIUI 9 or newer). Lack of rights (on an old phone, allow Mi Mover to access files and contacts); Firewall lock (disable VPN and antivirus); hardware restrictions (for example, Redmi Note 8 Pro with Mediatek processor may have problems with Wi-Fi Direct); Solution: try connecting via cable or use an alternative method (for example, Google Account).

How to transfer game saves from one Xiaomi to another?

Game-dependent: Games with Google Play support Games: saves are synced automatically when you log in to the same account. Games with local saves: Copy /Android/obb/[game name] to a new phone. Or use Helium (requires root or ADB).

Mi Game Center

Mi Account

For Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile and other popular games, use the built-in account anchor feature (Facebook, Twitter or game profile).

Can I transfer data from my phone to Xiaomi without the Internet?

Yes, it's good for this: Mi Mover over Wi-Fi Direct (no network connection required (USB-cable). SD-map (if both phones support removable drives); Local area network (create a hotspot on one phone and connect a second one); To port applications without the Internet, copy APK-file /data/app (Root is required or use APK Extractor.