How to save all data from Xiaomi phone when buying a new device

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, with the joy of upgrading technology on the one hand, and the fear of losing important data, such as photos over the years, instant messengers, saved passwords or work documents, and statistics show that 38 percent of users experience partial or total loss of data when changing their device — most often due to a banal lack of awareness of the correct methods of transfer.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to save data from Xiaomi phone – from standard features. MIUI You'll learn how to migrate not only contacts and photos, but also system settings, instant messengers, call history and even game data, and how to avoid the typical mistakes that cause users to lose years of digital life.

Important: the methods in the article are relevant to all modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO base MIUI 12–14 and HyperOS. If you have a device older than 2018 (like the Xiaomi Mi 8 or Redmi Note 5), some features may be missing – check the firmware version in Settings → The phone.

1.Preparing the phone for data transfer: what to do before buying a new Xiaomi

Many users only start thinking about saving data when the new phone is in their hands, a critical mistake: some types of information (such as WhatsApp messages or banking app data) require prior preparation.

Make sure that the phone has enough free space (at least 10% of the memory capacity)

Update MIUI Up to the latest version in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system

Check the work of the Mi Account (login to Settings) → Xiaomi account)

Backup passwords from Wi-Fi (network list in Settings) → Wi-Fi)

Clear the cache of unnecessary applications (so as not to carry garbage)

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Pay special attention to login to your Mi Account. Without it, you will not be able to use the Mi Cloud, which is one of the most reliable ways to transfer. If you forget your password, restore it in advance on account.xiaomi.com. Also check whether your phone number or email is linked to your account, which will make it easier to login to the new device.

Professional advice: If you plan to sell or give away an old phone, don’t reset it to factory settings until the data is fully ported. Some methods (such as copying through Mi Mover) require that the old device remain operational.

⚠️ Note: If your phone has enabled the Data Protection feature MIUI (In Settings → Privacy, disable it before backing up. It can block access to some files when you transfer them.

Method 2: Automatic transfer via Mi Mover (the simplest method)

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi that allows you to transfer data directly from one smartphone to another via Wi-Fi. It is pre-installed on all devices with a mobile phone. MIUI supports the transfer:

• 📱 Contacts, messages and call histories
• 📸 Photos, videos and audio files
• 📱 Applications (including some of the data)
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, labels)
• 📱 Notes and calendars

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. Turn on both phones and connect them to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer (or find the Mi Mover app in the menu).
3. On the old phone, open Mi Mover and select I sender.
4. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone on an old device.
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of transfer depends on the amount of data. For example, 30 GB of photos and videos can be copied from 20 minutes to 1 hour. Do not interrupt the process or turn off the screen, this can lead to loss of data.

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If Mi Mover doesn’t see the old device, check if it’s enabled developer mode and debugging. USB (In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times on the version number, then return to the additional → For developers).

⚠️ Note: If a newer version is installed on the new phone MIUI, Some of the settings may not be transferred correctly, such as the themes of the design or the control gestures.

Method 2: Backup to Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s cloud storage that gives 5GB for free (compared to Google Drive, which offers 15GB but with limitations). MIUI and automatically synchronize:

• 📇 Contacts and notes
• 📅 Calendars and reminders
• 📷 Photo and video (if autoload is enabled)
• 🔄 Call history and SMS
• 📱 System settings (sounds, wallpaper, labels)

To create a backup in Mi Cloud:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired data types (sliders should be green).
3. Click Backup and select Create Backup.
4. Wait until the process is complete (it can take from a few minutes to an hour).

Important: Mi Cloud does not store data from third-party applications (such as WhatsApp, Telegram or games) and you need to use separate backup methods for these.

Once you transfer data to your new phone, just log in to the same Mi Account, and the system will suggest you recover data from the cloud, and the main advantage of this method is that you can recover data even if the old phone has already been dropped or lost.

Method 3: Using a Google Account (Universal Method)

If you don’t want to depend on the Xiaomi ecosystem, the best option is to back up through Google Account, which works on any Android device and saves:

• 📇 Contacts (synchronization with Google Contacts)
• 📅 Calendars (Google Calendar)
• 📝 Notes (Google Keep)
• 📱 System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, languages)
• 📱 Data from some applications (if they support Google Drive Backup)

To enable backup:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Turn on the slider Download to Google Drive.
3. Click Create a backup copy now.
4. Make sure that the account credentials section includes synchronization of contacts, calendars and other data.

On the new phone, when you first turn on, the system will prompt you to restore data from your Google Account. If you missed this step, you can go to the recovery via Settings. → Google → Backup → Restore.

⚠️ Attention: Google limits free cloud storage to 15GB per account. If you have a lot of photos or videos, they may not fit - in this case, use Google Photos with compression enabled (High quality instead of the original).

5. Method 4: Local backup to your computer (for full control)

If you don't trust cloud services or you have slow Internet, the best option is to save all the data to your computer. USB-cable and program PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi) or standard tools Windows/macOS.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your computer through USB-cable.
2. On your phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the connection notification.
3. Open the phone folder on your computer (usually it appears in this computer as a removable disk).
4. Copy the following folders: DCIM — Photos and videos Downloads - uploaded Pictures files - screenshots and saved pictures WhatsApp/Media — WhatsApp media files

Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Exports to the vault

For full backup (including apps and settings), use Mi PC Suite:

• 🖥️ Download the program from the official website pcsuite.mi.com.
• 🔌 Connect your phone and select Backup.
• 📋 Tick the required data types and click Create a backup.
• 💾 Save the backup file to your computer (it will be in.mbk format).

To recover data on a new phone, connect it to your computer, open Mi. PC Suite and select Restore.

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Local copying is the most reliable method, since you control files directly, but it takes more time and space on your computer. Use it if you have a lot of data (50)+ GB) or abnormal Internet.

6. Method 5: Transfer data from messengers and social networks

Messages on WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber are not carried by standard methods, and each messenger has its own way of backing up:

WhatsApp:

• 📱 Open up. ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
• 🔄 Click Create a copy (the data will be saved to Google Drive).
• 📲 On your new phone, install WhatsApp, log in to the same account and restore chats.

Telegram:

• ☁️ All your messages and media files are stored automatically in the Telegram cloud.
• 📱 Just install the app on your new phone and log in to your account – everything will recover.

Viber:

• 📱 Go to More. → Settings → Account. → Backup copy.
• ☁️ Select Google Drive or send a copy to email.
• 📲 On the new phone, restore data from the backup.

For Messages SMS use the app SMS Backup & Restore from Google Play. It allows you to export SMS to the file and then restore them to the new device.

7.Typical errors in data transfer and how to avoid them

Even the most experienced users sometimes lose data due to common mistakes, and here are the most common problems and solutions.

Critical error: Many users forget about two-factor authentication (2FA) In instant messengers and banking applications, unless you have saved backup codes or disabled them. 2FA Before transferring, you may lose access to your accounts!

To avoid this:

• 🔐 Check the settings. 2FA WhatsApp, Telegram, VK and banking applications.
• 📝 Save your backup codes in a safe place (e.g., Google Keep or on paper).
• 🔄 Turn it off. 2FA Temporarily if you plan to transfer data via Mi Mover.

8 What to do if the data is not transferred?

If you find that some of the data is missing after the transfer, don't panic.

1. Check the cloud copies: 🔍 Go to Mi Cloud (i.mi.com) or Google Drive (drive.google.com). 📂 Make sure that backups are created and available for recovery.
2. Use Recovery Programs to Recover: 🖥️ Dr.Fone, EaseUS MobiSaver, or DiskDigger can recover deleted files if the old phone hasn’t been reset yet.
3. Contact us for support of Xiaomi: 📞 Write to the support chat via Settings → Reviews or on the website mi.com. 📧 Attach screenshots of errors and log files (can be obtained through Settings) → The phone. → Debugging → Log collection).

If you sold or gave away an old phone and the data didn’t move, try:

• 📱 Contact the new owner and ask them not to reset the device temporarily (if possible).
• ☁️ Recover data from cloud copies (if they were made).
• 🔧 Use Mi Cloud to remotely erase data if your phone is lost or stolen.

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If you lose access to your Mi or Google account, you can restore it through your email or phone number, and in extreme cases, contact support with documents confirming ownership of the account (checks, device serial number).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions