How to Backup Xiaomi: A Complete Guide with Pictures and Tips

Data loss on a smartphone is one of the most frustrating situations a user can face. Vacation photos, important messages, app settings or game saves can disappear in a moment due to a factory reset, a failed MIUI update or a device breakdown. Fortunately, creating a backup on Xiaomi takes only 5-15 minutes and ensures that you do not lose valuable information.

In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of backup for Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO — built-in MIUI To cloud services and third-party applications, you'll learn how to save contacts, SMS, Photos, apps and even system settings, and what nuances are important to consider when backing up on different versions of firmware. ADB, which works even on locked devices.

1. Built-in backup function in MIUI: step-by-step instruction

The easiest way to back up on Xiaomi is to use the standard Backup tool in MIUI settings.It is available on all brand devices starting with MIUI 8, and allows you to save:

• 📱 Contacts and call log
• 💬 SMS and MMS (including media files)
• 📷 Photos and videos (optional)
• ⚙️ System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sounds)
• 🎮 Application data (not all supported)

To take advantage of this function:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup (on new versions of MIUI, the path may be different: Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset).
2. Press Local Backup.
3. Select the data to save (we recommend that you mark all items except the Application if they take up too much space).
4. Specify the place of storage: internal memory or external memory SD-map (preferably).
5. Click Create Backup and wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes).

The finished backup will be saved in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder in.mbi format, and it can be transferred to a PC or other device for security, and it's important that this file cannot be opened on a computer, it's only for recovery through MIUI.

Battery charge > 50% | Free disk space > 1 GB| Stable Wi-Fi connection (if cloud is used) | Memory optimizers (e.g. MIUI Optimizer) disabled

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2. Cloud backup via Mi Cloud: pros and cons

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s official cloud storage service, which offers 5GB of free backup space, and is convenient because it syncs automatically and is accessible from any device.

To set up a cloud backup:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired data (contacts, photos, notes).
3. For a full backup, click Device Backup and select Create Backup.
4. Confirm the action and wait until the completion (time depends on the speed of the Internet).

An important caveat is that if you use Mi Cloud for photos, they will be saved in a compressed format. For original quality, it is better to use Google Photos or a local backup.

3. Backup via Google Account: a universal solution

If you use Google, backing up your Google account is one of the most reliable options, and works on all Android devices, including Xiaomi, and saves:

• 📇 Contacts (synchronized with Google Contacts)
• 📅 Calendar and events
• 📧 Letters from Gmail
• 📱 Device settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, language preferences)
• 🎮 Data from some applications (if the developer supports Google Drive Backup)

To turn on this backup:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Activate the Backup Switch in Google Drive.
3. Click Create a backup now for immediate saving.

The advantage of this method is that data is automatically restored when you first turn on a new Xiaomi smartphone (or any other Android smartphone), but photos and videos are not saved in this backup – you need to set Google Photos separately for them.

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If you use Google Photos to back up your media files, select Original Quality in the app settings to avoid compressing images.

4. Backup through TWRP: for advanced users

If your Xiaomi device is unlocked and TWRP custom recap is installed, you can create a full system backup, including:

• 📱 Boot (Boot section)
• 📱 System (firmware)
• 📱 Data (all user data)
• 📱 EFS (IMEI and serial numbers)

This method is suitable for experiments with firmware or before unlocking the bootloader. Attention: wrong actions in TWRP can lead to a device blink!

⚠️ Attention: Backup through TWRP Does not work on devices with a locked bootloader.Be sure that your Xiaomi is officially unlocked through the Xiaomi website before using this method.

Instructions for creating a backup in TWRP:

1. Turn off your smartphone and press Volume Up + Power to enter TWRP.
2. Pick Backup.
3. Check the Boot, System, Data and EFS sections.
4. Select a location for preservation (external is recommended) SD-map).
5. Swipe your finger across the screen for confirmation (Swipe to Backup).

The finished backup will be saved in the TWRP/BACKUPS folder, and can be restored at any time through the same TWRP, even if the system does not boot.

5. backup via ADB: Hidden method for locked devices

If your Xiaomi is not unlocked, but you need to back up, you can use the ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge), which works even without root rights and allows you to save:

• 📱 Contact and SMS
• 📱 Log of calls
• 📱 Wi-Fi settings
• 📱 Some application data (depends on the developer)

This will require:

• A computer with ADB drivers installed.
• USB-cable (preferably original).
• USB Debugging enabled on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version → 7 times press to unlock Developer Settings, then enable debugging).

Teams to create a backup through ADB:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f C:\backup_xiaomi.ab

This team will keep:

• -apk — APK-file
• -obb - Additional game data
• -shared — file SD-map
• -all - all possible data

File. backup_xiaomi.ab It's saved on a computer. To recover data, use the command:

adb restore C:\backup_xiaomi.ab

⚠️ Note: Some apps (such as WhatsApp or banking programs) block backups through the app. ADB In this case, the data will have to be stored manually.

6. Third-party backup apps: TOP-3 options

If you don't like the built-in MIUI tools, you can use third-party apps, and we tested three of the most reliable ones.

Swift Backup is the best choice for most users, as it does not require root rights and can save data to the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox). Titanium Backup is suitable for experienced users who want full control over backups.

For backup SMS and calls, it is better to use a specialized SMS Backup & Restore application, as it stores data in a convenient XML format that can be opened on your computer.

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If you use Swift Backup, enable the option to compress the backup in the settings to save disk space.

7 How to recover data from backup on Xiaomi

Backup is only half the battle, and it's just as important to be able to recover data correctly, and the way you recover it depends on what kind of backup you've used.

• 📱 Local backup MIUI: Go to Settings. → Backup and select the.mbi file to restore.

Important rules of recovery:

• Do not interrupt the recovery process – this can lead to data loss.
• If you are restoring data to a new device, make sure that the MIUI version is compatible with the backup.
• After recovering via TWRP, make Wipe Dalvik/Cache to avoid system errors.

If some applications are not working properly after recovery, try:

1. Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps.
2. Reinstall the problem app.
3. Reset network settings (Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings).

FAQ: Frequent questions about backup on Xiaomi