How to create a backup on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Why backup on Xiaomi is not a luxury, but a necessity

Imagine if you drop your phone in a puddle, it stops turning on, and it has all the photos from the last year, your loved ones' correspondence and your work documents on it, or suddenly, after the MIUI update, your smartphone starts to glitches, and the only way to get back to the factory settings is to reset it. Without a backup, you lose everything. Xiaomi service center statistics show that 37% of calls are related to data loss — and 80% of them could be restored if the user had backupd in advance.

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) offer several ways to back up, from built-in MIUI tools to third-party solutions like TWRP or Google Drive. But which method to choose? It all depends on what you want to save:

• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, shortcuts, network parameters)
• 📞 Contacts and communications (SMS, notebook, call log)
• 📷 Media files (photos, videos, music)
• 🎮 Applications and their data (saves in games, settings of messengers)

In this article, we’ll break down all the current backup methods for Xiaomi in 2026, including the hidden features of MIUI 14/15 and circumventing restrictions for rooted devices.

Method 1: Built-in backup in MIUI

The easiest method is to use the standard MIUI tool, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones starting with MIUI 8, and allows you to save almost all user data, except for some system files.

To create a backup:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Backup.
2. Click Create a backup and select the data to save (all items are marked by default).
3. Specify the storage location: internal memory (MIUI/backup folder) or Mi Cloud (Xiaomi cloud).
4. Confirm the action and wait until the completion (can take up to 10-15 minutes).

Is the device loaded at least 50 times%|Is there enough space (need to be free) +10% of the data volume)|Wi-Fi Connected (to download to Mi Cloud)|Are battery optimizers turned off for the backup process?-->

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 14/15 There's a restriction that backup in Mi Cloud is only available for accounts with a linked phone number. If you're using an account without a number, select save to your device or Google Drive.

Method 2: Backup via Google Drive (for contacts, photos and apps)

Google offers a one-stop backup solution that works on any Android device, including Xiaomi, which has the advantage of automatic synchronization and access to data from any device.

To set up a backup:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and activate the switches for Contacts, Calendar and Google Photos.
3. For backup applications and their data, enable Settings → System → Backup → Backup to Google Drive.

⚠️ Attention: Google Photos no longer offers unlimited storage for high-quality photos from June 2021, all new backups take up space in your Google Account (15GB free:

• 📸 Use High Quality Compression instead of Original Compression.
• 🗑️ Clean your shopping cart regularly in Google Photos (files are stored there for 60 days).
• 🔍 Check the Screenshots folder – screenshots often take up a lot of space.

💡

If you have Xiaomi with MIUI 12+, enable Double Backup in your Mi Account settings. It automatically duplicates contacts and notes to Mi Cloud and Google, which will double the chances of data recovery.

Method 3: Full backup via TWRP (for advanced users)

If you need to save all the firmware with all the settings (including Wi-Fi passwords, app data, and even more) EFR-section IMEI), The only reliable way is to use custom Recovery TWRP. This method requires an unlocked bootloader and is suitable for Xiaomi models with support TWRP (For a list of compatible devices, see the official website).

Instructions for creating a backup through TWRP:

1. Install TWRP on your Xiaomi (instructions depend on the model; for the Redmi Note 10 Pro and POCO X3 Pro, use fastboot flash recovery twrp.img).
2. Load into the receptacle: turn off the phone, then press Power + Volume up.
3. In the TWRP menu, select Backup.
4. Mark the backup sections: Boot, System, Data, EFS (required!).
5. Press Swipe to Backup and wait until it is completed (can take 20–40 minutes).

🔧 On some Xiaomi models (for example, Mi 11 Ultra or Redmi) K40) section EFS contains critical data IMEI. If you don’t save it, your phone may lose your network after recovery!

Method 4: Backup to your computer via Mi PC Suite

Xiaomi’s official software, the Mi PC Suite, allows you to create a backup right on your PC, which is convenient if you don’t trust cloud services or want to save data to your hard drive, and works with most models, including the Redmi 9, POCO F3, and Mi 11 Lite.

How to use Mi PC Suite:

1. Download and install the program from the official website.
2. Connect your phone via USB (enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the build number → return to Additional → For Developers).
3. In Mi PC Suite, select Backup and specify the folder on your PC.
4. Wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 30 minutes for 64 GB of data).

💡

Mi PC Suite does not store data from some apps (such as WhatsApp or banking programs).

⚠️ Attention: On Android models 12+ (MIUI 13/14) Mi PC Suite may not see phone due to protocol changes MTP. Decision:

• 🔌 Try another one. USB-cable (original from Xiaomi).
• 🔄 Switch the connection mode from Charging to File Transfer.
• 🛠️ Install Xiaomi drivers USB Drivers manually (you can download it on the Xiaomi website).

Method 5: Manual backup of important data (photos, contacts, messages)

If you don't want a full backup system, but only save individual files, you can do without specialized tools.

Photo and video:

• 📁 Connect your phone to your PC and copy folders DCIM and Pictures.
• ☁️ Or upload them to Google Photos/Yandex Drive.

Contact:

• 📱 Export to.vcf file: Contacts → Settings → Exports/imports.
• ☁️ Sync with Google Contacts or Mi Cloud.

Messages (SMS):

• 📄 Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (available on Google Play).
• 💬 For WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup copy (save in Google Drive).

💡 Tip: To back up notes from the standard Notes app, export them to.zip:

1. Open your notes → Settings → Export.
2. Select the TXT or HTML format.
3. Send the file to your mail or save it to the cloud.

How to recover data from backup on Xiaomi

Backup is half the battle, and the key is to be able to recover the data correctly, and how you recover it depends on how you saved the copy.

⚠️ Warning: If you are recovering the backup MIUI a new version of the firmware (for example, with MIUI 13 on MIUI 15), some settings may not apply:

• 🔄 Update the firmware first, then restore the backup.
• 📱 If the phone freezes after recovery, reset via Fastboot: fastboot erase userdata fastboot reboot.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even experienced users sometimes have problems creating backups, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

1. MIUI backup is interrupted by 99%:

• 🔋 Check the battery charge (should be) ≥50%).
• 📶 Turn off the mobile internet (only use Wi-Fi).
• 🗃️ Free up space on the internal drive (needs at least 1 GB of free space).

2. TWRP does not create a backup of the Data partition:

• 🔐 Make sure your password/pattern lock is disabled.
• 🛠️ Update. TWRP Up to the latest version of your model.
• 📱 Check if encryption is included in Settings → Security → Encryption.

3. Google Drive does not sync photos:

• ☁️ Check if the account is out of place.
• 📵 Enable background synchronization in Google Photos settings.
• 🔄 Restart your phone and update the Google Photos app.

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If you use Xiaomi with MIUI Global but live in Russia, disable synchronization with Mi Cloud in your account settings. Since 2022, Xiaomi services in Russia are operating with restrictions, and the backup may not be saved.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions