How to enable backup on Google Drive for Xiaomi smartphones: the complete guide

Why do you need to back up Google Drive for Xiaomi?

Losing contacts, photos or important documents from a smartphone is a situation that almost every user has faced. Xiaomi offers built-in tools for backing up data, but Google Drive cloud storage remains the most reliable solution: it is independent of the device manufacturer, accessible from any gadget and protected by two-factor authentication. Unlike local backups on Mi Cloud, which occupy space in the phone’s memory, Google Drive provides 15 GB for free and integrates with the ecosystem (Gmail, Photo, Calendar).

The peculiarity of MIUI (the Xiaomi shell) is that it offers reservations in Mi Cloud by default, but the synchronization function with Google Drive is hidden deeper in the settings. Moreover, after the upgrade to MIUI 14/15, the backup algorithm has changed: now the system shares backups of applications and media files. This complicates the process for beginners, but gives more control to advanced users. In this article, we will discuss how to set up reservations, what data can be stored, and what to do if synchronization is “hangled”.

What Xiaomi data can be reserved on Google Drive

Not all types of data are backed up through Google Drive. MIUI divides information into three categories:

• 📱 System settings and applications: wallpaper, Wi-Fi settings, application data (e.g. game progress), call history, except for passwords and banking application data (not to be copied for security reasons).
• 📷 Media: Photos and videos from the gallery (but only if sync with Google Photos is enabled - it's a separate feature!) Music and downloads are manually reserved only.
• 📞 Contacts and calendars: automatically synced through your Google account, but require a separate setting in Settings → Google accounts.

It is important to understand that Google Drive does not save SMS, call logs and some messenger data (for example, correspondence in WhatsApp) – this requires specialized applications like Swift Backup or built-in tools of the messengers themselves.

• 🔒 Wi-Fi passwords (can only be exported manually through the QR-code).
• 🎮 Save games if they don’t support cloud sync (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile).
• 📁 Files in folders Android/data and Android/obb (cache).

Step-by-step: how to enable backup on Google Drive

The backup setup process depends on the version of MIUI. Below is the general guide for MIUI 12-15, but if you have older firmware (e.g. MIUI 11), some menu items may differ.

• 📱 Google account is installed on the phone (check Settings). → Accounts).
• 🌐 There is a stable Wi-Fi connection (reservation eats up a lot of traffic).
• 🔋 Battery charge of more than 50% (the process can take up to an hour).

Now we move on to the setting:

1. Open Settings and go to About Phone (some versions of MIUI call this About Device).
2. Tap on Backup and Reset (or Backup in MIUI 15).
3. Select Google Backup (if this is not the case, see the Problem Solving section).
4. Click Create a Backup and select a Google account if the system asks.
5. Check the data you want to save (we recommend leaving everything except Application Data if there is not enough space on the Drive).
6. Now, tap it and confirm the start of the process. The backup will start automatically.

Check the free space on Google Drive (minimum 2-3 GB)

Connect to charging (energy-intensive process)

Disable VPN (can block synchronization)

Close the background applications (accelerate the process)

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Once you've finished copying, you'll receive a notification to check the result:

1. Open Google Drive on your phone or browser.
2. Go to the Backups section (in the mobile application it is hidden in the menu). ☰).
3. Find a folder with your device name (like Redmi Note 12 Pro+) and you’ll have files with the.ab extension inside, which is your backup.

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If the backup doesn’t appear on Google Drive within an hour, try manually running sync: open the Google Drive app, pull the screen down for an update, and check the Backups section.

Set up automatic backup

Manual backup creation is tedious, so MIUI allows you to set up automatic synchronization, but by default, this feature is disabled — you need to activate it separately. Here's how to do it:

1. Go to Settings → Google Accounts → Google Account.
2. Tap on account sync (or manage your Google account in new versions).
3. Find the Data Backup section and turn on the switch.
4. Return to Settings → Backup and Reset → Google Backup and activate the Automatic Backup option.

The system will now create backups every 24 hours, but only if the following conditions are met:

Auto-reserve does not include media files (photos/video) – they need a separate setting in Google Photos:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Slip on the account avatar → Settings Photos → Backup and synchronization.
3. Turn on the switch and select quality (Original or High).

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Automatic backup only works for system data and applications. Photos, videos and documents are synced separately through Google Photos and Google Drive (manually).

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after you set it up properly, backups may not work, and here are the common mistakes and ways to fix them:

⚠️ Note: If the backup is not restored after resetting, make sure you are logged in to the same Google account that was used to create the copy!

• 🚫 Error "Failed to back up" Reason: Not enough space on Google Drive or conflict with Mi Cloud Solution: Free up space on Drive (remove old backups) or disable reservations in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Mi Account. → iCloud → Backup).
• ⏳ Synchronization “hang” by 0% Cause: Conflict with the VPN, antivirus or unstable Internet connection. Solution: Disable VPN, Reboot the router and try again. If it doesn't work, delete the Google Drive cache (Settings) → Annexes → Google Drive → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🔄 Backup is created but not restored Cause: Damaged backup file or version incompatibility MIUI. Solution: Create a new copy or restore data through Mi Mover (Xiaomi’s built-in data porting app).

If the problem persists, try an alternative method:

1. Install Swift Backup from Google Play (root rights required for full backup).
2. Connect to Google Drive through the app and create a copy manually.

How to Recover Data from Google Drive Backup

Backup recovery is possible only when you first set up the phone (after reset) or through the Mi Mover, and if the phone is already set up, you will have to reset it to the factory settings:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.
3. After restarting at the system setup stage, select Restore Data.
4. Log in to the Google account that was used for backup.
5. Select the right backup from the list (pay attention to the date of creation!).
6. Mark the data for recovery (contacts, applications, settings) and click Restore.

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours, depending on the amount of data and the speed of the Internet, and it's important that you don't interrupt the recovery, even if the phone seems to be "hanging." If some apps don't work after you restore them, manually update them through Google Play.

⚠️ Note: When recovering from backup MIUI It might suggest updating the firmware. If you restore data to a device with a newer version. MIUI, than the one on which the backup was created, some settings may not apply!

If you only need to restore contacts or photos, you don’t need to reset completely:

• 📞 Contacts: Open the Contacts app → Settings → Imports/Exports → Restore from your Google account.
• 📷 Install Google Photos and enable sync – all media files will download automatically.

Alternative ways to backup for Xiaomi

If Google Drive doesn’t work for some reason (e.g., space is scarce or sync problems are present), consider alternatives:

For most users, the best solution is the combination of Google Drive + Mi Cloud:

• 🔄 On Google Drive, reserve system settings and applications.
• ☁️ In Mi Cloud, save it. SMS, Call log and notes (if you use built-in Xiaomi apps).
• 📷 In Google Photos, sync your media files.

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For complete security, store backups in two cloud services (Google Drive + Mi Cloud) and periodically create a local copy on your computer.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi backup