How to Restore Contacts on Xiaomi via Google Account: A Complete Guide to Nuanced Content

Why Xiaomi contacts are lost and how to get them back

Losing contacts on a Xiaomi smartphone is a frustrating but often solvable situation, and the main reason for the problem is a sync failure with Google Account, which is the default backup for contacts on most Android devices, and even if you didn’t consciously enable this feature, the system could activate it automatically when you first set up the phone.

Recovery through Google Contacts works 90% of the time, but there are nuances: if sync was disabled long before data loss, only those records that have been saved in the cloud will be returned. It is also important to consider that some Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro) can be activated by default sync with Mi Cloud instead of Google – this requires a separate check.

In this article, we’ll look at all the recovery options, including manual sync, account settings, and alternative methods for cases where the standard path doesn’t work, starting with the most reliable option: restore through the web version of Google Contacts.

Step 1: Checking your contacts sync with your Google Account

Before you try to restore contacts, make sure they are synced with Google at all.

1. Open the settings on your Xiaomi.
2. Go to Accounts and Sync (or Google depending on MIUI version).
3. Select your Google Account.
4. Check if the switch is on opposite the Contact point.

If the sync has been disabled, turn it on and wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes). If the switch is active but no contacts are still available, move on to the next step.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and newer path to sync settings may be different. If you can't find Accounts and Sync, try searching through the search bar in the sync settings".

Step 2: Restore Contacts via Google Contacts

The most reliable way to get back lost numbers is to use the official Google Contacts service, which works even if the phone breaks down or has been reset to factory settings.

Instructions:

1. Open contacts.google.com on your computer or other device and log in with the same account as you do on Xiaomi.
2. In the left menu, select More (three dots) → Cancel changes.
3. In the window that appears, select the time range for which you want to restore contacts (maximum 30 days ago).
4. Click Confirm and wait for the process to be completed.

After recovery, sync your contacts back to your phone:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Accounts. → Google.
• 🔄 Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sync Now.
• ⏳ Wait until it is completed (may take a few minutes).

Step 3: Manually Add Contacts from Google Backup

If auto-recovery doesn’t work, try exporting your contacts from Google to a file and importing them back to your phone.

• 📅 Contacts have been missing for more than a month (Cancel Changes only works for the last 30 days).
• 🔄 Synchronization is not working properly and some contacts are not displayed.
• 📱 You want to transfer your contacts to another device.

Step-by-step:

1. On your computer, open Google Contacts.
2. On the left menu, select Export.
3. Specify the Google CSV format (recommended) and click Export.
4. Save the file to the device.
5. On Xiaomi phone, open the Contacts app, click on three points → Settings → Import/Export → Import from the file.
6. Select the saved one. CSV-File and confirm import.

⚠️ Note: When importing from CSV There may be errors in encoding Cyrillic characters. If the names are displayed in Krakozabra, open the file in Excel or Google Tables, correct the encoding (save as UTF-8) and repeat the import.

Step 4: Verification of alternative backup sources

If your contacts are not synced with Google, check other possible backup sources:

Critical nuance: On devices with MIUI 12 and older, Mi Cloud backups can only be stored for 3 months unless a paid subscription is activated.

Step 5: Set up automatic synchronization for the future

To avoid losing contacts in the future, set up automatic synchronization:

• 🔄 Enable autosynchronization: Settings → Accounts. → Google → Contacts → Autosynchronization of data.
• 📱 Backup in Mi Cloud (even if you use Google): Settings → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud → Backup.
• 📅 Regularly (once every 1-2 months) export contacts to the file CSV via Google Contacts.
• 🔒 Use two-factor authentication for your Google Account to avoid hacking and loss of access.

We also recommend installing Google Contacts from Play Market – it provides advanced management and recovery features that are not found in the standard Xiaomi app.

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If you change phones frequently, create a separate tag for contacts in Google Contacts (such as Work or Family) to make it easier to selectively export and import when you change devices.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When you reconnect, you often have a problem with the typical problems, and we'll look at the most common ones.

• ❌ Error: "Synchronization stopped" Solution: Check your Internet connection (better use Wi-Fi). Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Google Contacts → Storage and clear the cache.
• ❌ Contacts are not displayed after recovery Solution: In the Contacts app, click on three dots → Display contacts and select All contacts (sometimes only phone contacts are shown by default).
• ❌ Unable to log in to Google Account Solution: Try resetting your password through Google Restore page. If two-factor authentication is enabled, use backup codes.

⚠️ Please note: if you have used MIUI 13 and below, after resetting to factory settings, you may need to re-assign your Mi Account to access Mi Cloud backups!

FAQ: Answers to popular questions

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If contacts are critical (for example, for business), set up a double backup: both Google Account and Mi Cloud.