How to restore a backup of Google on your Xiaomi phone: full instructions

Losing data on a smartphone is one of the most frustrating situations for a user: Photos, contacts, messages and app settings can disappear at once due to factory reset, device breakdown or accidental deletion. Fortunately, Xiaomi is closely integrated with Google services, allowing you to automatically back up most data in the cloud, but the process of restoring it is not always intuitive — especially for specific Redmi models, POCO or flagship Xiaomi 13/14.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can restore a Google backup on Xiaomi devices, from basic contact returns to full app and data porting, how to avoid common errors (such as why a copy doesn’t find a device), what settings to check in advance, and what to do if the system requires a password from an old account, and a unique life hack to restore a backup to a new Xiaomi device without losing data from the Mi Account.

1.Recovery Preparation: What to Do Before Starting

Before you start recovering, make sure your Xiaomi device is ready for the procedure.Missing these steps can cause crashes or partial data loss.

First, check your Internet connection. Google backups are downloaded through the cloud, so a stable Wi-Fi (or mobile network with a good signal) is a must. If you restore data after a reset, connect to the network before you log in to your account, this will speed up the sync process.

Second, make sure that the device has enough free space, for example, a backup with photos and videos can weigh several gigabytes. → Memory.

• 🔌 Charge your phone at least 50% – it can take up to an hour to recover and drain the battery.
• 📱 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version – old firmware may have Google sync bugs.
• 🔑 Remember the password from the Google account that was used to create a backup.
• 📝 Check if synchronization is included in Settings → Google accounts → Synchronization.

⚠️ Note: If you are recovering data to a new Xiaomi phone, do not enter your Mi Account until you have completed the recovery from Google Backup. otherwise, the system may block the option of selecting a backup.

2.How to restore Google backup on Xiaomi

There are three main methods to recover data from Google Backup on Xiaomi devices, and the choice depends on where you are: set up a new phone, recover from a reset, or try to return individual data (like contacts only).

Recovery at the first setting of the phone

This is the most reliable way, as it runs before installing applications and guarantees maximum data recovery, suitable for new devices or after a complete reset.

1. Turn on your phone and select your language.
2. Connect to the Wi-Fi network.
3. At the "Copy Data" step, select "Restore from backup".
4. Log in to the same Google account that was used to create the copy.
5. Select the right backup from the list (if there are several).
6. Check the data for recovery: applications, contacts, SMS, setup.
7. Wait until the process is completed (it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour).

If at this stage the system says “It is impossible to restore backup”, check:

• 🔄 Version MIUI — on old firmware (below) MIUI 12) there may be compatibility problems.
• 📡 Internet connection – try reconnecting to Wi-Fi or using mobile data.
• 🔐 Two-factor authentication in a Google account – sometimes you need confirmation through a Google account SMS.

2.2 Restore via Google Settings after setting up your phone

If the phone is already set up but you want to return data from a backup, do the following:

1. Open Settings → Google Accounts.
2. Select your account and go to “Sync Account”.
3. Activate sliders for the data you want to recover (e.g. Contacts, Calendar, Drive).
4. Press "More" → Restore contacts (if only contact returns are required).

To restore applications and their data:

1. Open Google Play. → Menus (☰) → My apps and games. → Library.
2. Click on “Previously Installed” and select the desired applications.
3. Once installed, application data (such as game progress) will be automatically restored if it was included in a backup.

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If no contacts have appeared after recovery, check if they are duplicated with contacts from Mi Account. → Settings → Manage contacts and disable the display of duplicates.

Manual recovery of files from Google Drive

If the automatic methods don’t work, you can manually download backups from Google Drive:

1. Open Google Drive in your browser.
2. In the menu on the left, select "Reserve copies".
3. Find a copy of your Xiaomi (it will be named after the device model).
4. Download the necessary files (for example, photos from the folder) DCIM call-to-call).
5. Transfer them to the phone through USB cloud-storage.

Please note that not all data is available for manual download, such as app settings or SMS stored in encrypted form and can only be restored through official methods.

3. Frequent errors and their solutions

The recovery process doesn’t always go smoothly, and here are some of the most common problems and ways to fix them based on Xiaomi user feedback.

⚠️ Note: If you are restoring backup on another Xiaomi model (e.g., from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 13), some system settings may not be transferred due to firmware differences.

4.How to restore Google backup on a blocked Xiaomi

If your Xiaomi is blocked (for example, because of a forgotten password), but you have a backup in Google, there are two options:

4.1 Unlocking through Mi Account (if tied)

If the phone is linked to Mi Account, you can unlock it through the official website:

1. Go to the Find Device page in your Mi Account.
2. Select the locked device.
3. Click "Unlock the screen" and follow the instructions.
4. After unlocking, log in to your Google account and restore the data.

4.2. Fastboot reset (if Mi Account is not tied)

If the phone is not tied to Mi Account, but is locked with a pattern lock, you can do Hard Reset via Fastboot mode:

fastboot erase userdata


fastboot erase cache




fastboot reboot

After that, the phone will return to factory settings, and you can recover data from Google Backup when you first set up.

5. Recovery of specific data types

Not all data is recovered in the same way, but below are instructions for the most sought-after types of information.

Contacts and calls

Contacts are synced to Google Contacts automatically if the option is enabled in the settings to restore them:

1. Open Settings → Google Accounts → Synchronization
2. Activate the Contacts slider.
3. Open the Contacts app and wait for the synchronization to be completed.

To restore the call history:

• 📞 Use the Google Phone app (if it was installed on an old device).
• 🔄 Enable call synchronization in Settings → Google → Services → Call history.

5.2 Photographs and videos

If the photos were saved to Google Photos, they will be automatically restored after you log in to speed up the process:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Click on the profile avatar → "Photo archive".
3. Select "Backups" and wait for the download.

If the photos were stored only on the device and were not synced, try restoring them via Google Drive (see section 2.3).

Communications SMS and MMS

Messages are only restored if they have been enabled to archive in Google Drive.

1. Install the Messages app from Google (unless it is installed by default).
2. Open the Settings. → Backup and reset → Auto-recovery.
3. Enable the "Restore" option SMS".

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A) The standard Messages app does not support recovery from Google Backup. In this case, use third-party apps like SMS Backup & Restore.

5.4 Applications and their data

To restore installed applications and their settings:

1. Open Google Play → Menus. → My apps. → Library.
2. Click "Install" for the desired applications.
3. Application data (such as game saves) will be automatically restored if it supports Google Play Games or its own cloud storage.

For applications that are not synced to Google (such as some banking apps), data will have to be restored manually or with their own backups.

6.Alternative backup methods for Xiaomi

If Google Backup is not suitable (for example, due to data limitations), consider alternative ways to:

• 📱 Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s own cloud with 5GB of free space. Supports contact backup, SMS, notes and some settings.
• 💾 Local backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backup. A copy is saved to the phone or SD-map.
• 🖥️ Third-party programs like Titanium Backup (requires root) or Swift Backup (works without root on some firmware).
• ⚡ ADB Backup – Create a full copy through a computer using the commands: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab Recovery: adb restore backup.ab

Each of these methods has its pros and cons: for example, Mi Cloud is convenient for quickly transferring data between Xiaomi devices, but does not save applications. ADB Backup creates a full copy, but requires command line skills.

Local copy takes up a lot of space – make sure there is enough memory on the phone

Mi Cloud may not save data from some third-party apps

ADB Backup requires enabled debugging USB (Settings → For developers)

Third-party programs may not work on the latest versions MIUI-->

7. How to avoid future data loss

To avoid future recovery problems, follow these guidelines:

• 🔄 Enable automatic backup in Settings → Google → Backup. Make sure all the data you need is selected.
• 📅 Check your backups in Google Drive periodically (every 1-2 months).
• 📱 Sync Mi Account and Google – This Will Double Your Chances of Data Recovery.
• 💾 Create local copies before important changes (firmware update, reset).
• 🔐 Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication for Google and Mi accounts.

It is also useful to know what data is not stored in a Google backup:

• 🎵 Music downloaded not through Google Play Music.
• 📄 Some files in Download or Documents folders.
• 🔒 Application data that explicitly prohibits backup (such as some banking applications).
• 📱 Mi Account settings (themes, wallpaper, lock screen settings).

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The most reliable way to protect data is the combination of Google Backup + Mi Cloud + Local copy, which ensures that you can recover information even if one of the services fails.

FAQ: Frequent questions about restoring Google backup on Xiaomi