Recovery of contacts on Xiaomi: a complete guide for all models

Losing contacts on Xiaomi’s smartphone is stressful, but almost always solvable: Today’s Redmi, POCO, and Mi phones sync data with cloud services, create local backups, and offer built-in recovery tools, so don’t panic and act consistently.

V 90% In some cases, contacts can be returned for 5-10 Even if you didn't set up the backup consciously, the system could do it automatically. MI-Your account or Google phone has offered to save your contacts in the cloud, which many users agree to by default, which means your notebook may already be safe.

In this article, we have proven ways to restore contacts for all current Xiaomi models (including the Redmi Note). 12/13, POCO X5/F5, Mi 11/12/13). From the simplest import of SIM-maps before complex backup manipulations MIUI. If you deleted contacts accidentally, dropped your phone to factory settings or faced a software failure – here you will find a solution.

1. Recover contacts from MI Cloud (official Xiaomi cloud)

MI Cloud is the first place to look, and it's Xiaomi's proprietary cloud storage, which automatically syncs contacts when the feature is activated, and it's easy to check that, even if you don't remember whether you backed up, it could have done so when you first set up the phone.

To reconnect contacts from MI Cloud:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Go to Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud (or Account → Cloud in new versions of MIUI).
3. Enter your data. MI-Account (if not authorized).
4. Find the Contacts block and check if synchronization is enabled.
5. If contacts are in the cloud, click Sync or Restore.

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Note: If you reset your phone to factory settings and don’t remember the password from MI-Xiaomi links the account to a phone number or email, so check the login details in advance. In extreme cases, use the Forgot Password function on the authorization page.

If contacts are in MI Clouds are missing, don't despair. They may be stored elsewhere, like in Google Contacts or on Google Contacts. SIM-Check all available options in order.

2. Import contacts from Google Account

Many Xiaomi users don’t even know that their contacts are automatically synced with Google, which happens if you add a Google account to your phone and allow synchronization, and you can check for contacts in Google Contacts from any device — even a computer.

Instructions for remediation:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Google.
• 🔄 Make sure the switch opposite Contact is on. If not, activate it and wait for sync.
• 🌐 Alternatively, go to contacts.google.com from your PC or other phone, and if you have contacts, they will show up here.
• 📥 To return them to Xiaomi, just enable sync in your account settings.

Important: Google keeps a history of contact changes for 30 days. If you recently deleted contacts, you can restore them even after cleaning your phone. On Google Contacts, click on the gear (Settings) → Cancel changes and select the desired date.

If you don't have any contacts on Google, check out other ways, maybe they're stored locally on your phone or on a physical medium, like on a phone. SIM-map.

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Before resetting your phone to factory settings, always check if syncing with Google or MI Cloud contacts is enabled. This will take 1 minute, but saves hours on data recovery.

Re-establishment of contacts with SIM-map

If you have moved your contacts to SIM-The card is earlier, can be easily imported back.This method is suitable for older Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi). 4X, Mi A1) or if you have manually saved the numbers to SIM. Keep in mind that SIM-The card stores a limited number of contacts (usually up to 250) and does not support additional fields (email, addresses, etc.).

How to import contacts with SIM:

1. Put it in. SIM-card to the phone (if it is not in the slot).
2. Open the Contacts (or Phone) application.
3. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Settings → Import/Export of contacts.
4. Select Import with SIM-maps and indicate where to save contacts (on the phone or in the account) Google/MI).
5. Confirm the import and wait until it is completed.

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Attention: Not all modern SIM-If you have a nano-SIM or an eSIM, this method may not work. SIM Restore deleted contact photos or additional fields (e.g. birthdays).

If SIM-no contacts, move to the next method - recovery from local backup.

4.Using a local MIUI backup

MIUI automatically backs up data, including contacts, if the function is enabled, and these copies are stored in the phone's memory and can save the day even if the cloud sync is disabled to check for backups:

Steps to recover:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → The phone. → Backup and reset → Local backups.
• 🔍 Check the list of available copies. They're sorted by date of creation.
• 📄 Choose the most recent copy where the tick is opposite Contact.
• 🔄 Click Restore and confirm action. Phone will reboot.

If you don't have local copies, try to find them manually. MIUI backups are stored in the folder:

/MIUI/backup/AllBackup/

You can connect the phone to a PC and check that directory through Explorer. Copies files have the.mbk extension.

Make sure your phone is over 50 times charged%|Connect to Wi-Fi to speed up the process|Do not interrupt the recovery until it is completed.|Check the space available on your phone (at least 500 MB is required)-->

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Attention: Restoration from local copy will overwrite the current data on the phone. If you add new numbers after deleting contacts, they may disappear. We recommend that you pre-export current contacts to the.vcf file (via Settings → Export contacts).

5 Recovering Remote Contacts Through Third Party Applications

If standard methods didn't work, you can use specialized data recovery software that scans your phone's memory and finds deleted files, including contact databases.

Top.-3 Applications to restore contacts on Xiaomi:

How to use such programs:

1. Download the app from Google Play (like Dr.Fone).
2. Start scanning your phone’s memory (can take 10-30 minutes).
3. After completion, select the Contacts section and mark the ones you need to restore.
4. Save them in.vcf format or directly into the phone book.

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Attention: Data recovery applications require access to phone memory; do not install them from unverified sources, which may lead to leakage of personal information; and avoid programs that request Root access unless you are sure of their security.

6. Manual export of contacts from old backup (for advanced users)

If you have an old phone backup (like one created through adb backup or TWRP), you can try extracting contacts from it manually, a method that is suitable for users who have previously backed up through custom recovery or developer tools.

Instructions for extracting contacts from the backup:

1. Download the backup archive on your PC (usually a file with the.ab or.tar extension).
2. Use the Android Backup Extractor program to extract data: java -jar abe.jar unpack backup.ab backup.tar
3. In the received archive, find the file contacts2.db (contact-base).
4. Open it with SQLite Browser and export data to.csv or.vcf.

This method requires technical skills and is not suitable for everyone. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to turn to simpler methods (for example, recovery through MI Cloud).

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Local MIUI backups and custom backups are the last chance to get your contacts back if cloud sync is disabled, but they require caution to avoid damaging other data.

7 Prevention: How to avoid future contact loss

To never face contact loss, set up automatic backup on your Xiaomi, just spend 5 minutes setting up once, and your data will be safe.

Checklist for reliable reservation of contacts:

• ☁️ Turn on sync with MI Cloud (Settings) → Xiaomi Account → MI Cloud → Contacts).
• 🔄 Activate sync with Google Contacts (Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of contacts).
• 📱 Regularly create local copies through Settings → Backup (once a month).
• 💾 Export contacts to a.vcf file and save it to a PC or flash drive (once every six months).

It is also useful to use applications for duplicate contacts, for example:

• 📲 Super Backup & Restore automatically creates copies of your contacts, SMS and call logs.
• 📲 Contacts Backup – Exports contacts to.vcf and sends them to email.

If you change your phones or reset your settings frequently, keep a contact file on hand, and it can be imported to any smartphone — not just Xiaomi, but Samsung, iPhone, or Android devices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)