Transferring data from one Xiaomi phone to another: all ways of 2026

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often becomes a headache. Contacts, photos, messages, app settings all need to be saved, and without loss. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools for migration, as well as universal solutions that work on any device. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to transfer data between the brand’s smartphones, including nuances for old and new models, as well as solving typical problems.

It is important to understand that the method of porting depends on the version of MIUI, device model and data type. For example, Xiaomi 12T Pro with MIUI 14 supports wireless migration via Mi Mover, while Redmi Note 8 on MIUI 12 may require a cable or cloud. We will look at options for all scenarios from full automation to manual copying of individual files.

If you are in a hurry, use the following navigation:

• 🔄 Mi Mover - the official tool for wireless transfer (works on the Internet) MIUI 9+)
• ☁️ Xiaomi Cloud – Cloud backup with synchronization
• 🔌 Cable OTG/Type-C — Direct transfer without the Internet (for large volumes)
• 📱 Google Account – a universal way for contacts, calendar and part of applications
• 💾 Manual transfer – for selectively copying files via PC or file manager

Before you start, check:

Charging the battery of both phones > 50%|Free space on the new device (at least 20% more data transfer volume)|Stable Wi-Fi connection (for wireless methods)|Turn it off. VPN Firewalls (they can block transmission)-->

1.Mi Mover: Xiaomi's official wireless port tool

Mi Mover is an integrated application in Xiaomi designed to migrate data between the brand’s devices, which supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, applications (including their data), call records and even some system settings, the main advantage is that you do not need an Internet or a computer: the transfer goes directly over Wi-Fi Direct.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. On your old phone, open the Mi Mover app (you can find it in the Tools folder or through search).
2. Select the option I'm the sender.
3. On the new phone, launch Mi Mover and select I'm the receiver.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of the new phone with the old device (or enter PIN-manually).
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The transfer speed depends on the amount of data and the model of the phone. For example, transferring ~20 GB between the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and the Redmi K60 Pro takes about 30-40 minutes.

• 🔄 Reset Mi Mover on both devices.
• 📶 Switch to another Wi-Fi network (sometimes hindered by a router with restrictions) P2P).
• 🔋 Connect phones to charge (at low charge, transmission may slow down).

2. Xiaomi Cloud: Backup and Recovery

If Mi Mover doesn’t work for some reason (like the very old Redmi 4X models), the alternative is Xiaomi Cloud, which requires an internet connection, but allows you to transfer data remotely and even restore it to multiple devices.

Instructions for transfer through the cloud:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for the desired types of data (contacts, notes, photos, etc.).
3. Click Backup and create a new copy (make sure all the necessary items are selected).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Recovery.
5. Select the latest backup and confirm the recovery.

Please note:

• ☁️ The free Mi Cloud tariff only provides 5 GB of space. For large volumes you will have to buy an extension (from the Internet). ~200 ₽/month).
• ⏳ Recovery from the cloud can take hours if the data is more than 10 GB.
• 🔒 Some data (e.g., some data, SMS) Restore only if new messages have not been created on the new phone.

3. Data transfer via OTG or Type-C cable

If you don't have Wi-Fi or cloud access and you have more than 50GB of data, the best option is to connect directly via cable.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (If the new phone has a Type-C connector and the old one has a Micro-USB).
• 🔌 Type-C cable (if both phones are modern).
• 📱 File Manager (e.g., embedded Files or Solid Explorer).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phones with a cable. On the screen of the old device, select File Transfer (or MTP) mode.
2. On your new phone, open the file manager and find the connected device in the Devices or USB section.
3. Copy the folders you want (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, etc.) to your new phone.
4. Use separate tools like APK Extractor to port applications (but note that application data won’t be portable!).

💡

If the phone doesn’t recognize the connected device, try enabling USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times on the version, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Maximum speed – up to 100-150 MB / s on modern phones.
• 🔒 Security – data is not transmitted via the Internet.
• 📁 Selective transfer – only the necessary files can be copied.

Disadvantages:

• 🔌 A special cable is required (not all of them). OTG-cables support transmission between phones).
• 📱 System settings and data of some applications are not transferred.

4. Move through Google Account (for contacts, calendar and part of applications)

If you use Google services, some of the data can be transferred through your account, which is universal and works even between Xiaomi and other brands.

• 📇 Contacts (in full, including profile photos).
• 📅 Calendar and reminders.
• 📱 Some application data (e.g. Chrome bookmarks, Gmail settings).
• 📍 Location history (if included).

How to transfer data:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Google Accounts → Sync and enable sync for all the data you need.
2. Wait for sync to complete (check Google Accounts → Account Management → Data and Personalization).
3. On the new phone, add the same Google account and enable sync.
4. Data will start to load automatically (it can take from a few minutes to an hour).

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Not tolerated: SMS, Photos (except those uploaded to Google Photos), music, documents.
• 🔄 Some apps (like WhatsApp) require separate backups.
• ☁️ Google Photos Free Cloud compresses images if High Quality is selected (you have to pay for original quality).

💡

Google Account is the best way to transfer contacts and calendars, but it is useless for multimedia and SMS. For a full migration, combine it with other methods (for example, Mi Mover + Google Photos).

5. Manual transfer via computer (for full control)

If you only need to selectively copy certain files or data, the best way to do that is to use a computer, which is true, for example, if you want to migrate:

• 🎵 High-resolution music (FLAC, WAV).
• 📄 Documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX).
• 🎮 Save games (folder) Android/obb).
• 📸 Photo in original quality (without cloud compression).

Instructions for Windows/macOS:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB-cable and select File Transfer Mode.
2. Copy the folders you need (DCIM, Pictures, Download, etc.) to your computer.
3. Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.
4. Transfer the copied files to the corresponding folders on the new device.

To transfer SMS and call records, you can use specialized programs:

• 📱 SMS Backup & Restore (Saves) SMS a.xml file, which is then restored to the new phone).
• 📞 Call Logs Backup & Restore (similar to call history).

6. Data transfer between Xiaomi different generations (MIUI 12 vs MIUI 14)

If you are switching from an old model (e.g. Redmi Note 5 to MIUI 10) to a new one (e.g. Xiaomi 14 to MIUI 15), there may be compatibility issues.

For phones on MIUI 9-11:

• 🔄 Mi Mover may not support new data formats (e.g., Mi Cloud backups from the company). MIUI 14).
• ☁️ Xiaomi cloud may not sync some data types (e.g. notes in a new format).
• 📱 Apps from old firmware may not work on the new version of Android.

Solutions for cross-version transfer:

1. Use manual portability over PC for multimedia and documents.
2. For contacts and calendar, export them to the.vcf file (via Contacts → Export) and import them on a new phone.
3. For SMS, use SMS Backup & Restore (all versions of Android).
4. If Mi Mover doesn’t work, try an app like Clone Phone or Shareit.

Example of problem situations:

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring data from Xiaomi Mi A1 (Android One on Poco X5 Pro (MIUI), Mi Mover will not be able to copy system settings due to different shells, in which case use Google Contact Account and manual transfer for other data.

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

Even when using official tools, users face problems.-5 errors and ways of correcting them:

If none of the methods worked, try alternative applications:

• 📲 Clone Phone (from Huawei, but it also works on Xiaomi).
• 📤 Send Anywhere (transfer of files over Wi-Fi or via code).
• 🔗 Sharet (fast transfer of large files).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions