How to transfer contacts from your account to Xiaomi phone memory: all ways

Transferring contacts from a cloud account (Google, Mi Account) or SIM-The task that users face when changing a device, resetting settings or switching to a new firmware, unlike synchronization, which simply displays contacts from the cloud, transferring them creates an independent copy right in the smartphone’s memory. This guarantees access to numbers even without the Internet or when leaving the account.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer contacts to Xiaomi phones (including Redmi, Poco, Mi 11/12/13 and other models on MIUI 12/13/14). Each method is suitable for different scenarios, from manual export to automatic synchronization with subsequent saving.

Why Contacts Are Better Stored in Your Phone Memory than Your Account

Many Xiaomi users are unaware that their contacts are by default linked to a cloud account (Google or Mi Account), which is convenient for syncing between devices, but has hidden risks:

• 🔴 Loss of access when you block your account: If Google or Mi Account is blocked (for example, on suspicion of fraud), you will lose all contacts.
• 🔴 Internet dependency: Without a network connection, cloud contacts may not be displayed or updated with a delay.
• 🔴 Problems with resetting your phone. After Hard Reset, you'll have to log in again to reset your phone numbers.
• 🔴 Contact limits: Mi Account has 5,000 contacts, Google has 25,000, but Xiaomi doesn’t have that on-premises memory.

Locally storing contacts in a phone's memory solves these problems, but it also has downsides: no automatic backup and the need to manually transfer data to a new device, and the best option is to duplicate contacts in both the account and the phone's memory.

Method 1: Transfer contacts from Google account to Xiaomi memory

If your contacts are synced with Google, they can be easily exported to the phone’s local memory, a technique that works on all Xiaomi models with MIUI 10 and newer.

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a human silhouette).
2. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the Import/Export Contacts section.
4. Select Export in your phone memory.
5. Check your Google account and click Export.
6. Confirm the action – the contacts will be copied to the local memory.

After exporting, check that the contacts appear in the Phone section (not just Google). To do this, click on the search bar and select the Phone filter in the Contacts app.

⚠️ Note: If you have automatic sync enabled with Google, new contacts may be duplicated. To avoid this, turn off sync in Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of contacts.

Method 2: Import contacts from Mi Accounts

Mi Account is Xiaomi's proprietary cloud storage, which is used by default to back up contacts, to transfer them to the device's memory:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Go to the Mi Cloud section → Synchronization.
3. Make sure the switch opposite Contact is active (if not, turn it on and wait for synchronization).
4. Return to the Contacts app, click ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
5. Select Import from Mi Account and confirm the action.

The contacts will be copied to the Phone section. Please note that Mi Account can store contacts in vCard (.vcf) format, so they can also be exported to a file and then imported into memory (more about this in the following way).

Method 3: Export contacts to.vcf and import to memory

This method is versatile and suitable for transferring contacts not only within Xiaomi, but also between different devices (for example, from an iPhone or Samsung). The.vcf file contains all contacts in a standard format and can be imported into any address book.

Step 1. Export contacts to file:

1. Open the "Contact» → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
2. Select Export to the file and specify your account (Google, Mi Account or SIM).
3. Click Export – the contacts.vcf file will be saved in the Download folder.

Step 2. Import a file to your phone memory:

1. In the same menu, select Import from the file.
2. Specify the path to the contacts.vcf file (usually in Downloads).
3. Select the target storage device – the phone.
4. Confirm the import.

This method is also useful for backup: a.vcf file can be copied to a computer or a flash drive. SIM-These can also be exported to.vcf and then imported into memory.

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If the.vcf file is not imported, check its integrity. Open the file in the text editor - it should begin with the line BEGIN:VCARD and end with END:VCARD.

Method 4: Transfer of contacts with SIM-Xiaomi cards

If your contacts are stored on SIM-You can easily transfer them to your phone's memory. SIM-Cards have a limit on the number of records (usually 200-250 contacts) and do not support fields such as email or addresses.

Instructions:

1. Put it in. SIM-card.
2. Open the "Contact» → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
3. Select Import with SIM-map.
4. Mark the contacts you want to move (or click Select All).
5. Specify the target storage - Phone.
6. Confirm the import.

After the transfer, it is recommended to remove the contacts from the SIM-To avoid duplication, select Contact Management from the same menu. SIM → Delete everything.

⚠️ Attention: Contacts to SIM-The card is occupied by the subscriber's memory and can slow down the network search.

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work (for example, due to a synchronization failure or a large number of contacts), you can use third-party applications.

• 📱 Copy My Data – Transfers contacts, messages and photos between devices over Wi-Fi.
• 📱 My Contacts Backup – Exports contacts to a file and sends them to an email.
• 📱 Super Backup & Restore – Creates backups of contacts, SMS and call logs.

Example of transfer with Super Backup & Restore:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and select Contacts.
3. Click Backup – the file will be saved in the phone’s memory.
4. Go to Recovery and select the backup you created.
5. Specify the target storage – Local memory.

A side of an annex is useful if:

• 🔹 You need to transfer contacts from iPhone to Xiaomi.
• 🔹 Standard export/import is a mistake.
• 🔹 Additional fields (e.g., dates of birth or notes) must be moved).

How to avoid duplication of contacts after transfer

One of the most common problems with moving contacts is that you get duplicates, and this happens when you:

• 🔸 Contacts are already synced to Google or Mi Account, and you transfer them to your phone’s memory.
• 🔸 You have imported the same.vcf file several times.
• 🔸 Nana SIM-The same number is stored in the account and the card.

How to remove duplicates:

1. Open the "Contact» → ⋮ → Contact management → Combining and correcting.
2. Click Find duplicates – the system will automatically find the repeated entries.
3. Choose Combine All or manually mark the duplicates for the merger.

To prevent future duplication:

• 📌 Turn off automatic contact synchronization in Settings → Accounts.
• 📌 Use only one storage (e.g., just phone memory or just Google).
• 📌 Check your contacts for doubles regularly through the Menu Combine and Fix.

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If you’re transferring contacts between multiple devices, it’s best to use a Google account as a stash of intermediates. First export contacts to Google, then import them into the memory of a new phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi