Previous articleMissing contacts on Xiaomi Redmi 6 – how to recover in 10 minutes

You opened a phone book on your Xiaomi Redmi 6, and instead of hundreds of saved numbers, a blank screen or a message called "Contacts not found"? The situation is familiar to many: contacts can disappear after resetting, updating MIUI, sync failure, or even due to the banal removal of the Contacts app. Fortunately, 90% of the time the data can be returned, the main thing is to act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to restore contacts on Redmi 6 (and other Xiaomi smartphones based on Android 8-10), including backups, cloud services and hidden MIUI features. Particular attention will be paid to typical errors that cause users to lose data forever – for example, improper synchronization settings or the use of questionable “restorers” from the Play Market. If your phone has not yet rebooted after contacts are lost, the chances of success are maximum!

1. Check the obvious: contacts are not deleted, but simply hidden

Before you panic, make sure that the contacts are actually erased, not hidden by the system. There are a few traps in MIUI (Xiaomi firmware) that make users think data is lost:

• 🔍 Display filter: Contacts app can only show numbers from SIM-Click on the three dots in the upper right corner. → Display contacts → Select All Contacts.
• 📱 Second second SIM-card: if you have two SIMs, check if the contacts are tied to the second (open the contact menu) → tap the icon SIM-map).
• 🌐 Sync is disabled: go to Settings → Accounts. → Google and check if your contacts are synchronized.

If you've made contacts after this manipulation, you've solved the problem! If you haven't, move on to the next step. Importantly, don't make new contacts or edit existing ones before you recover, and that can overwrite deleted data.

2. Recovery through Google account (the most reliable way)

If your Redmi 6 has been synced to a Google account, you can return contacts in 2 minutes, and this method works even after you completely reset your phone to the factory settings.

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Choose your account (if there are several).
3. Make sure the Contact Slider is on. If not, turn on and wait 5-10 minutes (the data is synchronized automatically).
4. If contacts do not appear, go to https://contacts.google.com and check if they are displayed there.

If there are contacts in the web version, but there are no contacts on the phone:

• 🔄 Reboot Redmi 6.
• 📲 Delete the Contacts app data: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Warehouse → Clear the data.
• 🔗 Add a Google account to your phone again.

Is contact synchronization enabled in your account settings?

Are there contacts on https://contacts.google.com?

Have you tried restarting your phone?

Have the Contacts app data been deleted?

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⚠️ Note: If you deleted your contacts from your Google account less than 30 days ago, you can restore them through the shopping cart. Go to contacts.google.com, click on "More» → «Cancel Changes and select the desired date.

Reconstruction of c SIM-cards (if the contacts are kept there)

Many Redmi 6 users keep contact with the old-fashioned SIM-If this is your case, remove the SIM and paste it into another phone (or use a microSIM adapter:

1. Open the Contacts app on the second phone.
2. Go to Settings. → Imports/exports → Import with SIM-map.
3. Choose where to save contacts (in memory of your phone or Google account).
4. Bring it back. SIM-Map in Redmi 6 and export your contacts back (or sync through Google).

This method has limitations:

• ❌ Nana SIM-The card stores only numbers and names (without photos, mail, addresses).
• ❌ Maximum number of contacts – 250 (depending on operator).
• ❌ Names are saved in the format of "I.F." (for example, "I. Ivanov»).

4.Use a backup copy of MIUI (if any)

Xiaomi Redmi 6 automatically creates local backups of data if Backup is enabled in the settings.

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backups.
2. If there are files with a date before your contacts disappear, click on them and select Restore.
3. Check Contacts and confirm recovery.

If there are no local copies, check the MIUI/Backup/AllBackup folder through the file manager. Backup files have the.mbk extension. They can be restored via the standard backup menu or using a PC (Mi PC Suite).

⚠️ Warning: Restore from backup will overwrite current data. If you add new numbers after missing contacts, they will be lost. VCF.

5.Programs for Recovery of Remote Contacts

If the previous methods didn't work, you can try specialized utilities that scan the phone's memory and recover deleted data.

• 🛠️ Dr.Fone (Wondershare) - supports contact recovery, messages and photos. There is a free trial version.
• 🔧 EaseUS MobiSaver is a simple interface, works without root rights (but with root chances higher).
• 📱 GT Recovery is a free Android app, but requires root access.

Instructions for Dr.Fone:

1. Download and install the program on PC (official site).
2. Connect Redmi 6 via USB (enable USB debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version → press 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB).
3. In the program, select Data Recovery Android → Contacts.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen (root access may be required).

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Before using recovery software, turn off mobile internet and Wi-Fi on your phone, which will prevent the deleted data from being overwritten by new synchronizations.

Importantly, the less time has passed since the deletion, the better the chances of success, and if the phone was rebooted or updated, some of the data could be overwritten.

6. Manual recovery via contacts2.db file

For power users: Android contacts are stored in the contacts2.db database. If you have root access, you can try extracting this file and recovering data manually.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root access (such as Root Explorer).
2. Go to /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/.
3. Copy the contacts2.db file to your computer.
4. Use DB Browser for SQLite to open a file and export contacts to CSV format.

If you don't have root rights, this method won't work, and remember that incorrect actions with system files can cause your phone to crash.

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The most reliable way to avoid losing contacts in the future is to enable automatic sync with Google and backup regularly through MIUI (once a month).

7 If nothing worked: The Last Hope

If the contacts are gone forever, but you still have old messages with numbers, you can try to extract them from there:

• 💬 Open the Messages app and check your correspondence history.
• 📞 Check the phone log (phone log) → The magazine - there may be numbers left.
• 📧 Check email or messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) – often there are contacts.

If your phone is stolen or broken and your contacts are synced with Google, you can access them from any device via contacts.google.com.

If the data is lost forever, make it a rule:

• ✅ Export contacts to the file monthly VCF (via Contact → Settings → Exports).
• ✅ Store backups on the cloud (Google Drive, Yandex.Disk) and on physical media (flash drive, PC).
• ✅ Use two synchronization methods (e.g. Google) + SIM-map).

FAQ: Frequent questions about restoring contacts on Xiaomi Redmi 6