Previous articleMissing contacts on Xiaomi – how to return them quickly and without loss

Losing contacts on a Xiaomi smartphone is one of the most frustrating situations that users face: you open a phone book, and instead of hundreds of saved numbers, you see a blank screen or a message "No contacts." The reasons can range from accidental deletion to failure after a MIUI update, a settings reset or even a virus attack. The good news is that in 90% of cases contacts can be restored if you act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we will look at all possible ways to recover lost contacts, from standard sync functions with Mi Cloud and Google Account to hidden MIUI tools and third-party utilities. Special emphasis will be placed on the Redmi Note 12, Poco X5, Xiaomi 13 and other current devices from 2023-2026. If you did not make backups, do not panic: the chances of recovery are still there.

1.Check sync with Mi Cloud – the first step to recovery

The most reliable way to get back contacts is to use the Mi Cloud cloud service, which automatically stores the data of the associated accounts. Even if you don't remember whether sync was enabled, check this first.

How to check and restore contacts through Mi Cloud:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Accounts. → Mi Cloud.
• 🔄 Make sure the switch opposite Contact is active (green.
• 🔍 Scroll down and click on Sync (or Update»).
• ⏳ Wait 1-2 minutes – contacts should appear in the phone book.

If no contacts appear, try forced synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap 7 times on the line with the version to activate the developer mode.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable “Debugging by USB”.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install Mi PC Suite, and start forced synchronization through the program.

⚠️ Note: If you logged out of your Mi Cloud account after losing contacts, the data could be deleted from Xiaomi servers after 30 days.

2.Recovery through Google Account – a universal method

If sync with Mi Cloud is disabled, check Google Contacts. Many Xiaomi users don’t even know that their numbers are automatically saved to a Google account – especially if the phone was set up from scratch or used Gmail.

Instructions for remediation:

• 🌐 Go to contacts.google.com from any device.
• 🔑 Sign in to the same Google account that is linked to your phone.
• 🔍 Check the contact list – if you have any, export them to the.vcf file (More button) → Exports»).
• 📲 Send the file to Xiaomi and import through the Contacts app (Settings) → Imports/Exports → Import from the file).

If you don’t have contacts on Google Contacts, try to restore the previous version:

1. On Google Contacts, click “Settings” (cogs) → «Repeal the changes».
2. Select the time range (up to 30 days ago).
3. Confirm the recovery, all remote contacts will return.

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If you use two Google accounts on your phone, check both – contacts may have been saved to a different profile.

3. Local backups - where to look on Xiaomi

Xiaomi smartphones automatically create local contact backups, but finding them is not easy.These files are stored in a hidden folder and can save the situation if cloud sync did not work.

How to find and restore a local copy:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable file transfer mode (MTP).
2. Go to Internal Storage → MIUI → Backup → AllBackup.
3. Find a file with the.bak extension and type name com.android.contacts_20260515.bak (date of the end - the day of the copy creation).
4. Copy the file on your PC, rename the extension to.zip and unpack the archive.
5. Inside, you will have a contact.vcf file – import it through the Contacts app.

If you don’t have an AllBackup folder, try an alternative path:

• 📁 Open the Xiaomi File Manager (Files) → Categories → Backup copies).
• 🔍 Look for copies marked “Contacts” or “Contacts».
• 📥 Press the file. → «Restore».

⚠️ Attention: Local copies are overwritten with each new reservation, if you backup after losing contacts, old data may have been erased, and look for the earliest files by date.

Hidden MIUI features: Recovery through the Engineering Menu

MIUI has hidden data recovery tools that few people know about, and one of them is an engineering menu that allows you to return remote contacts without root rights.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select “Phone Information” → “Show the Testing Menu.”
3. Go to Database Info → Contacts Database.
4. Click on “Restore Contacts” and confirm the action.

If the code doesn’t work, try an alternative method:

• 📱 Install the app MTK Engineering Mode (for MediaTek processors) or QPST (for Snapdragon).
• 🔧 Launch the application, select Connectivity → CDMA.
• 📞 Go to Contacts. → Restore and follow the instructions.

5 Third-party programs to restore remote contacts

If standard methods don't work, specialized utilities will come to the rescue, scan the phone's internal memory and recover deleted data, including contacts. Importantly, don't install programs on the phone, it can overwrite deleted data. Use a PC!

Top.-3 tested:

Instructions for recovery through Dr.Fone:

Install the program on PC| Connect Xiaomi to USB and enable debugging |Select Android Data Recovery mode |Scan Contacts |Save the numbers found in the VCF--> file

If the program does not find contacts, try the root-access mode (requires unlocking the bootloader).

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool.
2. Install Magisk to obtain root rights.
3. Repeat the scan in Dr.Fone with the Deep Scan option enabled.

⚠️ Note: Using root rights voids Xiaomi's warranty and may result in a device being blocked.Do this only if other methods have failed.

6. Recovery after resetting settings or firmware

If contacts are lost after a hard reset or flashing, the chances of recovery depend on whether the sync with the cloud was enabled, and local data is almost always lost irretrievably.

What can be done:

• 🔄 Check out the Mi. Cloud/Google: Even after a reset, linked accounts can automatically reconnect when you first connect to the Internet.
• 📱 Use the old one. SIM-map: if the numbers are kept on SIM, Insert it into your phone and import contacts through Settings → SIM-map → Import of contacts.
• 💾 Check your PC backups: If you’ve ever connected your phone to a Mi PC Suite or Xiaomi Cloud on your computer, data could be saved there.

If the reset was made by accident, try to reverse its effects:

1. Disconnect your phone from the network (aircraft mode) immediately.
2. Do not write new data (photos, messages, contacts).
3. Connect to your PC and use Dr.Fone or Tenorshare to scan your memory.

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Once you reset, you have 24 to 48 hours to recover your data, and the more you use your phone after the reset, the lower your chances of success.

7 How to Prevent Loss of Contact in the Future

To never again face the problem of missing contacts, set up automatic sync and backup. Here is the minimum set of actions for Xiaomi owners:

• ☁️ Enable sync with Mi Cloud: Go to Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud. Activate the Contacts switch. Click Sync and set the frequency (daily).
• 🔗 Link your Google Account: Open Settings → Accounts. → Google. Select your account and enable Contact Sync».
• 💾 Set up local reservations: Go to Settings → System system → Backup. Enable Automatic Backup and select Contacts. Set a schedule (e.g. once a week).

Export your contacts manually:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press «⋮ → Settings → Imports/Exports → Export to file».
3. Save the.vcf file to Google Drive or send it to an email.

Additional security measures:

• 🔐 Use two-factor authentication for Mi Cloud and Google to avoid hacking your account.
• 📵 Check regularly if contacts between Mi Cloud and Google are duplicated (this can lead to sync conflicts).
• 🛡️ Install an antivirus (such as Avast or Bitdefender) to prevent data loss due to malware.

If the synchronization has not been configured, the data can only be restored through specialized services (for example, Chip-Off), which requires disassembling the phone and costs from 5 000 rubles.