How to Transfer a Blacklist from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: All Ways to 2026

Why blacklists don’t automatically move and what to do about them

You bought a new Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ or POCO F6, but faced with an unpleasant surprise: the blacklist of contacts did not move with the rest of the data? This problem is familiar to many MIUI users - despite the promised synchronization through Mi Account, locked numbers are often "lost" when you change your device.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer the blacklist between Xiaomi smartphones, including methods for devices without root rights. MIUI 14/15, where the synchronization algorithm has changed, you'll learn how to keep the block on unwanted calls even after you reset your phone to factory settings.

Before you start, make sure that both devices have the latest version of the Contacts app installed (update via Google Play or the MIUI App Store).

Method 1: Backup via MIUI Cloud (official method)

The cleanest way from the manufacturer is to use the branded cloud storage Mi Cloud. It works on all devices with MIUI 12 and newer, but has a limitation: the blacklist syncs only if you previously enabled this option manually.

Instructions for the old phone:

1. Open Settings → Mi Account
2. Go to Mi Cloud → Synchronization
3. Activate the slider opposite Contacts and Blacklist (if any)
4. Click Sync Now

On the new device:

• 📱 Sign in to the same Mi Account
• 🔄 Enable contact synchronization in Mi Cloud
• 📞 Open the Contacts app → Blacklist – blocked numbers must appear through the 5-10 minute

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If the blacklist doesn’t appear, try manually updating your data: open Contacts → Settings → Contact Management → Update.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi) EU ROM) The blacklist synchronization option may not be available, in which case use alternative methods from the following sections.

Method 2: Export/import through Google Contacts (universal method)

If sync through Mi Cloud didn’t work, use Google Contacts, which is universal and works even on custom firmware, and the main advantage is that the data is stored in your Google Account, which makes it easier to migrate to other brands’ devices.

Algorithm of action:

1. On your old phone, open Contacts → Contact Management → Import / Export
2. Select Export to File and Save VCF-file-in
3. Connect your phone to your computer and copy the contact.vcf file
4. On a new device, import the file through Google Contacts → Import

Important nuance: Google Contacts does not store information about the blocking, to move the blacklist itself:

• 📝 Take screenshots of the screen with locked numbers on your old phone
• 📱 On the new device, manually add these numbers to the blacklist through Contacts. → Blacklist → Add
• 🔍 Use a contact search (a magnifier in the upper right corner) to quickly find the numbers you need.

Method 3: Local backup (for power users)

On MIUI firmware 13 and older, it is now possible to create local backups that include a blacklist, a method that does not require internet access and works even on locked devices (if you remember the pattern lock).

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset
2. Select Local Backup → Create Backup
3. Check Contacts and Messages (blacklist is automatically included)
4. After creating a copy, transfer the file. backup/ to the new device through OTG-cable
5. On the new phone, restore the backup through the same settings section

Features of the method:

• 🔒 Backup file is encrypted – to restore you will need to enter a password from Mi Account
• 📱 On some models (Redmi) 10C, POCO M5) The blacklist is not restored immediately - restart the phone
• 🔄 If the backup is not restored, try renaming the file to miui_backup_20260515 (date, state the current date)

Check the space available (need ≥1 GB)

Connect the charger (the process takes 10-20 minutes)

Remember the password from the Mi Account

Disable VPN (may interfere with encryption)

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⚠️ Attention: Local backups MIUI 14 incompatible with MIUI 15 on some models.If the blacklist is empty after recovery, use the method with Google Contacts or ADB (described below).

Method 4: Transfer over ADB (for advanced users)

If the standard methods didn’t work and you have access to your computer, use Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This way you can upload the contact database directly, including the blacklist. USB.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Download ADB Tools and unpack it in C:\adb\
2. On your phone, turn on Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate the developer mode)
3. Return to Settings → More → For developers and enable USB Debugging
4. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands:

adb devices


adb shell




su




cp /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db /sdcard/




exit




exit




adb pull /sdcard/contacts2.db C:\backup\

For the new phone:

• 🖥️ Repeat steps. 1-3
• 📁 Place the file. contacts2.db root
• 🔄 Follow the commands:

adb shell


su




cp /sdcard/contacts2.db /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/




chmod 660 /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db




reboot

Important: This method requires root rights on both devices, and without them, you'll get a "Permission denied" error when you try to copy the database.

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (alternative)

If all previous methods didn’t work, look for specialized data portability apps. We tested 3 solutions that work correctly with blacklists on Xiaomi:

We recommend Super Backup & Restore as the easiest solution:

• 📲 Install the app on both phones
• 🔄 On the old device, select Contacts. → Backup (save to the cloud or memory card)
• 📥 On the new phone, restore the backup through Contacts → Recovery
• 🔍 The blacklist will appear in the Blocked Contacts section (reboot may be required)

⚠️ Note: Apps like Cloneit or Xiaomi Tool often don’t carry the blacklist correctly.We don’t recommend using them for this task – in our tests, the lock was reset after the reboot.

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The best combination for guaranteed transfer is Super Backup (for contacts) + manually adding numbers to the blacklist through screenshots.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the right instructions, users are faced with common errors, and we have compiled solutions for the most common cases:

Problem 1: Blacklist is empty after backup recovery

• 🔹 Check if contact sync is enabled in Mi Cloud and Google Account
• 🔹 Remove and add Mi Account on your new device
• 🔹 Try changing the region in your phone settings to India (sometimes helps with sync bugs)

Problem 2: “Failure to recover backup”

• 🔹 Make sure the versions are MIUI Both devices are the same (or differ by no more than 1 version)
• 🔹 Check the integrity of the backup file (size should be >100 KB)
• 🔹 Try to restore the backup on another Xiaomi device (possibly the problem is the firmware of the new phone)

Problem 3: Blacklisted numbers disappear after MIUI update

This is a well-known firmware bug MIUI 14.0.3-14.0.8.

1. Backup your current contacts through Google Contacts
2. Perform a reset of settings through Settings → About Phone → Reset settings
3. After the reboot, restore contacts from Google and manually add numbers to the blacklist.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions