Xiaomi Address Book: Where to Store, How to Find and Restore Contacts

You just bought a Xiaomi smartphone or updated your firmware MIUI, And now you can't find where your contacts are stored, or you accidentally delete an important number and you don't know how to get it back, or the address book on Xiaomi devices can hide in unexpected places, especially if you use multiple accounts (Google, Mi Account, SIM-map) or third-party messengers like WhatsApp.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible address book locations on Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO, and Black Shark models), show you how to find hidden contacts, restore deleted numbers, and set up automatic syncs, and find out why contacts sometimes go missing after a MIUI update or reset — and how to avoid this.

1. Standard location of the address book on Xiaomi

On most Xiaomi smartphones, the address book is built into the system application Contacts** (an icon with a person’s silhouette on a green or blue background). MIUI And regional firmware. That's where to look:

• 📱 Home screen: swipe left or right – the icon can be on one of the desktops.
• 📂 App menu: tap the All Apps icon (usually at the bottom of the screen) and find Contacts (Contacts on English firmware).
• 🔍 Search by system: swipe down the main screen to open the search bar and type Contacts».
• ☎ Calls: The Phone app often has a Contacts tab at the bottom of the screen.

If you can't find the app, it's probably disabled or hidden, so you can get it back.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select Show All Apps.
3. Find Contacts (com.android.contacts) and click Enable.

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If after updating MIUI icon "Contacts" disappeared, try to reset the launcher settings: pinch the empty space on the home screen → "Startcher settings" → "Reset".

2. Where are the contacts physically stored: SIM, phone or cloud?

Contacts on Xiaomi can be saved in four different places, and this is often confusing.

Important: If you delete a contact from your phone but it is saved in Google or Mi Account, it can be restored within 30 days through the web version of the service.

3.Why contacts are lost and how to get them back

Xiaomi users’ frequent problem is the sudden disappearance of contacts after the update MIUI, shift SIM-Maps or resets. Here are the main reasons and solutions:

• 🔄 Synchronization is disabled: check Settings → Accounts. → Google/Mi Account → If the slider is gray, turn it on.
• 📱 Factory reset: If you didn't have a backup, the contacts from the phone's memory would be deleted forever (Google/Mi) or SIM-map.
• 🗃️ Account conflict: If you have both Google and Mi Account connected, contacts can be duplicated or hidden» → three-point → «Display contacts" select the desired account.
• 🛠️ Mistake. MIUI: After the update, the settings of the Contacts app sometimes get lost. → Annexes → Contacts → Clear the cache.

⚠️ Note: If you delete a contact from Google Contacts, it will disappear from all devices associated with that account. To return it, go to contacts.google.com, select Recycle Bin and restore within 30 days.

Check synchronization in Settings → Accounts

Export contacts with SIM-cards (if any)

Restore from Google/Mi Account via the web version

Clear the cache of the Contacts app

Reboot the phone.-->

4.How to export and import contacts to Xiaomi

Transferring contacts from one Xiaomi phone to another (or backup) takes less than a minute if you know the right algorithm. Here are the step-by-step instructions for different scenarios:

📤 Export contacts to.vcf file

1. Open the Contacts app**.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Contact management → Import/Export.
3. Select Export in the file and specify where to export (phone, SIM, Google).
4. The contacts.vcf file will be saved in the internal memory in the Download or MIUI folder.

📥 Import contacts from the file

1. Copy the.vcf file into your phone’s memory (e.g. via Bluetooth or Telegram).
2. In Contacts, select Import/Export → Import from the file.
3. Specify the file and select where to save (phone, Google, Mi Account).

📶 Transfer contacts from iPhone to Xiaomi

If you are switching from iPhone to Xiaomi, use:

1. The “Switch to Android” app** from Google (available from the App Store).

5. synchronize contacts with Google and Mi Account

To avoid losing contacts, set up automatic sync with cloud services. Xiaomi does this:

🔗 Synchronization with Google

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select Google and log in to your account (if not connected).
3. Activate the slider opposite Contact.
4. For forced synchronization, tap on three points → Sync now.

🔗 Synchronization with Mi Account

1. If contacts do not appear, check that in Contacts → Display Contacts, the tick next to Mi Account is selected.

Important: If you have duplicate contacts due to synchronization with both accounts, use the Connect Contacts feature in the Contacts app (three points → Contact Management).

⚠️ Note: When you first connect your Mi Account to a new phone, Xiaomi may offer to import contacts from your old device via Mi Mover!

6. Hidden contacts and features of MIUI

MIUI firmware sometimes hides contacts from the user, and here's where to look for them:

• 👥 Hidden contacts: in the “Contacts” app, tap three points → Settings → Show hidden contacts.
• 📞 Contacts from calls: if the number is only saved in the history of calls, it may not appear in the address book. To add it, open "Phone» → tab» → tap on the room → Save.
• 💬 Contacts from messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber store their contact lists separately. They do not appear in the system address book, but you can export them manually.
• 🔒 Blocked Contacts: Check the blacklist in Settings → Number locking.

If you use dual apps (the Dual Apps feature in MIUI), each messenger clone (like WhatsApp) will have its own address book. They don't sync with the main one!

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In MIUI, contacts can be duplicated if sync with both Google and Mi Account is enabled. To avoid chaos, select one primary account to store numbers.

7. Recovery of remote contacts

Deleted an important number and you don't know how to return it?

🗑️ Recovery from Google Contacts

1. Open on your computer contacts.google.com.
2. On the left menu, select the basket.
3. Mark the necessary contacts and click Restore.

The storage period in the basket is 30 days.

🔄 Recovery from backup MIUI

If you have backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset:

1. Restore the backup on your phone (in the same menu).
2. Select the backup file where the contacts are indicated.

📱 Recovery with Third-Party Programs

If contacts were only stored in your phone's memory and were not synced, try programs like Dr.Fone or EaseUS MobiSaver, which scan internal memory and recover deleted data. Importantly, don't write new files to your phone until you recover them, they can overwrite remote contacts!

⚠️ Warning: If you reset your phone to factory settings without a backup, the chances of returning locally saved contacts are close to zero!

FAQ: Frequent questions about contacts on Xiaomi