How to import contacts from Google account to Xiaomi phone: 5 proven ways

Moving contacts from a Google account to a Xiaomi smartphone is a challenge that every second user faces after buying a new device or resetting settings. Despite its apparent simplicity, the process can cause complications from the lack of a synchronization button to errors when manually importing. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to transfer contacts, including hidden MIUI functions, bypassing typical errors and optimizing for different versions of firmware.

Xiaomi is actively modifying the standard Android, so the instructions for pure Android will not work here. We tested all methods on devices with MIUI 14/15 and Android 13/14, including the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13T and POCO F5. If you use the older version, check compatibility in the FAQ at the end of the article.

Important: Before starting the procedure, make sure your contacts are actually saved to your Google account, not just memory. SIM-You can check this on your computer through contacts.google.com — if the list is empty, export your contacts from your previous device to Google first.

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1. Automatic synchronization through MIUI settings

The most reliable and quick way is to use the built-in MIUI sync function, which works on all modern Xiaomi smartphones, but requires you to pre-set up a Google account on the device.

To enable synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select your Google account (if not, add it through Add Account).
3. Activate the contact synchronization slider.
4. Press More. → Synchronize now.

Sync usually takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes, unless contacts appear

• 🔄 Check your internet connection (better to use Wi-Fi).
• 📱 Restart your phone - sometimes MIUI "forgets to start the background processes.
• 🔧 Update the Google Contacts app in the Play Market.

Google account added to phone settings

Synchronization of contacts in the account is enabled

The latest update to MIUI has been installed

The phone is connected to a stable Internet-->

The "Sync Stopped" error is a typical MIUI 14 problem on Android 13.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Google Contacts and click Storage → Clear the cache.
3. Turn off battery optimization for this application in Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization.

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2. Manual import via VCF file (for power users)

If automatic synchronization doesn’t work (for example, due to the limitations of a corporate account), you can export contacts to a.vcf file and import it manually, a method that works universally even on devices without access to Google Play.

Export instructions:

1. On your computer, open contacts.google.com.
2. Press More. → Exports.
3. Select the Google CSV format (for full compatibility) or vCard format.
4. Save the file to the device.

Imports to Xiaomi:

1. Copy a.vcf or.csv file into your phone’s memory (for example, into the Downloads folder).
2. Open the Contacts app (a icon with a person's silhouette).
3. Press. ⋮ (three-point) → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Import from the device.
4. Select a file and confirm the import.

A critical feature for Xiaomi: when importing via VCF, contacts will be saved to the phone’s local memory, not to a Google account.To avoid data loss when reset, after import, enable synchronization as in the first way.

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3. Transfer through the application "Google Contacts"

The official Google Contacts app (not to be confused with Xiaomi’s standard Contacts app) offers advanced import features.This method is useful if you want to select specific contacts to carry or combine duplicates.

Steps for import:

1. Install Google Contacts from the Play Market.
2. Open the app and log in to your account.
3. Click on the profile avatar → Import.
4. Select the source: File VCF or SIM-map.
5. Confirm the import and wait until it is completed.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔍 Possibility of previewing contacts before import.
• 🤖 Automatic combination of duplicates (function to combine and correct).
• 📱 Synchronize with the cloud in real time.

💡

If not all numbers are displayed in the Google Contacts app after importing, check the group filter. click on the three lines in the top left corner and make sure that the group All contacts are selected, not Frequently used or My contacts.

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4. synchronization via Mi Account (an alternative to Google)

If you don’t use a Google account or prefer the Xiaomi ecosystem, you can transfer contacts through Mi Account, which is suitable for users who are actively using Xiaomi Cloud services.

How it works:

1. Export your contacts from Google to a.vcf file (see Method 2).
2. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
3. Go to Contacts → Import and upload the file.
4. On your phone, enable synchronization of Mi Account in Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.

Limitations of the method:

• ⚠️ MI Cloud only stores contacts in the Xiaomi cloud, without Google integration.
• 📵 When resetting the phone will have to reconfigure the synchronization.
• 🔒 Not all contact fields (such as user tags) are ported correctly.

Google

MI Account (Xiaomi)

Both options

I'm not synchronizing.-->

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5. Transfer by Third-Party Applications

If the standard methods didn’t work, you can use third-party tools. We tested 3 apps that are guaranteed to work on Xiaomi:

Instructions for Copy My Data (recommended):

1. Install the app on both devices (old and new).
2. On your old phone, select Send Data → Contacts.
3. On the new Xiaomi, select Receive Data and connect to the same Wi-Fi.
4. Confirm the transmission on both devices.

💡

The app side is convenient for one-time porting, but does not replace sync with Google or Mi Account. after use, delete them to avoid data leaks.

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6.Typical import problems

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, Xiaomi users often encounter errors, and we have collected the most common problems and solutions:

Problem 1: Contacts are duplicated after importation.

• 🔄 Open Google Contacts → ⋮ → Combining and correcting.
• 📱 In the standard Contacts app from Xiaomi, select Management → Connecting contacts.

Problem 2: Phone numbers (names only) are not displayed.

⚠️ Note: This error is caused by a.vcf format conflict with MIUI. Solution: Export your contacts in Google format CSV Instead of vCard. Use the Google Contacts app to import (see Method 3).

Problem 3: Synchronization works, but no contacts appear.

Problem 4: The error "Can't import contacts"

⚠️ Attention: This is most often associated with a corrupted.vcf file. Check if the file is opened on your computer (for example, through Outlook or Thunderbird), if the file is larger than 20 MB (if so, break it up into parts), if the file is stored in encoding UTF-8 (cirillic).

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7. Optimization of contacts after importation

After successful transfer, we recommend following several steps for ease of use:

Display setting:

• 📇 In the app Contacts click ⋮ → Settings → Name format and select a convenient option (for example, Surname Name).
• 🔍 Turn on Search by T9 In the same settings, it will speed up the numbering.

Backup:

• 💾 Export contacts to.vcf file regularly through Contact Management → Exports.
• ☁️ Enable automatic sync with Google Drive or MI Cloud.

3. Integration with other services:

• 📞 Contact Truecaller to identify spam calls (install from Play Market).
• 💬 Sync with Telegram or WhatsApp through the settings of messengers.

💡

To quickly find a contact on Xiaomi, double-click on the Home button (if gesture navigation is enabled) or swipe down the lock screen – a search bar for contacts and applications will appear.

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FAQ: Frequent questions about contact transfer