How to transfer contacts from Google Account to Xiaomi phone: 5 proven ways

Why Google Contacts Are Not Showing Up on Xiaomi and How to Fix It

Have you just bought a new Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, added your Google Account, but the contacts never appeared in the phone book? Or after resetting all the numbers are gone and the backup is only stored in Gmail? This problem is familiar to many smartphone users on MIUI - even with proper synchronization contacts are sometimes "lost" between the cloud and the phone.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to transfer contacts from Google to Xiaomi. 2026 In the year, including automatic synchronization, manual export/import via.vcf files, as well as solutions for cases when the smartphone “does not see” cloud contacts. MIUI 14/15, where the synchronization algorithm differs from standard Android.

Before you start the instructions, check two key points: 1) your Xiaomi is connected to the Internet (preferably via Wi-Fi for stability). 2 The Google account settings include contact synchronization, which is often forgotten after buying a phone.

Method 1: Automatic synchronization of contacts with Google Xiaomi

The easiest method is to enable sync directly through MIUI settings, which is suitable if you have already added a Google Account to your phone, but the contacts did not automatically connect.

1. Open the “Settings” on your Xiaomi (the gear icon on your desktop).
2. Go to Accounts and Sync (in some versions of MIUI – Passwords and Accounts).
3. Select your Google Account (if not, add it through Add Account).
4. Slip on the item Synchronization of the account.
5. Make sure the slider opposite Contact is active (lit in blue). If not, move it to the right.
6. Click More (three dots in the upper right corner) and select Sync Now.

After that, the contacts should appear in the phone book within 5-10 minutes.

• 📶 Internet connection – without a network synchronization does not work.
• 🔄 Updates MIUI — in older versions of firmware there are synchronization bugs (update to Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🚫 Background activity restrictions – if power saving is enabled for Contacts or Google Play Services, synchronization may be blocked.

⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI 14/15 Xiaomi 13/14 or Redmi Note 12/13, After adding a Google Account, you may need to reboot your phone, and only after that, the contacts will start to appear.

Method 2: Manually export contacts from Google and import to Xiaomi

If automatic synchronization does not work (for example, due to corporate restrictions or errors of Google servers), you can manually transfer contacts through the.vcf file. This method is universal and works even on phones without access to Google Services.

Step 1: Export your contacts from Google to a file

1. Open contacts.google.com on your computer or phone and log in.
2. On the left menu, select Export.
3. Specify the format of Google CSV or vCard (for iOS) – for Xiaomi, any will do.
4. Click Export and save the file (usually called contacts.vcf).

Step 2: Import a file to Xiaomi

Now transfer the file to your phone and import the contacts:

1. Tip the contacts.vcf file on Xiaomi via Bluetooth, Telegram, Google Drive or by connecting your phone to your PC.
2. Open the Contacts app on Xiaomi.
3. Stick to three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management → Imports/Exports → File-based import.
4. Specify the path to the contacts.vcf file and confirm the import.

Once imported, the contacts will appear in the phone book under the tag Local Contacts, so that they sync with Google in the future, transfer them to your account:

• Open any contact → Edit → Save in → Select your Google Account.

Download the contacts.vcf file from Google Contacts|

Transfer the file to Xiaomi (via USB, cloud or messenger)|

Check the free space in the phone memory (need ~1-5 MB) |

Close all background applications before import

-->

Method 3: Transfer contacts via MI Cloud (for Xiaomi users)

If you’re actively using the Xiaomi ecosystem (like Mi Band or Mi Home), you may already have an MI Cloud account, which can also be used to transfer contacts, but with nuances:

1. Export your contacts from Google to a.vcf file (as in Method 2).
2. Upload the file to MI Cloud: Open i.mi.com and log in. Go to Contacts → Import and download contacts.vcf.

Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Mi Account

Turn on the synchronization of contacts and wait for the process to be completed.

The advantage of this method is that contacts will be available on all Xiaomi devices (smartphones, tablets).

⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI Global (International Firmware), in MI Cloud may not have a function of importing contacts. In this case, use Method 2 (manual import via file).

Method 4: Transfer through Google’s Contact App

The official Google Contacts app (available on the Play Market) often does better sync than the standard MIUI app. Here's how to use it:

1. Install the Google Contacts app.
2. Open it and log in to the same account where your contacts are stored.
3. In the left menu, select Settings → Contact Management → Import.
4. Specify the source — SIM-Card or Device (if contacts are already on your phone) or download a.vcf file.
5. After importing, enable automatic synchronization in your account settings.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 Automatically update your contacts when you change to Gmail.
• 📱 The ability to combine duplicates (useful after transferring from iPhone or Samsung).
• 🔍 Easy search and filters (e.g., displaying only work contacts).

If after installing Google Contacts, the standard MIUI app stopped showing numbers, don't worry - that's OK. All contacts are now managed through the Google app, but remain available for calls and SMS.

💡

If profile photos are missing after transferring to Google Contacts, open any contact → click on the avatar → select Change and upload the photo again. This is a MIUI bug that occurs on Redmi Note 11/12 and POCO X4/X5.

Method 5: Transfer of Contacts by SIM-Cards (if there is no internet)

If you do not have access to the Internet or Google Account is not tied, you can temporarily use it. SIM-This method is suitable for carrying a small number of contacts (up to 250 on most of them). SIM).

Step 1: Copying contacts on SIM

1. On an old phone (or in the web version of Google Contacts), export the desired numbers to the.vcf file.
2. Open the standard Contacts app on any SIM-enabled phone.
3. Select Import/Export → Export to SIM-card.
4. Specify which contacts to copy (you can choose all or only marked).

Step 2: Import with SIM on Xiaomi

1. Put it in. SIM-map to your Xiaomi.
2. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Import with SIM.
3. Select contacts for import and confirm.
4. After importing, transfer your SIM contacts to your Google Account (so they sync).

Limitations of the method:

• 📵 SIM-The card stores only numbers and names (without photos, email and additional fields).
• 📏 Limitation on the number of contacts (usually 200-250).
• ⚠️ With frequent use SIM-The card may be damaged (not recommended for permanent storage).

Solution: Why Contacts Are Not Transferred to Xiaomi

Even after completing all the instructions, the contacts may not appear on Xiaomi.

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.
3. Reboot the phone and repeat the sync.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 13+ After cleaning the application data Contacts may need to re-add Google Account in the sync settings – sometimes the connection between the account and the application is reset.

💡

If the contacts never show up, check if Private DNS or VPN mode is on, they can block access to Google servers. Disable them in Settings → Connections → Private DNS.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi