When a user has a new Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone, it often leads to the need to transfer a huge amount of personal information. Device owners face a dilemma: how to combine Xiaomi accounts to avoid losing contacts, photos and purchase history in the Mi Store. Many people mistakenly believe that it is enough to simply enter an old password on a new device, but the process of synchronizing the ecosystem is much more complex and requires careful approach.
In fact, it is technically impossible to combine two different Mi IDs into one, as these are unique identifiers tied to the company's servers. However, there is a well-established mechanism for migrating data and reassigning that allows you to transfer all digital luggage to a new ID. In this article, we will detail how to correctly perform the transition, avoid locking the device and configure a single synchronization system for all your gadgets.
It's important to understand that the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem is built around the concept of a single primary account. If you've previously registered multiple profiles for different devices or regions, you'll have to choose one primary and move all the data there. Ignoring this step can lead to some of your photos being left in the cloud of your old account and apps requiring authorization.
Preparing for data migration between accounts
Before you start any manipulation of accounts, you need to do thorough preparation. Backup is the foundation of a safe transition. Without a local copy of data on your device or external memory card, you risk losing important information in the event of a server failure or data entry error.
Make sure both smartphones (old and new) or both profiles on the same device have access to a stable Wi-Fi connection.Sharing large amounts of data, such as photo albums and videos, over the mobile network can be unstable and costly.See also the battery level, it should be at least 60%.
☑️ Checklist before changing your account
Pay special attention to check the status of Find Device. If this feature is activated on an old account, the system may block the exit from the profile or require an SMS confirmation, which may not come if the SIM card is already replaced.
⚠️ Warning: Never try to reset your device to factory settings without making sure you remember passwords from all your Google and Mi accounts. FRP, Unlocking the phone will be very difficult.
For users who change their region of use (e.g. moving from Russia to Kazakhstan or China), it is important to know that servers may differ. Mi Cloud data is stored on servers corresponding to the region specified when registering an account, which means that when you change region in your phone settings, your old cloud data may stop showing until you return to the previous region.
Instructions for data transfer via Mi Mover
The most effective way to transfer data between different Xiaomi accounts is to use the built-in Mi Mover application, which allows you to stream information directly from device to device, bypassing cloud storage, which greatly speeds up the process and does not depend on the amount of free space in the Mi Cloud.
Run the app on both devices. On the new smartphone, select Recipient and on the old one, Sender. The system will create a temporary Wi-Fi hotspot. Connect the old device to that network. Importantly, at that point, the Internet on the old phone will not work because the channel is busy transmitting data.
- 📱 Select the data type to transfer: contacts, messages, call log, images, video, audio, documents and installed applications.
- 🔒 Note the System Settings section: Wi-Fi passwords and alarm settings can be moved here, but account data is not usually automatically copied for security reasons.
- 🚀 Press the "Send" button and wait for the process to be completed.The transfer speed depends on the number of files and can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours.
Once the transfer is complete, log in to the new Mi ID. Applications will be downloaded, but re-authorization may be required inside them. Bank applications and instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) will require separate login and confirmation via SMS.
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When you transfer data through Mi Mover, photos from the gallery are copied in full resolution, whereas cloud synchronization can compress them depending on the settings of the tariff plan.
If you plan to completely abandon your old account, after successfully transferring data and checking its availability on the new device, it is recommended to log out of the old profile. To do this, go to Settings → Mi Account → Sign out. The system will warn you that the sync data will be deleted from this device, but it will remain on the server.
Working with Mi Cloud and Synchronization
The Mi Cloud cloud storage is the central backup node, and if you want to merge data, you have to manually upload information from your old account and upload it to a new one. There is no automatic merger between two clouds.
Go to the official i.mi.com website via your computer browser. Sign in under the old login. Here you can see all categories of data: contacts, notes, voice recorder, gallery. For each section, an export function is available. For example, contacts can be uploaded in.vcf format, and photos can be uploaded in.zip archive.
| Type of data | Export method | File format | Free tariff limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Exports via web interface | .vcf /.csv | No Limit (up to 500MB) |
| Photos and videos | Synchronization of the gallery | Original/Compressed | 5GB (baseline) |
| Notes | Copying of text | .txt /.xml | It's in the total. |
| System settings | Local reservations | .bak | Depends on the phone's memory. |
Once you upload the data, upload it by logging into a new account on the same site or through your phone settings. Contacts need only import a file, photos can upload it to the sync folder. The process can take time, especially if you have a free rate with a speed limit.
What happens to the purchased themes and applications?
Remember to check the sync status in Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Sync. The indicator should be green, and the last sync time should be current. If you see an error, check for free space in the cloud.
Change the main Mi ID on the device
The process of changing the main identifier on an already configured phone requires caution, just adding a second account does not make it the main one, and in order for the new Mi ID to become the main one, you need to delete the old one.
Go to your account settings if the system requires a password or confirmation code from SIM-old number cards, and no access to them, use the recovery procedure via the email specified during registration. Without this step, you will not be able to delete the account for security reasons.
- 🗑️ Click “Delete Account” at the bottom of the profile menu. This will untie the device from Xiaomi servers.
- 🔄 After deleting the phone will prompt you to log in to a new account. Enter the details of the new Mi ID.
- ✅ Once logged in, the system will suggest that you enable synchronization.
Some versions of HyperOS have introduced Family Sharing, which allows you to share your Mi Cloud+ subscription and purchases between different accounts, a partial solution to the problem of combining, allowing you to keep profiles individual, whining resources.
⚠️ Note: When you change your main account, some system settings related to personalization are reset, such as the location of widgets on the desktop and the theme settings, if they were specific to the old profile.
After changing the ID, it is recommended to restart the device, which is necessary to ensure that all system services, including push notifications and geolocation services, reconnect to servers with new credentials.
Solving Typical Problems in Combination
Users often encounter an error such as “Account does not exist” or “Incorrect password” when trying to log in. Often the reason lies in the fact that the user confuses Mi ID (ID number) and user name (nickname or email), you need to log in to the ID that was specified during registration (email or phone number).
Another common problem is that the device is tied to someone else’s account after buying from hand, and if the previous owner hasn’t untie the phone, you won’t be able to use the device fully, and only contacting Xiaomi’s customer service with a purchase check confirming that you are the rightful owner will help.
Contact sync errors are often solved by clearing the sync service cache. Go to Settings → Applications → All Apps → Find Sync → Clear the data. After that, start sync manually.
If you use two-factor authentication, make sure you have access to the device that receives the confirmation codes.Changing the phone number in your Mi Account profile is a critical procedure to complete before losing access to your old SIM card.
Security and privacy settings
Once you combine your data and move to a new account, be sure to recheck your security settings. Go to the Security section of your account website and see your trusted devices list. Delete any old phones, tablets, and computers you no longer use.
Change your password to a new, complex and unique one. Using the same password across different services is the main cause of hacking. Enable two-factor authentication if it's not already active. This will protect your Mi ID even if your password leaks.
Pay attention to application permissions. When you first start on a new account, the system may request access to the microphone, camera, and geo-location for system services. Read the queries carefully and don’t give unnecessary rights to questionable applications that you have transferred from the old device.
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Regularly checking active sessions and trusted devices in Mi Account security settings is the best protection against unauthorized access to your data.
Remember that Xiaomi’s ecosystem is closely linked to Google services. Make sure that the new account also has Google sync set up, especially for contacts and calendar, as this will create an extra layer of data backup.