How to Transfer WhatsApp from One Xiaomi to Another: All Ways to 2026

Moving WhatsApp from the old Xiaomi to the new one often becomes a headache: the backup is not restored, the media files are lost, the account refuses to sync at all. MIUI And HyperOS, which interacts with Google Drive cloud services and local backups in different ways — 5 Proven methods of transfer, including circumvention of restrictions MIUI 14/15 and the error "Can not recover backup copy".

We will not only analyze standard methods through Google Drive and local backup, but also alternative options for cases where:

• 📱 The new Xiaomi is on HyperOS, and the old one is on HyperOS. MIUI 12 (Verification incompatibility)
• ☁️ Cloud backup not restored due to Google authentication error
• 🔄 You only need to move selected chats, not the whole story.
• 📁 Media files (photos, videos, voice) are not downloaded after recovery

Important: The procedure is different for Android devices 10-12 (MIUI 12-13) Android 13-14 (MIUI 14/HyperOS). If you are using the Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021) Xiaomi 14 (2023), Get ready for additional steps – more about this in the section about cross-version transfer.

1.Preparation for transfer: what to do before the beginning

Before you start the transfer, follow the mandatory preparatory steps – this will eliminate 80% of potential problems:

⚠️ WARNING: If your old phone has WhatsApp Two-Factor Authentication enabled, but you don't remember PIN-code, first disable it in your account settings. When you restore it to a new device, the system will require this PIN, Without it, chats will be blocked for 7 days.

Preparation checklist:

Update WhatsApp to the latest version on both phones

Check the space available on the new Xiaomi (needs at least 1.5).× backup)

Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network (for local porting)

Turn off battery optimization for WhatsApp in settings MIUI

Make sure the same number is installed on the new phone. SIM-map-->

Pay special attention MIUI Optimization is a feature in Xiaomi's settings that often blocks background processes:

1. Go to Settings. → All parameters. → Special facilities
2. Choose. MIUI Optimization and deactivate the slider
3. Reboot the phone.

For Poco owners F5 Xiaomi 13T HyperOS: This firmware has changed its path. → Annexes → Application management → Threefold (⋮) → Special access → Optimization MIUI.

2. Method 1: Transfer over Google Drive (official method)

This is the most common way, but it doesn't always work.

• 🔄 Backup is built, but not restored on a new phone
• 📱 There's an endless download on the recovery screen
• ☁️ Error: “I couldn’t connect to Google Drive"

Instructions for MIUI 14/HyperOS:

1. On your old phone, open WhatsApp. → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup
2. Click Create a copy and select a Google account (required to be the one to be used on the new phone!)
3. Wait for the backup to complete (can take up to 30 minutes with a large amount of chats)
4. On the new Xiaomi, install WhatsApp, confirm your phone number and wait for the offers to restore data.

If recovery is stalled:

3. Method 2: Local backup via WhatsApp folder

This method is suitable if:

• 📱 You don’t have access to Google Drive.
• 🔄 You need to transfer data between phones without the Internet
• 📁 Selective recovery is required (e.g., only correspondence with one contact)

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, create a local backup: WhatsApp Settings → chat → Backup → Local backup folder with backup will be on the way /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases
2. Connect your old phone to your computer and copy the WhatsApp folder (including all subfolders: Databases, Media, Profile Pictures) to your PC.
3. Connect the new Xiaomi and move the WhatsApp folder to the root directory of internal memory (not to the Download or Documents folder!)
4. Install WhatsApp on your new phone, confirm the number and wait for the local backup to be discovered.

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring data between phones with different architectures (e.g., with the Redmi Note 8 Pro on Xiaomi) 12T), Rename the backup file with msgstore.db.crypt14 on msgstore.db.crypt12. This is due to the change in the encryption algorithm in new versions of WhatsApp.

To transfer only selected chats:

- View the backup contents.

- Restore individual chat rooms

- Export correspondence to.txt or.pdf format

The app is paid, but there is a free trial version for 3 days.-->

4. Method 3: Transfer via Xiaomi Migration (for the purpose of migration) MIUI 14/HyperOS)

Xiaomi Migration is a proprietary tool for transferring data between Xiaomi, Poco and Redmi devices. It copies not only WhatsApp, but also other applications, contacts, SMS. But there are nuances:

How it works:

1. On both phones, install Xiaomi Migration from GetApps (the Xiaomi brand store)
2. On the old phone, select Send data, on the new phone, Receive data.
3. Connect your phones to a single Wi-Fi network or use a direct Wi-Fi Direct connection
4. Select WhatsApp from the data transfer list and confirm the transfer

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Doesn't work between MIUI HyperOS (for example, with Redmi Note 11 on Xiaomi 14)
• ❌ It only transfers chats, media files have to be copied separately.
• ❌ On Android 13 phones+ Data Protection must be disabled MIUI (Settings → Confidentiality → Special access)

If the migration is interrupted by 50% or 75%, try:

1. Turn off Adaptive Brightness and Charge Savings on both phones
2. Use the cable USB-C to USB-C Direct connection (Xiamo Migration has the option of Cable Connection)
3. Reduce the amount of data transferred by eliminating large media files

5. Method 4: Transfer over a computer (for large backups)

If the volume of chats and media exceeds 4 GB, local transfer through WhatsApp/Databases It may not work because of file system limitations, in which case you can use a computer and specialized programs.

Tools required:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS
• 📱 Cables. USB for both phones
• 🛠️ Dr.Fone – WhatsApp Transfer or Backuptrans

Instructions for Dr.Fone:

1. Install the program and connect the old Xiaomi to your computer
2. In the main menu, select WhatsApp Transfer. → Backup WhatsApp messages
3. After creating a backup, disconnect the old phone and connect a new one.
4. Select Restore to Device and specify the backup created

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ It works between different versions of Android and MIUI
• ✅ Keeps all history, including stickers and voice messages
• ✅ Allows you to view the backup before recovery

⚠️ Note: Free versions of programs (such as WazzapMigrator) often contain advertising software. Download the software only from official sites: drfone.wondershare.com or backuptrans.com.

6. Method 5: Moving over the cloud (alternative to Google Drive)

If you have problems with Google Drive, you can use other cloud services:

Instructions for Yandex Disk:

1. On your old phone, copy the WhatsApp folder to Yandex Drive (via the official app)
2. On your new phone, download the folder back to the root directory of internal memory.
3. Install WhatsApp and wait for local backup to be detected

To accelerate the loading:

💡

Use the FolderSync app to automatically sync your WhatsApp folder to the cloud. Set up a task to copy on schedule (e.g. at night) to avoid interruption due to unstable internet.

7. Solving Errors When You Move WhatsApp to Xiaomi

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, you can get errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

Error 1: "Can't restore backup. Maybe backup is damaged."

• 🔹 Remove the WhatsApp folder from your new phone and re-restore
• 🔹 Check that the date and time on both phones are the same (settings) → Additionally. → Date and time → Autodetermination)
• 🔹 If the backup is built on Android 11 and you are restoring it to Android 13, use Dr.Fone to convert formats.

Error 2: This backup was created on another phone

Error 3: Media files are not displayed after recovery

• 🔹 Check that folder. WhatsApp/Media copied to a new phone
• 🔹 In WhatsApp settings, go to Warehouse → Storage management and click Update
• 🔹 If files are still not visible, use Gallery Doctor (Xiaomi Media Recovery App)

Error 4: WhatsApp is constantly asking for a confirmation code

• 🔹 Make sure that SIM-card is active and accepts SMS
• 🔹 Turn off two-factor authentication in WhatsApp settings on your old phone
• 🔹 If you are using HyperOS, check your settings. SMS-filter (Settings) → Annexes → SMS → Turn off the filtering)

💡

If neither method worked, the last option is to manually export chats. WhatsApp has a function Export chat. → ⋮ → Exports: Text only is exported, with no media or history of change.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)