How to copy SMS from Xiaomi phone to computer

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often have to transfer important text messages to a larger screen, which may be required to save business correspondence, confirm transactions, or simply back up before changing devices. The standard MIUI or HyperOS system features no direct copy and paste function in a text file, which causes some difficulties for users.

But there are many proven methods to do this: you can use cloud services, specialized software from the manufacturer or third-party applications available on Google Play, and the choice of the particular method depends on whether you need to save one message or archive the entire history of correspondence for several years.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the current data export options. We will look at both the ecosystem’s standard tools and third-party solutions that ensure the safety of your information. For the complete export of message history in readable format (PDF or HTML), using third-party applications is often the only effective solution.

Using Google Cloud Service for Synchronization

The easiest and most integrated way to do this is to use a Google account, and in modern versions of Android, which run MIUI shells, SMS support is built directly into Google Play services, ideal for those who are planning to transfer data to a new phone or just want to protect themselves from loss of information.

To activate this feature, you need to go to your device settings. Go to Google, then select Backup. Make sure the switch is opposite the item. SMS-The system will automatically create a hidden copy of your messages in the cloud, linked to your account.

To view this data on a computer, direct access via a browser is not possible for security reasons, but you can restore it on any device when you log in. However, if you need to read the text on the big screen right now, this method will require installing an Android emulator on a PC or using Google’s Messages for the Web feature if your carrier and firmware support RCS.

• 📱 Automation: Backups happen regularly without you being involved when connecting to Wi-Fi.
• 🔒 Security: Data is encrypted and stored on Google servers, accessed with two-factor authentication.
• 🔄 Universality: You can restore correspondence on any Android smartphone, not only on Xiaomi.

⚠️ Note: When resetting your phone to factory settings, unless you back up manually right before you do, the latest messages may not have time to sync.

Export through the official utility Mi PC Suite

Xiaomi’s official tool for working with the file system and phone data is the Mi PC Suite. Unfortunately, the international version of this software has not been updated for a long time and may not work properly with new smartphone models released after 2018.

The connection process requires installing drivers and the application itself on a Windows computer. Once you connect the USB cable, you must select the mode of operation File Transfer or USB debugging in the developer menu. The program interface allows you to see the folder structure, but access to the message database is often limited by superuser rights.

If your device model is supported, a full backup option may be included in the Tools or Backup section, which will save all data, including SMS, to a special format on the hard drive. Additional decoders will be required to extract specific text from such a backup.

Users often encounter a connection error or no export button for messages, in which case the system offers a complete image of the system, which takes up a lot of space. For fast uploading only text, this method is considered obsolete and less effective than cloud solutions.

Third-party applications for exporting SMS to PDF and TXT

The most flexible and convenient way for most users is to use specialized applications from the Google Play store. The leader in this niche is already the SMS Backup & Restore utility from the developer SyncTech. It allows you not only to create backups, but also to convert them into readable formats.

Once you install the app, you'll be asked to select a data source, you can select specific dialogs or select all messages at once, then you'll be asked to select a save format, and PDF (for printing and beautiful display) or TXT/CSV (for processing in word processors and tables) will be the best way to view the app.

The process of creating a file takes from a few seconds to minutes, depending on the length of history, the finished file is stored in the phone's internal memory. USB-cable, send to Telegram or upload to cloud storage.

Importantly, some features, such as automatic downloading to Google Drive or Dropbox, may be paid for in premium versions of apps. However, the basic manual export functionality is enough for one-time operations.

• 📄 Readability: Format PDF maintains the structure of the dialogue, time and names of contacts, which is convenient for legal fixation.
• ⚙️ Flexibility: The ability to select only important correspondence, ignoring spam and service notifications.
• 📂 Availability: The resulting file can be opened on any computer without installing additional software.

Transfer files via USB and Mi Drop

If you've already created a backup file in any of the ways described above, it's a question of physically transferring it to your computer. USB-When connecting your smartphone to your PC, select the notification on your phone screen mode File Transfer (MTP).

After that, Xiaomi will appear in My Computer, and you need to find the folder where the SMS application was saved (usually the SMSBackupRestore folder at the root or in the Documents folder).

An alternative to cable is Mi Drop (or ShareMe), which uses Wi-Fi Direct, which is a web version or a Windows ShareMe client that you can install on your computer, which allows you to transfer files at high speed wirelessly, which is especially convenient if you don't have a Type-C cable on hand.

⚠️ Attention: When transmitting by USB Do not disconnect the cable at the time of writing. This can damage the backup file and it will become unreadable.

Cable transmission speeds are generally more stable, especially if you want to flip a multi-gigabyte archive with MMS attachments. The wireless method is more convenient, but requires both devices to be on the same network or directly paired.

Comparison of backup methods

To make it easier for you to choose the right option, we have systematized the main characteristics of each method, different scenarios require different approaches: some people care about speed, some people care about format readability, and others about process automation.

Below is a table that will help you determine the toolkit, and note compatibility with your version of MIUI and the desired output file format.

💡

For most users, the best choice is a bundle: SMS Backup & Restore application for creating a file + transfer via USB to a computer.

Frequent problems and their solution

Users may face a number of technical limitations when copying messages, such as new versions of Android (11, 12, 13 and above) significantly restricting applications from accessing the SMS database for privacy purposes.

You'll need to click "Allow" and then in the system menu that opens, select your application from the list and switch the switch to the active position. Without this step, the program will not be able to read messages. There's also sometimes an encoding problem: when you open a file on your computer, "Krakoshibra" can appear instead of text.

This is done by choosing the right encoding when opening a file (usually UTF-8) in a text editor, such as Notepad++. If you use Excel to open CSV files, make sure that the correct encoding is chosen when importing data, otherwise the Russian letters will not appear.

• 🚫 Access Error: If the application says “Access is forbidden”, check the permission settings in the App section → All applications → Your appendix → Permits.
• 📉 Lack of space: Make sure there is enough space on your phone and computer to create a copy, especially if you have a lot of pictures in your text message.
• 🔋 Energy saving: Aggressive battery settings in MIUI They can kill the export process in the middle. Add a reservation app to the exceptions or select No Limits mode».