How to Get Contacts from a Broken Xiaomi Phone through a Computer: Working Methods 2026

A broken Xiaomi smartphone is always stressful, especially if it has important contacts that are not backed up, and it gets more complicated when the screen is not responsive to touch, the phone is not turned on or hangs on the MIUI logo, but even in such cases, there are ways to extract data through the computer without having to carry the device to the service center.

In this article, we will discuss 5 Proven methods to help restore contacts with a broken Xiaomi (including the Redmi Note models) 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4, Mi 11/12 Some methods are suitable for phones with unlocked bootloader or enabled debugging. USB, Others will work even on fully locked-screen bricks, and the important thing is that if the phone is even defined by the computer as a device (even without memory access), the chances of success are high. 80–90%.

Before you start, check:

• 🔌 Is there any physical damage to the port? USB-C (Try another cable).
• 🔋 Battery level (if the phone doesn’t turn on, hold it on charge for 10-15 minutes).
• 🖥️ Does the PC identify the device in Device Manager (even as an "Unidentified Device»).

1. Retrieval of contacts via Mi Account (if there was synchronization)

The easiest way to do this is to restore contacts from the Mi Cloud if the phone has been synced, which will work even if the smartphone is completely dead, but previously logged into a Xiaomi account.

Instructions:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in with the same account as you did on your broken phone.
2. Select Contacts (or Mi Cloud → Contacts) from the menu.
3. Click Export and save the file in.vcf (for import to another phone) or.csv (for Excel).

⚠️ Note: If two-factor authentication is enabled on the phone, and SIM-The card with the number to confirm lost, it will be more difficult to restore access to the account, in which case you will have to contact Xiaomi with proof of ownership of the device (checks, IMEI).

2. use ADB (if USB debugging is enabled)

If Xiaomi has previously activated USB debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI → 7 taps → Additional → For developers → USB debugging), you can extract contacts via ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This method works even if the screen does not respond to touch, but the phone is determined by the PC.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Platform Tools (includes adb.exe).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open the Command Prompt in the folder with the platform-tools.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is displayed (for example, 1234abcd device), go further.
4. Copy the contact database to your computer: adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db
5. Open the file. contacts2.db programmatically DB Browser for SQLite or sqlitebrowser.org.

Install Platform Tools|Enable debugging on USB (if the screen is working)|Connect your phone to the original cable|Check the visibility of the device in `adb devices`|Download SQLite browser to read the base-->

⚠️ Note: On new Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ Xiaomi 13T) The path to the contact database may be different. If the team didn't work, try it:

adb pull /data/user_de/0/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db

3. Restore via TWRP (for unlocked bootloader)

If you have a custom TWRP recavator installed on your phone, you can manually copy contacts from the /data partition, which is suitable for devices with an unlocked bootloader (even if the screen is not working).

Algorithm of action:

1. Turn off the phone and press Power + Volume up to enter TWRP.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and in TWRP, select Mount → Enable MTP.
3. On your computer, open the phone folder and go along the path: data → data → com.android.providers.contacts → databases
4. Copy the contacts2.db file on your PC and open it through your SQLite browser.

💡 Useful advice: If TWRP Does not define the phone as a drive, try connecting through ADB Recovery:

adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db

4. Data recovery programs (without root)

If previous methods have failed, you can use specialized data recovery software from Android, which is suitable for phones that are defined by a PC, but do not have an unlocked bootloader or debugging over USB.

Top.-3 Xiaomi:

⚠️ Warning: Free versions of these programs usually show found contacts, but do not allow you to save them.Before buying, check whether your Xiaomi model is supported on the developer's website.

Instructions for Dr.Fone:

1. Install the program and select Android Data Recovery.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and select Restore Contacts.
3. Follow the hints (you may need to enable USB Debugging or install a Xiaomi driver).
4. After scanning, mark the contacts you want and save them to.vcf.

5. Extracting contacts through SIM-map (if they are saved on it)

If the contacts were retained on SIM-The card (rather than the phone’s memory) can be transferred to another device, which is the same as older Xiaomi models (like Redmi). 4X or Mi A1), where was the option of saving SIM.

How to check:

1. Extract. SIM-Card from a broken phone and insert it into your working smartphone.
2. Open Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-map.
3. If contacts are displayed, save them in the memory of the new device.

⚠️ Attention: Modern SIM-Nano-SIM cards store a very limited number of contacts (usually up to 250) and their names may not be displayed correctly (e.g. Cyrillic turns into question marks).

💡

Before extraction SIM-Make sure the phone is turned off – a hot replacement can damage the slot contacts or the card itself.

What if the phone is not detected by a computer?

If the PC doesn’t see Xiaomi as an “Unidentified Device,” the problem may be:

• 🔌 porte USB — Try another cable and connector on a PC (preferably) USB 2.0 on the back of the system unit).
• 🔋 Battery: If the phone is under 5%, it may not show signs of life. Keep it charging for 30 to 60 minutes.
• 🖥️ Drivers – download official Xiaomi drivers from the site MIUI Downloads.
• 🔧 Hardware damage – if the phone fell into the water or was badly impacted, the controller could be damaged USB. In this case, only repairs will help.

🔧 Diagnostics through Device Manager:

1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
2. See if the device appears in the Portable Devices section or Other Devices when connected.
3. If there is an exclamation point, update the driver manually, indicating the path to the folder with Xiaomi drivers.

FAQ: Frequent questions about reconnecting