How to make a backup on Xiaomi before resetting to factory settings: 5 proven ways

Resetting Xiaomi to factory settings is a radical but sometimes necessary step to address performance issues, viruses, or before selling a device. However, without first backing up, you risk losing contacts, photos, messages, and even app data that don’t sync to the cloud automatically. In this article, we’ll break down all the current ways to backup Xiaomi smartphones on MIUI 14/15 (including Redmi, POCO, and Black Shark models), given the features of the firmware and the manufacturer’s limitations.

Xiaomi’s feature is that even standard backup tools can work incorrectly due to customized MIUI shell. For example, the built-in Local Backup feature sometimes skips system settings, and the cloud backup through Mi Account is limited to 5 GB of free space. We tested all methods on devices from 2022-2026 (Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, POCO F5/X6) and highlighted those that are guaranteed to save your data without loss.

Why you should not skip backup before resetting

The factory reset on Xiaomi removes all user information from the /data section, including:

• 📱 Contacts (unless synced with Google or Mi Account)
• 📸 Photos and videos in the gallery (including hidden folders and edited copies)
• 💬 Communications in SMS, Telegram, WhatsApp (without backup chats will disappear)
• 🎮 Save games (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile)
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sound profiles, gestures) MIUI)

Most users mistakenly believe that syncing with Google or Mi Cloud saves everything automatically.

• 🔄 Google Contacts and Google Photos only sync some of the data (e.g., do not store your call history or your Wi-Fi settings).
• ☁️ Mi Cloud limits free space to 5GB and may not backup some system files.
• 📲 Apps like WhatsApp or Viber require separate manual backups.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with an unlocked bootloader or custom firmware (like LineageOS), standard backup methods may not work. TWRP or ADB — Read about this in the section on the extended methods.

Method 1: Local backup via MIUI settings

The simplest method, which does not require additional software, is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models on MIUI 12-15.

• ❌ Does not store data from certain applications (e.g., Banking apps or Netflix).
• ❌ You may not be able to reset after reset if the version MIUI changed.
• ✅ But it's copying. SMS, Call history, Wi-Fi settings and wallpaper.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Click Create a backup and select the data to save (we recommend to note all points).
3. The location of the storage: internal memory or SD-card (if supported).
4. Wait until the end (may take 5-20 minutes depending on the amount of data).

The backup file will be saved in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder in.mbk format to recover data after the reset:

1. Transfer the backup file back to the phone (if saved to the PC).
2. In the same settings, select Restore from backup.

- Battery charge > 50%

Free space on the phone > 2 GB

Optimizers are disabled (for example, Security or Clean Master)

Backup file copied to PC/cloud (in case of failure)

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Method 2: Cloud Backup with Mi Account (Mi Cloud)

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s official cloud storage integrated into MIUI, and its main advantage is automatic synchronization of contacts, notes, SMS and photos (if optional).

• 🔒 Requires a tied Mi Account (if not, register in advance).
• ☁️ Free available only 5 GB (for photos and videos this is not enough).
• 🚫 Does not store data from most third-party apps (such as WhatsApp or games).

How to set up a cloud backup:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on synchronization for the desired categories (required: Contacts, Messages, Gallery).
3. For a full backup, click Device Backup and select Create Backup.
4. Wait until the end (time depends on the speed of the Internet).

To recover data after resetting:

1. Sign in to the same Mi Account when you first set up your phone.
2. In the Mi Cloud section, select Restore from backup.

⚠️ Note: If you reset your phone before selling, be sure to log out of Mi Account in the settings (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Otherwise, the new owner will be able to access your data through the cloud!

Method 3: Backup through Google Account

If you use Google services, some of the data can be saved through a Gmail account, which is universal for all Android devices, but it works with restrictions on Xiaomi due to the customization of MIUI.

What is synchronized automatically:

• 📇 Contacts (if saved in Google Contacts, not in phone memory).
• 📅 Calendar and Notes (via Google Keep).
• 🌐 Chrome bookmarks and passwords (if sync is enabled in the browser).
• 📱 List of installed applications (but not their data!).

How to turn on synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your Gmail account and enable sync for the desired categories.
3. To back up your system settings, go to Settings → System → Backup and enable Backup in Google Drive.

To recover data after resetting:

1. When you first set up your phone, log in to the same Google account.
2. Select the option to Recover Data from the device and specify the last backup.

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Before reset, check that your contacts are saved in Google Contacts, not in your phone’s memory. Open the Contacts app, click three points → Contact Management → check that your primary account is Google, not Phone.

Method 4: Manual backup of important data (photos, videos, documents)

Even if you’ve used previous methods, critical files (photos, videos, documents) are better copied manually, ensuring you don’t lose them due to a cloud storage failure or recovery error.

How to copy files to a PC:

1. Connect your phone to your computer through USB-cable (use the original cable for a stable connection).
2. On the phone, select file transfer mode (File Transfer or MTP).
3. Open the Internal Storage folder and copy:

• 📷 folder DCIM (All photos and video from the camera).
• 📄 Downloads folder (uploaded files).
• 🎵 Music or Ringtones folder (if you have important audio files).
• 📁 Documents folder (if you store documents there).

Alternative methods:

• 🖥️ Use Google Drive or Yandex Drive to upload files to the cloud.
• 🔗 Send files to yourself by mail or via Telegram (limit 2 GB per file).
• 💾 Save it on. SD-card (if the phone supports it).

⚠️ Note: If you are copying files to a Mac, you may need to install Android File Transfer (the official software from Google) as macOS does not support the application. MTP default.

Method 5: Complete backup via TWRP or ADB (for advanced users)

If you need to keep the entire system with all the settings and data (for example, before installing custom firmware), standard methods will not work.

• 🔧 TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project – custom recovery that allows you to create a complete image of the system.
• 💻 ADB (Android Debug Bridge – a backup tool through your computer.

Instructions for TWRP:

1. Install TWRP on your Xiaomi (requires an unlocked bootloader).
2. Boot to TWRP (usually pinpoint Power + Volume up when turned on).
3. Select Backup and select the following sections: System, Data, Boot.
4. Click Swipe to Backup and wait until it is completed.
5. Copy the backup file from your phone to your PC (it will be in the TWRP/BACKUPS folder).

Instructions for ADB:

1. Install ADB on your computer (download Platform Tools from Google).
2. Connect your phone via USB and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional → For developers → USB Debugging).
3. Open the command line in the ADB folder and do:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f C:\backup.ab

This command will create a complete backup of all applications and data in the backup.ab file on the C: drive.

To recover the data:

• For TWRP: boot to recovery and select Restore.
• For ADB: execute the command:

adb restore C:\backup.ab

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Use TWRP or ADB only if you are an experienced user.Incorrect actions can result in complete data loss or device blink (if, for example, incorrectly restore the Boot partition).

What to do after reset: Data recovery

After resetting to factory settings:

1. Don’t set up your phone as new – choose the recovery option from the backup right away.
2. If you have used Mi Cloud or Google, log in to your account and wait for sync.
3. For local backup (.mbk), transfer the file back to your phone and restore it through Settings → Backup.
4. Install applications manually (unless they are restored automatically).

Problems that may arise:

• 🔄 Data not recovered: check that the backup file is not corrupted and corresponds to the version MIUI.
• 📱 Apps fly out: update them through Google Play.
• ☁️ Lack of space in the cloud: free up space or buy an extra one (like Google One).

If something went wrong:

• Try to recover data piece by piece (for example, contact first, then photo).
• Use programs to recover deleted files (such as DiskDigger or Recuva), but the chances are low after a reset.

FAQ: Frequent questions about backup on Xiaomi