How to transfer data from Honor to Redmi: a complete guide comparing all methods

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi Redmi is not only a change of brand, but also the need to transfer all important data: from contacts and photos to messages and application settings. Many users encounter problems when trying to synchronize between devices from different manufacturers, especially when it comes to models with proprietary firmware (for example, Magic UI on Honor and MIUI on Redmi). In this article we will analyze all the current transfer methods - from standard ones (via Google account or Bluetooth) to specialized tools like Mi Mover or Huawei Backup.

It is important to understand that the choice of method depends on the amount of data, transfer speed and even device model. For example, Honor 90 and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ support Wi-Fi Direct, but old devices like Honor 8X or Redmi 5A may require workarounds. We will also take into account the nuances of linking to accounts (Huawei ID vs Mi Account) and tell you how to avoid data loss when changing the ecosystem.

If you are in a hurry, use method comparison table at the end of the first section to choose the best option for your task.

Comparison of all data transfer methods

Before diving into the details, let's evaluate the pros and cons of each method. This will help save time and avoid common mistakes.

Method	Speed	Data volume	Complexity	Suitable for	Limitations
Google account	Average	Up to 15 GB (free)	⭐	Contacts, calendar, some settings	Does not transfer SMS, calls, files
Mi Mover (Wi-Fi Direct)	High	Unlimited	⭐⭐	All data (except some applications)	Requires MIUI 10+ on Redmi
Huawei Backup + recovery	Low	Up to 5 GB (free)	⭐⭐⭐	Photos, videos, contacts, SMS	Need Huawei temporary cloud
OTG/USB cable	Very high	Unlimited	⭐⭐⭐	Files, photos, videos	Does not transfer applications and settings
Bluetooth	Low	Up to 1 GB	⭐	Individual files, contacts	Slow, size limit

Critical nuance: if your Honor runs on EMUI 10 or older, and Redmi runs on MIUI 13+, then Mi Mover may not see the device due to a conflict in Wi-Fi Direct protocols. In this case, use a cable or the cloud.

Method 1: Transfer via Google account (the simplest, but limited)

This is a basic method that works on any Android devices. It is suitable for transferring contacts, calendars, mail, Google Keep notes and part of application settings (for example, Chrome or Gmail). However, it will not cope with SMS, call logs or files.

Instructions:

• 📱 On Honor: open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that synchronization is enabled for all the necessary data.
• 🔄 Wait for synchronization to complete (check in Settings → Accounts → Google → Account synchronization).
• 📱 On Redmi: when you turn it on for the first time, select “Restore data” and log in to the same Google account. If the phone is already set up, go to Settings → Accounts → Add account → Google.
• ⚙️ In the System → Backup section on Redmi, enable data recovery from Google.

What is transferred: contacts, calendar events, Chrome bookmarks, some application settings (for example, WhatsApp chats - only if there was a backup in Google Drive).

What is NOT transferred: SMS, call log, photos, videos, music, installed APK files.

⚠️ Attention: If you used an account on Honor Huawei ID for backup copying, the data from it is not synchronized with Google. They must first be exported manually (see Method 3).

Method 2: Backup via Huawei Backup (for Honor)

This method is suitable if you used the built-in backup function on Honor. It allows you to save almost everything data, including SMS, call logs, photos, videos and even some application settings. However, it is not possible to restore such a backup to Redmi directly - you will need a workaround.

Steps on Honor:

1. Go in Settings → System → Backup.
2. Select Backup and mark all the necessary data (contacts, messages, multimedia).
3. Click Backup and wait for completion. The file will be saved in Huawei Cloud or to internal memory.
4. If the backup is saved to the cloud, download it to your computer via web version of Huawei Cloud (authorization required).

Steps on Redmi:

• 🖥️ Connect Redmi to the PC and copy the backup files (they have the extension .hbk or .backup).
• 📂 Use third-party tools like Huawei Backup Extractor (available on GitHub) to extract data from the archive.
• 📲 Transfer the extracted files (photos, videos, contacts in format .vcf) to Redmi manually.

Pros: saves almost all data, including SMS and call logs.

Cons: requires additional actions on the PC, not all data can be recovered on MIUI (for example, settings of some applications).

How to extract SMS from Huawei backup?

1. Download Huawei Backup Extractor from GitHub (check reviews to avoid malware).

2. Open the backup file (.hbk) in the app.

3. Export SMS to format .xml or .csv.

4. Use the application on Redmi to import messages. Method 3: Mi Mover is the official Xiaomi tool (the fastest) - this is a proprietary solution from data-i="171">. The method only works if SMS Backup & Restore on Redmi to import messages.

Method 3: Mi Mover - Xiaomi Official Tool (Fastest)

Mi Mover is a proprietary solution from Xiaomi, which allows you to transfer data directly between devices via Wi-Fi Direct. The method only works if Redmi on MIUI 10 or newer. On Honor the application must be installed Mi Mover (available in APKMirroras it is not available on Google Play).

Step-by-step guide:

1. On Redmi open the standard application Mi Mover (located in the folder Tools or through search).
2. On Honor install Mi Mover from APKMirror (select the latest version).
3. On both devices, enable Wi-Fi i Bluetooth.
4. On Redmi select I'm new, on Honor — I'm old.
5. Scan the QR code from the Redmi screen on Honor (or connect via device search).
6. Select data to transfer (contacts, SMS, photos, video, audio, documents, applications).
7. Confirm the transfer and wait for completion (may take from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the volume).

What is transferred: contacts, SMS, MMS, photos, videos, music, documents, some applications (without data).

What is NOT transferred: system settings, data of some applications (for example, WhatsApp or Viber), Wi-Fi passwords.

1. Reboot both phones.

2. Turn on airplane mode for 10 seconds, then turn it off.

3. Use Wi-Fi Direct manually via Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi Direct.-->

⚠️ Attention: On some models Honor (for example, Honor 20 Pro or Honor View 20) Mi Mover may not correctly transfer photos from the gallery. In this case, use Method 4 (cable) for multimedia.

Method 4: Transfer via USB cable (OTG or adapter)

This is a universal method that works on any device, regardless of Android version or firmware. You will need OTG cable (to connect a flash drive) or USB-C → USB-A adapter (if you are using a standard cable). The transfer speed is one of the highest among all methods.

Instructions:

• 🔌 Connect Honor to Redmi via an adapter (or use an OTG cable + flash drive as intermediate storage).
• 📂 On Honor open Explorer (or Files) and select files to transfer (photos, videos, documents).
• 📤 Copy them to a flash drive or to a folder Internal Storage on a connected one Redmi.
• 🔄 If you are using a flash drive, disconnect it from Honor and connect it to Redmi, then copy the files to the internal memory.

Pros: high speed, no volume restrictions, works without the Internet.

Cons: does not transfer applications, SMS or system settings.

For transfer contacts via cable:

1. On Honor export contacts to file .vcf via Contacts → Settings → Export.
2. Copy the file to Redmi.
3. On Redmi import contacts via Contacts → Settings → Import.

Method 5: Cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox, Yandex Disk)

If you have stable Wi-Fi and enough space in the cloud, this method allows you to transfer data wirelessly. Suitable for photos, videos, documents and some application backups (for example, WhatsApp).

Action algorithm:

1. On Honor upload files to the cloud:
   • 📁 For Google Drive: open the application, press + → Upload.
   • 📁 For Yandex Disk: use automatic photo download in the application settings.

On Redmi download files from the cloud to internal memory.

For contacts: export them to .vcf on Honor, upload to the cloud, then download and import to Redmi.

Comparison of cloud services:

• 🔹 Google Drive: 15 GB free, integration with Android.
• 🔹 Yandex Disk: 10 GB free, automatic photo upload.
• 🔹 Dropbox: 2 GB free, but convenient interface.
• 🔹 Huawei Cloud: 5 GB free, but difficult to download data on Redmi.

⚠️ Attention: If you are transferring a backup WhatsApp via Google Drive, make sure that the same phone number and Google account are used on Redmi. Otherwise, restoring chats will be impossible.

Method 6: Transfer via computer (for large amounts of data)

If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes (for example, a collection of videos or RAW photos), the most reliable way is to use PC or laptop as intermediary. This is also useful if Honor there is not enough space to create a backup.

Instructions:

1. 🖥️ Connect Honor to the PC via a USB cable (select mode File transfer in the notification shade).
2. 📂 Copy all the necessary files (folders DCIM, Download, Documents and etc.) to your computer.
3. 🔄 Disconnect Honor, connect Redmi and copy the files back.
4. 📱 To transfer contacts, export them to .vcf on Honor, then import to Redmi via Contacts → Settings → Import.

To transfer SMS and call logs:

• 📱 Install to Honor application SMS Backup & Restore.
• 📤 Create a backup and save it on your PC (the file will be in the format .xml).
• 📥 Install the same application on Redmi, copy the backup file and restore the data.

Pros: reliability, no volume restrictions, you can select specific files.

Disadvantages: requires a computer, takes longer.

Method 7: Transferring applications and their data (for advanced users)

Standard methods do not transfer installed applications and their data (for example, saves in games or settings Viber). This will require special tools:

Method 1: Titanum Backup (requires root)

• 🔧 Install Titanium Backup on both devices (required root access).
• 📦 On Honor create a backup of all applications and their data.
• 📤 Transfer the backup to Redmi (via cable or cloud).
• 🔄 Restore applications on Redmi via Titanium Backup.

Method 2: ADB (without root, but more difficult)

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab
adb restore backup.ab

These commands create a full backup on Honor and restore it on Redmi. To work you need ADB (included in Android SDK) and USB debugging enabled on both devices.

⚠️ Attention: Transferring system applications (for example, Phone or Messages) may cause conflicts on Redmi due to differences in firmware. We recommend transferring only user applications.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions, difficulties may arise:

• 🚫 Mi Mover does not see the device:
  • Check that it is turned on on both phones Wi-Fi i Bluetooth.
  • Reboot both devices.
  • Make sure that Redmi has the latest version installed Mi Mover.
• 🚫 Photos cannot be transferred:
  • Try transferring them via cable or cloud.
  • Check if the files are hidden in the folder DCIM/.thumbnails.
• 🚫 Contacts are duplicated:
  • Before transferring, synchronize contacts with Google and delete duplicates in Google Contacts.
  • On Redmi, disable automatic synchronization with other accounts (for example, Mi Account).
• 🚫 WhatsApp is not restored:
  • Make sure that the same phone number and Google account are used on Redmi.
  • Check that the backup WhatsApp is saved in Google Drive (settings chat → backup).

If none of the methods worked, try reset Redmi to factory settings and repeat the transfer from a clean device. This often helps with conflicts with previous data.

FAQ: Answers to popular ones questions

Is it possible to transfer data from Honor to Redmi without the Internet?

Yes, the following are suitable for this:

• 🔌 USB cable (via an adapter or OTG).
• 📶 Wi-Fi Direct (via Mi Mover or the built-in file transfer function).
• 💾 Flash drive (via OTG cable).

Cloud services and Google account require an Internet connection.

Will saves from games from Honor be transferred to Redmi?

It depends on the game:

• 🎮 If the game supports cloud saves (for example, via Google Play Games or Facebook), then yes.
• 📱 If the saves are local, it will be required Titanium Backup (with root) or manually transferring files from the folder /Android/obb.

Popular games like PUBG Mobile or Clash of Clans are linked to your account, so just log in under the same profile on Redmi.

How to transfer Wi-Fi passwords from Honor on Redmi?

Android does not provide a direct way to export Wi-Fi passwords, but there are workarounds:

1. 🔧 Use the app WiFi Password Viewer (requires root) to view passwords on Honor.
2. 📋 Write them down manually and enter them on Redmi.
3. 📤 Or export the list of networks to a file and import it to Redmi through the same application.

Without root access, this method does not work due to Android security restrictions.

Will fingerprint work from Honor on Redmi?

No biometric data (fingerprints, facial recognition) are tied to the hardware of a specific device. They cannot be transferred or copied. After switching to Redmi, you will need to re-add fingerprints in the security settings.

How to transfer data if Honor is broken (does not turn on)?

If the phone does not turn on, but responds to connecting to a PC:

• 🖥️ Connect Honor to your computer and try to extract data via ADB (if USB debugging is enabled).
• 🔧 Use apps like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare UltData to recover data from a damaged device.

If the phone is completely dead, contact the service center - they can extract the data using specialized equipment (for example, UFi Box).