Where in Xiaomi Redmi passwords are stored: system files, MIUI and cloud

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones store dozens of passwords, from social media accounts to banking apps. But where exactly is that data stored in the system? Users often wonder whether passwords can be extracted from a phone if it is locked, or how they are protected from hacking. In this article, we will examine all the levels of password storage in Redmi, from Android system files to the Mi Cloud services, and also tell you how to protect or restore them.

It’s important to understand that Xiaomi uses a combination of standard Android mechanisms and proprietary MIUI solutions. For example, Wi-Fi passwords and apps are stored in different places, and access to them depends on the firmware version and smartphone model. We will not discuss hacking or circumventing security – only legal ways to work with data that will come in handy when resetting or transferring the phone to another user.

1. System password storage in Android

The basic Android operating system (which runs MIUI) stores passwords in several protected sections, the main one being /data/system, where the files containing the account data are located.

• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords: stored in a file wpa_supplicant.conf (in new versions of Android - in encrypted form /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml).
• 📱 Application passwords: managed through Android Keystore, a hardware module that encrypts data and binds it to the device.
• 🔐 PIN-Graphic codes and keys: stored in /data/system/locksettings.db (database).

Access to these files is possible only with root rights or through ADB (if debugging is on USB). However, in MIUI Many paths are modified or further protected, such as in the Redmi Note. 10 Pro file wpa_supplicant.conf It may not be available, but Xiaomi’s proprietary storage is used instead.

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If you need to transfer Wi-Fi passwords to a new smartphone, use the Mi Mover feature in MIUI – it copies network settings without manually extracting files.

Important: Even with root access, it’s hard to extract passwords in readable form. Modern versions of Android (starting with 9.0) encrypt hardware-backed keystore storage, meaning that without physical access to the device, it’s almost impossible to decrypt data.

2.Store passwords in MIUI: what Xiaomi has added

MIUI, Xiaomi's proprietary shell, makes its own adjustments to password management, such as adding additional storage to the system:

• 🌐 Mi Account: the password from the Xiaomi account is stored in encrypted form /data/data/com.xiaomi.account. It is used to synchronize data between devices.
• 🔒 Safe Folder: If you use the Safe Folder feature in MIUI, her password is stored in /data/system/users/0/safefolder.xml (for root users only).
• 📲 Two-factor authentication: codes 2FA (For example, for Google Authenticator, stored in /data/data/com.google.android.apps.authenticator2/databases/databases.

MIUI is a feature of Mi Cloud integration, where synchronization is enabled, passwords from Wi-Fi, apps, and even some data from Safe Folder can be duplicated into the cloud, but passwords from banking apps and instant messengers (such as Telegram or VK) are never synchronized — they only remain on the device.

In the new MIUI 14+ versions, Xiaomi has introduced the Mi Password Manager feature, which offers to store logins and passwords in a secure storage similar to Google Password Manager. This data is stored in /data/data/com.miui.passwordmanager and encrypted using a key associated with the Mi Account.

Passwords in the Mi Cloud: What is stored there?

Mi Cloud is a Xiaomi cloud service that can store some of your passwords and data, but many users mistakenly think that all of their accounts are saved there.

• 📶 Wi-Fi passwords (if sync is enabled in Settings) → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Synchronization of networks).
• 📱 Device settings (including some application data, but not the passwords themselves).
• 🔑 Backups (if you manually created a backup through Settings) → The phone. → Backup).

To check what data is synced with Mi Cloud, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Sync. Here you can manually disable the transfer of Wi-Fi passwords or other data.

⚠️ Note: If you sell or transfer a Redmi smartphone, it is not enough to simply reset your settings. → Xiaomi account → Sign out, otherwise the new owner will be able to recover your data from the cloud.

4. How to protect passwords in Xiaomi Redmi

Even if passwords are stored in secure areas, they can be further protected.

1. 🔐 Use the complex PIN-code (at least 6 digits) or a pattern lock with a large number of dots. MIUI You can turn on the settings. → Lock screen → Locking when downloading so that the password is requested immediately after turning on the phone.
2. 📱 Turn off the debugging. USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (7 times press) → For developers → Debugging by USB. This will prevent access to data through ADB.
3. 🌐 Set up two-factor authentication for your Mi Account in Settings → Xiaomi account → Security.
4. 🔒 Encrypt the device in Settings → Additionally. → Encryption and credentials. This will enable hardware encryption of all data, including passwords.

An additional layer of protection is the use of a password manager (for example, Bitwarden or KeePassDX), which stores data in their encrypted container, which is independent of the system storage of Android or MIUI.

Set up complex. PIN-code|We've shut down the debugging. USB|Encrypted the device.|Set up. 2FA for Mi Account|Remove unnecessary backups in Mi Cloud-->

⚠️ Note: If you use Safe Folder, do not store only copies of important passwords.When you reset your phone to factory settings, the data from Safe Folder is deleted without recovery (unless a backup was created in the Mi Cloud).

5. Can passwords be extracted without root?

Without root rights or physical access to an unlocked device, it is extremely difficult to extract passwords from Xiaomi Redmi, but there are several legal ways to access some data:

• 🔄 Recovery via Mi Cloud: If sync is enabled, Wi-Fi passwords can be transferred to a new smartphone when logged in under the same account.
• 📱 Backups: If you created a backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup, some settings (including Wi-Fi) can be restored.
• 🔑 Password Managers: If you have used Mi Password Manager or third-party apps (e.g., Mi Password Manager, 1Password), Data can be exported manually.

To unlock the device (if you forgot the password), Xiaomi offers an official way:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com.
2. Select "Forgot your password?" and follow the instructions (requires access to email or SMS).
3. After resetting the password from Mi Account, you can unlock the phone through Settings → Xiaomi Account.

⚠️ Note: Do not use third-party software to "hack" Xiaomi passwords (such as Mi Account Unlock Tool).This not only violates the terms of use, but can also lead to blocking. IMEI Xiaomi is actively fighting such tools and can remotely block the smartphone.

6.Technical details: where and how passwords are encrypted

For advanced users, it is useful to know how Xiaomi protects passwords at the hardware and software level.

• 🔐 Android Keystore: A hardware module that generates and stores cryptographic keys, used to encrypt application and data passwords MIUI.
• 📱 File-Based Encryption (FBE): Android 10+ Each file is encrypted with a separate key attached to the PIN-This means that without unlocking the device, data cannot be read even when physically accessing the memory.
• 🌐 Mi Cloud Encryption: Data in the Cloud Encrypted AES-256, Keys are stored on Xiaomi servers (unlike iCloud, where keys can be stored on the device).

Redmi models with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips (like the Redmi Note 12 Pro+) use the Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit (SPU), a separate processor for processing cryptographic operations, making it almost impossible to hack the device without physical intervention (for example, through a chip-off attack that requires soldering equipment).

Budget models like Redmi 10A may use software-backed keystores that are less secure, but even then, data is better protected than Android without a MIUI shell.

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Since MIUI 13, Xiaomi has introduced an additional password protection called Dynamic Key Derivation, which means that encryption keys change every time a device is turned on, making it harder to extract them even when physically accessed.

FAQ: Frequent questions about passwords in Xiaomi Redmi