Xiaomi smartphone owners often have to remember a forgotten account access code or Wi-Fi network. Android, on which the MIUI shell is based, has a complex architecture of storage, and finding a specific file with passwords "manual" without root rights is almost impossible for the average user.
The primary storage that is used by default on most modern devices is Google Smart Lock (or Google Password Manager), which is where data is automatically stored when logged in to Chrome or apps, if you have consented to it, and locally on the device, this data is encrypted and lies in the system partition, which is not accessible to third-party programs.
Beyond cloud storage, there is a local database system that requires deep immersion into the file structure or the use of special debugging tools. Understanding where the encrypted tokens are physically located on your Xiaomi drive can be critical when restoring access after a device is reset or flashed. Let's take a look at all the ways that this information is available.
Google System Storage and its Role in MIUI
On Xiaomi smartphones with Google services pre-installed, the primary place to collect credentials is a Google account. It's a centralized storage that syncs across all your devices. When you enter a password in an app or on a site, the system suggests you save it. If you agree, the data is sent to the corporation's servers and made available through security settings.
You don't have to be a programmer to view the data you've saved, you just go to the system settings, which is the safest and most recommended method for 99 percent of users, because it doesn't require you to get advanced permissions to access the system, and it stores passwords from social networks, email boxes and various services.
- 🔒 Access is made through the “Passwords” menu in the settings of the Google account.
- ☁️ Data synchronized in real time with the Internet.
- 📱 Information is available from any device where you log in to your account.
It's important to understand that the local copy of this data on a Xiaomi phone is protected by hardware encryption. Even if you extract the phone's memory, you can't read these files without unlocking the screen and access keys. This is a fundamental principle of Android security.
Local Mi Pass Storage and Xiaomi Account
Xiaomi has developed its own security ecosystem, known as Mi Account. In some regions and versions of the MIUI or HyperOS firmware, there may be an integrated password manager tied specifically to the Mi Account ID, not Google, an alternative storage path that users often ignore.
The local storage on the device is a secure database, it's in a hidden partition of the file system, it's not available for normal applications, but if you use Xiaomi's autocomplete feature, that's where your access keys lie until they sync to the cloud.
To check the settings of this section, you must:
- Open the smartphone settings.
- Go to the Passwords and Security section.
- Select the Privacy or Security option.
This often hides biometric security settings for accessing password managers, and the Mi-account acts as a master key. If you forget the password from your Xiaomi account, it will be extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to restore access to locally stored data that is not synchronized with Google without completely cleaning the device.
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Always link your phone number and backup email to your Mi Account.This is the only way to restore access if you forget the primary password from the Xiaomi ecosystem.
Search for passwords through Android settings
The easiest way to find out where your Xiaomi passwords are is to use the standard interface. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13, 14 or HyperOS), but the logic remains the same. You don't need third-party programs.
Follow the algorithm:
Go to Settings → scroll down to Google → select Autocomplete → Autocomplete from Google → Passwords. In the list that opens, you will see all the sites and applications for which data is saved.
If you try to open a particular site, the system will require proof of identity, which can be fingerprint scanning, facial recognition or input. PIN-It's a measure of protection against who gets physical access to your unlocked phone.
| Parameter | Description | Where to find out. |
|---|---|---|
| User name | Login or email | In the site card |
| Password. | Hidden text | By the eye icon. |
| Date of change | Time to update | Down the card. |
| The device | Where saved | In the details of the entrance. |
If you don’t see the site you want, it’s not saved to the Google cloud, so it’s worth checking the browser you use most often, like Chrome or the built-in Mi Browser browser, as they may have their own local storage.
☑️ Verification of stored data
Use of Mi Browser and other applications
Many Xiaomi users are actively using the standard Mi Browser. It has a built-in password manager that works independently of Google. This creates a situation where passwords are "lost" because the user searches for them in the system settings, and they lie inside a particular application.
To find stored data in Mi Browser, you need to open the application, go to the menu (three bars or dots), select Settings → Saved passwords. This section also requires proof of identity. This section stores data only for websites visited through this browser.
⚠️ Note: When you delete the Mi Browser app or clear its data through system settings, the entire local password database will be irretrievably lost if it was not synced with the Mi Account.
The same is true for third-party applications like Telegram, WhatsApp, or bank clients, which use their own secure storage (Keystore), and it is impossible to find a universal file with all passwords from all applications in plain form on the system for security reasons.
Each application encrypts its data with a unique key, and even if you copy the application files onto a computer, you'll see only a set of meaningless characters, and they can only be accessed through the interface of the application itself after successful authorization.
Technical details of encryption
Technical aspects: files and root access
For advanced users interested in the file system, it is worth noting that technically, passwords in Android are stored in the SQLite database. The path to Google's system storage is usually /data/data/com.google.android.gms/files/autofill/ or in adjacent directories com.android.chrome.
However, the /data/ folder is only available to the root user. On Xiaomi smartphones, obtaining root rights requires unlocking the bootloader, which is officially only possible after waiting 168 hours (7 days) and linking the device to the Mi Account.
The procedure for accessing files is as follows:
adb shell
su
cd /data/data/com.google.android.gms/files/autofill/
ls -laOnce you've been granted permissions, you can see files with the.db or.sqlite extension, but even if you open them, you'll have a problem: the data inside is often encrypted with a master password that's tied to the device's hardware ID and account, and you can't just copy the file to another phone and read it.
⚠️ Attention: Getting root rights to Xiaomi cancels warranty, disrupts the work of banking applications (SafetyNet/Play Integrity API) And it can lead to data loss through inept behavior, and only do so if you fully understand the risks.
There are also dedicated backup utilities like Titanium Backup or Swift Backup that can save the state of apps along with their data. But to recover passwords on a new device, you still need superuser rights on the new device.
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Direct access to password files without root rights to Android is not possible due to the Linux security architecture on which the system is based.
Synchronization problems and access restoration
A common problem with Xiaomi users is data desynchronization: you change the password on your computer and it doesn't update on your phone, or vice versa, and this may be due to the aggressive MIUI energy saving policy that kills Google's background synchronization processes.
To ensure that your password store is running smoothly, add Google services to your autoboot and remove battery restrictions. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Find Google Play Services → Energy Saving → Select No Limits.
If you forget the master password from your Google or Xiaomi account, it becomes difficult to restore access to the saved keys. The security system has no back door. The only option is to restore the account through a trusted device or phone number specified during registration.
- 🔄 Check the availability of the Internet for synchronization.
- 🔋 Turn off energy savings for Google services.
- 📞 Make sure that the phone number in your account is up to date.
In case of complete loss of access to the account, the only way to regain control of the device and data is a factory reset, which, alas, will delete all locally stored passwords that did not fall into the cloud.