Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to restore access to an account or find out a stored Wi-Fi key. The question of where passwords are in Android becomes critical when you change your device or after resetting. Modern shells MIUI and HyperOS offer several levels of storage of sensitive data, and understanding this structure is the key to the security of your personal information.
Android has evolved, and today, credential storage is distributed across Google’s cloud services, its own Mi Cloud, and local browser storage, depending on the version of the operating system and the sync settings you activated earlier, and in this article, we’ll take a closer look at all the possible locations where your access keys may be hiding and how to retrieve them.
It's important to understand that just viewing files on a system without root rights is not possible because of Android's security limitations. However, there are regular methods of browsing through the settings menu and special web interfaces. We'll look at both standard ways for ordinary users and deeper methods for advanced users.
Google's System Password Storage
The main and most reliable place where passwords are located in Xiaomi Android is the Google Smart Lock password manager. This feature is activated by default on most devices and automatically saves logins and access keys when logging in apps and the Chrome browser. To view saved data, you need to go to the phone settings menu.
The navigation to this section may vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI shell. You need to open Settings, then scroll down to the Google section and select Autocomplete. Here is the Autocomplete subsection from Google, which leads to the full list of saved credentials.
- 🔑 Open the Settings app on your smartphone.
- 🔑 Go to Google and select Password Manager.
- 🔑 Use biometrics or pin code to enter a secure partition.
- 🔑 Select the right website or application to view data.
⚠️ Note: To view the contents of a particular recording, the system will require proof of identity through a fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, or entering a screen unlock code.
An alternative and often more convenient way is to use a web interface, so you can access passwords.google.com from any device that logs in to your account, and it allows you to manage passwords even if your phone is lost or broken, and syncs in the background, so changes made to your computer will instantly affect your Redmi smartphone.
Mi Cloud Cloud Storage and Synchronization
The second important layer of storage is Xiaomi’s proprietary Mi Cloud system. Unlike the Google ecosystem, Mi services are deeply integrated into the shell and can store system application data, notes, voice recorder and, in some cases, Wi-Fi keys. Local backups can also contain encrypted login information.
To check your sync settings, go to Settings and click on the top plaque with your Mi Account. Then select the Cloud section. Here you will see a list of applications that are copied to Xiaomi servers. If the switch opposite the desired application is active, then a copy of the data exists in the cloud.
☑️ Checking synchronization Mi Cloud
It's worth noting that Mi Cloud doesn't always display clear text passwords in your phone settings, unlike Google. It's usually a backup that unfolds when you restore the system. However, notes that you could manually copy passwords into are synced without problems.
There is also a Find Device and Remote Management feature that requires a permanent network connection. If you use Redmi as your primary device, it is recommended to set up two-factor authorization for Mi Account to protect cloud backups from unauthorized access.
Local storage in Chrome browser and other applications
Many users don't realize that the default Chrome browser has its own, independent storage. Even if sync with a Google account is disabled, the browser can store data locally, and you can find it through the browser's internal menu by entering a special address into a bar.
Open the browser and enter the command in the address bar:
chrome://password-manager/passwordsThis path will open the password management system page for the Chromium engine, where the list may be different from what is in the Android system settings, especially if you have used incognito mode or different profiles.
| Source of data | Storage area | Availability | Risk of loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Account | Cloud + Localo | Tall. | Low. |
| Mi Cloud | Xiaomi's Cloud | Medium | Medium. |
| Local file. | System section | Only Root. | High-pitched |
Other browsers, such as Firefox, Opera or Yandex.Browser, create their own isolated storage, and if you use them, you should look for passwords in the settings of the application itself, usually in the Privacy or Security section.
Can I recover passwords after a full reset?
File system and access with Root rights
Advanced users with SuperUser (Root) rights can access deep system files that physically store password hashes, which are protected and unreadable even to the owner of the device without special authorization.
The main Wi-Fi password database file is on the way /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf (on older versions of Android) or as separate configuration files in the /data/misc/apexdata/com.android.wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml To access these directories, you need a Root-enabled file manager, such as Root Explorer or MiXplorer.
⚠️ Warning: Getting Root rights violates the integrity of Xiaomi's security system, blocks banking applications and can lead to a loss of warranty.Interference in system files can make the phone inoperable.
And then there's the credentials.db file or logins.db file in the browser's data directory that contains the credentials, but these databases are often encrypted with a key that's tied to a particular device and user, and you can't just copy the file to another phone and open it without the decryption key.
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Use a virtual keyboard when entering important passwords on public Wi-Fi to avoid keyloggers intercepting data if the device is infected.
Third-party password managers and their role
If Xiaomi and Google's built-in tools don't seem flexible enough, there are specialized application managers, solutions like KeePass2Android, Bitwarden or 1Password create a separate, master password-protected container, in which case all your data is in a single file.
The advantage of these apps is that they're cross-platform, so you can store a password database on a flash drive, in the cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive), or you can transfer it manually, and unlike your account binding, you have full ownership of your data file.
When installing such a manager on Redmi, the system can aggressively close the background processes to save battery. You need to manually configure autostart and no battery restrictions for the application manager in the Applications → Setup → Autostart section.
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Third-party password managers provide independence from the phone manufacturer ecosystem and allow data to migrate safely between Android and iOS.
Problems with display and synchronization
Xiaomi users sometimes face a situation where passwords are no longer saved or synchronized, often due to the power saving settings of the MIUI shell. The system can block the background work of Google services, considering them “heavy”.
To fix this, go to Settings → Battery and Performance. Search Google Play and Google Chrome Services. Set No Limits mode. This will allow the background sync processes to work steadily.
Another reason could be a crowded Google account storage (limit 15GB).If the cloud space is over, synchronization of passwords and other data stops. Check the storage status in the Google One app or through account settings.
⚠️ Note: If you changed your Google account password but didn’t update it in your phone’s settings, sync will stop and your device will require you to log in again.