How to find saved passwords from applications on Xiaomi smartphones: all ways

Forgot the password from a social network, a banking app or an email inbox, but are sure that Xiaomi’s smartphone saved it? There are several hidden ways to extract this data from MIUI – from standard tools to technical methods for power users. In this article, we will analyze 5 working methods, including little-known shell features, exporting through Google Smart Lock and even manual extraction from system files.

It's important to understand that not all passwords are stored in plain form, for example, data from WhatsApp or Telegram is encrypted at the application level, but logins from Instagram, VK or email clients are often stored in the MIUI password manager. We will also tell you how to circumvent restrictions if your smartphone is blocked or you lose access to your Mi Account.

1. MIUI's built-in password manager: where to look

The easiest way is to use the standard MIUI Password Manager tool, which automatically saves data from apps and websites.

1. Open the Settings. → Passwords and security.
2. Select the password manager (on some firmware - password storage).
3. Sign in with your fingerprint, PIN-code-key.

Here you will see a list of saved accounts grouped by application, and on smartphones with MIUI 14+, passwords from banking applications (SberBank, Tinkoff, etc.) may not be displayed due to security policies, but will have to be restored in other ways.

• 🔍 What can be found: logins / passwords from social networks, mail, some messengers (except for the usernames). Signal/Telegram), Wi-Fi networks.
• 🚫 Restrictions: Does not show passwords from system applications (e.g. Mi Cloud) and corporate accounts.
• 🔄 Export: you can save the list to.csv via the Export menu (confirmation is required by SMS).

⚠️ Note: If you previously disabled password synchronization with Mi Account, the data may have been erased after resetting.

2.Google Smart Lock: How to pull out passwords through your Google account

If your Xiaomi has Google Smart Lock sync enabled, some of the passwords could have gone to the Google cloud to extract them:

1. Go to passwords.google.com from your smartphone or PC.
2. Sign in with the same Google account as you do on your phone.
3. In the Save Passwords section, find the desired application or site.

This method works even if the smartphone is lost or reset, but requires that the option Autocomplete → Google in the Xiaomi settings be enabled earlier.

Settings → Additional → Language and input → Autocomplete → Autocomplete Service

• ✅ Pros: access from any device, history of password changes.
• ❌ Cons: Does not save passwords from apps unless they use web-based login (e.g, VK Music or Yandex.Food).

3. Retrieving passwords via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try extracting passwords directly from system files using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that requires debugging over USB and only works on an unlocked smartphone.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command:

adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

In the resulting settings.db file, look for a secure table with entries where the name contains "password" or "credential." For convenience, use SQLite Browser.

Install ADB on PC (platform-tools)

Enable debugging over USB on Xiaomi

Connect your phone to the original cable

Download SQLite Browser for database analysis-->

⚠️ Note: This method may violate Xiaomi’s security policy and result in some features being blocked (e.g. Mi Pay.

4. Wi-Fi passwords: separate instructions

Passwords from Wi-Fi networks are stored separately from other data, to see them:

1. Open the Settings. → Wi-Fi.
2. Click on the current network (or select the one saved from the list).
3. Share your password (you will need a fingerprint confirmation or a copy). PIN-code).

If this method does not work (e.g., on POCO F5 with MIUI 14), use an alternative method:

adb shell


su




cat /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml

In the output, look for lines with <string name="PreSharedKey">... - these are passwords.

5. Third-party applications: risks and alternatives

There are dozens of password-seeking apps on Google Play (like Password Viewer or WiFi Password Viewer), but Majority requires root access or contains malicious code.

• 🛡️ Security: 60% of these applications collect user data (Kaspersky study, 2023).
• 🔧 Functionality: without root, they only show Wi-Fi passwords that are already available through settings.
• 📵 Xiaomi may block the device for using uncertified tools.

If you do decide to take the risk, choose open source applications, such as:

• Password Store (requires root)
• NetGuard (for network traffic analysis)

💡

Before installing third-party apps, check them on VirusTotal – download them APK-File and wait for analysis 50+ antivirus.

6 What to do if nothing works

If none of the methods worked, maybe passwords:

• 🔐 Encrypted at the application level (e.g. Telegram or Signal).
• 🗑️ Removed after resetting settings or updating MIUI.
• 🌐 Synced only with the developer servers (for example, passwords from AliExpress are stored in their cloud).

In such cases:

1. Try to restore access via email or a linked phone number.
2. Contact us for support – some companies (e.g. Mail.ru) can restore access to your device data.
3. Use password managers (such as Bitwarden or KeePassDX) for future storage.

💡

On Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 14+, passwords from banking apps and instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) are not stored in the password manager due to security policies.

FAQ: Frequent questions