Protecting personal data on your smartphone is a critical challenge in 2026, when data breaches become more sophisticated. Xiaomi smartphones powered by MIUI or the new HyperOS offer built-in disk encryption that turns your files, messages and passwords into an unreadable character set for outsiders, but many users are either unaware of the feature or afraid to activate it because of rumors of performance decline or data loss.
In fact, modern models of Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi (starting with Snapdragon 6xx/Dimensity and 6 GB of RAM) encrypt data almost without delay, and the process takes no more than 10-15 minutes. In this article, we will discuss how to correctly enable encryption on different versions of the firmware, what nuances to consider before activation, and what to do if the phone after encryption stopped starting. Also answer frequent questions: whether encryption affects the work of TWRP, whether it can be disabled without reset, and why some applications stop working after activation of protection.
What is data encryption on Xiaomi and why it is necessary
Encryption at the device level (FDE) or at the file level (FBE) converts all information on the phone into an encrypted format that can only be decrypted with a unique key.
- 🔐 Your PIN-code, password or pattern lock
- 📱 Unique Device Identifier (Android ID)
- 🔧 Hardware key in the processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon, MediaTek Dimensity, etc.)
Without the right key, even with physical access to the phone (for example, if it is stolen), an attacker will not be able to retrieve data through ADB, Fastboot or connecting the drive to a PC.
- 💼 Enterprise Users (Protecting Work Correspondence in Telegram/Slack)
- 📸 Photographers (Preservation of RAW- files and personal pictures)
- 🔒 Cryptocurrency Owners (protection of seed phrases of wallets)
Xiaomi has encryption implemented through the standard Android Encryption mechanism, but with some features from the manufacturer. For example, MIUI 14+ and HyperOS have added support for hardware acceleration of encryption on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2/3 chips, which minimizes the performance drop. On low-end models (Redmi 10A, POCO M4) with a weak processor, encryption can slow down by 5-10% - this is worth remembering.
⚠️ Warning: If you use Magisk or custom cores, encryption can break their work.Be sure to have a backup boot.img and dtbo.img before activating.
Preparing your phone for encryption: 5 mandatory steps
Before you enable encryption, follow these steps to avoid data loss or device freeze:
- Charge the phone to at least 80%. The encryption process takes 10 to 30 minutes (depending on the amount of memory) and requires stable power, and if the battery runs out during the operation, the device can go to the bootloop.
- Back up. Use Mi Cloud, Google Drive, or local copy on your PC. Encryption doesn't have to delete data, but it's possible to crash in 1% of cases.
- Make sure you have a PIN/password installed. You can't turn on encryption without it. The minimum PIN length is 6 characters (on HyperOS, 8).
- Check the space. Encryption requires up to 10% free space on the internal drive. On the Xiaomi 13 Pro (256 GB), it's ~25 GB.
- Disable Find My Device (if used). In rare cases, the feature may conflict with encryption. Turn it back on when the process is complete.
We also recommend:
- 🔌 Connect the phone to charge during encryption (even if the battery is charged).
- 📶 Turning off mobile internet and Wi-Fi will speed up the process.
- ⏳ Schedule encryption for a time when the phone is not needed (e.g. overnight).
Charging ≥80% | Backup ready |PIN/password set |Free ≥10% memory |Find My Device-->
⚠️ Warning: On some models (Redmi Note 11, POCO X3 Pro) the OTG- drives formatted in exFAT will stop working after encryption. Reformat them to FAT32 in advance.
How to Enable Encryption on Xiaomi: Step-by-step instructions
The process of activating encryption varies depending on the firmware version, and below are the instructions for MIUI 12-14 and the new HyperOS.
Method 1: Encryption on MIUI 12/13/14
- Open Settings → About the phone and 7 times click on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode.
- Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable the option to Unlock OEM (if any).
- Go to Settings → Password and Security → Phone Encryption.
- Click Encrypt your phone, enter the current PIN/password and confirm the action.
- Wait for the process to be completed (the phone will restart 1-2 times).
Method 2: Encryption on HyperOS (2026)
- Open Settings → Passwords and Security → Encrypt your device.
- Select Encrypt Data (if the option is inactive, check if the PIN is installed).
- Confirm the action and wait for the reboot. HyperOS is faster thanks to optimization for new processors.
After the encryption is complete:
- 🔄 The phone will reboot automatically.
- 🔑 You will need to enter a PIN/ password when you first turn on, which is normal.
- ⚡ Performance may temporarily drop (up to 1-2 days) until the system optimizes the encrypted data.
💡
If the phone is loading for longer than 10 minutes after encryption, don't panic. Wait until the process is complete - power interruption can lead to data loss.
Table: Encryption time on different Xiaomi models
| Model | Memory volume | Encryption time (note) | Processor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi 14 Ultra | 512GB | 8-12 minutes | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Redmi Note 12 Pro+ | 256GB | 15-20 minutes | Dimensity 1080 |
| POCO F5 | 128GB | 10-15 minutes | Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 |
| Redmi 10C | 64GB | 25-35 minutes | Snapdragon 680 |
Yeah, it went smoothly | Yeah, there were problems | No, I'm afraid to take risks | No, I don't see the point-->
What to do if the encryption is frozen or the phone does not turn on
In 95% of cases, encryption is uninterrupted, but sometimes it can freeze in the "App Optimization" phase or the phone will not respond to the power button.
Situation 1: The phone is locked in the encryption phase (screen does not change >30 minutes)
- Wait another 1-2 hours – on weak devices (Redmi 9A, POCO M3), the process can take up to 3 hours.
- If the screen does not change, force the phone to restart by holding Power + Volume up for 10-15 seconds.
- After you reboot, check if the data is encrypted: go to Settings → Password and Security. If the "Decrypt Phone" option is active, the encryption has not ended.
Situation 2: The phone does not turn on after encryption (black screen or bootloop)
This is a critical error that usually occurs due to:
- 🔋 The battery is discharged during the process.
- 🛠️ Unofficial firmware or modified boot.img.
- 🔌 Interrupted connection to a PC (if encryption was started via ADB).
Decisions:
- Connect your phone to charge for 30 minutes, and sometimes the battery runs out to a level where the system can't complete the encryption.
- Download to Fastboot (Power + Volume Down button) and execute the command: fastboot erase userdata Attention: this will delete all data, but will bring the phone back to life.
- Flash your phone through the Mi Flash Tool. Download the official firmware for your model from Xiaomi's website and follow the instructions for the firmware in Fastboot mode.
⚠️ Warning: If you used TWRP for root rights, encryption could damage the /data partition. In this case, only complete flashing with data formatting via the fastboot format:ext4 userdata command will help.
What if Magisk does not work after encryption?
How to disable encryption on Xiaomi (and whether to do it)
You can turn off encryption, but it will result in a complete reset (wipe) called decryption, and it takes as long as encryption. Here's how to do it:
- Go to Settings → Password and Security → Phone Encryption.
- Select Decrypt your phone (the option may be called Delete encryption on HyperOS).
- Enter the current PIN/password and confirm the action.
- Wait for the process to be completed (the phone will reboot and reset to factory settings).
Decoding will be required in the following cases:
- 🔧 You want to flash custom software (LineageOS, Pixel Experience) that doesn't support encryption.
- 🔄 The phone began to slow down noticeably after the protection was activated (relevant to older models).
- 📱 You sell the device and you want to clear the data completely.
On models with Snapdragon 855 and later chips (for example, Xiaomi 11T Pro, Black Shark 5), decryption can lead to loss of support for Widevine L1, which will cause Netflix and Disney+ to work in a resolution below Full HD.
💡
Turning off encryption for no good reason is not recommended, it reduces data security. If you are concerned about performance, try calibrating the battery first and clearing the cache in Settings → Memory.
Encryption and custom firmware: compatibility with TWRP, OrangeFox, Magisk
If you're using informal firmware or root rights, encryption can cause problems.
1. Encryption and TWRP/OrangeFox
Standard TWRP cannot handle encrypted /data partitions on MIUI/HyperOS.
- 🔧 Use OrangeFox Recovery, which is better for encryption.
- 🔑 When you log in to TWRP, enter the password in the console (twrp decrypt [password] command).
- 📁 For backup, use ADB Pull from recovery: adb pull /data/media/0/ backup_folder
2. Encryption and Magisk
Once encrypted, Magisk may lose the root rights to recover them:
- Download the latest version of Magisk (26.4+) with FBE support.
- Re-fly the boot.img via Fastboot: fastboot flash boot magisk_patched.img
- If the phone doesn’t boot, use the command: fastboot boot magisk_patched.img (this will temporarily boot the system with root rights).
3. Encryption and custom firmware (LineageOS, Pixel Experience)
Many custom firmware supports encryption out of the box, but:
- 🔄 When switching from MIUI to custom firmware, be sure to decrypt the data before firmware.
- 🔐 Use firmware marked FBEv2 (File-Based Encryption v2) for better compatibility.
- 🛠️ For POCO F1/Mi A2 may require a patch disable_forceencrypt.
💡
If after firmware custom software the phone asks for a password, but does not accept it, try to enter the standard PIN default_password or reset via fastboot erase userdata.