How to reset the camera on Xiaomi: a complete guide to restore factory settings

The camera on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the key elements that affect the quality of photos and videos. However, over time, users face problems: blurred images, wrong white balance, errors when launching an application or sudden artifacts on the screen. Most often these problems are not due to hardware defects, but to software failures - and they can be fixed by resetting the camera settings to the factory.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to reset your camera on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from standard methods through menus to hidden features for power users. You’ll learn how to return the camera to its original performance without losing data on the phone, what mistakes can occur in the process, and what to do if the reset didn’t help. And for those who are afraid of breaking something, we’ve prepared step-by-step checklists and warnings about possible risks.

Why Xiaomi’s camera starts to “glutch” and when you need a reset

Before you start resetting, it is important to understand whether the problem is in the settings, and here are typical symptoms in which restoring the camera's factory settings can help:

• 📸 Blurred photos in good lighting (focus floats or doesn't work).
• 🎨 Incorrect colors: green / blue in the pictures, overlights.
• ⚙️ Application errors: The camera closes immediately after opening or sends a message: Camera is not responding».
• 🔄 Artifacts: stripes, dots or “snow” on the screen in shooting mode.
• 📱 Freezes when switching between lenses (wide-angle / telephoto).

These problems often occur after:

• 🔄 Updates MIUI (Especially if the stain is “raw»).
• 📱 Install third-party camera apps (e.g. GCam).
• 🔧 Manually modify hidden parameters via EngineerMode.
• 💥 Phone drops or severe vibration (may be lost autofocus).

⚠️ Warning: If the camera is physically damaged (cracked on the lens, moisture), resetting will not help.

Generally, resetting the camera is the first step before more radical measures (like flashing your phone) that don't delete your photos and videos, but only return the shooting parameters to their original values.

Method 1: Reset via camera settings (the safest method)

This is the official method that Xiaomi recommends, and it works on all models with MIUI 12 and later, including the Redmi Note 11, Xiaomi 13, POCO F5 and others, the main advantage is that it does not require superuser rights and does not affect other features of the phone.

Instructions:

1. Open the standard Camera app.
2. Touch the gears. ⚙️ in the upper right corner (or swipe to the left if you have a horizontal menu).
3. Scroll down and select Restore default settings (or Reset settings).
4. Confirm the action by pressing OK.

After that, the camera will restart and all settings (white balance, exposure, HDR settings, etc.) will return to factory settings. Your photos and videos will remain intact - the reset will only affect the configuration of the application.

Check that the problem is not physical damage to the lens

Close all applications that use the camera (Instagram, TikTok, etc.)

Make sure your phone has enough charge (minimum 20%)

Backup important photos (in case of an error)-->

If you don't have Restore on the menu, your model doesn't support it, in which case you go to Method 2.

Method 2: Reset via Mi Account (for synchronized models)

Some Xiaomi smartphones (e.g. Xiaomi 12 Pro, Redmi K50) synchronize the camera settings with the Mi Account account, which allows you to reset the configuration remotely or return previous settings if they were saved in the cloud.

How to do this:

1. Open the Settings. → Accounts. → Mi Account.
2. Make sure the synchronization is on (the switch must be active).
3. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
4. Find the Camera app and click on it.
5. Select Storage → Clear the data (this will only remove the settings, not the photos themselves!).
6. Reboot the phone.

Once rebooted, the camera will restore factory settings, but may suggest downloading the saved configuration from the cloud.

⚠️ Note: If you have previously changed your camera settings through the EngineerMode, this may not work, and you may need to reset your phone completely or manually edit your configuration files.

Method 3: Reset via engineering menu (for power users)

This method is suitable for advanced users, as it requires access to hidden Xiaomi settings.It is effective when standard methods do not work, but improper actions can lead to unstable camera operation.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##4636## This will open the Testing menu.
2. Select hardware information (or Hardware info).
3. Scroll down and find the Camera section.
4. Click Reset Camera Settings (or similar).
5. Confirm the reset and restart the phone.

On some models (such as the POCO X4 Pro), the code may not work, in which case, try an alternative:

1. Install the MTK Engineering Mode app (for MediaTek processors) or Qualcomm EngineerMode app (for Snapdragon).
2. Open it and go to the Hardware Testing → Camera section.
3. Select Restore Defaults.

Important: on some firmware, a reset through an engineering menu can cause the camera drivers to fail. If the camera stopped working completely after the restart, perform a full reset of the phone to the factory settings.

💡

Before using the engineering menu, check your phone’s CPU model in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. If you have Snapdragon, don’t install utilities for MediaTek – this can cause driver conflict.

What to do if the reset did not help: additional solutions

If the camera is still not working properly after reset, the problem may be deeper.

If neither of these methods worked, there are two options:

• 🔄 Update the firmware to the latest version (often in new versions) MIUI fix camera bugs).
• 📱 Completely reset your phone (delete all data but return the camera to its original state).

Before a full reset, be sure to back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

💡

If the camera stopped working after the update MIUI, Try to roll back to the previous firmware version via Fastboot. 4PDA or XDA Developers.

How to avoid camera problems in the future

To avoid having to constantly reset your settings, follow these recommendations:

• 🔄 Regularly update the firmware in new versions MIUI Often fix camera bugs.
• 📱 Do not install modified versions of the Camera app (e.g. ported from other models).
• 🔧 Avoid manual changes to EngineerMode unless you are sure of the consequences.
• 🛡️ Use magnetless covers – they can affect autofocus performance.
• 🧹 Clean the lens with a soft cloth (do not use alcohol or abrasive materials!).

It is also worth turning off battery optimization for the Camera app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Camera.
2. Choose the Battery. → Optimizing the battery.
3. Set it up without limits.

This will prevent the camera from being accidentally shut down by the system and improve its stability.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi camera reset