Where to find the developers menu on Xiaomi: the full guide

Xiaomi’s current MIUI and HyperOS smartphones are powerful devices whose functionality is often hidden from the eyes of the average user. Many gadget owners, wanting to get advanced system management capabilities, wonder where to find the “developers” section and how to activate it? By default, this item is hidden in the depth of settings to prevent accidental changes to critical parameters.

Activating this mode gives you access to debugging tools that allow you to connect your phone to your computer for deep diagnostics, install applications to bypass standard restrictions or change interface animations. The engineering menu is not just a set of obscure options, but the key to customizing your device, which is used by both professional programmers and advanced enthusiasts.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the step-by-step algorithm for enabling hidden functions, consider the purpose of the main parameters and answer frequent questions when working with the system settings of Redmi and Poco.

Algorithm of activation of the developer mode

The process of enabling hidden menus on Xiaomi devices is standardized, but may vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS. The main task of the user is to find the MIUI version and repeatedly click on it. This action serves as a kind of trigger that unlocks access to advanced settings.

After the seventh click, the system will give you a notification that you have become a developer, but the path does not end there: the section itself will appear elsewhere in the settings menu. It is important not to be alarmed if you do not see new items immediately after activation, they are hidden in the submenu "Additional".

To perform this operation, you will need:

• 📱 Unlocked smartphone screen with access to the desktop.
• ⚙️ Access to the main Settings menu.
• 👆 Accurate and fast execution of seven clicks on the build number.
• 🔒 Knowing the screen unlock password or Mi Account if you need confirmation.

⚠️ Warning: Uncontrolled changes in the developer menu can lead to unstable system operation or loss of data.

It is worth noting that on some global versions of firmware, the path may be slightly different, but the logic remains the same: we look for information about the system and “tapai” according to the software version. If after activation the menu does not appear, try to restart the device - changes often take effect only after a full cycle of inclusion.

Location of hidden menus in different versions of MIUI

Users are often lost because the interface of Xiaomi is constantly changing. In current versions of firmware, the menu structure has become more logical, but finding the right item the first time can be difficult. After successfully activating the mode, you need to return to the main settings menu.

Look for the Additional section (or Advanced Settings depending on translation) and it is inside that, usually at the bottom of the list, that the Developer section will appear. In older versions of MIUI, this section could be directly in the root settings menu, which created confusion when switching to new devices.

Let’s look at the basic navigation paths for different versions:

• 📍 MIUI 12/13: Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• 📍 MIUI 14: Settings → The phone. → (after activation → Additionally. → For developers.
• 📍 HyperOS: Settings → About the device → (activation) → Additionally. → Special facilities → For developers.

If you upgraded from MIUI 13 to HyperOS, note that some items may have been regrouped. In the new HyperOS system, Xiaomi is looking to unify the experience, so the location of system utilities may vary depending on the regional version of the firmware (Global, China, EEA).

💡

If you can’t find the option “Advanced”, search the settings by typing the phrase “developer” or “usb”.

Configure debugging over USB and ADB

One of the main reasons users are looking for a developer menu is to enable USB debugging, a feature that allows the computer to interact with the phone’s operating system at a deep level using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) protocol.

Without this option, the computer will only see the smartphone as a media device or drive, making it impossible to install specialized software, remove logs or unlock the bootloader. To activate, find the USB Debugging Switch and activate it.

When you first connect to a PC, a request for debugging permission will appear on the smartphone screen.

• ✅ Check the box "Always allow from this computer».
• ✅ Press the OK button or allow».
• ✅ Make sure the drivers are ADB computer-mounted.

adb devices


List of devices attached




7a5b3c2d device

Once you've run a command in the terminal, you're supposed to see your device's serial number, which means that the connection is correct, so if you see unauthorized instead of device, check the phone screen, and you may need to confirm access again.

Critical settings for advanced users

There are many options hidden inside the developer menu that can make a big difference in the smartphone experience, but like any powerful tool, they require careful handling. Below is a table describing the most useful and frequently used features.

The default is the system itself controls the memory, but if you want to free up resources for heavy play, you can limit the number of applications running in the background, but it is not recommended to put a limit on less than 2-3 processes, otherwise messengers will stop receiving notifications.

Also interesting is the transition animation parameter: Reducing animation to 0.5x visually makes the interface more responsive and faster, and it's one of the safest ways to speed up an old smartphone without losing data.

⚠️ Attention: Change of the parameter “Minimum width» (DPI) This can cause the interface to become unreadable and the control buttons to disappear from the screen. Return the original value if the screen is gone».

💡

Optimal animation configuration (0.5x) creates the illusion of a faster processor without straining the system.

Energy saving and background processes management

MIUI is known for its aggressive energy saving policy, which often kills user-favorable applications in the background. In the developer menu, you can find tools to fine-tune this behavior, although the main controls are in standard battery settings.

The Standard Activity Time Out option allows you to set the time it takes for the system to consider the application inactive. For ordinary users, changing this setting rarely makes sense, since it can lead to increased battery consumption.

If you are an app developer or testing services, you may benefit from:

• 🔋 Show CPU usage: displays the load on the processor in real time.
• 📉 Process statistics: How much memory and resources each service is running.
• ⏳ Battery life: A detailed report of the operating time of each component since the last full charge.

Using these tools helps identify “gluttonous” applications that are imperceptibly planting a battery, for example, you may find that a social network is consuming resources even when you are not using it.

Frequent problems and their solution

When working with advanced settings, users often face typical problems, for example, after enabling debugging on the Internet. USB The computer may not see the phone, and then you should check the integrity of the cable and try another one. USB-port, preferably USB 2.0, as 3.0 ports sometimes conflict with older device drivers.

Another common issue is the inability to unlock the bootloader, which requires not only debugging enabled, but also linking the Mi Account to the device, and without this procedure, the Mi Unlock Tool utility will give an error.

The main causes of errors:

• ❌ Incorrect cable: Many cables only support charging, not data transmission.
• ❌ Lack of drivers: Windows Device Manager may have an unknown device.
• ❌ Antivirus Blocking: Firewall Can Block ADB-linkage.

If you accidentally change the setting that caused the phone to start behaving strangely (screen blinks, touchscreen doesn't work), try simply restarting the device. 90% of the time, the settings are reset or returned to safe values after restarting.