Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to obtain extended access rights to the operating system, but not everyone remembers whether they activated Root rights after firmware or using third-party utilities. Determining the current status of a superuser is the first step before installing specific software, banking applications or trying to unlock the bootloader. Mistaking the availability of rights can lead to the inoperability of critical functions, while ignorance of their absence blocks the installation of system modifications.
There are several reliable ways to check whether your device has Superuser or Su rights, ranging from installing specialized apps from the Play Market to typing commands through the Play Market. ADB-The console. MIUI You should be especially careful, as the shell Xiaomi has built-in protection mechanisms that can hide the fact of the presence of root rights from conventional applications.
Regardless of your smartphone model, whether it’s a budget Redmi Note or a flagship Xiaomi Mi, the verification principles remain similar, but may have their own nuances depending on the Android version.In some cases, the system may formally have superuser files, but access to them will be blocked by SELinux’s security policy. Below are detailed instructions that will allow you to sort out the situation without risking damaging the software.
Use of specialized detector applications
The easiest and fastest way for the average user is to install applications designed specifically to verify the existence of superuser rights. These utilities try to execute a command that is only available to the administrator of the system, and based on the response of the Linux kernel, they give a result. Popular representatives of such software are Root Checker, Root Checker Basic and similar tools from various developers, which can be downloaded for free from the official Google Play store.
Once you install the application, you need to run it and press the verification button, which is usually marked as "Check Root" or "Check Root." The program will request permission to use the superuser rights, and if the device has a rights manager (such as Magisk or SuperSU), the corresponding system window will appear with a confirmation request. If you see a request for access, this is an indirect sign that the root rights are active, but the final verdict will be given by the application itself.
⚠️ Note: If the detector application says that there is no right, but when other programs are running, the Superuser access request window pops up, it is possible that a hidden rights manager is installed in the system that blocks the verification.
It is important to understand that some modern root rights managers, such as Magisk, have a hidden feature (Magisk Hide), which allows you to hide the presence of a modified system from applications. In this case, a standard detector can show the absence of rights, even if they are.
- 📱 Root Checker: A classic application with a simple interface, showing a green or red screen depending on the result.
- 🔍 Termux: Advanced terminal emulator that allows manual input of commands for deep system diagnostics.
- 🛡️ Magisk Manager: An official application that not only manages rights, but also clearly displays the installation status at the top of the screen.
- 📊 Device Info HW: Utility to view detailed information about hardware and system, including bootloader status and root access.
Checking through the Magisk app menu
In today’s Android versions of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, the Magisk manager has become the de facto standard. If you’ve ever installed root rights on your device, most likely, this tool was used because it allows you to pass the security check of Google Play Services (SafetyNet). Status check through the Magisk application itself is the most reliable, since it interacts with the patched boot manner directly.
To do the check, look for a fox icon on your desktop or app menu, which is Magisk Manager. If there is no such application but you suspect that you have rights, try looking for a SuperSU app (old standard) or KingRoot. When you open Magisk, look at the top of the screen: it will show the version of the installed component and the status. If you see the words "Magisk: N/A" or the application offers to install the full version, then the superuser's rights are not activated or hidden at this point.
Magisk: 26.0
MagiskSU: EnabledIf you install successfully, you will see (version number) and the SU status that must be enabled. Also, in the settings menu (cogs), you can find the option “Zygisk” or “MagiskHide”, which control affects the visibility of rights for other applications. Having a working Magisk ensures that the binary su file is registered in the system partition or embedded in the bootloader, giving full control over the file system.
💡
If the Magisk app opens but shows the version"N/A", Try re-installing. APK-Manager file over an existing installation without deleting data.
Diagnostics with ADB Command Line
For users who prefer not to install unnecessary apps on a smartphone, or in cases where the touch screen is not working correctly, the method of checking through a computer is ideal. This will require the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility installed on a PC, and enabled USB debugging on the Xiaomi smartphone itself. This method is considered “expert”, since it gives a direct response from the core of the system without intermediaries in the form of shell applications.
First, you need to connect the smartphone to the computer through high-quality USB-cable and make sure that the command line (CMD You can see the device, or PowerShell. Type in the adb device command and confirm debugging on your phone screen if you have a request. Once you've successfully connected, type in the adb shell command that will open your smartphone's remote console. Now you are inside the Android system and can ask questions directly to the kernel.
Being in the shell ADB shell, enter the command su. If there is a root right, the command line prompt will change from the symbol $ If you don't have a license, you'll see a message called "Permission denied" or nothing will happen and the line will remain the same. This is the most technically accurate way of checking that cannot be fooled by application-level software hideouts.
- 💻 Step 1: Connect your phone to your PC and enter the adb shell into your console.
- 🔑 Step 2: In the window that opens, enter the command su and press Enter.
- ✅ Step 3: If the symbol is changed to #, the rights of the superuser are active.
- ❌ Step 4: If an error comes out or the symbol hasn’t changed, root access is not available.
☑️ Check through ADB
Analysis of file system and system applications
Another method that doesn’t require a computer connection or third-party software installation from the store is to manually search for root rights in the file system, and you’ll need any file manager with access to system folders, such as Xiaomi’s built-in Explorer (with hidden file display enabled) or the more advanced MT Manager, Solid Explorer.
You need to go to the root of the file system and open the /system/bin/ or /system/xbin/ folder. Look for files named su, supersu, magisk or magisk64. The presence of a su file in these directories almost 100% indicates that the binary code for obtaining superuser rights is present in the system.
⚠️ Note: Do not delete or rename system files in bin and xbin folders manually, if you are not sure of your actions, this can lead to a cyclic smartphone reboot (bootloop).
You should also look at the list of installed applications. Look for apps called "SuperSU", "Superuser", "Magisk", "KingRoot", "iRoot". Even if the icons are hidden, they can appear in the list of all applications in the settings. The presence of such an application almost always means that the rights are either there or were installed earlier. In the case of MIUI, sometimes the rights can be embedded in the custom firmware, and there may not be a separate application manager, then the verification through the su files will be the only correct one.
Comparative table of verification methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right diagnostic method, we have prepared a summary table comparing the main methods by key parameters. The choice of method depends on your skills, the presence of a computer at hand and the specific situation in which your Xiaomi or Redmi is located.
| Method of verification | A PC is needed. | precision | Difficulty | Risk of error |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications (Root Checker) | No. | Medium | Low. | Minimum |
| Magisk Manager | No. | Tall. | Low. | Minimum |
| ADB team (su) | Yes. | Maximum | Medium | Absent. |
| File search (su) | No. | Tall. | Tall. | Medium. |
As you can see from the table, using detector applications is the easiest way for a beginner, but it can give a false positive or false negative result in difficult cases with Magisk Hide. The method with ADB is the “gold standard” for engineers and advanced users, since it shows the real state of the kernel. File search is good because it works even on “bricks” if you have access to the file system through Recovery, but requires caution.