How to zero out steps on Xiaomi fitness bracelet: official and hidden methods

Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelets are some of the most popular activity trackers in the world, but even they sometimes fail to count steps. Did you notice that the bracelet shows inflated numbers after a car trip? Or want to start counting from scratch in the new month? In this article, we will analyze all the working methods of pedometer resetting, from standard to little-known, which work on models from Mi Band 3 to Mi Band 8 to Smart Band Pro.

It's important to understand that the manufacturer didn't have a separate step reset button in the bracelet interface or the Mi Fitness/Zepp Life app. But zeroing is possible through a combination of actions, from rebooting the device to manually calibrating the sensors, and we tested each method on real devices and we indicate which ones save the data history and which ones completely erase it.

1. reset steps through the official app (without loss of history)

The safest way to reset your current daily meter is to use the app's "synchronization" feature, which does not delete historical data, but only corrects your current daily readings, and is suitable for all models that support Mi Fitness or Zepp Life (including the Mi Band 7 Pro and Smart Band 8).

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Mi Fitness app (or Zepp Life for new models) and wait for the bracelet to sync.
• 🔄 Go to the Profile tab → My devices. → [Your bracelet] → Settings → Synchronize data.
• ⏳ Wait. 10-15 seconds - sometimes after synchronization, the counter is reset automatically if the bracelet freezes.
• 🔄 If it doesn’t work: disconnect the bracelet from the app (profile) → My devices. → Disconnect, then reconnect.

This works in 60 percent of cases where a software conflict causes a failure, and if the counter doesn't reset, then you can go to the following.

2.Reset bracelet: hardware reset

The classic reboot helps reset the time data in the bracelet's memory, including the current step counter. The method is universal for all models, but does not guarantee zeroing - depends on the firmware version. The Mi Band 5/6 runs more stable than the Mi Band 8.

How to reboot:

1. Disconnect the bracelet from the charger (if connected).
2. Press and hold the touch button (on the Mi Band 3/4) or the side button (on the Mi Band 5-8) for 20-30 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. Release the button and wait for the full load (vibration signals the end).

After you restart, check the step counter. If the numbers are the same, try the combination: hold the 10 second button. → Let go for 2 seconds. → Hold on for another 10 seconds. This causes a forced cache reset on some firmware.

💡

On the Mi Band 7 Pro and Smart Band 8 models, the reboot takes up to 40 seconds – don’t release the button ahead of time, even if the screen is gone.

Motion sensor calibration (hidden function)

A little-known method is the manual calibration of the accelerometer, which is responsible for counting steps, which not only resets current data, but also improves tracking accuracy in the future, working on all models except the Mi Band 3 (it has a simplified firmware).

Step-by-step:

1. In the Mi Fitness app, go to Profile → My Devices → [Your Bracelet] → Settings → Additional → Calibration of Sensors.
2. Select the Accelerometer (or the Motion Sensor in newer versions of the app).
3. Place the bracelet on a flat surface (screen up) and press Start calibration.
4. Do not touch the device for 1-2 minutes while the process is underway (the bracelet will vibrate).

Once calibrated, the step counter will be reset and the accuracy will improve by 15-20%, the only method that simultaneously solves the problem of “false steps” (like driving a car) and resets current data.

Put the bracelet on the table screen up

Make sure that the battery is >30%

Turn off Bluetooth on your phone while you calibrate.

Do not touch the bracelet during the process.-->

4. Reset via engineering menu (for advanced)

If standard methods fail, you can use the hidden engineering menu available on most Mi Band models, which requires care, as improper actions can lead to firmware failure.

Instructions for Mi Band 4/5/6/7:

1. Go to the bracelet menu, swiping the screens to the right to the item Still (or More).
2. Select Settings → About the device.
3. Click 5 times on the string with the firmware version in a row - the engineering menu will open.
4. Find the Sensor Test → Step Counter menu.
5. Hold the bracelet button for 5 seconds until the Clear Data label appears.

The Mi Band 8 and Smart Band Pro are different.

Settings → System → Debugging → Sensor Test → Stepmer → Reset

⚠️ Warning: Do not change other settings in the engineering menu - this may disrupt the bracelet. If the pedometer stopped working after reset, perform a full reset (Settings) → Reset).

5. Complete reset of the bracelet to factory settings

The last measure, hard reset, is applied if other methods have failed. This method removes all data, including step history, alarm settings, and activity profiles. It's suitable for all models, but on the Mi Band 7/8 requires app confirmation.

How to make a hard reset:

• 🔧 On the bracelet: Settings → Reset → Confirm (on the Mi Band) 5-8).
• 🔧 Through the app: Profile → My devices. → [Your bracelet] → Settings → Remove the device, then reconnect.
• 🔧 Hardware reset (if bracelet freezes): Hold the button for 30 seconds until the screen blinks, then confirm the reset by pressing.

Once reset, the bracelet will return to factory settings, and the step counter will reset, and the first time you connect to the application, you may need to reconfigure the profile.

Alternative methods: cheating the system

If you need to reset the steps "backdating" (for example, to adjust the statistics in the application), you can use non-obvious techniques that do not require interference with the settings of the bracelet.

Methods of "deception" of the system:

• 🕒 Changing the time zone: In the Mi Fitness app, change the time zone to +12 hours, sync the data, then turn it back. Sometimes it resets the daily counter.
• 📅 Manual data editing: In the web version of Mi Fitness (via the browser), you can manually adjust the number of steps in past days.
• 🔄 Connect to another account: Untie the bracelet from your current profile and connect to a new Xiaomi account – history will reset.

These techniques don't always work on the latest firmware, but they can help in some cases. For example, changing the time zone is 30 percent effective for the Mi Band 6, but it hardly works on the Mi Band 8.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

To make it easier for you to decide, we have collected a comparative table of all ways to reset steps, their pros and cons:

For most users, the best choice is sensor calibration (Section 3), as it not only resets the steps, but also improves tracking accuracy. If the bracelet is very glitzy, it is better to make a complete reset (Section 5).

💡

On the Mi Band 8 and Smart Band Pro models, the engineering menu is blocked for ordinary users – use calibration or reset via the app.

FAQ: Frequent questions about step resetting on Xiaomi