Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation when, after an automatic upgrade to MIUI 13, the device begins to work unstable, the battery runs out faster, system errors appear, and the interface loses its usual smoothness. In such cases, the only right solution is a complete rollback to the previous version or reset to factory settings, which actually removes the current build.
The process of uninstalling the operating system is not as simple as installing a regular application, since Android is the base layer of the device.You will have to use special boot modes, such as Fastboot or Recovery. Ignoring the safety rules when working with these tools can lead to complete inoperability of the gadget, so it is extremely important to carefully study the theoretical part before starting practical actions.
There are several ways to get back to stable operation, from soft data reset to complex flashing through your computer. The choice of the specific method depends on whether you have a bootloader locked and whether you have access to a PC. Below we will discuss all the options available in detail so that you can safely regain control of your device.
Preparation for system removal procedure
Before you take action to remove MIUI 13, you need to do a lot of preparation, and this is a critical step, because in the process of working, all your personal data — photos, contacts, instant messaging — will be permanently destroyed.
You need a stable Internet connection and a charged battery, a battery level of at least 60%, or better bring it to 100%, suddenly turning off power at the time of writing system files can damage the memory partitions, after which the phone will turn into a brick.
☑️ Pre-deletion check MIUI 13
Also make sure you remember your Mi Account. Once reset, the system will require authorization to verify ownership of the device (anti-theft protection). If you forget your password, unlocking your phone will be extremely difficult, and in some cases impossible, without going to the service center with checks.
⚠️ Note: The process of removing the current firmware version involves completely erasing the User Data partition. Recovering deleted files without a pre-created copy will be impossible by any standard means.
Method One: Complete Reset with Recovery Mode
The easiest and most affordable way to “delete” a problematic update is to perform Wipe Data (full reset) through the recovery menu, which doesn’t change the firmware version to the older one, but it cleans the system cache and configuration files that often cause conflicts after an update.
To enter Recovery mode, you need to turn off your smartphone completely. Then press the volume button and the power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power, while continuing to keep the volume. You will see a menu with several items in English or Chinese.
- 📱 Use volume buttons to move up and down the menu.
- ✅ The power button serves to confirm the selected action.
- 🔄 Select Wipe Data, then Wipe All Data.
- ⏳ Wait for the process to be completed and select Reboot.
Once you reboot, the phone will be like new, and the system will do an initial setup, and you can check if the problems caused by MIUI 13 have disappeared, and if the bugs persist, then the problem lies deeper, in the system files themselves, and a more radical method is needed - firmware reflashing.
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If the Recovery menu is in Chinese, look for the buttons: Wipe Data is usually at the second item on the main menu, and the reset confirmation is at the bottom of the next screen.
Method two: roll back firmware via Fastboot (with unlocked bootloader)
If a simple reset didn’t work, the only effective solution is to roll back to an earlier version of MIUI, which is only possible if your bootloader is already unlocked, and if the bootloader is locked, the system won’t allow you to install the version below the current one.
You'll need a computer, USB-Download the archive with the desired firmware version (required Fastboot version, which has the extension.tgz) for your particular model. Unpack the archive in the root of the C disk so that the path does not contain Cyrillic characters.
adb reboot bootloaderThis command can be executed via ADB if the phone is turned on, or simply press the volume and power buttons on the phone turned off. In Fastboot mode, connect the device to the PC. In Mi Flash Tool, click the Refresh button, select the path to the firmware folder, and in the lower right corner, select clean all mode.
| Firmware mode | Data retention | Possibility of rollback | Risks. | Speed. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Update Package | Keeps it. | Only up. | Low. | Tall. |
| Clean All | Removing. | Yeah (unlocked) | Average. | Medium |
| Clean All + Lock | Removing. | No (only global) | Tall. | Medium |
Press the Flash button and wait for the process to be completed. Don't touch the cable or turn off the computer. Once installed successfully, the phone will automatically reboot with a cleaner, older version of the system.