Despite its age, the Redmi 7 remains popular with enthusiasts who want to extend the life of the device or gain extended access rights. The standard shell of MIUI often limits the user’s ability, so installing a custom recavator is the first step to complete freedom of action.
Replacing the standard recovery menu with a modified one requires careful and rigorous follow-up. Any error in the preparation phase can lead to a smartphone malfunctioning or, in the worst case, to the device becoming a brick. However, if you act carefully and use proven tools, the task becomes quite solvable even for beginners.
In this guide, we will look at all the steps from unlocking the bootloader to the first download to the new menu. You will learn what drivers are needed, how to prepare files correctly and what commands to enter into the console. It is critical to use the version of TWRP, assembled specifically for the code name onclite, since firmware from other Xiaomi Redmi 7 models will not work.
Preparation of the device and necessary tools
Before you start any manipulations with the system partition, you need to assemble a full arsenal of tools. You will need the Xiaomi Redmi 7 smartphone itself, which is serviceable. USB-Windows cable and computer. Also remember to fully charge the battery of the device, as the firmware process consumes energy, and a sudden power outage is unacceptable.
You need to install current ADB and Fastboot drivers on your computer, without which the computer will not be able to communicate correctly with the phone in boot mode, and you will also need to download the recovery image file with the.img extension, which should be renamed recovery.img for convenience and put in the root of the tool folder.
☑️ Firmware preparation
Don’t forget to enable USB debugging in the hidden developer menu. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI build number seven times. After a message about activation of the developer mode appears, go to Additional → For developers and activate the USB debugging switch.
Unlocking the Bootloader bootloader
Xiaomi protects its devices from unauthorized interference, so the bootloader is blocked by default. The unlock procedure is mandatory and takes a certain time. First, link your Mi Account in your phone settings to the SIM card and the Internet through the Developer Menu → Mi Unlock Status.
Once linked, you need to apply for unlocking via the Mi Unlock Tool on your PC, alert you to the risks and send a request to the server, and the wait is usually 72 hours to 7 days, during which you cannot log out of your account on your device.
⚠️ Warning: The process of unlocking the bootloader will automatically perform a full Wipe Data reset. All photos, contacts and applications will be deleted, so back up important information in advance.
When the waiting time expires, reconnect the phone in Fastboot mode (clamping the volume button when turned on) and press the Unlock button in the utility on your computer. Successful unlocking will open access to modify the system partitions.
What if Mi Unlock can’t see the phone?
Downloading the smartphone in Fastboot mode
To record a recovery image, the phone must be in a special low-level boot mode called Fastboot, which is a mode where the device does not load the operating system, but waits for commands from the computer, and you can transfer Redmi 7 to this mode by software or hardware.
The hardware method is the most reliable: turn off your smartphone completely, then press the volume button. USB-The screen should show the logo of a hare in a hat-eared, fixing an android, and the inscription FASTBOOT orange.
Check the connection via the command line. Open the terminal in the tool folder and type in the command:
fastboot devicesIf you see your device's serial number in response, the connection is correct and you can move on to the next step. If the list is empty, check the drivers in Windows Device Manager.
The process of installing TWRP via Fastboot
Now that the device is ready, you can start directly recording the image. Make sure the recovery.img file is in the same folder where the terminal is running.
fastboot flash recovery recovery.imgOnce the command (OKAY status) is successful, you can't just reboot your phone in the normal way. A standard Xiaomi bootloader can reboot custom Recovery with stock, so immediately after the firmware is installed, you need to force the boot to the new menu:
fastboot boot recovery.imgThis command will download the installed image once. If it went well, you'll see the TWRP interface. Now, you can stick it permanently inside the recave, installing a patch or simply preventing the system from booting before you install custom firmware or root.
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To prevent the stock MIUI from replacing TWRP on the first download, immediately after logging into the recavatories, go to Wipe and make the Data format (enter yes), and then restart.
Comparison of stock and custom recavery
Understanding the difference between a factory menu and a modified one helps you realize the benefits of the latter: Xiaomi's stock Recovery has limited functionality and often requires an internet connection or account to perform simple operations.
| Function | Stock Recovery (MIUI) | TWRP Recovery | C OrangeFox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation ZIP-archive | Only with the Mi Account. | No restrictions. | No restrictions. |
| Full backup | Unavailable | Complete image of the system | Full image + cloud |
| File manager | Absent. | Present. | Expanded |
| Theme of the design | Standard. | Replacement topics | Replacement topics |
Castomy solutions like TWRP OrangeFox provides access to the file system, allows you to mount partitions as USB-It's a drive and patches to get superuser rights, and it turns a smartphone into a powerful tool for experimentation.
⚠️ Note: When using Wipe features in custom recap, be careful. Formatting the Data partition without need will result in the loss of all data and require reconfiguration of the device.
Possible errors and their solution
During the Redmi 7 modification process, users may encounter various problems. One of the common mistakes is the message Failed to mount'/data' in TWRP. This is due to data encryption in MIUI and is solved by formatting the Data partition via the Wipe menu.
If the phone is stuck on the MIUI logo after installing the recavator, you may be trying to download the stock firmware with an active custom bootloader or vice versa, in which case cleaning the cache and Dalvik in the Wipe menu will help, and in difficult cases, flashing the stock image through the Mi Flash Tool.
There is also a black screen problem when entering a recave, which may mean that the TWRP version is incompatible with the Android version or the screen type of your device (Redmi 7 had different display vendors), in which case you need to look for an alternative build.
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Most of the Redmi 7 firmware errors are not related to the hardware, but to the wrong version of the image or skipping the unlock stage of the bootloader.