When the display of a Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco smartphone is broken and critical photos and documents remain inside, it causes panic. Often the sensor stops responding to touch, or the image is completely absent, turning the screen into a black rectangle, at which point the main task is not to repair the device itself, but to save user data before possible flashing or replacing the matrix.
Fortunately, the Android ecosystem, and in particular the MIUI or HyperOS shell, provides several tools to bypass the non-working touchscreen. The choice of a particular method depends on whether the phone is turned on, whether any signal is visible on the matrix, and whether the debugging function over USB was enabled in advance. In this article, we will examine all working ways of extracting information, from simple mouse connections to using system cloud services.
Before you start to act, you need to assess the degree of damage, if the device responds to sound or vibration, but the screen is black, the chances of success are high, but if the phone does not show signs of life, the methods of software uploading data may not work without first diagnosing the hardware.
Diagnostics of the state of the display and sensor
The first step is to determine the type of failure, because it depends on the choice of strategy, and the damage is divided into physical (cracks, spots) and functional (touchscreen failure, no backlighting). If you see an image, but the phone does not respond to pressing, the problem lies in the digitizer (touch layer).
In the case of a screen on but no image (backlight only), data can be accessed through front-end interfaces if you know exactly where to press. To check the system's performance, try calling the device or connecting it to the charger - the presence of an audible signal confirms that the motherboard is functioning normally.
⚠️ Warning: If the battery is swollen or the device emits a strange smell of burning, immediately stop any attempts to connect to the network.
It's also important to check if the computer recognizes the connected smartphone. Connect the USB cable and listen to the system sound of the device's connection in Windows or macOS. If there's a sound but the conductor window doesn't open, it's possible the phone has gone into Charge Only mode, which requires confirmation on the screen that you can't see.
Using USB-OTG to control without touchscreen
The most effective way to access files if the sensor is not working but the image is present (or if you are willing to act at random) is to use an adapter. USB-OTG. This technology allows you to connect a normal computer mouse to your smartphone, and the cursor will appear on the screen, and you can unlock the device with a pattern lock or a graphical key. PIN-code.
To implement this method, you will need a USB Type-C to USB-A adapter (or Micro-USB for older models) and a wired mouse. Once connected, the cursor should appear automatically. If the screen is broken so that the image is not present, this method will only work if you remember exactly where the interface elements are to unlock.
Once successfully unlocked, you can copy files to your computer or upload them to the cloud, and you can also enable USB debugging if previously allowed through the mouse menu, or activate MTP file transfer mode.
- 🖱️ Connect the adapter. OTG smartphone-charging connector.
- 💻 Connect the computer mouse to the adapter.
- 🔓 Use the left mouse button to enter the unlock password.
- 📂 Go to settings and select file transfer mode.
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If the screen doesn’t show the image, but you’re confident in the location of the buttons, try to touch unlock the phone with your mouse, focusing on the sound signals or vibration when you type.
Data extraction via the Mi Cloud and Google
If physical access to the interface is not possible, rely on automatic synchronization. Xiaomi smartphones by default offer a sign-in to the Mi Account, which synchronizes contacts, notes, messages and photos (via the Mi Cloud service).
Go to i.mi.com and log in with your login and password. In the Cloud section, you will find categories of data. If sync is enabled, your contacts and calendar are already saved. Photos are often provided by a separate Google Photos service, which can also be checked at photos.google.com.
The advantage of cloud-based methods is that they don't require a working screen, but the downside is that you have to pre-configure, because if you shut down the sync or run out of storage, you might not be able to load the fresh data onto the server.
What to do if you forget your Mi Account password?
Connection to PC and debugging mode via USB
For advanced users who had pre-debugging enabled USB (USB Debugging, which allows you to access the file system through a computer, and this method allows you to use command line tools. ADB (Android Debug Bridge to copy data even when the screen is not working.
If you've previously given permission to debug with that computer, when you connect the cable, the PC will automatically access the files, otherwise, a confirmation request will appear on the phone screen. RSA-It's a key that you can't take with a broken sensor, and then it's not going to work without a mouse. OTG).
To work with ADB You need to install platform tools on your computer. Once you're connected, type in the adb devices command in the terminal. If the device is displayed in the list, you can use the adb pull command. /sdcard/ C:/backup/ to unload the contents of internal memory.
adb shell am start -a android.settings.INTERNAL_STORAGE_SETTINGSThis command can help open storage settings if the system allows management through ADB without screen validation. However, in modern versions of Android 11+ and MIUI, security is enhanced, and access to files often requires a mandatory confirmation of "Allow File Transfer" on the phone's screen itself.
☑️ Checking readiness ADB
Comparison of recovery methods: table of possibilities
To organize the information and choose the right option, consider a comparative method table, which will help you understand what method will be most effective depending on the type of damage to your Xiaomi device.
| Method | We need a working sensor. | I need a work screen. | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| USB-OTG (mouse) | No (replaced with a mouse) | Preferably (for visual inspection) | Low. |
| Mi Cloud / Google | No. | No. | Low. |
| ADB (USB Debugging) | No. | No (if authorized) | Tall. |
| Recovery Mode | No (works with buttons) | Required (to select Wipe) | Medium |
Note that Recovery mode is usually used to reset settings (Wipe Data), which will destroy data, TWRP) File Manager feature allows you to copy files to SD-map MTP, if it has been established previously.
⚠️ Warning: Entering standard Recovery mode and selecting "Wipe Data" will result in a complete cleanup of your phone's memory. Use this method only if the data is not important, but you just need to revive the device.
Frequent questions and problems in extraction
Users often encounter nuances that are not described in standard instructions. For example, many people ask whether it is possible to connect the phone to the TV via HDMI. Most Xiaomi mid- and low-end smartphones do not support video output via a USB-C port, so connecting to the monitor will not give an image.
Another common question concerns using a keyboard instead of a mouse.The keyboard can help you type in a password if you know it by heart, but navigating the file system without a cursor will be extremely difficult. USB-Hub is the perfect solution.
It’s also worth mentioning the possibility of using Google Assistant or Xiao AI. If the phone is unlocked, you can try the voice command “Open Settings” or “Enable Bluetooth”, but this is usually not enough to transfer files.
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The most reliable way to save data is to sync regularly with the cloud until it breaks, and prevention is more important than any recovery method.