When Xiaomi’s beloved smartphone suddenly stops responding to commands and enters an endless reboot cycle, it can catch anyone by surprise: The screen goes out, the MI logo appears, then goes out again, and this process is repeated until the device completely discharges. This behavior of the system, often called “bootloop”, frightens owners, but in most cases the problem is solved without going to the service center.
The causes of this failure can range from a trivial lack of free memory or application conflict to more serious problems with system files or even physical damage after a crash. It is important to remain calm and consistently follow the diagnostic steps that we will describe below.
In this article, we will look at all the available methods for restoring your gadget to work, from the simplest actions that do not require special skills to complex flashing procedures. The critical factor for success is to follow the sequence of actions and understand the risks at each stage. Carefully study the symptoms and choose the algorithm that suits your case.
Primary diagnosis and simple solutions
Before we go to radical measures, we need to rule out some basic malfunctions that are often ignored. Sometimes the device simply cannot start because of a critically low battery charge or sticking buttons. If the phone was in your pocket or bag, there is a high probability of mechanical impact on the keyboard.
Try to leave the device on charge for 30 to 60 minutes, even if the charge indicator does not immediately light up. The battery could go into a deep discharge, and it needs time to gain the minimum voltage to start the system. Also carefully examine the case: if the power button is pressed or runs tight, this can cause a permanent closure of the contact, which leads to a cyclic restart.
In some cases, what's called a soft reboot of the hardware layer helps, which is data-safe and doesn't require root rights or access to the recovery menu.
- 🔌 Connect your phone to the original charger and cable.
- 🖐️ Press the power button 10-20 seconds before the vibration or logo appears.
- ❄️ Let the device cool if it is hot, overheating often causes the power controller to crash.
⚠️ Warning: If the device heats up in the processor or battery area even when it is off when connected to a charge, disconnect it immediately from the network.This may indicate a short circuit inside the board, and further attempts to turn it on may cause a fire.
If simple manipulations have failed and Android continues to go into cycle, it is worth checking the state of the volume buttons. Often it is the sticky "Loudness +" or "-" button that initiates a login to recovery mode or Fastboot, which the user can perceive as a freeze if he does not know how to get out of it.
Forced reboot and login to Recovery Mode
When standard activation is not possible, the main tool of the user becomes the Recovery Mode menu, which is a special partition in the phone's memory, designed to serve the system, and you can get there with a combination of buttons, even if the operating system does not boot.
To enter recovery mode on most Xiaomi and Redmi models, you need to do the following: turn the device off completely (if it turns on, wait for the power button to turn off or press the power button before vibration). Then simultaneously press the power button and the volume button ("Loudness +"). Hold them until the MI logo appears, then release the power button, continuing to hold "Loudness +".
In the Recovery menu, the navigation is done with volume buttons (up/down), and the choice is confirmed by the power button. You need to find Wipe Data or Wipe & Reset. Be careful: this step can lead to deletion of data if you choose to clean it completely.
☑️ Pre-reset check
There is a difference between simply cleaning the cache and completely resetting it: Wipe Cache is secure and only deletes temporary files that may have been corrupted. Wipe All Data returns the phone to factory settings, removing all photos, contacts and apps.
- 📉 Use Wipe Cache if your phone is just buggy, but you can’t lose data.
- 🗑️ Use Wipe Data if the reason for the reboot was a system update or a virus.
- 🔄 After reset, select Reboot -> Reboot to System for normal booting.
If after logging into Recovery, the phone restarts again to normal mode or again gets into the loop, the problem may lie deeper - in damage to the system partition or hardware.
Fastboot mode and its use
Another important diagnostic tool is Fastboot Mode. Unlike Recovery, this mode is designed for low-level interaction with the device via a computer. If the phone is "hang" on the Fastboot logo, this often means that the volume button was accidentally pressed when turned on, or the bootloader was damaged.
To exit Fastboot mode, it is usually enough to press the power button for a long time (about 15-20 seconds) until the screen goes out and the device vibrates. If this does not help, perhaps a software failure will block the output, in which case you will need to connect to the PC.
To work with Fastboot, the computer must have ADB and Fastboot drivers installed. By connecting the phone with a cable to the PC in this mode, you can check if the computer sees the device. Open the command line and type in the command:
fastboot devicesIf you see the serial number of the device in response, it means that the connection is established, and this allows you to execute commands to reboot or even flash it.
What does red text mean in Fastboot?
Sometimes, logging into Fastboot is automatically due to damage to the boot partition, which is a simple exit, requires firmware reflashing, and it's also worth noting that Fastboot mode can't manage your phone files, it's only a maintenance mode.
Reset to factory settings (Hard Reset)
If a software failure prevents the system from booting, the most effective treatment is a complete reset, which deletes all user data and restores the original state of the software. Before you start, make sure you remember the data from your Mi Account and Google account, as after the reset, the system will require them to confirm the rights of the owner (FRP protection).
The process of running Hard Reset through Recovery is as follows: After logging into Recovery (as described above), select the language (if the menu is in Chinese, look for characters or use a translator in the camera, but usually the language can be selected first).
The submenus that opens will have two options: Wipe Cache and Wipe All Data. Choose the second option. The system will ask for confirmation, usually you need to choose Confirm or OK. The process will go quickly, and in a few seconds the phone will report success.
| Action | Data retention | Data loss risk | When to apply |
| :--- | :---: | :---: | :--- |
| Reboot | Yes | No | With small glitches |
| Wipe Cache | Yes | No | For errors after updates |
| Wipe All Data | No | High | With bootloop and viruses |
| Flashing | No | High | If the system is damaged |
⚠️ Warning: After all data is reset, the phone will last longer than usual (up to 5-10 minutes).Do not try to interrupt this process or remove the battery, this may damage the file system.
It’s important to understand that Hard Reset won’t help if the bootloader itself is damaged or there are physical memory defects.If Xiaomi’s endless reboot problem persists after the reset, we move on to more sophisticated methods.
Reflashing the smartphone through Mi Flash
When a software failure is critical and a reset doesn't work, the only hope is to completely reflash the device, using the official Mi Flash Tool and the so-called "Fastboot firmware" (extension.tgz), which can be found on the official website of the miui bootloader or specialized forums, by choosing a model that matches your device.
The flashing process requires a Windows PC. First, you need to unclose the downloaded archive with the firmware so that the path to the folder does not contain Cyrillic and is short (for example, C:\rom\). Then in the Mi Flash Tool, select this folder, connect the phone turned off (clicking "Loudness -" and "Power" to log into the Fastboot) and press the Flash button.
There are three firmware modes at the bottom of the program window: clean all (complete cleaning), save user data (attempting to save data) and clean all and lock (clean and lock the bootloop).
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.imgThe above is an example of manual commands, but the Mi Flash Tool executes them automatically in the right sequence, the main thing is not to interrupt the process or turn off the cable until the progress bar reaches 100% and the green "Success" sign lights up.
- 💻 Make sure there is enough free space on the C disk.
- 🔌 Use quality. USB-cable USB 2.0/3.0 back-panel.
- 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 60% before the procedure begins.
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Use the original cable or high-quality analogue with thick wires. Cheap charging cables often don't withstand the current required for Fastboot mode, leading to firmware errors.
Hardware problems and memory diagnostics
If neither reset nor flashing helped and the smartphone continues to restart, there is a high probability of hardware failure. A frequent cause of cyclic reboot is the failure of Flash memory. When memory cells wear out or get damaged, the processor cannot read critical files to start the OS and initiates a restart.
Another common cause is the failure of the plume contacts or the motherboard itself due to a fall, and an internal blow could damage the soldering of the processor or memory chip, sometimes helped by the "warm-up" method, but this is a temporary measure that requires professional equipment.
It's also worth checking the status of the power button, and if its mechanism is broken, it can permanently close the circuit, sending a "Power On" signal endlessly, and try to gently tap the body near the button, or slightly press it in different directions when you try to turn it on.
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If the phone reboots even in Recovery or Fastboot mode, and at the same time it warms strongly at the top, it is almost guaranteed a hardware defect (KZ on the board or memory death).
If a memory or processor is suspected of dying, further independent action may be useless. Software methods no longer work here, since hardware cannot physically execute commands.