How to Reboot Xiaomi if the Sensor is Not Working: The Complete Guide

When the touchscreen of a Xiaomi smartphone stops responding to touch, it always takes you by surprise. The screen may burn to show the image, but your fingers seem to pass through the glass without causing any system reaction. This is a critical problem, because without the ability to enter data, you lose control of the device, you can not answer the phone or take an important picture.

The first thing that comes to mind in this situation is to reboot to fix the software failure. However, the classic way — holding the power button for a long time and selecting a point on the screen — becomes unavailable if the touchscreen is completely dead. Fortunately, the Xiaomi ecosystem and the MIUI shell have alternative control methods that many users do not even know about.

In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to force a reboot and control a smartphone without touch screens. We will look at both the standard accessibility features and more advanced technical solutions for those who are willing to connect additional devices.

Using hardware buttons for forced restart

The most obvious and affordable method that every Android smartphone owner should know is using a physical combination of buttons. Unlike iPhones, where there is a clear separation of actions, Android devices, including Redmi and Poco, often have a universal rule of “hard” reboot. If the system is getting stuck or the sensor is not responding, try to press the power button and hold it for 10-15 seconds.

Some Xiaomi smartphones require a combination of two buttons to enter recovery mode or force reboot. Usually this is the simultaneous pressing of the volume button up and the power button. Hold them until the screen goes out and the brand logo appears. This method ignores software locks of the interface and works at the core level of the system.

⚠️ Warning: Don't release buttons immediately after the screen is vibrating or quenching. Keep them clamped until the Mi or Android logo appears, otherwise the phone may just turn off but not restart.

There is also a nuance with models that have a separate dedicated assistant or a specific logic of the volume buttons. If the standard combination does not work, try pressing the volume button down with power. In rare cases, this can lead to entering Fastboot mode, but you can also reboot from it by simply holding the power button until vibration.

Connection USB-mouse-wise OTG-adapter

If the hardware buttons don’t work, or if you need to turn your phone off from the menu correctly rather than restarting it hard, USB OTG (On-The-Go) technology will come to the rescue. Virtually all modern Xiaomi smartphones support connecting peripherals directly through the charging port, allowing you to control the cursor on the screen with a conventional computer mouse.

To implement this method, you'll need a USB-to-Type-C adapter (or Micro-USB for older models) and any wired USB mouse. Once you connect your mouse to your phone, you'll have a shooter cursor on your screen, and even if the sensor doesn't work, the optical or laser mouse sensor will continue to function, allowing you to press the interface buttons.

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If you have a wireless mouse with USB-receiver, it is also likely to work immediately after the connection, which will eliminate the need to search for wires.

Using a cursor, you can unlock the device (unless you have a complex pattern lock), go to the menu and select "Stop" or "Reset" as the safest way to do so, because it allows you to complete all processes correctly, without the risk of data loss, which sometimes happens when you crash off the buttons.

It is worth noting that in some cases, the system may request permission to connect. USB-If the screen doesn't respond fully, this may not work, but in 90% of cases with a damaged touchscreen but a working display, the mouse is automatically detected.

Use of Recovery Mode and Fastboot

Recovery and Fastboot modes are low-level interfaces that are booted separately from the main operating system and are logged in exclusively with physical buttons, making them the perfect tool when the sensor is down. In Recovery mode, volume buttons (up/down for moving) and power buttons (to confirm selections) are controlled.

To get into the Recovery menu on Xiaomi, you need to turn off the phone (if it's still on, wait for the discharge or use button clamping) and then press the Volume Up and Power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, and then a menu with several lines of text. Select Reboot with a volume rocker and confirm with the power button.

Fastboot is called by pressing the Volume Down and Power button. In this mode, the screen usually shows an image of a hare repairing an android and the words Fastboot. Although it is not always possible to directly reboot from here to normal mode with buttons (depending on the bootloader version), entering this mode confirms that the hardware of the phone is working and the problem lies in the software or digitization of the sensor.

Below is a table that helps you determine which mode is responsible for what and how to get into it:

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Recovery mode is the only way to fully manage the smartphone menu using physical buttons, bypassing a broken touchscreen.

Remote management via ADB and computer

For advanced users who previously had debugging enabled USB (USB Debugging, the most powerful tool opens — ADB (Android Debug Bridge. This method allows you to send commands from your computer directly to your phone system, by ignoring the state of the sensor. If the drivers are installed and the phone is determined by the PC, you can control it completely.

First, you need to download the ADB platform tools to your computer. Connect your phone with a cable to your PC. If you've previously checked the "Always Allow from this computer" box on your phone, the connection will be automatically set up. If you don't, and the screen doesn't respond, this method, unfortunately, won't work without trust being set up beforehand.

adb devices


adb reboot

Adb reboot sends a standard reboot signal, similar to the menu item selection, which is the softest and safest way to ensure data is safe, and you can also use the adb shell input keyevent 26 to simulate the power button pressing or the adb shell input tap x y to simulate touching at a specific point on the screen if you need to press a specific button.

Accessibility features and voice assistant

MIUI and Android have features that can help control your phone by voice or external switches. If you have Google Assistant or XiaoAI activated, you can try calling them with voice (if "Ok Google" is enabled). The "Reboot Phone" command can be performed by an assistant, although modern versions of Android often require on-screen confirmation for such critical actions.

There is also a Switch Access feature that allows you to connect physical switch buttons to your phone via Bluetooth or USB. If you have set this feature up in advance, connecting an external Bluetooth button can allow you to emulate back, home or menu actions, which, when combined with voice control, will give you a chance to get to the off button.

However, if the phone is already locked and the features have not been configured in advance, this method is ineffective for emergency reboots, it is more suitable for temporary use of the device before repair, allowing you to type or flip pages using external controllers.

⚠️ Attention: Voice assistants often block the shutdown or reboot function for security reasons so that an attacker cannot turn off a stolen phone.

What to do if nothing helps: Remove the battery

In modern Xiaomi smartphones, such as the Mi 11 series, Xiaomi 13/14 or the latest generation Redmi Note, the battery is non-removable. However, if you have an older model with a removable lid and a removable battery in your hand, a physical power outage is a 100% way to reboot the device. Just remove the back cover, remove the battery for 10-15 seconds and insert it back in.

For non-removable devices, this method translates into waiting for a full discharge. Leave the phone on. The screen, even if it doesn't respond, continues to consume energy, especially if it's on. In a few hours (or days, depending on capacity), the phone will turn off itself. After that, put it on charge and turn it on in the usual way.

If the screen is out, but the phone is working (heating, sounds are coming), and the sensor is dead, put the phone in a dark place. The proximity and illumination sensor can turn off the backlight, but the system will continue to work, in which case you should still wait for the discharge or try to connect the OTG mouse to force the switch off through the menu.

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To speed up the discharge before auto-shutting, turn on the flashlight or start a heavy game/video in high resolution if the phone responds to voice commands or an external mouse.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)