The situation when the screen of the Xiaomi smartphone stops responding to touch, but the device continues to work, is one of the most unpleasant for the user. Active display, working applications and a heated case quickly put the battery down, and sometimes the phone even gets locked due to overheating or system errors. At this point, it is critical for the owner to find a way to forcefully terminate the gadget to keep it working before visiting the service.
Fortunately, engineers have provided several levels of control that are independent of touchscreen status. Hardware buttons, special boot modes, and remote control solve the problem even in the most difficult cases. Below we will discuss in detail all available methods, from simple button combinations to professional debugging tools.
Before we get to the action, we need to make sure that the problem is that it's the sensor's hardware failure, not the software freeze, and sometimes the system responds to the commands but doesn't display them visually, so the first step is to try a standard but hard restart.
Forced reboot method through hardware buttons
The fastest and most affordable way to turn off a Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone without touchscreen is to use a physical keyboard combination.This method emulates the rechargeable battery in older phones, breaking the motherboard's power chain at the software level. To activate the feature, you need to pinch and hold the Power button for a long time, usually 10 to 20 seconds.
Some models, especially those with a MIUI or HyperOS shell installed, may require the power button and one of the volume buttons to be pressed simultaneously, most commonly a Volume Down button. If the screen is out and the device is vibrating, release the buttons. This is a data-safe action, because it doesn't reset, but only forcibly completes all processes.
⚠️ Warning: Do not use this method regularly to turn off your phone. Constant hard reboots can damage the file system and cause broken sectors to appear in memory.
If standard retention doesn't work, try a more sophisticated option, which is common in some regions and firmware versions. Press three buttons simultaneously: Power, Volume Up, and Volume Down. Hold them for about 15 seconds. This method is often used when the system is deep-stop and does not respond to single commands.
Using Recovery Mode to turn off the device
If the phone doesn't turn off using standard methods, you can use Recovery Recovery mode, which is a low-level environment that boots separately from the main Android operating system, and you can get into it even with a broken sensor using only physical navigation buttons.
To enter recovery mode on most Xiaomi smartphones, you need to do the following sequence: turn off the phone (if it does not turn off, wait for the discharge or use the method of holding the buttons until vibration), then press the Power and Volume Up buttons simultaneously.
In the Recovery menu, you can control the volume buttons (up/down for moving to points) and the power button (to confirm the selection). The navigation here is simple and does not require touch input. You need to find the Power Off or Turn off. Select it and confirm the action.
| Action. | Navigation button | Confirmation button | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice of menu item | Volume Up/down | - | Moving the cursor |
| Confirmation | - | Power | Execution of the team |
| Exit from the menu | - | Power (on Reboot) | System restart |
| Forced shutdown | - | Power (on Power Off) | Total shutdown |
Sometimes the Recovery sensor can work even if it didn’t work on the main system, which is because the drivers in recovery mode are operating in base mode, ignoring the complex calibrations of the main OS. If you’re lucky, you can just press the off button on the screen.
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If the sensor does not work in Recovery, and the volume buttons “jump” or do not respond, try to gently clean the speaker and buttons from dust with compressed air before entering mode.
Shutdown via computer and debugging via USB (ADB)
The most professional and flexible way to manage a phone with a broken screen is to use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) debugging interface, which requires that the phone previously include the USB debugging option in the developer menu, and if this feature has been activated before it breaks, you get full control of the device from your computer.
To get started, you will need a PC with Xiaomi drivers installed USB Driver and platform tools Platform-tools. Connect your smartphone to your computer through high-quality USB-Open the command line (Terminal or CMD) toolbox ADB and enter a command to check the connection:
adb devicesIf you have a serial number on the list, you've got a connection.
adb shell reboot -pThis command sends a signal to the system to go to the power state -p (power off). In some versions of Android, the adb shell input keyevent 26 (emulated short press of the power button) is also used, after which you can try to send a confirmation command, but the reboot -p method is more reliable.
⚠️ Note: If when connecting to a PC, the phone is only charged and is not defined as a device, then debugging is necessary. USB not active or requires screen confirmation (RSA-key that you can’t give without a sensor.
There is also the option of using graphical shells for ADB, such as Minimal ADB and Fastboot or specialized utilities from Xiaomi that have a “off” button in the interface. This simplifies the process for those who do not want to work with console commands.
What if the ADB can’t see the device?
Remote management through Xiaomi and Google
In the era of cloud technology, physical access to buttons is sometimes replaced by remote control. If the phone is connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or mobile network), you can try to turn it off or reboot it through the web interfaces of device search services, which works even if the sensor is completely dead.
The first option is Google Find My Device. Go to the site from any other device, log in to a Google account linked to a problem phone. Select your Xiaomi from the device list. Although there may not be a direct “Stop” button (Google often changes functionality), there is a “Clean Device” or “Block” feature available, which will actually reboot or block, stopping unnecessary processes.
The second, more efficient option for Xiaomi owners is Mi Cloud (i.mi.com), log in to your Mi Account. The Find Device section often provides a wider range of commands, including remote lock and audio. Although direct shutdown through the cloud is rarely implemented for security reasons (so that an attacker does not turn off a stolen phone), these services allow you to reset the hanging processes.
If you have a smart speaker with a Google Assistant or AliAssistant assent (in China) and your phone is synced with them, you can try a voice command: "Ok Google, turn off my phone" or "Hey Xiao AI, guan ji." However, this feature is unstable and requires complex permissions to be preset.
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Remote methods work only with an active Internet connection on a smartphone and pre-enabled account synchronization.
Solving problems with the suspended MIUI interface
Often, the problem of the "default sensor" is an illusion: the touchscreen is functional, but the MIUI operating system itself or the particular application that intercepted control is hanging, in which case you do not need to turn off the phone, you just need to "kill" the process that blocks the input.
Try calling the emergency menu. On the locked screen, press Emergency Call. If the number keyboard appears and responds to the press, the sensor is alive. Enter a special code to check the phone's menu, such as ##6484## (CIT Engineering Menu). If the menu opens, you can test the touchscreen in the Touchpanel section and see where the screen has crashed.
Another life hack to unlock: using an adapter USB OTG. Connect to the phone through the adapter of the usual computer USB-Android automatically recognizes the periphery, and the cursor will appear on the screen:
- 🖱️ Unlock the phone by entering a pattern lock or PIN-code.
- 🖱️ Backup important data before turning off.
- 🖱️ Disable suspicious apps or go to safe mode.
- 🖱️ It is normal to turn off the phone through the power menu.
This is the most effective way to save data: the mouse allows you to completely control the interface, ignoring the broken touchscreen. Once you connect the mouse, the cursor usually appears immediately, without the need to install drivers.
☑️ Checking before going to the service
Diagnostics and prevention of further damage
Once you've turned off your phone, it's important to understand why, so that things don't happen again after you turn on, and if the sensor stops working after a drop or when you get moisture, software can only give you a temporary effect.
Notice the nature of the dead zones: If only part of the screen is not working, the plume of the display module or the digitizer may be damaged. In such cases, light, gentle pressure on the top of the screen (in the vicinity of the plume) helps when the phone is turned off, but this is a risky method that requires caution.
If the phone was heated before turning off, the cause could be overheating of the processor. In this case, before turning on, let the device completely cool at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. Do not put the hot phone in the refrigerator - a sharp temperature drop will cause condensation inside the case, which is guaranteed to corrosion the board.