Safe Mode on Xiaomi Smartphones: The Complete Guide 2026

Safe Mode on Xiaomi smartphones is a diagnostic tool that helps to identify the causes of failures, freezes or incorrect operation of the device. In this mode, the system boots with a minimum set of drivers and disables all third-party applications, leaving only basic functions. MIUI. If you have a Redmi, POCO or Mi started to slow down, spontaneously reboot or give out errors – turning on Safe Mode can be the first step to solving the problem.

Unlike Factory Reset, Safe Mode does not delete user data, but allows you to check whether the problems are caused by application conflict or system errors. For example, if the smartphone is stable in Safe Mode, the culprit is almost certainly one of the installed applications. In this article, we will discuss all ways to enter and exit the mode, and also tell you how to use it to diagnose and troubleshoot on Xiaomi devices with a different set of devices. MIUI 12/13/14 hyperos.

What is a Safe Mode and Why You Need It

Safe Mode is a special Android boot mode in which:

• 🔹 All third-party applications (installed by the user) are disabled)
• 🔹 Only system services and pre-installed utilities work MIUI
• 🔹 Background processes, widgets and autoloads are blocked
• 🔹 At the bottom of the screen, the message Safe Mode (or Safe Mode) is displayed)

The main purpose of the mode is diagnostics, and if problems disappear in Safe Mode, the cause of problems lies in one of the installed applications (MIUI/HyperOS) On Xiaomi devices, this mode is especially useful because of the features of the firmware: many users experience lags after updating or installing themes from Mi Themes.

Typical situations when you should use Safe Mode:

• 📱 Smartphone Redmi/POCO Logo getting stuck or cyclically rebooting
• 🐢 The system brakes for no apparent reason (even after cleaning the cache)
• 🔄 Applications spontaneously close or issue errors
• 📵 Sensor or buttons (physical/virtual) are not working)
• 🔋 Battery discharges too quickly ( background checks)

How to turn on Safe Mode on Xiaomi: 3 working ways

Depending on the state of the smartphone (whether it works at all), you can use one of three methods of activating Safe Mode: the first is suitable for devices that turn on and respond to clicks, the second is if the smartphone is frozen, the third is for models with an unlocked bootloader.

Method 1: Using the off menu (for working devices)

The easiest method that works on all Xiaomi smartphones MIUI 12 and newer:

1. Press the Power button for 2-3 seconds until the off menu appears.
2. Press and hold your finger on the option to turn off (or power off).
3. After 1-2 seconds, a pop-up window will appear with a suggestion to switch to Safe Mode.
4. Confirm your choice by pressing OK.

The smartphone will reboot, and in the lower left corner of the screen will appear the inscription Safe Mode (POCO F5, Redmi Note 12 may require input PIN-post-load.

Method 2: Hardware buttons (if the smartphone is getting stuck)

If the device does not respond to touch or is stuck on the logo MI, Use a button combination:

Turn off your smartphone (clip Power + Volume up for 10 seconds)

Hold the power and hold until vibration.

As soon as the logo comes out, MI, Let go of the food and immediately press the volume down.

Keep Volume Down until the download is complete.-->

On the lock screen or desktop should appear the inscription Safe Mode. If the smartphone still does not boot, the problem may be a damaged firmware or hardware malfunction (for example, damaged eMMC memory on older Redmi models). 4X/Redmi Note 5 This often leads to the inability to download even in Safe Mode).

Method 3: Through ADB (for advanced users)

If you have bootloader unlocked and drivers installed ADB, You can turn on Safe Mode with the command:

adb shell settings put global boot_safe_mode 1


adb reboot

Once you restart, the smartphone will automatically enter diagnostic mode. To return normal boot, do:

adb shell settings put global boot_safe_mode 0


adb reboot

This method is useful if physical buttons don’t work (for example, after a fall). POCO X3), but USB-debugging was included in advance.

💡

If after entering Safe Mode, the smartphone stopped seeing SIM-Do not panic, this mode turns off some communication modules (including: IMS After you leave Safe Mode, everything will recover.

How to get out of Safe Mode on Xiaomi

In most cases, the exit from Safe Mode is automatic after a normal reboot, but sometimes the smartphone can get stuck in this mode.

Method 1: Standard Resetting

Just hold the Power button and select Restart. Once turned on, the Safe Mode label should disappear.

Method 2: Forced shutdown

If the smartphone does not respond to the reboot:

1. Squeeze the power. + Volume up for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out.
2. Wait 30 seconds, then turn on the device with the Power button.

Method 3: Through a notification (for MIUI 14/HyperOS)

Newer versions of the firmware may have an option to exit Safe Mode in the notification curtain. Just click on it and confirm the action.

Method 4: Resetting settings (extreme case)

If your smartphone is constantly loading into Safe Mode, the file may be corrupted. boot.img In this case, only Factory Reset (reset to factory settings) or flashing through the Mi Flash Tool will help.

Diagnosing problems in safe mode

Now that you know how to turn on and exit Safe Mode, we will figure out how to find and fix faults with it.

Step 1: Check for viruses and malware

In Safe Mode, run built-in Security or installed antivirus (such as Malwarebytes), and the scanner will be able to detect hidden threats that masquerade as system processes in normal mode.

Step 2: Finding a conflicting application

If the smartphone is stable in Safe Mode:

1. Get out of mode and uninstall the latest installed apps (especially optimizers, launchers, or games).
2. Check the applications with the rights Administrator of the device in Settings → Passwords and security → Device administrators.
3. Turn off autoboot for suspicious programs in Settings → Annexes → Auto-start.

Step 3: Testing of hardware components

In Safe Mode, you can check:

• 🔊 Speakers and microphone: start the voice recorder and record the sound.
• 📶 Network and Wi-Fi: if the Internet works in Safe Mode, but in the usual one does not work, the problem is in the settings APN or VPN-annexes.
• 🔋 Battery: Use ##4636### to check your consumption statistics.

💡

If you have problems in Safe Mode, it's the firmware or the hardware, and if it disappears, look for conflict in third-party apps or settings.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When working with Safe Mode, Xiaomi users often face typical problems, and here’s how to prevent them:

Error 1: Safe Mode is turned on by itself

If the smartphone is constantly booting in safe mode:

• 🔧 Check the Loudness button down – it may be stuck (especially after moisture hits).
• 📱 Reset your settings with Recovery (Wipe Cache Partition).
• 🔄 Flash the device through the Mi Flash Tool if the problem persists.

Error 2: The sensor in Safe Mode is not working

This is normal behavior for some models (Redmi). 9A, POCO M3), Because the diagnostic mode is turning off the additional sensor drivers to check the screen performance:

1. Connect. USB-mouse-wise OTG-adapter.
2. If the mouse is working, the problem is in the sensor firmware (reflashing is required).

Error 3: Impossible to exit Safe Mode

If the smartphone does not go out of mode even after restarting:

⚠️ Note: Do not try to reset your settings through Settings → Resetting to Safe Mode can lead to data loss:

1. Squeeze the power. + Volume up for forced shutdown.
2. Turn on your smartphone by holding Volume up (this blocks Safe Mode’s automatic boot).

Safe Mode vs Factory Reset: What to Choose

Many Xiaomi users confuse Safe Mode and Factory Reset.

• 🔄 Safe Mode: Does not delete data Disables only third-party applications Suitable for diagnostic software
• 🧹 Factory Reset: Deletes all user data Restores factory settings Helps in case of serious system failures

Use Safe Mode first, it is safer and faster. Factory Reset only if:

• 🔧 Diagnosis in Safe Mode has not yielded results
• 📱 Smartphone infected with a virus that blocks access to settings
• 🔄 Firmware is damaged (for example, after a failed update) MIUI)

💡

Before reset, save data! In Safe Mode, you can connect your smartphone to your PC and copy files through MTP, Even if the connection is not working normally.

Features of Safe Mode on different Xiaomi models

The manufacturer is making changes to the Safe Mode implementation depending on the device series and firmware version.

Smartphones with MIUI 12 and older

Starting with MIUI 12, in safe mode, offline:

• 🎨 All themes and animations Mi Themes
• 🔊 Sound effects and uniform volume (Smart) PA)
• 📡 Background account synchronization

This simplifies the diagnosis, but can be misleading – for example, if the smartphone is warming in normal mode due to Mi Themes, in Safe Mode, there will be no overheating.

HyperOS devices

In the new HyperOS shell (2026), Safe Mode works differently:

• 🔹 Access to Xiaomi Cloud (in the case of the MIUI he passed out)
• 🔹 Weather and clock widgets are working
• 🔹 In the notification curtain there is a button to quickly exit the mode

Models with unlocked loader

On smartphones with unlocked bootloader (for example, after installation) TWRP) Safe Mode can do that:

• 🔧 Do not start using the standard menu (use it). ADB)
• 📱 Conflict with Magisk modules (leads to bootloop)
• 🔄 Requires manual deletion of the file /data/property/persist.sys.safemode exit

Older models (Redmi 4X, Mi A1, etc.)

On devices older than 2018 release:

• 🔹 Safe Mode may not support sensor (button management only)
• 🔹 There is no Safe Mode on the screen (check for no widgets)
• 🔹 Frequent failures when leaving the mode (reflashing is required)

💡

Nana POCO F1 And other devices with the Snapdragon 845 Safe Mode can shut down the cores of the processor, which leads to artificial performance restriction.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Safe Mode on Xiaomi