Where to unlock Xiaomi phone if you forget your password

The situation of the owner of Xiaomi smartphone forgetting the password is much more common than it seems. The lock screen is designed to protect personal data, but sometimes becomes an insurmountable barrier for the user. Instead of the usual access to contacts and applications, you see only a field for entering code that you can not remember. Fortunately, the Android operating system and the MIUI shell provide several scenarios for this case.

The choice of the specific method depends on the firmware version, whether you have a Mi Account attached, and the debugging settings enabled. It is important to understand that most ways to restore access involve a complete reset of user data. This is a necessary security measure to protect information from unauthorized persons who found the device, so before starting any manipulations, you should weigh all the risks and try to remember the combination again.

In this article, we will take a look at all the current ways to bypass screen locking on Redmi and Poco smartphones. We will look at both standard recovery tools and more complex methods that require a connection to a computer. You will learn exactly where to unlock a phone if you forgot your password, and what steps you need to take to bring the gadget back to life.

Using a Mi Account to Reset a Lock

The easiest and most secure way to restore access is only possible if the device has logged in to Mi Account and enabled Find Device. In older versions of the MIUI shell (before version 9 or 10 of the global version), it was possible to reset the password directly through the lock screen after several failed attempts to enter.

If your phone is connected to the network, you can try to log in to your account via a browser on another device. Go to the official Xiaomi Cloud website and log in with the same data as on the locked smartphone. From the device management menu, select the lock or unlock option. Sometimes the system allows you to set a new temporary password that will unlock the screen.

⚠️ Note: This method only works when an active internet connection is on a locked phone. If the gadget does not have access to Wi-Fi or a mobile network, the remote command will not be executed.

It’s worth noting that the “magic” button for unlocking through the cloud in 2026-2026 is not worth hoping for. The company’s privacy policy has been tightened, and now priority is given to local data security. However, checking the cloud service is the first step that does not require technical skills and does not lead to file loss if the feature works.

Resetting settings via Recovery Mode

The most versatile method, which works on 99% of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices, is to enter Recovery Mode, which allows you to perform Hard Reset, a complete reset of the device to factory settings, during which all user data, including photos, contacts, apps and, most importantly, a forgotten password or pattern lock, is erased.

To enter recovery mode, you need to turn off your smartphone completely. Then simultaneously press the volume button and the power button. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, after which the power button can be released while holding the volume key. The Recovery menu will appear on the screen, which is controlled by volume buttons (up/down) and confirmation of the choice of the power button.

From the Recovery menu, select a language (usually English), then go to Wipe Data. The system will warn you that all data will be deleted. Confirm the action by selecting Wipe All Data. Once the process is complete, the phone will prompt you to return to the main menu (Back to Main Menu) and reboot. The first download can take up to 10 minutes.

Unlocking through Google’s Find My Device service

An alternative to the Mi cloud is Google’s standard Find My Device service, which is relevant if you have a Google account login, geolocation enabled, and Internet access enabled, which previously could be used to remotely change your screen lock password, but has been removed for security reasons in modern Android versions.

Now the main function of the service is to remotely clean the device: go to android.com/find from any computer or other smartphone. log in to the Google account that was used on the blocked Xiaomi. From the list of devices, select the desired model and click on the “Erase Device” button.

Once you get the command, the phone will reset to factory settings, and the lock password will be deleted along with all the data, a good way of doing this is that it doesn't require knowing the button combinations and logging into the Recovery menu, but it's useless if the phone is off or in aerial mode.

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Useful tip: Always keep the device search feature enabled in your Google and Mi Account settings, which is the only guarantee that you can remotely control your smartphone in a critical situation.

Use of Fastboot Mode and Computer

Fastboot Mode is a low-level diagnostic interface built into Qualcomm and MediaTek-based devices that can reflash the device, unlock the bootloader, or, in some rare cases, reset the data partition if standard Recovery doesn’t work. A PC will be required to work in this mode, USB-cable and installed drivers ADB/Fastboot.

To log into Fastboot on Xiaomi, turn off your phone and press the volume down and power button at the same time. The screen will show an image of a rabbit repairing an android labeled FASTBOOT. Connect the device to your computer. Next, you can try sending a reset command via the command line, although modern versions of MIUI often block direct recording to the userdata section without an unlocked bootloader.

fastboot erase userdata

Executing this command in the computer command line (with the phone connected in Fastboot mode) can lead to the deletion of the user partition. However, if the bootloader is blocked (which is the standard for most users), the system will give an error. Unlock Bootloader requires a separate procedure through the official Mi Unlock site and wait 7-168 hours, which in a situation with a forgotten password can be too long.

⚠️ Attention: Inexperienced use of Fastboot commands can cause the device to fail completely ("brick"). If you are not sure about your actions, it is better to limit the Recovery menu.

Service centers and specialized software

If the software methods do not help, or you are afraid to harm the device, you can contact professionals. Xiaomi official service centers can unlock the phone, but only if you present documents confirming the purchase (check, warranty card, IMEI box), This is done in order to prevent theft of the device.

There are also a variety of third-party password reset software, such as Mi Unlock Tool (the official bootloader unlock utility), Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools, or commercial solutions like Dr.Fone. The effectiveness of such software varies, often simply automating the process of logging in to Recovery and resetting data, which you can do yourself for free.

In complex cases, when not only the screen is blocked, but also the Mi Account after the reset (FRP lock), paid service boxes (Dongle) and skilled wizards may be required. They can bypass the protection at the iron level or reflash the phone with a change in IDs, but this is a complex technical procedure.

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Contacting the service is the only legal way to unlock your phone without losing data if you have checks, but software methods are powerless.

Reset Protection (FRP) and Important Nuances

Once you run Hard Reset through Recovery or Fastboot, you'll run into FRP (Factory Reset Protection), a Google mechanism that requires you to enter a login and password from a Google account that was synced to the phone before the reset, so that the thief who stole the phone can't just dump it and use it as new.

If you remember your Google account, it's not a problem. Just enter the data when you first set up. If you forget both your phone password and your Google email password, it gets complicated. Restoring access to your Google account is a separate process that you have to go through the Google Support Site.

You also need to remember to link to your Mi Account, and when you reset, your phone will require you to enter your Mi Account password if you have "Find the Device" enabled, and you won't be able to activate your phone without that, so before you panic and bring your phone to the service, try to remember or restore access to your accounts, not just the unlock code.