Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones face the need to clean up the device, whether it’s because they sell it, transfer it to another user, or want to fix software bugs that have accumulated over a long period of use. Hard Reset is a radical, but often the only effective way to restore the system to its pristine cleanliness and performance.
The process of deleting all data is irreversible, so it needs to be approached consciously. Unlike just deleting apps or cleaning cache, a complete reset erases everything: contacts, photos, instant messengers and usernames from accounts. The MIUI (or HyperOS) shell has built-in security mechanisms that can lock the phone after a reset if you don't perform pre-preparedness.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all existing methods of returning to the original state, explain the difference between soft and hard reset, and pay special attention to the security of the Mi Account and Google account. Properly performing each step ensures that the device is ready for a new life or clean update installation without unnecessary problems.
Preparation of the smartphone before the procedure of resetting
Before you start the formatting process, it is critical to save all the valuable data. Once you press the final recovery button, you will not be able to access files without special and expensive recovery procedures, which are not always effective. Backup is the only way to secure your memories and work information.
Special attention should be paid to accounts. Android and Xiaomi use cloud-based security to protect against theft. If you just drop your phone without untieing your device, the new owner may face activation locks and you lose access to remote control of the gadget.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure the battery is at least 50-60%. Sudden power outage during system partition formatting can damage the bootloader and turn the smartphone into a “brick».
It is recommended to check in advance for backups in the cloud Google Drive and Mi Cloud, and it is also worth manually transferring important documents to a computer or external drive, since cloud services have restrictions on the amount of free storage.
☑️ Checklist before reset
Method 1: Reset via the standard settings menu
The safest and easiest way for every user to use is to use a regular operating system interface, which is suitable for situations where the smartphone is turned on, the screen is responsive to touch, and you have access to the menu. The algorithm for actions in different versions of MIUI may vary slightly, but the overall logic remains the same.
You need to open the Settings app and scroll down to the bottom. You're interested in the About Phone section. This is where the basic device information and the tools for managing system settings are concentrated. In some firmware versions, the item you want to see can be called Advanced Settings.
Inside the section, look for “Erase all data” and the system will alert you that all data will be deleted. This usually displays a list of what to destroy: apps, system settings, music and files. The “Clear everything” function starts the process of preparing for the reboot.
Once confirmed, the system will ask you to enter a screen unlock password or a pattern lock, a security measure that prevents unauthorized people from accidentally or maliciously resetting the settings, and once you enter the password, the countdown will begin, and the phone will reboot to perform the cleanup.
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If the phone thinks long before resetting, don't panic.The system checks for encrypted data and prepares partitions for formatting, which can take a few minutes.
Method 2: Use Recovery (Hard Reset)
If the smartphone is frozen, does not respond to touch or can not boot the operating system, the Recovery Mode mode comes to the rescue. This is a low-level environment built into the memory of the device that allows you to perform diagnostic and recovery operations regardless of the state of the main OS.
To enter this mode, you need to turn the device off completely, then you need to press the key combination: usually a Volume Up and a Power button, hold them simultaneously until the Mi or Redmi logo appears, after which the power button can be released, while keeping the volume still.
In the Recovery menu, you can control the volume buttons (up/down), and the power button confirms the choice. You need to find the Wipe Data item. Depending on the version of Recovery, this item can be located in the submenu or immediately accessible. Select Wipe All Data for complete removal.
The system will request confirmation, often requiring you to select Confirm or enter the word "yes" (in some engineering menus). Once confirmed, the wiping process will begin. Upon completion, the message "Data wiped successfully" will appear, and you will need to select Reboot -> Reboot to System.
| Action. | Combination of buttons / Menu item | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance to Recovery | Vol Up + Power | Launch of the recovery regime |
| Selection of a paragraph | Volume buttons | Moving the cursor |
| Confirmation | Power button | Execution of the team |
| Reboot. | Reboot to System | Launch of cleaned OS |
What happens if Recovery does not open?
The Importance of Detachment of Mi and Google Accounts
One of the most common mistakes is ignoring tied accounts before resetting. Xiaomi's modern smartphones feature a "Find Device" feature that tightly ties the gadget to the owner's account. Once reset and turned on, the phone will require you to enter a password from the last used account.
If you forget your password or don't untie your device in advance, your smartphone will turn into a useless piece of plastic and metal for the new owner.This is anti-Theft mechanism, and it's almost impossible to circumvent it in legal ways without the owner's data. Mi Account and Google Account should be removed from the list of trusted devices.
To unplug through the settings, go to Accounts and Sync. Select Mi and click Delete Account. Repeat the same procedure for a Google account, and only after both accounts are successfully removed from the list can you safely reset.
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Deleting your account from settings before reset is a prerequisite for transferring your phone to another person, without which the new user will not be able to activate the device.
If the device is sold, the buyer will be extremely uncomfortable with the requirement of a password, since the honesty and technical literacy of the seller saves time and nerves to all parties to the transaction, and it ensures that your personal data will not remain in the memory of the device.
Data recovery after complete reset
Once the phone reboots, you'll see a welcome screen, like when you first turn on a new device, select a language, connect to Wi-Fi, and log in to your Google account, and logging into the same account that backed up the phone will trigger the recovery process.
The system will offer to restore applications and data from the Google Drive cloud, which can take a considerable time, especially if you have a lot of applications, and the automatic installation will only affect those programs that are in the Play Market store.
To restore contacts, calendar and notes, it is enough to simply wait for the sync to end in the background. Photos and videos, if they were saved to Google Photos or Mi Cloud, will also appear in the gallery after logging in to the corresponding applications.
- 📲 Sign in to your Google account when you first set up.
- ☁️ Select a backup copy from the list of offered (by date).
- 📲 Wait for the list of applications from the Play Market to download.
- 🔐 Enter account passwords to recover data within apps.
It is important to understand that files that were not synced to the cloud (such as uploaded files from Telegram, local documents) cannot be recovered, which is why manual backup on a computer remains the “gold standard” of information security.
Typical problems and ways to solve them
Users may experience a cyclic bootloop, where the phone constantly displays the logo and reboots, which may indicate damage to system files or conflict updates.
Another common problem is the lack of response to touch after recovery, in which case it helps to force reboot (hold the power button 10-15 seconds) or re-enter Recovery and clear the cache (Wipe Cache), if this option is available in your version.
⚠️ Note: If after a reset, the phone requires a password from a Mi Account that you do not remember, access restoration is possible only through the official procedure on the i.mi.com website.
In some cases, especially on custom firmware or after unsuccessful root rights experiments, a standard reset may not delete all data, then a deeper cleaning through Fastboot mode using a computer and the Mi Flash Tool utility is required, but this is the level of advanced users.
And it's also worth mentioning that when the phone is reset, it's slower than normal. 15-30 Minutes of operation, as the system indexes files and optimizes applications in the background».