How to disable the administrator of the device on Xiaomi: 5 working ways

The device administrator on Xiaomi smartphones is a special status that applications receive to manage security, screen lock or corporate policies. Most often, users face this problem after installing antivirus (Avast, Kaspersky), parental control applications (Google Family Link) or corporate ones. MDM-Suddenly you find that you can't uninstall the program, reset the password, or even reset the settings -- the system requires you to disable the administrator's permissions first.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to remove the administrator of a device on Xiaomi (including the Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models) running MIUI 12-14. From simple methods through settings to radical solutions like factory reset or using ADB. We will pay special attention to typical errors that may not disable administrator rights, and explain why some applications (for example, Find My Device from Google) can not be removed completely.

Why you can’t just remove the administrator app

When a program gets device administrator privileges, it integrates into Android security at the kernel level.

• 🔒 Blocks standard deletion – the button “Delete” in the settings of the application becomes inactive.
• 🔄 Critical actions are prohibited: password reset, disabling Find My Device, changing encryption settings.
• 🛡️ The app can intercept commands — for example, block reset attempts through Recovery.

Xiaomi is getting more complicated due to the MIUI features:

• 📱 In some versions of the firmware, the device administrator menu is hidden in the depth of the settings.
• 🔧 Xiaomi apps (such as Mi Cloud or Security) can automatically restore administrator rights after a reboot.
• ⚠️ After updating MIUI Some system applications receive administrator rights without notifying the user.

⚠️ Note: If the device is managed by Google Find My Device, disabling it will make it impossible to find the phone through Google services in the event of theft. Before deleting, make sure you have an alternative tracking method (e.g. Mi Cloud).

Method 1: Disconnect via MIUI settings (the easiest)

If the administrator application is not system-based (for example, Avast or Cerberus), try to remove its rights through the standard menu:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Special Access (or Advanced Settings in older versions of MIUI).
3. Select Device Administrators (in some firmware, the item is called Device Management).
4. Find the desired application in the list and uncheck the tick opposite it.
5. Confirm the action by clicking Deactivate or Disable.

If the Device Administrators item is not on the menu, try an alternative path:

Settings → Passwords and security → Privacy → Special access → Device administrators

Close all background applications

Connect your phone to charge (in case of hanging)

Make sure you have a backup of the data.

Remember the password from your Mi Account (may be required to confirm)-->

⚠️ Note: On some models POCO (for example, POCO X3 Pro) after the administrator is disabled, the system may require input PIN-code SIM-Check the maps, even if they haven't been installed. PIN used in your SIM.

Method 2: Remove via Safe Mode (if the application blocks settings)

If the administrator application blocks access to settings (e.g., Clean Master or enterprise) MDM-Solutions, start your phone in Safe Mode. In this mode, all third-party applications are disabled, but system settings remain available.

How to run Safe Mode on Xiaomi:

1. Press the power button before the turn off menu appears.
2. Press the finger to turn off (or turn off power) and hold for 3-5 seconds.
3. You will be asked to reboot in Safe Mode – confirm.

In Safe Mode:

• 🔹 Go to Settings. → Apps and find a problem application.
• 🔹 Open its page and tap Delete (if the button is active) or first uninstall the administrator rights (as in Method 1).
• 🔹 Restart your phone in normal mode.

💡

If Safe Mode doesn’t start, try an alternative method: turn off your phone, then press the Power + Volume buttons down until the MI logo appears. In the recovery menu, select Reboot to Safe Mode (if there is one).

Method 3: Use of ADB (for power users)

If the application is not removed through settings and even in Safe Mode, the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) option remains, which requires connecting the phone to the computer and basic command line knowledge.

Step 1: Preparation

• 🖥️ Install. ADB and Fastboot Tools on PC.
• 📱 On the phone, activate Developer Mode: go to Settings → About the phone and tap 7 times on the item Version MIUI.
• 🔧 Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers and enable debugging by USB.

Step 2: Connect and commands:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Mac/Linux) and type:

adb devices

If the phone appears in the list, run the command to disable the administrator (replace com.example.app with the app package):

adb shell dpm remove-active-admin com.example.app/administrator component

To find out the exact application package, use:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "appendix name"

⚠️ Note: Disabling the administrator for com.miui.cloudservice may result in loss of connection with your Mi Account. After that, you will not be able to use Mi Cloud, Find Device and other Xiaomi services until you re-authorize.

Google Find My Device

Antivirus (Avast, Kaspersky, etc.)

Corporate MDM (Intune, MobileIron)

Parental Controls (Family Link)

Other (write in the comments)-->

Method 4: Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

If none of these methods work, then you have to do hard reset, which is to completely reset your phone to factory settings, and this method will delete all the data, including photos, messages, and apps, so only use it as a last resort.

How to reset:

1. Back up your important data (via Settings → About Phone → Backup or manually).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data (or delete everything in new MIUI versions).
4. Enter the password from your Mi Account (if requested) and confirm the reset.

If the phone is locked and does not let you into the settings, reset via Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Power + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. In the recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (manage volume buttons, confirm – power button).

💡

After resetting the phone may require re-authorization in the account Mi. If you forgot the password, restore it to account.xiaomi.com - otherwise you risk getting a "brick".

Method 5: Remove via TWRP (for hard-wired phones)

If your Xiaomi has custom recovery (TWRP) installed, you can manually remove the admin application through the file manager, a method that is suitable for advanced users, as it requires working with system files.

Instructions:

1. Load your phone to TWRP (Put Power + Volume Up when the phone is off).
2. Select Advanced → File Manager.
3. Go to the folder. /data/system and find the files: device_policies.xml device_owners.xml (if)

Delete these files (or edit them by deleting the lines with the problematic application package).

Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: Delete files in /data/system This can cause unstable phone performance, including Google or Xiaomi account sync errors. TWRP (Backup → Select Partitions → Data).

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even following the instructions, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common errors and ways to fix them:

Important: If you activate the Mi Account Lock feature on your phone, you will need to enter the username and password from the Mi Account that was tied before the reset, and without this data, you will not be able to unlock the phone — even in the service center.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions