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

You’ve encountered a message saying “Device is managed by administrator” on your Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO This problem often occurs after installing enterprise applications (e.g., Knox, MobileIron), using parental controls, or activating Find Device mode. Block resetting settings, deleting apps, or even changing passwords.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to disable the administrator on Xiaomi devices under control. MIUI 12-15, including methods through system settings, ADB-Importantly, the procedure differs depending on which application has administrator rights, either standard (Find Device, Mi Account) or third-party (e.g. Microsoft Exchange Services.

Why does Xiaomi have a device administrator?

An active administrator message is not a bug, but an Android security mechanism that alerts users to the presence of advanced apps. On Xiaomi, this can happen for the following reasons:

• 🔒 Activate Find Device in your Mi Account, which automatically receives administrator permissions for remote management.
• 🏢 Installation of enterprise applications (for example, Microsoft Intune, VMware Workspace) ONE) through the work profile.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Enable parental controls through Google Family Link or third-party utilities like Kaspersky Safe Kids.
• 📦 Residual rights after deleting applications. Sometimes uninstallation of a program does not remove administrative authority.
• 🔄 Update MIUI Error-prone when the system incorrectly processes the rights of existing applications.

The most common situation is that the user activated Find Device himself, but forgot about it, or the application was installed by default when setting up the smartphone. In 80% of cases, the problem is solved through standard settings. MIUI useless ADB dump.

Method 1: Disconnect the administrator through settings MIUI

If you have access to your smartphone settings, start with this method. It works for all standard administrators (Find Device, Mi Account, Google Apps Device Policy) and most third-party applications.

The instructions are relevant to MIUI 14/15 (including HyperOS):

1. Open the Settings. → Passwords and security.
2. Scroll down and select Device Administrators (or Special Permissions) → Administrators of the device on new versions).
3. In the list, look for an active-status app (like Find Device or Android Device Policy).
4. Slip it and uncheck it in the top corner of the screen. Confirm it with a password/pattern lock.
5. Reset the device.

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

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Triplets (⋮) → Special Access → Device Administrators

What to do if the switch button is inactive?

• 🔐 For Find Device: first disable the feature in Settings → Mi Account → Find Device, then repeat the steps above.
• 🏢 For enterprise applications: You may need to delete your work profile in Settings → Accounts. → Delete the work profile.
• 🔄 If the application is removed but the rights remain: Use Method 3 (ADB).

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In some models POCO (for example, POCO X5 Pro) the path to the administrators is hidden. To see it, turn on Developer Mode (7 taps on Version). MIUI In About Phone) and activate the option Show all settings in the developer menu.

Method 2: Remove the administrator via Mi Account (for Find Device)

If the administrator is Find Device (a built-in feature of Xiaomi to search for a device), it can be disabled via the Mi Account web interface.

• 🔒 You forgot your smartphone password, but remember your Mi Account.
• 📱 The switch off button in the settings is inactive.
• 🔄 Remotely remove the lock before selling the phone.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com from your computer or other device.
2. Sign in under the same account as on a locked smartphone.
3. Select the Devices tab and find your phone in the list.
4. Press three points (⋮) Next to the device and select Remove Device).
5. Confirm the action. In 5-10 minutes, the administrator's license will be removed.

After deleting the device from your account:

• 🔄 Find Device, Remote Lock and Backup to Mi Cloud will be Unavailable.
• 📱 When you sign in to Mi Account on your phone, you will need to activate Find Device again.
• ⚠️ If your phone is stolen, an attacker can bypass your lock!

Method 3: Disconnect the administrator through ADB (power-user)

If standard methods don’t work and the admin app is removed or unavailable to disable, Android Debug Bridge will help (ADB). This method requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic command line knowledge.

When to use ADB:

• 🔧 Administrator App removed, but rights remain.
• 🔒 The switch off button in the settings is inactive.
• 🏢 You need to delete your corporate profile without accessing your work mail.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB on your computer (e.g. Google’s Platform Tools).
2. On the phone, activate the developer mode (7 taps according to the version) MIUI In About Phone) and turn on Debugging USB developer-menu.
3. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
4. Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with ADB and do:

adb devices

(Your device should show up. If not, check the drivers and allow debugging on your phone.)

adb shell pm list packages -f | grep "admin"

(This command will show you all the applications with administrative permissions. device_admin.)

adb shell dpm remove-active-admin com.xiaomi.finddevice/.device_admin_receiver

(Replace com.xiaomi.findevice with your administrator package. Use this command to Find Device.)

Examples of teams for popular administrators:

If you have administrator rights left after you execute the command, try first to deactivate the application through the adb shell pm disable-user PAKET Applications, then repeat the removal of the administrator.

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Use it. ADB The wrong command can disrupt the system or cause data loss.

Method 4: Bypassing the administrator through Safe Mode

If administrative rights block access to settings (for example, after installing a third-party setting) MDM-Try to boot into Safe Mode, which disables all third-party applications, including administrators.

How to run Safe Mode on Xiaomi:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button before the MI logo appears.
3. Once the logo appears, press and hold the Volume Down button.
4. Release the button when you see the Safe mode label in the lower left corner of the screen.

In Safe Mode:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Device administrators and disable unnecessary applications.
• 🗑️ Remove suspicious programs through Settings → Annexes.
• 🔄 Restart your phone in normal mode.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ It does not work for built-in administrators (Find Device, Mi Account).
• ❌ Some of them MDM-Applications (such as MobileIron) block downloads in Safe Mode.
• ⚠️ Safe Mode disables all third-party applications, including launchers and widgets.

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If Safe Mode doesn’t start, try an alternative way: Hold Volume Up when you turn on your phone. + Power before vibration, then release Power, continuing to hold Volume Up until the recovery menu appears.Select Safe Mode (if available).

Method 5: Complete resetting of settings (last resort)

If none of these methods work, you'll have to reset hard, which will delete all the data from your phone, including the admin apps, but also erase photos, contacts, and settings, and use this as a last resort.

How to reset Xiaomi to factory settings:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the power button. + Volume Up before the logo appears MI.
3. Release the buttons when the Recovery Mode menu appears.
4. Use Volume Down to select Wipe Data (or Factory Reset) and confirm Volume Up.
5. Select Reboot after the reset is complete.

Important nuances:

• 🔒 If the phone was enabled Find Device and tied Mi Account, after reset, you will need to enter account data to unlock (Mi Account Lock).
• 📱 On some models (Redmi Note 12, POCO F5) Recovery resets may not remove corporate profiles. In this case, use Fastboot commands:

fastboot erase userdata


fastboot erase cache




fastboot reboot

What if the administrator stayed after the reset?

⚠️ Note: If after a complete reset, the administrator rights are retained, this means that they are registered in the system section (for example, corporate firmware), in this case, only flashing through Fastboot or Fastboot will help. EDL-Contact the Xiaomi Service Center.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you try to disable the administrator, users often face typical problems, and here's how to solve them:

Tips for preventing problems in the future:

• 🔍 Before installing a new application, check if it requests administrator rights.
• 📱 Regularly review the list of administrators in Settings → Passwords and security.
• 🔄 When selling your phone, always reset and untie your Mi Account.
• 🏢 If you use a work phone, check with IT-How to properly remove your corporate profile.

FAQ: Frequent questions about administrators on Xiaomi