Safe Mode on Xiaomi: How to Turn on and Use to Diagnose a Device

When a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone starts to slow down, spontaneously reboot or issue errors, the first thing experts recommend is to check its operation in Safe Mode.This diagnostic tool allows you to start the system with a minimum set of drivers and without third-party applications - ideal for detecting software conflicts or malware.

Unlike standard mode, where all installed programs are active, Safe Mode blocks application autoloads, disables widgets, and temporarily deactivates some system functions, which helps determine whether the device's instability is caused by a hardware malfunction or a software failure, for example, if the phone is stable in safe mode, the problem lies in one of the installed applications.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to transition to Safe Mode on Xiaomi devices (including models from 2023-2026), explain how to properly exit mode, and what to do if the smartphone is getting stuck in safe mode and does not respond to commands, and you will find a table of methods compatibility with different versions of MIUI and answers to frequent questions.

What is a Safe Mode on Android and Why You Need It

Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode of the Android operating system that only loads basic system components and drivers. All third-party applications, including launchers, widgets and services, are temporarily disabled.

• 🔍 Identifying applications that cause device freezes or overheating.
• 🛡️ Removing malware that blocks standard settings.
• 🔧 Diagnostics of hardware problems (if failures persist in Safe Mode).
• 📱 Recovery after unsuccessful updates MIUI.

On Xiaomi devices, safe mode is activated in different ways depending on the firmware version and model. For example, smartphones with MIUI 14 and later may not have a classic download menu, but instead use a combination of power and volume buttons.

• 📵 All user applications are disabled (only system applications remain).
• 🔕 The widgets on the main screen do not work.
• 📶 Communication functions may be limited (e.g. mobile internet).
• 🔋 Increases the time of autonomous operation due to the switch off of background activity.

⚠️ Warning: If after going to safe mode, the smartphone stopped responding to touches or buttons, do not try to remove the battery forcefully. + Volume increase (hold 15-20 seconds) for forced reboot.

Method 1: Classic method through the off menu

This is the most versatile way that works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO (including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13 and newer. Suitable for firmware MIUI 12–14.

Step-by-step:

1. Press and hold the power button (lock) until the turn off menu appears.
2. In the window that appears, tap and hold your finger on the “Switch off” (or “Power off”) option.
3. In 2-3 seconds, a pop-up will appear with a suggestion to go to Safe Mode. Confirm the choice by pressing "OK".
4. The device will restart and launch in Safe Mode. In the lower left corner of the screen, the inscription "Safe Mode" (or "Safe Mode") will be displayed.

If the off menu does not appear or there is no option to hold the “off” button, this may mean:

• 🔄 The device has custom firmware installed (for example, LineageOS or Pixel Experience).
• 🔧 In the settings disabled the function of quick access to Safe Mode (solved by resetting settings to factory).
• 📱 The smartphone is in Fastboot or Recovery mode.

Method 2: Hardware buttons (for hanging devices)

If Xiaomi doesn’t respond to touching the screen or the switch-off menu doesn’t appear, you can use a combination of physical buttons, which works even on fully “hanged” devices, but requires accurate time intervals.

Instructions for most models:

1. Turn off the smartphone (if it does not respond – hold the power button for 10-15 seconds to force shutdown).
2. After completely switching off, press and hold the power button.
3. As soon as the MI (or Redmi/POCO) logo appears on the screen, immediately press the volume button and hold it until the system is fully loaded.
4. Release both buttons when the “Safe Mode” appears on the screen.

On some models (such as Xiaomi 12T or Redmi K50), instead of the volume button, you can use a volume button. If the first option does not work, repeat the procedure with a different button.

⚠️ Note: On bootloader devices, the hardware method may cause Fastboot to run instead of Safe Mode. In this case, use the fastboot reboot safe-mode command via PC.

Method 3: Through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work (for example, on custom firmware or after a failed update), you can activate Safe Mode via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and installing MIUI ROM Flasher or Platform Tools.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Platform Tools on PC.
2. Turn on your smartphone to debug via USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additional → For developers).
3. Connect the device to the PC through USB-cable (use the original Xiaomi cable for a stable connection).
4. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools.
5. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is determined, execute: adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED Next: adb shell settings put global safe_mode 1
6. Reboot your smartphone with the command: adb reboot

Once the device is restarted, it will start in Safe Mode. To return normal mode, repeat the command by replacing 1 with 0:

adb shell settings put global safe_mode 0

This method is particularly useful if:

• 🔧 On the smartphone installed unofficial firmware (for example, xiaomi.eu).
• 📱 The screen does not respond to touch, but USB-debugging is on.
• 🔄 You need to force the device to Safe Mode without using buttons.

💡

If the adb device command doesn’t find the device, try reinstalling Xiaomi drivers. USB Drivers or using other drivers USB-port (preferably) USB 2.0).

Method 4: Through Recovery Mode (for power users)

If Xiaomi’s smartphone doesn’t boot in normal mode (for example, after a failed update or reset), you can try activating Safe Mode via Recovery.This method requires caution, as improper actions can lead to a data reset.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press the power and volume buttons simultaneously until the MI logo appears (usually 5-10 seconds).
3. Release the buttons when the Recovery Mode menu appears (some models need to select a language).
4. Use the volume buttons for navigation and the power button to select "Reboot to Safe Mode" (or similar).
5. Confirm the reset.

If your Recovery doesn’t have a Safe Mode option, you can try an alternative way:

1. From the Recovery menu, select “Wipe & Reset” → “Wipe Cache”.
2. Go back to the main menu and select “Reboot” → “Reboot to System”.
3. Immediately after the start of the download, press the volume reduction button (as in Method 2).

⚠️ Note: You can’t select Wipe Data or Factory Reset options from the Recovery menu unless you back up your data.

How to get out of Safe Mode on Xiaomi

In most cases, the Safe Mode exit is automatically after a normal reboot, but if the smartphone remains safe after the reboot, try the following methods:

Method 1: Standard Resetting

1. Press and hold the power button.
2. In the off menu, select “Reboot” (or “Restart”).
3. After restarting, the device should return to normal mode.

Method 2: Forced exit through buttons

If the standard reboot does not help:

1. Turn off your smartphone (hold the power button for 10-15 seconds).
2. After completely switching off, press and hold the power button to turn on.
3. Immediately after the MI logo appears, press and hold the volume button until the system is fully loaded.

Method 3: Through Notification (MIUI 13–14)

New firmware versions may show a message in the notification bar about working in Safe Mode, tap it and select "Get out of Safe Mode."

Method 4: Resetting settings (extreme case)

If the smartphone is constantly booting into Safe Mode and other methods are not helping, it may be that the system files are corrupted.

1. Make a backup of the data through Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Reset All Settings (not to be confused with Reset to Factory, which will delete all data).

💡

If the smartphone boots again after leaving Safe Mode in this mode, this may indicate damage to the system partition, in which case only flashing through Fastboot or contacting the service center will help.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When working with safe mode on Xiaomi, users often encounter typical errors, and let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔋 Battery level (should be) > 20%).
• 🔌 Correction USB-cable and port (when used) ADB).
• 📱 Physical injuries (for example, after a fall).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions