Xiaomi Redmi series smartphones are deservedly popular due to the balance of price and performance, but even reliable devices sometimes face software failures. When the MIUI interface stops responding to touch or the application freezes dead, the most effective solution is to restart the system. Owners of the Redmi Note 5 (Pro) model often look for ways to perform this procedure, especially if standard methods do not work due to a locking screen.
There are several ways to bring your gadget back to life, from simply pressing a button to using an engineering menu. The choice of the specific method depends on whether the display responds to your actions and whether the Android shell works at least partially. In this article, we will discuss all the options available, including emergency measures for completely dead devices.
It's important to understand that the right sequence of actions helps to avoid personal data loss. Forced reboot doesn't delete your files, unlike a full reset before factory settings. Let's look at how to properly reanimate your device in various situations without risking damage to system files.
Standard Reboot via the Settings Menu
The safest and most appropriate way to turn off or restart the Redmi Note 5 is to use the standard operating system interface, which ensures that all running processes are properly closed and data is saved. If your screen responds to touch, but the system is slow, this is the best way to go.
First, you need to unlock the device and find the Settings icon on your desktop that looks like a gear, and then you need to scroll down to the bottom of the menu that opens, to "About Phone," and that's where the basic system power management functions in the MIUI shell hide.
Inside the About section, in the upper right corner of the screen, there are three vertical dots or menu icons, and if you click on it, you'll see a drop-down list where you want to select the Reboot or Turn off option, and once confirmed, the smartphone will start to shut down.
💡
If the standard menu does not open because of the interface freeze, try pressing the power button for 10-15 seconds to call the forced reboot menu.
Some users prefer to use desktop widgets for quick access to power management. The MIUI shell often pre-installed the Tools widget, which features a memory cleanup and quick reboot button, which is convenient when you need to quickly refresh the system without diving deep into the settings menu.
Using hardware buttons to restart
When the touch screen stops responding or is running with a severe delay, physical control buttons come to the rescue. On the Redmi Note 5 body, the power button is located on the right side of the device. Mechanical action allows you to bypass software locks of the interface.
The classic method is to hold the power button for a long time, you need to hold the power key for 10-15 seconds, at which point the screen will go out, and after a few seconds the Mi or Redmi logo will appear, indicating the start of the operating system boot.
There's also a button combination that triggers the action selection menu. Simultaneously pressing the Volume Up and Power buttons can activate the Recovery menu on some firmware versions, but most often, just a power button is enough for a simple reboot. If a short press locks the screen and a long one does nothing, it's possible that the device's battery is completely drained.
☑️ Button diagnostics
It is worth noting that in new versions of MIUI, the Google Assistant voice assistant can activate the power button by default for a long time. If an assistant appears instead of the off menu, you need to go to the settings, find the “Advanced” → “Buttons and gestures” section and change the long-term action of clicking on “Stop Menu”.
⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to disassemble the Redmi Note 5 case to access buttons if the device is warranty-free.Mechanical damage to keys may be a factory defect.
Forced reset when fully got stuck
When a Xiaomi smartphone completely stops responding to any commands, it's called a "freeze" or "hang," in which case the software methods are powerless and requires a hardware power reset, analogous to removing the battery on older phones.
To perform a hard reboot on the Redmi Note 5, you need to press the power button and hold it much longer than usual — from 20 to 30 seconds. In some cases, the device may vibrate, but the screen will remain black. Do not release the button until you feel a second vibration or see the logo.
If a single-button combination fails, try using a bunch of down-loud + power buttons. Hold them for about 15 seconds at a time. This method often helps you get out of deep sleep or bootloop when the phone gets stuck on the logo.
After a successful forced reboot, the system may suggest sending an error report to developers.This is Android's normal response to an incorrect shutdown.According to submitting a report will help Xiaomi engineers improve firmware stability in future updates.
Enter Recovery and Fastboot Mode
Recovery mode is a special diagnostic environment built into the phone’s memory regardless of the main operating system, which allows you to reset settings, clean the cache or install updates manually, and you can log in even when the main interface is broken.
To get into the Recovery menu on Redmi Note 5, follow the following steps:
- 📱 Turn off your smartphone completely (if it’s on).
- 🔋 Press the “Loudness up” and “Power” buttons at the same time».
- 🚀 Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power button while continuing to keep the volume up.
- 🛠️ Wait for a menu with a few items on a black or orange background.
Recovery navigation is done with volume buttons (up/down) and the power button confirms the choice. Here you can choose Wipe Data for a full reset or Reboot for a normal reboot. Be careful: Wipe All Data will delete all your photos and contacts.
There's also a Fastboot mode that's used to flash the device through the computer, and you need to press the Volume Down and Power buttons on the phone that's off to enter it, and you'll see a picture of a hare in headphones fixing an Android robot, and you'll be able to exit this mode with a long (about 15 seconds) power button.
⚠️ Note: While in the Recovery menu, do not select items whose value you do not know, especially those related to formatting memory partitions.
Automatic Reboot and Task Planner
The MIUI shell has a useful automatic reboot feature on a schedule.It's a great way to keep the Redmi Note 5's performance high without user intervention.Regularly resetting cache and processes helps avoid the accumulation of system debris.
To set up this feature, go to Settings → Battery. In the upper right corner, click on the gear icon to open additional settings. Find “On and Off Planner” or “Scheduled Tasks.”
Here you can set a time, for example, 03:00 a.m., when the phone will automatically turn off and on.
| Parameter | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat. | Days of the week to be completed | Every day. |
| Time off | Time of commencement of the procedure | Night time. |
| Time of inclusion | Moment of completion | In 2-3 minutes. |
| Sound. | Will there be a signal? | No sound. |
Why do you need a night reboot?
Using a scheduler is especially important for devices that run for weeks without turning off, which prolongs the life of the software part of a smartphone and prevents many typical freeze problems.
Solving the Problems of Cyclical Reset
Sometimes, after updating or installing an incompatible application, the Redmi Note 5 may get into a bootloop cycle.The phone constantly shows the logo, goes out and turns on again, in which case a conventional reboot will not help, since the system cannot boot to the end.
The first step is to remove the microSD memory card and SIM-Sometimes a corrupted file on an external medium interferes with the operating system's loading. After extraction, try to force the power button to restart again.
If the problem persists, you may need to reset to factory settings via the Recovery menu.
- 🔌 Connect the phone to the charger (the charge must be more than 50%).
- 🔄 Enter Recovery Mode (Loudness Up) + Nutrition).
- 🗑️ Select the language (English) and the Wipe Data option.
- ✅ Confirm the action and wait for the process to end.
⚠️ Note: Resetting via Wipe Data will permanently delete all data. Use this method only if other methods have not helped.
In the most difficult cases, when the phone does not respond even to buttons, you may need to flash through the computer using the Mi Flash Tool utility. However, this is an advanced method that requires an unlocked bootloader and the presence of the original firmware.
💡
Cyclical reboots are most often caused by system file conflict or update corruption, not hardware breakdown.