The process of obtaining superuser rights on Xiaomi devices often raises a lot of questions, especially when it comes to popular budget models such as the Redmi 8. The smartphone owner seeks to go beyond the standard shell MIUI to remove system debris, install ad blockers at the system level or make a full backup of all data. However, the path to full control of the Android operating system involves certain risks that you need to know about before any manipulation.
Unlike many other manufacturers, it is a policy that requires the bootloader to be unlocked, which is the first and most important step. Without this procedure, further actions such as installing a custom TWRP recap or patching a boot image will be technically impossible. The procedure for unlocking a bootloader on Xiaomi officially takes 7 to 168 hours of waiting from the moment of attaching an account, this is done to protect user data, but significantly complicates the process of modifying the software.
In this article, we will take a closer look at each step needed to successfully obtain root rights on your device. We will look at tool preparation, setting up a developer account, the unlock process itself, and the final installation of the Magisk rights manager. Careful follow-up to the instructions minimizes the likelihood of a smartphone becoming a brick.
Preparation of the device and necessary tools
Before you start to take action, you need to ensure a stable connection between the computer and the smartphone. USB-A cable, preferably original, that came with the device, or a certified analogue that supports data transmission. Cheap charging-only cables can interrupt the firmware process at a critical moment, leading to errors.
The computer also needs to have the current ADB and Fastboot drivers installed. Without them, the computer simply won’t see the smartphone in bootloader mode. Windows users often require manual installation of drivers through Device Manager, while on macOS and Linux they are built into the system or installed through a batch manager.
- 📱 Xiaomi Redmi 8 with a battery charge of at least 60%.
- 💻 Computer or laptop with Windows, macOS or Linux operating system.
- 🔌 Correct. USB-data-couple.
- 🌐 Stable Internet connection on smartphone and PC.
Remember to make a full backup of all important data. The process of unlocking the bootloader will result in the complete removal of all information from the internal drive. Photos, contacts, correspondence in messengers will be destroyed. Use cloud services or transfer files to an external hard drive in advance.
⚠️ Warning: Unlocking the bootloader automatically resets all data on the device to factory settings for security purposes.
Set up a Mi Account and link the device
The Mi Account is the central element of Xiaomi’s ecosystem, and it acts as a digital key that allows or prohibits modifications to system software. You need to register a new account or log in to an existing one through your smartphone’s settings menu. Make sure that your phone number and email are accessed, as a confirmation code may be required.
After authorization, you need to activate the hidden menu for developers. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. The menu will appear “Additional” where you need to find “Developers”. Inside this menu, activate “Debug by USB” and “Factory Unlock”.
The most critical thing is to link the device to the account. In the "Factory Unlock" menu, click "Add Account and Device." The system will request confirmation via SMS. Once the link is successful, the account status and waiting time will appear. You can not log out or reset before the timer expires, otherwise the countdown will begin again.
☑️ Checking before unlocking
There are two types of waiting timers: 360 hours (15 days) and 72 hours (3 days), and 72 hours is usually assigned to active members of the MIUI community or when re-assigned, but you shouldn't count on it.
Unlock Bootloader (Unlock Bootloader)
When the timer is up, you can go to the practical part: download the official Mi Unlock Tool from the manufacturer's website, run the program on behalf of the administrator and log in to the same Mi Account that was linked to the smartphone, which is an important condition: the accounts on the PC and phone must match.
Put your smartphone in Fastboot mode. Turn the device off completely, then press the power and volume buttons at the same time. The screen will show an image of a rabbit repairing an android, or the inscription FASTBOOT. Connect the phone to the computer with a cable.
fastboot devicesType this command into the console to check the connection. If the serial number is displayed, the drivers are working correctly. In Mi Unlock, press the "Unlock" button. There will be a warning about the risks and loss of data, we agree. The process will take a few minutes, after which the phone will restart and begin to clean the data.
What if Mi Unlock is running a 10008 error?
Installation of custom TWRP Recovery
Xiaomi's standard recovery doesn't allow you to install third-party zip archives or get root rights. We'll need a TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project). Find the actual build for the Redmi 8 model (codenamed olives). Using an image for another model is guaranteed to cause a touchscreen failure or a complete system failure.
Upload the.img image file to the ADB tool folder. Put your phone back to Fastboot mode again. In the command line, execute a command to temporarily load the recovery without it constantly firmware (it’s safer to start):
fastboot boot twrp-3.x.x.x-olives.imgAfter loading into TWRP Choose the language (Russian is present) and allow changes by swiping the slider. Now you need to prevent the custom Recovery from being replaced with stock on the first download. Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt or similar patch disabling the integrity check of the boot partition.
| Parameter | Stock Recovery | TWRP Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| ZIP installation | Impossible. | Maybe. |
| Full backup | Just a cloud. | Full copy of sections |
| Cleaning up Data | Complete. | Selective |
| File manager | Absent. | Built-in. |
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If the phone is loaded into stock recovery after installing TWRP, try flashing the image with fastboot flash recovery twrp.img, rather than boot. However, the boot method is often used for Redmi 8, since the recovery partition can be protected.
Install Magisk and get Root rights
The current standard for obtaining superuser rights is Magisk. Unlike the old methods (SuperSU), it works systemless, which allows you to bypass security checks in banking applications and games. APK-Magisk file and rename its extension to.zip, or use the built-in TWRP The installer, if he supports APK.
Download the installation file to the phone's internal memory. From the TWRP menu, select "Install," find the Magisk file, and confirm the swipe installation. After the process is complete, click "Reboot System."
Once you download Android, look for the Magisk icon in the app menu. If it appears, congratulations, you have root access. If the icon is inactive or not, try running the app and let it perform an additional setup with a reboot.
- 🔒 Hide Magisk in the app settings so that banking programs don’t see the root.
- 🔄 Update Magisk through the app, not through TWRP, stability.
- 🛡️ Enable Zygisk in Magisk settings for modules.
⚠️ Note: When updating the firmware MIUI "airborne" (OTA) root rights will be lost and the phone may stop booting. TWRP.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Software modifications rarely go perfectly smoothly for all users, and it is common for a phone to go into a bootloop or stop responding to commands, and one common cause is that the TWRP version is not compatible with the Android firmware version (Android 9, 10 or 11).
If the device is stuck on the Mi logo, try pressing the power and volume button to log into Fastboot, and then flash the stock image recovery via the computer with the fastboot flash recovery.img command (if there is a backup) or simply execute the fastboot reboot command. In more difficult cases, you will need to firmware stock through the Mi Flash Tool utility in Clean All mode.
Users often complain about the work of Widevine. L1. After unlocking the loader, the level of protection DRM fall L3, meaning absence HD-quality in streaming services like Netflix. L1 on an unlocked loader is almost impossible without complex manipulations with dumps, so watch the content in standard quality.
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Unlocked bootloader and root rights give you complete freedom, but permanently reduce the level of security of the system and deprive you of the warranty from the manufacturer.