How to reboot Xiaomi Redmi: from freeze to complete reset

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones are known for their stability, but even they sometimes fail: they hang on the logo, do not respond to touches or start to brake for no apparent reason. 80% of the time, the problem is solved by a banal reboot - but how to do it if the screen does not respond? This article covers all the ways of rebooting for the Redmi line, from safe soft reset to emergency measures for critical failures.

We're going to look at not only the standard methods (via menus or power buttons), but also the little-known techniques, like how to reboot your device through ADB if the sensor is completely off. Separately, we'll focus on the difference between soft reboot and hard reset: the first one saves all the data, and the second one can erase it forever. If your Redmi Note 12 or Redmi 10 turned into a brick, here you will find a solution.

1. When you need a reboot: symptoms and causes

Rebooting is not a cure-all, but a first step in diagnosis, and determine what type of reboot your device needs based on your symptoms.

• 🔄 Soft reboot: phone brakes, apps fly out, but screen responds to touch. 9A, Redmi Note 11 and other models with a working interface.
• ⚡ Hard reboot: The screen freezes on the logo MIUI, It doesn't respond to buttons, or it overheats. K50 faultlessly.
• 🚨 Factory reset: The phone cycles to restart, the system doesn't boot, or you forget the pattern lock.This method erases all data, including photos and contacts, if there was no backup.

Frequent reasons that require reboot:

• 📱 RAM overload: 20 open simultaneously+ Browser tab and 5 heavy games (e.g. Genshin Impact on Redmi Note 10 Pro).
• 🔋 Critical battery discharge: if the phone is turned off at 0% and does not turn on after charging.
• 🛠️ Failed Update: After installing a new version MIUI via the phone → System update device got stuck.
• 🦠 Virus Software: Third-party applications from unknown sources can block the system.

⚠️ Note: If the phone reboots spontaneously every 5-10 minutes, the problem may be in the hardware (for example, the battery plume on the Redmi 8 leaves.

2. Soft reboot: step-by-step instructions

This is the safest way to do this, and it doesn't affect user data, and it's suitable for most situations where the phone is just slowing down or glitching.

Method 1: Through the Menu

1. Press and hold the power button (on the right side of the device) for 2-3 seconds.
2. In the menu that appears, select Reboot (or Restart in English firmware).
3. Confirm the action if necessary.

Method 2: Through the notification panel (relevant to MIUI 12-14):

1. Swipe your finger down from the top of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Click on the food icon (⚡) top-right.
3. Select Reboot.

Method 3: Voice assistant (if the sensor is working but the menu is not open):

1. Activate Google Assistant with a voice command: “OK Google, reboot your phone.”
2. Confirm the action by voice or on screen.

Close all important applications (banks, instant messengers)

Connect your phone to charge if the charge is below 20%

Save open documents or browser tabs

Make sure that SIM-The card is inserted correctly (relevant to Redmi). 12C draw-tray)

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If the problem persists after a soft reboot (e.g., the Redmi A2 is still slowing down), move on to the following methods.

3. Forced reboot: if the phone doesn't respond

This is used when the screen is frozen, the sensor is not working, or the device is not responding to commands. Hard reboot does not erase data, but interrupts all processes, so it is undesirable to use it for no reason.

Instructions for most Redmi models (2018-2026):

1. Hold them for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out and the phone vibrates.

Features for older models:

• 📱 Redmi 4/5/Note 4: Use a combination of food + volume-reducing.

⚠️ Attention: Redmi Note 11 Pro+ and newer models with MIUI 14 Forced Reboot can cause Orange State to be checked. That's fine - wait for the automatic reboot (it takes up to 5 minutes).

Once a week.

Once a month

Only after critical failures

Never had to.

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4.Reboot via ADB: If the sensor is not working

If the screen responds to touch, but the power menu does not open (for example, due to a failure in MIUI Launcher), you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

What you need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original, as cheap cables may not transmit data).
• ⚙️ Included debugging by USB in the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB.
2. Open the command prompt (Win + R → enter cmd) and go to the folder with ADB:

cd C:\platform-tools

1. Check the connection of the device:

adb devices

If the phone is recognized, you'll see its serial number. If it's not, check the drivers or the cable.

1. Run the reboot command:

adb shell reboot

For forced reboot (similar to hard reboot) use:

adb shell "echo 1 > /sys/power/state"

💡

If ADB doesn’t recognize the device, try reconnecting the cable, enabling File Transfer on your phone, or reinstalling drivers via the Mi PC Suite.

5.Reboot in Fastboot and Recovery mode

If the soft and forced rebukes didn't work, the next step is special boot modes, which allow you not only to restart the device, but also to install firmware or reset.

How to log in to Fastboot:

1. Turn off the phone (if it doesn’t respond, do a hard reboot like in Section 3).
2. Press the power + volume reduction for 5-7 seconds.
3. Release the buttons when the image of the rabbit in the eardress hat appears (Fastboot logo).)

How to log in to Recovery:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the power + increase the volume for 5-10 seconds.
3. Release the buttons when the menu with MIUI Recovery appears.

What to do next:

• 🔄 In Fastboot, you can flash your phone through the Mi Flash Tool (requires a PC and official firmware).
• 🧹 In Recovery, select Reboot. → System for normal reboot or Wipe Data for reset (deletes all data!).
• 📥 To install the update via Recovery, download the firmware (.zip) to the memory card and select Install. update.zip.

6.Reset to factory settings: a last resort

If the phone is cyclically restarted, not turned on or locked with a pattern lock, a full reset may be required.This method deletes all data, including photos, messages and installed apps. If you did not have a backup in the Mi Cloud or on your PC, it will be impossible to restore it.

Method 1: Recovery (if the phone is turned on):

1. Enter Recovery (see Section 5).
2. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (control – volume buttons, confirmation – power button).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 3-5 minutes).
4. Select Reboot → System.

Method 2: Fastboot (if Recovery is not available):

1. Connect your phone to your PC in Fastboot mode.
2. Open the command line and do:

fastboot erase userdata


fastboot erase cache




fastboot reboot

Method 3: Through Mi Cloud (if the phone is lost or stolen):

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Select the device in the list and click Erase Data.
3. Confirm the action via SMS or email.

⚠️ Note: Redmi with MediaTek chip (e.g. Redmi) 10C or Redmi A1) Fastboot reset can block the bootloader, in which case you will need to log in to the Mi Account after the reset.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

The wrong steps in rebooting can make the problem worse, as here are the typical Xiaomi Redmi user mistakes and how to avoid them:

• ❌ Interrupting the reset process: If you start Wipe Data in Recovery, don’t turn off your phone, even if it’s longer than 10 minutes. On the Redmi Note 11, with more memory, it can take up to 20 minutes to reset.

How to check if the reboot has been successful:

• 📱 The phone booted to the desktop without cyclical reboots.
• 🔋 The battery charge is displayed correctly (if there was a failure with the indication before the reboot).
• 📶 Mobile and Wi-Fi Connect Automatically.
• 🔊 Sound and vibration work (check by turning on music).

1. Free space in memory (Settings → Storage).

2. CPU Temperature (use the CPU Monitor app).

3. Viruses (scan through Google Play Protect).

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FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions