Xiaomi Redmi series smartphones have always been famous for their price-performance ratio, but the software limitations of MIUI often do not allow you to unlock the full potential of iron. Getting root rights to Redmi 8 is not just a way to remove preinstalled software, but also the ability to deep customize the system, install special modules and expand the functionality of the camera.
The procedure for obtaining superuser rights requires careful and accurate follow-up of instructions, since there are certain risks involved in interfering with the system partition. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the entire path from unlocking the bootloader to the final setting of Magisk for privilege management.
Before you start, you need to realize that you are acting at your own risk. Any manipulation of the bootloader and system files can lead to a loss of warranty or, in the worst case, turn the device into a brick. However, if you follow the algorithm, the Xiaomi Redmi 8 is easily modified thanks to a developed community of developers.
Preparation of the device and necessary tools
The success of the operation depends on 90% of the quality of preparation. You will need not only the smartphone itself, but also a working computer running Windows, as well as a quality computer. USB-A cable that can transmit data, not just charge the battery, and the first step is to activate hidden functions in the developer menu.
Go to Settings → About Phone and click 7 times on MIUI Version until you notice that you have become a developer. After that, a new section for developers will appear in the expanded settings menu, where you need to enable USB debugging and OEM unlocking.
- 📱 Charge your smartphone to at least 60% to avoid suddenly shutting down at a critical moment.
- 💾 Make a full backup of important data, as unlocking the bootloader will completely clear the memory.
- 🔌 Install the drivers. ADB and Fastboot on your computer.
⚠️ Warning: Unlocking the bootloader officially erases all user data. Make sure you save contacts, photos and documents to the cloud or external media before starting the procedure.
☑️ Rooting readiness check
Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock
The most difficult stage for many users is the waiting and the procedure of unlocking Bootloader. Xiaomi has introduced a time limit: from the moment of binding to the Mi Account until the moment of unlocking it must take at least 168 hours (7 days).
Download the official Mi Unlock Tool from the developer's website and log in to your account. Connect your phone in Fastboot mode and press Unlock. If the timer has expired, it will take a few minutes.
It is important to understand that after this procedure DRM-Widevine keys may be lowered from L1 before L3, This will result in the loss of the ability to view high-resolution content on some streaming services, and the banking applications will stop working without further manipulation of Magisk.
What if Mi Unlock is 99% locked?
Installation of custom TWRP Recovery
The standard recovery mode does not allow installing third-party zip archives, so we will need TWRP Recovery. There are many builds for Redmi 8 (codenamed olive), but it is recommended to use stable versions that support encryption and work with the data partition.
Download the twrp-3.x.x-x-olive.img image file and place it in the ADB tool folder on your computer. Put your smartphone into Fastboot mode and connect to your PC. Open the command line in the ADB folder and enter a command to check the connection.
fastboot devicesIf the device is displayed, we'll type a command to temporarily load the Recovery, and we don't permanently flash it right away to set root rights first.
fastboot boot twrp-3.x.x-x-olive.imgOnce you download to TWRP, select the language and confirm the permission to make changes (Swipe to Allow Modifications).
- 🔍 Make sure you download the image file (.img) and not the installer (.zip) for the initial download.
- 🛡️ V TWRP Make sure to backup the Boot partitions and DTBO before any changes.
- 📂 Magisk firmware file should be in the phone’s internal memory.
| Parameter | The value for Redmi 8 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Code name | olive / olivelite | Important for firmware search |
| Processor | Snapdragon 439 | Architecture arm64 |
| Fastboot mode | Clip Vol- + Power | The hare indicator in headphones |
| Minimum MIUI | The version is not critical for TWRP |
Magisk installation and obtaining Root rights
Magisk is currently the de facto root access management standard, and its main advantage is the system-based approach.-less A modification that hides rights from banking applications. APK-Magisk file, rename it to magisk.zip (or just use it. APK, if TWRP Allows) and put in the phone memory.
In the TWRP menu, select "Install", find the Magisk file and confirm the swipe installation. After the procedure is complete, click "Reboot System." The first boot process may take more than usual - this is normal, since the system reassembles the boot image.
Once you turn on Android, look for the Magisk icon in the app menu, if it appears, you have successfully obtained the root rights, and you can use the Root Checker app or the status check feature built into Magisk to check.
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Use the “Magisk Hide” or “Zygisk” feature in the app settings to hide root rights from banking apps and Google Pay. Without that, they may refuse to work.
System setup and system debris removal
One of the main goals of rooting is often to clean the system of advertising and unnecessary services. With superuser rights, you can remove system applications that are usually protected from removal. However, extreme caution is needed here: removing critical components of MIUI can lead to a cyclical reboot.
To safely remove, use specialized managers such as System App Remover or Titanium Backup, which label apps with colors, indicando the level of danger of removing them, red apps can not be touched, yellow ones can be removed with caution, green ones can be removed.
You also need to install modules that improve sound performance or allow you to change system fonts and animations, and the module store is built right into the Magisk app, making it easier to find compatible software.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove applications you are not sure about, especially those related to Framework, Security, or Mi Account.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
In the process of rooting, Redmi users 8 They may encounter a number of common errors, most often due to version incompatibility. TWRP And Android, or the wrong sequence, and if the phone goes into a bootloop, you have to go back into the bootloom. TWRP and make a Wipe Data/Format Data.
If the sensor is not working, TWRP, Try using a recovery version specifically labeled “touch fix” or plug in USB-mouse-wise OTG-Wi-Fi or Bluetooth problems after installing custom firmware are solved by flashing the original modem or firmware image.
If you lose your IMEI (which happens when you don't work properly with EFS/Persist partitions), you can only recover if you have a backup of those partitions, so again, backup in TWRP is sacred.
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The main problem for beginners is ignoring the Android version when choosing a TWRP file. Always check which version of Android (9, 10, 11) the recovery version is assembled for.