Reset Xiaomi Redmi 9T to factory settings: a complete guide with photos

Xiaomi Redmi 9T is a popular budget smartphone with a balance of performance and price, but even it eventually begins to “brake” due to accumulated debris, conflicting applications or system errors. Resetting to factory settings is a radical but effective way to return the device to performance, eliminate software failures or prepare the phone for sale. However, the wrong hard reset can lead to data loss, blocking the Mi Account account or even “bricking” the device.

In this guide, we will discuss all the working reset methods for the Redmi 9T (including models with MIUI 12/13/14) firmware, explain how to avoid typical errors, and give a checklist for preparing the device.

Reset Preparation: What to Do Before Hard Reset

Resetting to factory settings deletes all user data, including:

• 📱 Contacts, SMS Call log (unless synced with Google or Mi Cloud)
• 📸 Photos, videos and music in internal memory
• 🎮 Save games and customize applications
• 🔑 Passwords from Wi-Fi, accounts in social networks and instant messengers

Before you start, follow the mandatory steps:

Create a backup through Settings → About Phone → Backup |

Sync your contacts with Google Account |

Download important files to PC or cloud |

Make sure battery charge > 50%|

Untie cards and accounts (Google Pay, banking applications) |

Remember the username / password from Mi Account (required after resetting)-->

Critically, if you forget the data from the Mi Account tied to the phone, the reset can block the device! Restore access to the account after a hard reset is more difficult - Xiaomi requires confirmation via email or SMS, and if you lose access to them, the phone will turn into a "brick".

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If you are selling Redmi 9T, be sure to log out of Mi Account after the reset in Settings → Xiaomi Account → Sign out. The new owner will not be able to use the phone until he logs in to your account!

Method 1: Reset via the settings menu (soft reset)

The easiest and safest method is to reset directly from a working system.

• ✅ The phone is turned on and reacts to touch.
• ✅ No critical failures (e.g., logo getting stuck)
• ✅ You remember the pattern lock or PIN-code

Instructions:

1. Open the settings (cog icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the About Phone section. → Backup and reset.
3. Select Resetting → Erase all data.
4. When you request, enter PIN-code.
5. Confirm the action by pressing Erase Everything.

It takes 3-5 minutes. The phone will reboot and suggest that you configure the system as new. If Redmi 9T requires you to enter a password from the previous Mi Account after reset, use the data that indicated when you first turned on the device.

Method 2: Hard Recovery Mode (if the phone doesn't turn on)

If your smartphone is stuck on the MI logo, reboots cyclically or doesn’t respond to buttons, use Recovery Mode, which works even in severe software failures, but requires precise steps to be followed.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone (press Power + Volume up for 10 seconds).
2. Keep Power + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. Release the power button, but keep Volume up until you see the Recovery menu.
4. With volume buttons, select Wipe Data (or Clear Data in newer versions of MIUI).
5. Confirm the choice by pressing Nutrition.
6. Select Wipe All Data and confirm it again.
7. Once you have finished, select Reboot → Reboot to System.

Through the settings menu |

Through Recovery Mode|

Through PC (Mi Flash Tool) |

Never dropped it.-->

Attention! Recovery menu on Redmi 9T may not have the usual touch input, and only the volume (up/down) and power (select) buttons can control it.

• 🧹 — Wipe Data (cleaning up)
• 🔄 — Reboot (reboot)
• 📱 — Connect with MiAssistant (for PC connection)

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If the phone requires a password after resetting via Recovery and you don’t remember it, the only way out is to unlock it through Mi Account at account.xiaomi.com.

Method 3: Reset via Mi Flash Tool (for power users)

This method is used in extreme cases where:

• 🔧 The phone does not turn on or enter Recovery
• 🐢 Firmware is damaged (for example, after a failed update)
• 🔒 You need to delete Mi Account without password (requires unlocking the bootloader)

The work will require:

• 💻 Windows computer 7/10/11
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original)
• 📦 Mi Flash Tool Programming
• 📄 Firmware for Redmi 9T (Download from the official Xiaomi website)

Step-by-step:

1. Unpack the firmware archive into a folder without Cyrillic characters (e.g., C:\ROM\redmi9t).
2. Install the Mi Flash Tool and drivers (they come with the package).
3. Turn off the phone and put it in Fastboot mode: pinch Power + Volume down.
4. Connect Redmi 9T to your PC. Android Bootloader Interface should appear in the Device Manager.
5. In the Mi Flash Tool, click Select and specify the path to the firmware folder.
6. Select Clean All mode and press Flash.
7. Wait for the process to be completed (5-10 minutes) and the phone will reboot automatically.

Warning: Using the Mi Flash Tool without experience is fraught with:

⚠️ Warning: Wrong firmware (for example, for another model or region) will turn Redmi into a new product. 9T Always check the name of the firmware file, which must contain the code lime (codename Redmi). 9T). An example of a correct name: lime_global_images_V12.5.1.0.RJCMIXM_20210315.0000.00_11.0_global.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users face challenges, and consider typical scenarios and solutions:

Advice for Redmi 9T owners with custom firmware: if you have installed unofficial software (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), a reset via standard Recovery can lead to a freeze.

1. Install Custom Recovery (TWRP)
2. Backup the current firmware.
3. Run Wipe → Format Data (enter yes to confirm).

What to do after resetting: setup and optimization

After a successful reset, Redmi 9T will offer to go through the initial setup.

• 🔄 Update the firmware: go to Settings → The phone. → Update the system and install the latest version MIUI.
• 🛡️ Set up security: Turn on Google Play Protect in Google Settings.Install PIN-Activate Find Device in Mi Cloud.
• 🗑️ Limit background activity: in Settings → Battery → Background Limiting Disable Unnecessary Applications.
• 📵 Turn off the adverts in MIUI: Settings → Memory. → Cleanup → Settings (⚙) → Delete "Recommendations"

Attention, if you're selling a phone, you'll have to:

⚠️ Check what is in the Settings menu → Xiaomi account displays the words "Not connected" If the account is still tied, the new owner will not be able to use the device without your data!

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in About Phone).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Set the animation scale and animation duration on No animation.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions