Reset Xiaomi to factory settings via buttons: the full guide 2026

Xiaomi is one of the few brands where even a brick can be reanimated without a PC after a failed firmware. But what if the phone hangs on the logo, doesn't respond to touch, or requires unlocking after buying from hand? 90% of the time, hardware reset through buttons helps - a method that bypasses screen locking and works even with damaged firmware.

This article is not just a retelling of the standard instruction manual, but will look at the hidden nuances for different models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11, etc.), explain why sometimes a reset gets looped, and show you how to avoid losing IMEI after hard reset (relevant to 2020-2026 devices), and how a push-button reset won’t work – and what to do instead.

When to reset via buttons (and when not)

Hardware reset is a last resort, and it is used if:

• 🔒 The phone is locked with a pattern lock/PIN-Find My Device is not helpful.
• 🐢 The device brakes to complete unusability (even after cleaning the cache).
• 🔄 Xiaomi only loads before the logo MI Or it can be rebooted indefinitely (bootloop).
• 📱 The screen does not respond to touch, but the power and volume buttons are working.
• 🚫 You must delete all data before selling (more reliable than through settings).

But there are situations where a push-button reset won't solve the problem:

• 🔋 The phone doesn't turn on at all (no charging response, indicators) Caused by hardware malfunction (battery, motherboard).
• 📵 The device is sewn with custom firmware with a damaged boot-partition (you need a Fastboot or a Fastboot). EDL).
• 🔌 After discharge, disappears IMEI (relevant to Redmi 9/9A/9C some POCO M3).

⚠️ Note: If you reset Xiaomi with a tied Mi Account (even if you do not remember the password), after hard reset the phone will require login / password. Without them, the device will become a “brick. FAQ end-of-article.

Preparing for resetting: what to do in advance

Before you press the buttons, follow 3 critical steps:

1. Check the battery power. If the level is below 30%, connect the charge for 10-15 minutes. Reset with a discharged battery can interrupt and damage the firmware.
2. Extract. SIM-microSD card and microSD on some models (Redmi 10, POCO X3) card slot is blocked after reset.
3. Find out the phone model. Recovery login methods are different for devices with and without a physical Home button (until 2018).

How to determine the model if the phone is not turned on?

• 📦 Look at the box (on the barcode sticker).
• 🔍 Enter. IMEI (indicated on a sticker under the battery or on the tray SIM-maps on IMEI.info.
• 🔋 Connect your phone to your PC – a model will appear in Windows (e.g., Redmi Note 11 Pro). 5G).

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi with encrypted storage (on by default on Android 10)+) After resetting via Recovery, the phone may require a password from your old Google account. If you don't remember it, use Fastboot (instruction below).

Step-by-step: how to log into Recovery Mode

The way you enter depends on the model and year of release, below are the universal combinations for Xiaomi 2018-2026:

If the combination does not work:

1. Try to hold the buttons longer (up to 30 seconds).
2. Connect charging – some models (POCO F4) do not come with Recovery when the battery is dead.
3. Check if the power button is stuck (relevant to the Redmi Note 8 Pro after the falls).

After a successful login, you will see the Recovery menu in English or Chinese. On the new models (Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13), the interface can be in Russian.

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If the screen does not respond to touches in Recovery, use volume buttons for navigation and power button to select the item.

Reset: Selecting the Right Menu Item

In the Recovery menu, you need to find the "Wipe Data" option** (or similar), which can be called differently on different versions of the firmware:

• 📛 MIUI Recovery 3.0/4.0 (New models: Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
• 📛 Stock Recovery (older models): Wipe data/factory reset.
• 📛 Chinese firmware: characters "" (clear data) or "" (restore factory settings).

Step-by-step action:

1. Select the Wipe Data button (or similar).
2. Press the power button to confirm.
3. In the following menu, select Wipe All Data (or Yes).
4. Confirm the action (if required).
5. Wait until the process is completed (usually 3-10 minutes).
6. Select Reboot or Reboot to System to reboot.

If after resetting the phone does not turn on or hangs on the logo:

• 🔄 Repeat the reset again (sometimes helps).
• 📥 Fastboot the device (instructions in the next section).
• 🔧 Contact the service - possible hardware malfunction (for example, damaged) EMMC-chip).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even experienced users make mistakes when resetting.

Critical error: if after reset the phone says "This device is locked" (on POCO F3 or Redmi K40), then OEM Lock was turned on.

How to avoid problems:

• 🔋 Do not interrupt the reset process (even if it takes more than 10 minutes).
• 📡 Do not reset your phone with an active eSIM, it may deactivate.
• 🔒 If you sell a phone, untie it from your Mi Account before you reset it.

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On Qualcomm Snapdragon models (e.g., the POCO X3 Pro), resetting via Recovery is safer than on MediaTek (e.g., Redmi 10C), where the risk of losing IMEI is higher.

Alternative Reset Methods (if the buttons don't work)

If the hardware buttons are broken or the phone is not responding to them, try these methods:

1.Reset via Fastboot (needs PC)

Suitable for devices that are computer-defined but not bootable.

fastboot erase userdata


fastboot erase cache




fastboot reboot

If the phone does not turn on after this command, perform a full flashing:

fastboot flash boot boot.img


fastboot flash system system.img




fastboot flash vendor vendor.img




fastboot reboot

2.Dumping via ADB (if debugging is enabled)

This works if you have previously activated USB Debugging:

adb shell


recovery --wipe_data

3.Reset via Mi Flash Tool (for "bricks")

If the phone doesn’t respond at all, run it in EDL mode:

1. Download the firmware for your model from the official website.
2. Unpack the archive and launch the Mi Flash Tool.
3. Connect the phone in EDL mode (clamp Volume up + down and connect the cable).
4. Select the firmware folder and press Flash.

⚠️ Attention: Firmware through EDL Resets all data without recovery, including IMEI. Use only as a last resort!

Recovery after reset: what to do first

After successful discharge:

1. Configure the phone as new. Don't restore data from a backup - it can bring back old errors.
2. Update your firmware. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update.
3. Check IMEI. Enter *#06# in the dialer - if zeros are displayed instead of the number, restore the IMEI via Maui Meta or SN Writer.
4. Disable unnecessary features, such as App Auto Update (saves traffic) and Advertising in MIUI (Settings → Memory → Disable recommendations).

If, after discharge:

• 📵 No network: restart your phone or manually select the operator in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks.
• 🔋 Battery goes down quickly: Calibrate (discharge to 0%, charge to 100% without interruption).
• 📱 Screen flickering: reset screen settings (Settings) → Display. → Reset to factory).

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To speed up the phone after reset, turn off animation: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 5 times to turn on Developer Mode), then in Additional → For Developers → Animation Scale, select No Animation.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions