A situation where the owner of a smartphone suddenly forgets a pattern lock or digital key PIN-And the lock screen becomes an insurmountable barrier, turning a modern device into a useless piece of glass and plastic. It is especially frustrating if you have important contacts, work documents or personal photos that you need to access immediately.
With MIUI, which is based on Android, security is the first priority, so it's not easy to get around protection, but there are proven methods to restore access to the system, and the specific method depends on whether the Mi Account was tied, whether USB debugging is enabled, and how critical it is for you to save data in internal memory.
Before you start taking action, you need to clearly understand the difference between unlocking the screen and completely resetting the settings. Some methods allow you to save files, while others will irrevocably destroy all information, returning the phone to the state of “out of the box”. Study each option carefully to choose the most suitable for your Xiaomi, Redmi or model. POCO.
Using a Mi Account to Unblock
The most civilized and safe way to restore access is to use a cloud service from the manufacturer. If your device has signed in to Mi Account and enabled the "Find device" function, then you have a real chance to unlock the screen without losing data. This method only works if you have an active Internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile network) on the blocked gadget.
First, you need to go to the official website of the cloud service from any other device, for example, from a computer or tablet, enter your credentials (login and password) that were used on the locked phone, the system automatically determines the location of the device if it is online, and offers a control menu.
In the control interface, select Unlock, the system will request confirmation of action, as this is a critical security operation. Once the locked smartphone screen is confirmed, an automatic unlock will occur, and you can set a new pattern lock or fingerprint in the settings.
⚠️ Note: If the device has not logged in to the Mi Account before locking, this method will not work, and the function may not be activated if the phone is in flight mode or out of network coverage.
Importantly, after successfully unlocking through the cloud, the system may require re-entering your account password the next time you reboot.This is a standard measure to protect Android from device theft. Make sure you remember the login details so you don't stay locked again.
Reset via Recovery (Hard Reset)
If cloud-based methods are not available, a recovery mode known as Recovery Mode comes to the rescue. It is a low-level environment built into the phone's firmware that allows you to perform system operations regardless of the state of the main interface. Using this method will result in the complete removal of all user data, so take it as a last resort.
To get into the recovery menu on most Xiaomi models, you need to turn the device off completely. Then press the volume button and the power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power button, but keep the volume up until the main menu appears.
Navigation in this menu is done with volume buttons (up and down), and the choice of item is confirmed by the power button. You need to find the Wipe Data or Clear Data. In some versions of MIUI, you may need to additionally enter the digital combination displayed on the screen to confirm the right to reset.
☑️ Preparation for Hard Reset
Once you select the reset point, the system will alert you to the irreversibility of the process. Confirm the action, and the formatting of the memory partitions will begin. The process can take from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on the storage capacity.
⚠️ Note: On new models with updated security after reset via Recovery, the phone will require you to enter a password from the Mi Account that was synced earlier.
Unlocking through Google’s Find My Device service
An alternative option for devices that don’t have Xiaomi service set up but have a Google account active is to use a regular search tool, which also requires internet access on a locked device and pre-enabled geolocation, which is effective on older versions of Android, but newer firmware often only has remote reset functionality.
Go to google.com/android/find from any browser and log in with the same account you use on your phone. If your device is successfully identified in the list, select it. The action menu will provide you with the options “Call”, “Block” and “Clear the device”.
Selecting the Clean Device option will initiate a remote Hard Reset.All data, including photos, contacts and apps, will be erased.Screen lock will also be removed, but when you first set up the phone will require you to enter a password from your Google account to confirm the owner.
There is a nuance associated with the version of the operating system. Android 9 and below sometimes worked the function of changing the password lock screen through this interface, which allowed you to save data. On modern versions of MIUI and Android 10+, this feature is usually excluded for security reasons.
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If your phone is lost, use the Call feature – even if it’s silent, the device will ring at full volume for 5 minutes, which will help you find it nearby.
Use of Fastboot Mode and PC
Fastboot mode is primarily designed to flash the device and work with the bootloader, but in some scenarios it can be useful for resetting a password, especially if the Recovery menu is corrupted or unavailable, USB-cable and installed drivers ADB/Fastboot.
Entering mode on the phone turned off by pressing the volume button and the power button, and the screen will show an image of a hare repairing an android, which signals a successful transition to boot mode. Connect the device to the computer.
On a PC, you need to open the command line or the terminal in the tool folder of the platform. By typing in the fastboot device command, you check the connection. If the device is determined, you can run a reset command, but standard Fastboot doesn't always allow you to simply delete the key file without superuser rights.
fastboot erase userdataThis command will completely delete the user data partition (userdata). This is an analogue of Hard Reset, but it is run software. Once you complete the command, type fastboot reboot to restart the phone. The device will start as new, without a password, but without your files.
| Method | Data retention | We need the Internet. | I need a PC. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Account. | Yes. | Yes. | No. |
| Recovery Mode | No. | No. | No. |
| Google Find My Device | No. | Yes. | No. |
| Fastboot (PC) | No. | No. | Yes. |
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Fastboot mode is a powerful tool for advanced users, allowing you to manage memory partitions at a low level, but requires caution when entering commands.
Unlocking the block via ADB (for advanced)
The debugging method USB (USB Debugging) is the only way to theoretically delete a password without losing data, but it can only be used if the debugging function was included in the Developer Menu before you forgot the password and the computer already has permission to access it.
If the conditions are met, connect your phone to your PC, install ADB drivers, and open the command line. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices. If the device appears in the list, you can proceed to delete the system files that store the access keys.
Lock files on Android are commonly referred to as gesture.key (for a pattern lock) or password.key (for a digital key). PIN-They're in the directory. /data/system/. To remove them, you will need to perform the following command:
adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key
adb shell rm /data/system/password.keyOnce the commands are successfully executed, the device must be restarted. When turned on, the phone may ask you to enter any key or skip this step altogether, since the verification file will be missing.
⚠️ Note: On data-encrypted devices (which is standard with modern Xiaomi), deleting these files without unlocking can cause the data to remain encrypted and become inaccessible even after a password is reset.
Why can't ADB see the phone?
What to do if nothing helps
In situations where none of the software methods has worked, or the phone requires an activation password for an account that has been lost, the only legal way is to contact an authorized service center, you will need to provide the device and documents confirming ownership (check, warranty card, box with IMEI).
The service has access to special engineering tools and accounts that allow you to reflash the device at the hardware level or officially remove the activation lock. This is a paid service if the case does not fall under warranty conditions, but it guarantees the restoration of the gadget.
It is not recommended to use dubious programs from the Internet that promise to “hack” any Xiaomi in 5 minutes, most of them contain malware or require payment, after which they simply do not work.
Remember that data security is a two-way process. Regularly backing up to an external medium or to the cloud is the only way to ensure that you don't lose important files when you need an emergency reset.