How to reset Xiaomi to factory settings if the phone is locked: 3 working ways

Did you forget your Xiaomi password or did your phone lock up after a bad firmware? Don't rush it to the service center. In 90% of cases, you can reset your device to the factory settings yourself, even if the screen is completely locked and the Mi Account is not connected. The main thing is to choose the right method depending on the model of the smartphone and the type of lock.

In this article, we will discuss three official hard reset methods for blocked Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO: through Recovery Mode, Fastboot and using the tied Mi Account. You will also learn how to bypass the locking of an account after a reset (if it appears), and what to do if the phone does not respond to buttons. Instructions are relevant for all models released after 2018, including Xiaomi 13T, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5.

⚠️ Important: the reset will delete all data from the device — photos, contacts, messages and installed applications. If the phone was enabled sync with Google Account or Mi Cloud, some data can be restored after unlocking.

1.Reset via Recovery Mode (no PC)

The easiest way to return your phone to factory settings is to use the built-in Recovery Mode, which works even if:

• 🔒 You have forgotten the pattern lock or PIN-code
• 📱 The phone is locked after the update MIUI
• 🔄 The smartphone hangs on the logo of Xiaomi (bootloop)

For the newer models (Xiaomi 12/13, Redmi Note 11/12), the path in Recovery is different from the older models (Redmi 4X, Mi A1).

Instructions for modern Xiaomi (MIUI 12-14):

1. Turn off the phone with a long press on the power button (10-15 seconds).
2. Press Volume Up + Power and hold for 5-10 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. Release the buttons and you will see the Recovery menu in English or Chinese.
4. Select Wipe Data (or ) with the volume buttons, confirm the power button.
5. Then select Wipe All Data and confirm the action.
6. After the process is complete, click Reboot → Reboot to System.

Turn off the phone from charging.

Make sure that the battery charge is > 30%

Prepare. SIM-post-reset card (if necessary)

Remember the information from Mi Account (if the phone was tied to it)

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⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO X3, Redmi 9) may be blocked after reset via Recovery. If you do not remember the data from the account, use the method with Fastboot (described below).

For older models (MIUI 9–11):

• The combination of buttons is the same: Volume up + Power.
• From the Recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe All Data.
• Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

2.Reset via Fastboot (via PC)

If Recovery Mode is unavailable or the phone is a reset error, use Fastboot mode.This method requires a computer with Xiaomi drivers installed and the Mi Flash Tool utility (or fastboot from Android SDK).

Suitable for cases:

• 🔧 The phone doesn’t even load in Recovery.
• 🔒 After resetting via Recovery, Mi Account lock appears
• 📦 You need to reflash the phone with a complete data cleanup

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install the Mi Flash Tool (the official Xiaomi website).
2. Download fastboot firmware for your model from the Xiaomi Firmware Updater (select the Stable version for your region).
3. Turn off your phone and turn it into Fastboot: Press the Loudness Down + Power buttons for 5-10 seconds. Release when a hare in a hat-eared hat appears on the screen (Fastboot logo).
4. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable (it is better to use the original cable).
5. Launch the Mi Flash Tool, press Select and point the path to the unpacked firmware.
6. At the bottom of the program, select Clean All (Full Data Cleanup) mode.
7. Press Flash and wait for the process to complete (5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Note: If the Mi Flash Tool gives you a "Couldn't find device" error, install the drivers manually:

1. Download the Android SDK Platform Tools.
2. Unpack the archive and run Command Prompt in this folder (Shift + right mouse button → Open command window).
3. Enter the command: fastboot devices If the device is not displayed, install drivers through Device Manager (update the driver for the device with an exclamation point).

💡

If the Mi Flash Tool is 99% freeze, disconnect the phone from the PC, press the power button for 20 seconds to force a reboot, and then repeat the firmware.

3 Unlock via Mi Account (if the phone is tied)

If you remember the username and password from the Mi Account that the phone is attached to, you can reset your settings remotely via Xiaomi’s site, even if:

• 🔐 The phone is locked with a pattern lock or PIN-code
• 📵 The device does not respond to touch (broken screen)
• 🔄 You need to unlock Mi Account after resetting via Recovery

Instructions:

1. Go to the Mi Account website and log in.
2. In the Devices section, find your locked phone.
3. Click Find Device → Delete Data (Erase Data).
4. Confirm the action via SMS or email (depending on the account security settings).
5. Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 30 minutes).

⚠️ Note: If the phone is not connected to the Internet (for example, no phone) SIM-If you have a card or Wi-Fi turned off, you won't get a reset command.

Once reset via Mi Account, the phone may require re-entering the account data - that's OK. Enter the username and password to unlock the device.

Reset via Recovery Mode

Fastboot and firmware

Unlocking with Mi Account

I've never dropped Xiaomi.

Another way.-->

4.What to do if after the reset appeared lock Mi Account

One of the most common problems after hard reset on Xiaomi is requesting data from Mi Account, even if you didn’t link it, because of Find Device, which is activated automatically when you first turn on.

How to get around the lock:

• 📧 Enter the correct email and password from the account to which the phone was previously linked.
• 📞 If you forget your data, try to restore access through the recovery form (you will need access to an email or phone number).
• 🛠️ If your account is not yours (the phone is hand-built), contact the previous owner and ask them to remove the device from the list in Mi Cloud.

⚠️ Note: Do not use bypass programs like Mi Account Unlock Tool – they often contain viruses and do not work on new versions. MIUI. The only legal way is to officially remove the device via the Mi Cloud.

Alternative way (for advanced users):

If your phone is blocked by Mi Account but you have access to Fastboot, you can try flashing custom Recovery (like TWRP) and manually delete your account files.

• Unlocked bootloader (on new models, it takes 7-30 days to unlock).
• Experience with ADB and Fastboot.
• Risk of "bricking" the device in case of error.

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The only reliable way to remove the Mi Account lock is to officially remove the device from the account by the previous owner or through Xiaomi support.

5.Reset on locked Xiaomi with smashed screen

If the phone screen doesn’t respond to touch or is completely broken but the device turns on, use one of these methods:

Reset via ADB (if debugging was enabled):

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open Command Prompt in the folder with the platform-tools.
2. Enter the commands in order: Adb devices adb shell recovery --wipe_data
3. If the team is not working, try adb shell am broadcast. -a android.intent.action.MASTER_CLEAR

⚠️ Attention: If debugging is on USB (USB Debugging was not enabled before blocking, this method will not work.

6. Frequent errors and their solutions

When resetting Xiaomi, users often face typical problems, and we have collected the most common errors and ways to fix them:

If the phone does not respond to any buttons:

• 🔋 Connect it to charging for 30 to 60 minutes - the battery may be completely discharged.
• 🔌 Try another charger (better original from Xiaomi).
• 🔧 If the phone is not showing signs of life, contact the service center - perhaps the problem is in the hardware.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions