How to make a full reset of Xiaomi phone: 3 proven ways

Xiaomi’s factory reset is a radical but sometimes necessary step: Do you sell a phone, it slows down after an upgrade or is infected with a virus? 90% of the time, hard reset solves the problem, but it’s important to do it right so you don’t lose important data and turn the smartphone into a brick. In this article, three official reset methods (including hidden ones) that work on all models from the Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra, as well as answers to frequent errors like “Mi Account is locked” or “fails to log into Recovery.”

We're not going to tell you to just press a button, we're going to take each step and explain why, and we're not going to tell you why, like why you need to turn off Mi Account protection before you reset, or how to get around the password requirement in Recovery Mode, and you're going to know what data is guaranteed to be deleted (spoiler: it's not just photos), and how to save it in 10 minutes. If you've never reset, start with the first method. If the phone doesn't turn on, you'll go straight to the second or third.

1.Reset preparation: what to keep and why it is important

Even if you think there's nothing important on your phone, check again.

• 📸 Photos and videos – including hidden folders (for example, screenshots from messengers or downloads from Telegram).
• 📱 Contact and SMS — If they are not synced with Google or Mi Cloud.
• 🎮 Game saves – most mobile games (e.g. Genshin Impact or GAME) PUBG Mobile) Links progress to your account, but local saves will disappear.
• 🔑 Passwords and tokens – browser autocomplete data, two-factor authentication keys (if not exported).
• 📊 System application settings – for example, screen calibration, gestures or sound profiles in MIUI.

How do you keep all this?

⚠️ Warning: If you are selling a phone, be sure to log out of your Mi Account after the reset (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Otherwise, the new owner may recover your data via Find Device or face a device lock.

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If you have the Device Protection feature enabled (Settings) → Password and security → Device protection, after resetting the phone will require you to enter the old PIN-Mi Account code or password. Write them down in advance!

2. Method 1: Reset via phone settings (the safest)

This is a method that works if the phone turns on and you remember the unlock password, and it's the simplest and least risky method, because MIUI will check the integrity of the system before resetting.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to About Phone (in older versions of MIUI – Additional → Recovery and Reset).
3. Select Resetting (or Delete all data).
4. Fly through the warning and click Reset settings.
5. Enter. PIN-code or pattern lock if requested.
6. Confirm the action with the button Ready.

The phone will reboot and start the cleaning process. It will take 5 to 20 minutes -- don't interrupt it! -- the screen will display progress (boot strip or MIUI animation).

Sign out of your Mi Account (if you sell your phone)|Disabled device protection|Save backups.|Charged the phone at least 50%|Remember the Wi-Fi password (required after resetting)-->

⚠️ Warning: If after resetting the phone requires you to enter the old Mi Account password, but you do not remember it - do not try to guess. After 5 unsuccessful attempts, the device will lock for 24 hours).

Once a year, cleaning|Just before the sale.|Never did.|After the kritical errors|Another option-->

3. Method 2: Reset via Recovery Mode (if the phone is not turned on)

If Xiaomi is stuck on the logo, reboots cyclically or does not respond to touch, use Recovery Mode, which works even with corrupted system files, but requires care - incorrect actions can lead to loss of IMEI or error No command.

How to log in to Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off the phone (press the power button for 10 seconds if it freezes).
2. Press the Power button + Volume up at the same time and hold for 10-15 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. Release the buttons and you will see a menu with the words MIUI Recovery (in English or Chinese).

Further action:

• 🔄 Use volume buttons to navigate the menu and power button to select.
• 📛 Select Wipe Data (or Clear Data in older versions).
• 🔐 Confirm the reset by selecting Wipe All Data (you may need to enter a password).
• ⏳ Wait until the end (the screen will appear the words Data wipe complete).
• 🔄 Select Reboot to Reboot.

If you select Wipe Data and you have a Can't mount /data or E:unknown command error, it means that the data partition is corrupted, and only a Fastboot reset will help.

Method 3: Reset via Fastboot (for power users)

It's the most powerful, but also the most risky method, and it's useful if you:

• 🔒 Phone is blocked by Mi Account and does not accept password.
• 🛠️ Recovery Mode is unavailable or damaged.
• 📱 You need to reflash your phone after a failed update.

To reset via Fastboot, you will need a computer with drivers installed ADB/Fastboot original USB-cable (not cheap charging!) Follow the instructions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume down to enter the Fastboot Mode (a hare in a hat-eared hat will appear).
3. Connect the phone to the PC.
4. Open the command prompt (Win + R → cmd) and type: fastboot devices If the device is identified (the serial number appears), continue. If not, install the drivers.
5. Run the full reset command: fastboot erase userdata fastboot erase cache fastboot reboot

⚠️ Note: If the phone still requires Mi Account after these commands, then the Xiaomi account is tied to the device at the hardware level, in which case you will need to officially unlock through account.xiaomi.com (Unlock Device section). Self-attempts to bypass can lead to loss IMEI!

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Reset via Fastboot only deletes user data, but does not touch system files. If the phone is bugged due to damaged firmware, after the reset, the problem may remain, in which case you will need a complete flashing through the Mi Flash Tool.

5. Frequent errors after resetting and how to fix them

Even after a successful reset, there can be problems, and here are the most common solutions.

If the phone is running slower than before, check:

• 🔋 Battery charge – at levels below 15%, the system can artificially limit performance.
• 📥 Background updates - after reset MIUI can automatically download updates, loading the processor.
• 🛡️ Antivirus – the built-in Security App sometimes blocks system processes (disable it in Settings) → Annexes).

6.How to avoid problems after reset: tips from service centers

We interviewed the masters of authorized Xiaomi service centers and made a list of recommendations that will help avoid mistakes:

1. Do not drop the phone on low charge. If the battery runs out during the process, there is a high risk of damage to the data partition, which will lead to the loss of IMEI or bootloop.
2. Use the original cable. Cheap cables can interrupt the data transfer to the Fastboot, which leads to a FAILED (remote:'unknown command') error.
3. If the process is 99% frozen (on older Redmi 4X/5A models), wait at least 30 minutes.
4. Check the MIUI version after reset. If the phone is updated "over the air" and after reset, it returned to the old firmware, wait for the update to be re-updated or sew manually.

💡 Useful Life Hack: If you experiment with firmware often, create a local backup through TWRP or ADB This will allow you to restore the phone in 10 minutes instead of an hour spent setting up from scratch.

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After the reset, take your time to recover the data from the backup. First check how the phone works "clean." If the glitches disappeared, the problem was in the software. If not, perhaps the "iron" (for example, a fallen battery plume) is to blame.

7. Alternatives to a complete reset: when you can get by with little blood

Before you do hard reset, try less radical methods:

• 🛠️ Recovery via Mi Cloud – if your phone is synced to your account, you can only recover the data you need (such as contacts or notes) without completely resetting.

If your phone is slowing down due to memory loss, try:

1. Transfer applications to SD-card (if supported).
2. Disable the system animation through the developer settings (Animation Scale → No Animation).
3. Remove duplicate photos using Google Photos or Gallery Go.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions