Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi and POCO lines) sometimes require a forced reboot, whether it’s a system freeze, slow operation or preparation for an upgrade. Reboot can be soft (software) or hard (hardware), and each method solves its problems. In this article, we will discuss all the ways of rebooting, including hidden MIUI functions, and also tell you when to use a particular method.
It's important to understand that not every reboot is equally useful. For example, a hard reset reset resets cache and can help with critical crashes, but abuse of it will accelerate the wear of flash memory. And a soft reboot through the menu is often useless if the system is completely frozen. We tested all methods on Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5 models - instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 and Android 13/14.
What is Rebuke and why is it needed
The term “reboot” combines two types of reboot:
- 🔄 Soft reboot – standard shutdown/on via menus. Suitable for scheduled upgrades or small lags.
- ⚡ Hard reset: forced power outage (button clamping) used when the screen is completely locked or black screen is locked».
- 🛠️ Reset to factory settings – sometimes mistakenly called “rebut”, but it is a separate procedure (Factory Reset).
When rebooting is required:
- 🐢 The phone brakes after long use (especially important for devices with 4-6 GB of RAM).
- 📱 The screen does not respond to touch, but the display is on.
- 🔄 No updates are installed MIUI or apps from Google Play.
- 📶 Network problems (not catching) Wi-Fi/4G post-fix).
⚠️ Warning: If the phone overheats while charging and spontaneously reboots, this is not a reason for a reboot, but a sign of a malfunction of the battery or power controller.
On Xiaomi models with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (such as the Redmi K60), a hard reboot can temporarily solve the problem with the “laying” Adreno GPU, but it will not eliminate the cause of overheating or trottling.
Soft reboot via the settings menu
The safest way is to use the built-in MIUI options, which is suitable if the phone responds to touch, but is unstable.
Instructions:
- Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
- Go to the About Phone section. → Updating the system.
- Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Reboot.
- Confirm the action - the phone will turn off and turn on automatically.
Alternative path (for MIUI 14+):
Settings → Additional settings → Reboot and turn off → Reboot⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO X5 Pro, Redmi 10C) The option "Reboot" may not be on the menu, in which case use a button combination (see next section).
A soft reboot clears RAM, but does not affect user data. If there are problems after it, try cleaning the cache in Settings → Memory → Clear.
☑️ Preparation for a soft reset
Hard Reboot (Hard Reboot)
If the screen doesn't respond or the phone freezes on the MI logo, you'll need to force it to shut down, which works even when the firmware is damaged, but it has risks:
- ❌ May interrupt background processes (e.g. updates) MIUI).
- ❌ On devices with eMMC memory (budget models), frequent hard reboots reduce the life of the drive.
Ways to hard reset:
| Xiaomi model | Button combination | Retention time |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi 12/13/14, Redmi Note 11/12, POCO F4/F5 | Power button + Volume up | 10-15 seconds |
| Redmi 9/10, POCO M3/M4 | Power button + Volume down | 8-12 seconds |
| Xiaomi Mi A1/A2 (Android One) | Power button (no volume) | 20+ seconds |
| Black Shark (Gaming Smartphones) | Power button + both volume buttons | 15 seconds. |
After holding the buttons, the phone vibrates and turns off. If the screen remains black for more than 30 seconds, plug in the charger (the battery may have gone dead).
What to do if your phone doesn’t respond to the buttons?
Reboot to Recovery and Fastboot Mode
Sometimes you need to reboot your phone to service modes, such as resetting your settings or installing custom firmware, which are available on all Xiaomi devices, but the login methods are different.
How to get in to Recovery Mode:
- Turn off your phone (if it freezes, use a hard reboot).
- Press the Power button + Volume up for 5-7 seconds.
- Release the buttons when the MI logo and menu appear in English/Chinese.
How to get into Fastboot Mode:
- Turn off the device.
- Press the Power button + Volume down until the Mi Bunny with the inscription Fastboot appears.
⚠️ Note: Do not press random buttons in Fastboot mode, this can lead to a data reset or a bootloader lock. To exit the mode, hold the power button for 10-15 seconds.
In Recovery Mode, you can:
- 🔄 Reset the settings to factory (Wipe Data).
- 📦 Update from the memory card (Apply update from the memory card) SD card).
- 🛠️ Clean the cache (Wipe Cache).
💡
If you have a menu in Chinese in Recovery Mode, select the first item (with the character ) for reboot. Use volume buttons to navigate, power button to confirm.
Automatic reboot on schedule
MIUI allows you to set up automatic reboot at a given time – useful for cleaning up memory at night – and not available on all models (not available on the budget Redmi A-series).
How to turn on:
- Go to Settings → Additional settings → Reboot and turn off.
- Select Automatic Reboot.
- Set a time (we recommend from 3:00 to 5:00 in the morning).
- Activate the switch.
Advantages of Automatic Reboot:
- ⏳ Eliminates accumulated lags without user involvement.
- 🔋 Saves battery power (reboot every 2-3 days reduces background energy consumption by 5-10%).
- 📱 Extends service life eMMC/UFS-The storage device by cleaning temporary files.
⚠️ Warning: If you use your phone as an alarm clock, make sure that the automatic reset does not coincide with the wake-up time. (Xiaomi) 11T) The alarm goes off even after the reboot, but it is better to check in advance.
💡
Automatic reboot does not replace manual cache cleaning, but reduces the frequency of "hanging" system by 30-40% (according to tests on Redmi Note 11 Pro+).
Frequent Reboot Errors and How to Avoid Them
Even a simple procedure can go wrong. Consider typical problems and solutions:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The phone will not turn on after the reboot. | Battery discharged or Bootloader failure | Connect to the charge for 30 minutes. If it doesn't work, press Power + Volume up for 20 seconds. |
| There is a “black screen” after a hard reboot | Damage to the firmware or the plume of the display | Try to log into Fastboot and reflash the device through the Mi Flash Tool. |
| The phone is constantly restarted (bootloop) | Firmware conflict or damage to the system partition | Run Wipe Data in Recovery Mode or run the stock firmware. |
| The sensor is not working after reboot | Touchscreen driver failure | Press Power + Volume Down to go to Fastboot, then restart back. |
On models with a MediaTek processor (for example, Redmi 10A), a hard reboot during a firmware update can lead to a “brick” (complete inoperability), in which case you will need firmware through the SP Flash Tool with the authorization of the Xiaomi account.
If after the reboot data (photos, contacts) is missing, check:
- 📁 folder MIUI/Backup on the internal drive – sometimes the system creates backups automatically.
- ☁️ Mi Cloud (if synchronization was enabled).
- 🔄 Recovery via Google Account (Contacts, Calendar).
When Rebut does not help: alternative solutions
If the reboot hasn’t fixed the problem, try these methods:
- 🧹 Cache cleanup: Settings → Memory. → Clean (on) MIUI 15 Ways are Different).
- 🔄 Resetting network settings: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings.
- 🛠️ Safe Mode: Press the power button → Hold on to "Switch off» → Select "Safe Mode" to help identify a problem in third-party apps.
- 📱 Update rollback: If the lags started after the update MIUI, roll back through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Reverse the update.
On devices with an unlocked bootloader, you can install a custom core (such as FrancoKernel) to optimize performance, but this voids the warranty and requires technical skills.