How to reset Xiaomi phone to factory settings: the complete guide

Situations where a smartphone starts to work incorrectly are quite common. The device can freeze, spontaneously reboot or simply slow down even on simple tasks. Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi gadgets face this less often than users of budget lines of other brands, but no one is immune from software failures. Sometimes the only right solution is a radical measure - a complete return to the original state.

Hard Reset completely cleans the device’s internal memory by removing all user data, accounts, and installed apps, which is the equivalent of just buying a phone in a store and turning it on for the first time, and before you decide to do so, you need to weigh the pros and cons, and make sure that alternative troubleshooting methods have already been tried and failed.

In this article, we will discuss how to reset a Xiaomi phone to factory settings in various ways. You will learn about the preparation of the device for the procedure, methods of resetting through the menu and through Recovery mode, and how to proceed if the system is locked or not booting. Remember that after resetting, it will be impossible to restore deleted files without a pre-created backup.

Preparation of the device before resetting settings

The most important step to start with is preparation, and ignoring this step can lead to the permanent loss of photos, contacts and important documents. The first step is to back up the data, and in the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, you can do this through the Mi Cloud cloud service or locally, saving the data to your computer or external drive.

It is also critical to untie accounts: If you have entered a Google account or Mi Account on your phone, after reset, the system will require you to enter a password from them to confirm ownership (FRP and Mi Account Lock protection), if you forget your password, it will be extremely difficult to unlock the device, and in some cases impossible without contacting the service.

Be sure to check the battery level. The process of formatting the memory partition and reinstalling system files can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. If the phone turns off in the middle of the procedure, it can damage the bootloader or system files, turning the smartphone into a “brick”.

• 📸 Back up photos and videos in Google Photos or on your computer.
• 🔐 Remember the passwords from Google and Mi Accounts that were used on the device.
• 🔋 Charge your smartphone to a minimum 60-70% Or connect it to a power source.
• 📱 Extract. SIM-microSD card and memory card to avoid random formatting of external data.

⚠️ Note: Deleting your Google account before reset doesn’t always turn off protection FRP On older versions of Android, so knowing the password is a must anyway.

Don't neglect checking the sync of contacts. Often users forget that their phone book is stored only in the device's memory, not in the cloud. SIM-You can use a card, but your phone records and messages will be lost forever.

Reset via the settings menu (standard method)

The easiest and safest way to get Xiaomi back to factory is to use the operating system’s regular menu, which is suitable for cases where the phone is turned on, the screen responds to touch, and you have access to the desktop or settings menu.

The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS, but the logic of action remains the same for all models, whether it is a budget Redmi Note or flagship Xiaomi 14.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the About Phone section (usually at the top of the list).
3. Find the option “Reset settings” (in some versions it may be in the submenu “Advanced settings”).
4. Click the “Erase all data” button.

The system will warn you that all data will be deleted. PIN-A code, pattern lock, or unlock password, the system will ask you to enter it to confirm the operation, and this is protection against accidental or malicious reset by unauthorized persons.

Once confirmed, the cleaning process will begin, the screen may go out, the device will reboot, and the Mi logo will appear with a progress indicator, at which point the phone cannot be touched, turned off or tried to connect to the computer.

⚠️ Warning: If after pressing the reset button, the phone is stuck on the logo for more than 15 minutes, the recovery section may be damaged and you will need to flash it through your computer.

It is important to note that this method does not delete files on the memory card if it is installed, but deletes all settings and applications installed by the user.

Once the procedure is complete, the phone will turn on as a new one, suggesting that you choose a language and connect to Wi-Fi, which indicates that the operation has been successfully completed.

Hard Reset via Recovery Mode (if the phone is not turned on)

If the smartphone doesn't load, it's stuck on the logo, or the touch screen doesn't respond to commands, you can't use the standard menu. In these cases, Recovery mode comes to the rescue. It's a special diagnostic interface that is stitched into the device's memory regardless of the main operation.

Recovery mode on Xiaomi devices can be accessed with a combination of physical buttons. For most modern models, the following sequence is relevant:

Press the Volume Up button + Power button

Hold both buttons simultaneously until the vibrating response and Mi logo appear. Once the logo appears, the power button can be released by continuing to hold the volume button until the Recovery menu opens.In some older models, you may need to hold the Volume Down button.

Navigation in the Recovery menu is done with volume buttons (up/down), and the choice of item is confirmed by the power button. The interface can be in English or Chinese, so it is important to know the location of the desired items:

• 🔹 Wipe Data – partition for data cleaning.
• 🔹 Wipe All Data – Confirmation of a complete reset.
• 🔹 Confirm – Final Confirmation of Action.
• 🔹 Reboot - Reboot the device.

Select Wipe Data, then Wipe All Data, and confirm the action. The process will go automatically. After the message "Data wiped successfully" appears, select Reboot -> Reboot to System.

This method is more “rough” as it bypasses software locks on the interface, but it is also most effective for serious system errors.

Remote reset via Google Find My Device

There is a situation where the phone is lost or stolen, but it has geolocation and Internet access enabled, in which case physical access to the buttons is impossible, but you can reset the device remotely, which will help protect your personal data from prying eyes.

Google Find My Device is used to access the service from any other device (computer or phone) under the same Google account that was entered on the lost smartphone.

In the service interface, select your device from a list. If your phone is online and defined by the system, you will have three options: Call, Lock, and Clear the device.

Once confirmed, the phone will receive a command to reset completely, and even if an attacker tries to turn the device off, the next time they connect to the network, the command will be executed, but it is worth noting that after that, it will be impossible to track the location of the phone.

Xiaomi Cloud has a similar feature, where if you have Mi Account activated on your device, you can go to i.mi.com, select your device, and click "Erase Data," which will also result in a complete reset.

What to do if your phone requires a password after resetting

After you run Hard Reset and reboot, you may encounter an activation screen where the system requires you to enter a password from a Google account or Mi Account. This is not an error or a virus, but a standard FRP (Factory Reset Protection) security system.

The purpose of this protection is to render a stolen phone useless to the new owner, and even after a complete flashing or reset, the device remembers which owner it belonged to and requires authorization.

If you are the legal owner:

• 🔑 Enter the login and password from the Google account that was synced on the phone before the reset.
• 🌐 Make sure the date and time on the device are set correctly (if possible), as time errors may interfere with authorization.
• 📶 Check the stability of your Wi-Fi connection as Google servers need time to check your device status.

If you forget your account password, you need to restore it through the process of restoring access to the site of Google or Xiaomi from another device, and it is almost impossible to bypass this protection with software methods on modern versions of Android without losing the warranty and risk turning the phone into a non-working device.

⚠️ Warning: Buying a used phone without checking for account binding is a huge risk.

Sometimes users confuse the screen unlock password with the account password, and the system clearly indicates what you need to type: “Enter the password from your Google account” or “Enter the password from your Google account” PIN-unlock».

💡

Tip: If you sell a phone, make a reset with the customer to make sure they can activate the device with their accounts, which will increase trust and avoid returns.

Typical errors and problems in resetting

Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users often face difficulties, and one common problem is the “bootloop cycle” where the phone endlessly shows the Mi logo after a reset, which can indicate damage to system files or conflict updates.

In this situation, a simple reset via Recovery might not help. It requires a deeper intervention, which is to flash the device using the Mi Flash Tool on your computer, and it requires the ADB drivers and the original firmware file.

Another common mistake is to interrupt the process due to battery drain, so if the phone shuts down while formatting the data partition, the file system may be corrupted, in which case the device may not see the internal memory or constantly emit errors.

Also worth mentioning is the problem of dead pixels or artifacts on the screen after a reset, although this is more often related to hardware than software. However, if the screen worked normally before the reset, it is worth trying to roll back the version of the software.

Don’t ignore error messages if they appear immediately after activation, and they may contain codes to help diagnose the problem in service centers.

💡

Main conclusion: Reset to factory settings is a powerful tool for treating software diseases of a smartphone, but it requires mandatory data backup.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)