When you pick up your Xiaomi or Redmi and realize you’ve forgotten your pattern lock, it’s one of the most stressful things for a smartphone owner. The lock screen becomes an insurmountable barrier to hiding all contacts, photos and important apps. Fortunately, the Android operating system and MIUI shell have multiple recovery mechanisms that range from simply entering your account password to completely resetting your device.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the current methods of bypassing the lock, starting from the most gentle ways to save data, and ending with radical measures like Hard Reset. It is important to understand that the choice of a particular method depends on whether the phone was linked to the Mi Account, whether it was turned on. USB-Debugging and what version of the operating system is installed on the device.
Before you start taking action, you need to calm down and soberly assess the situation. If the device is enabled two-factor authorization and synchronization with Mi Cloud, the probability of successful unlock without loss of data goes up to 90%. If the phone was used in guest mode without linking accounts, options are less, and they usually lead to the cleanup of internal memory.
Using Mi Account to Remotely Unblock
The most effective and secure way to remove a pattern lock from a Xiaomi phone is to use the Find Device feature built into the manufacturer’s ecosystem, which only works if the locked smartphone logs in to Mi Account, has data transfer enabled (mobile Internet or Wi-Fi) and has enabled the device search function in the security settings.
To start the procedure, you will need access to another device with Internet access, whether it is a computer or a friend's smartphone, you need to go to the official website of the Mi Cloud service and log in under the same login and password that was used on the locked gadget, and after successful login, the system will suggest selecting the device from the list of associated devices.
- 🔓 Go to the “Find Device” section on the web interface.
- 📱 Select the model of your locked smartphone from the list offered.
- 🗑️ Press the Unlock button to remove the screen lock remotely.
⚠️ Note: After successful remote unlocking, the pattern lock will be completely deleted, but the device may require re-entering the Mi Account password the next time it is downloaded for security reasons.
It is important to note that this method does not delete the user’s personal data, such as photos, contacts and correspondence in messengers. However, if the device search function was not activated in advance in the Settings → Mi Account → Find the device, this method, alas, will not work, in which case you will have to resort to more complex or radical measures.
Recovery Mode (Hard Reset)
If remote unlocking is not possible, the most common solution is to perform a hard reset, known as Hard Reset.This method returns the device to factory status, which means completely removing all user data, including the pattern lock, applications and files in internal memory.
To enter Recovery Mode on Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, you need to turn the device off completely, then you need to press the combination of the buttons: usually a Volume Up button and a Power button. Hold them simultaneously until the Mi logo appears, after which the power button can be released, while keeping the volume.
☑️ Preparation for Hard Reset
Once you enter the Recovery menu, the navigation is done with volume buttons (up/down), and the choice is confirmed by the power button. You need to find the Wipe Data or Clear Data option, select the Wipe All Data option and confirm the action. The reset process can take several minutes, after which the phone will reboot as new.
| Action. | Navigation button | Confirmation button | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice of menu item | Volume Up/down | - | Moving the cursor |
| Confirmation of choice | - | Nutrition | Entrance to the submenu |
| Exit to the main menu | - | Food (in some versions) | Going back |
| Reboot. | - | Automatically. | Starting the system |
⚠️ Note: On devices with Android 9 and above, you will need to enter a password from your Google account after resetting (FRP Lock, which was synced to the phone earlier, and without that data, you can't use your smartphone.
Unlocking through Google’s Find My Device service
An alternative to Xiaomi’s branded service is Google’s standard Find My Device tool, which is effective if the phone is logged in to a Google account, geolocated and has an active Internet connection, similar to the Mi Cloud method but using the search giant’s infrastructure.
You need to go to android.com/find from any available device and log in to the Google account that is the main one on the locked smartphone.The system will automatically determine the location of the gadget and offer three options: call, lock or clear the device.
The Erase Device feature will perform a full reset similar to Hard Reset via Recovery. This is guaranteed to remove the pattern lock but destroy all data. The Lock feature allows you to set a new temporary password that will replace the forgotten pattern lock, but on modern versions of Android this option works unstable and often requires pre-setting.
What if Google can’t see the device?
It should be noted that after the cleaning command is executed, the phone must at least once connect to the network to receive a command from the server. If the device is in aeronautical mode, the command will be executed only after the Internet connection appears.
Use of USB and ADB debugging (for advanced ones)
For users who have previously enabled the developer mode and activated debugging USB (USB Debugging, there's a way to unblock without losing data. This method requires a computer, drivers installed. ADB Basic skills of working with the command line.
Connect the locked smartphone to the computer through the original USB-Open the command line (CMD) PowerShell on PC in a folder with installed tools ADB. Enter the adb device command to check the connection. If the phone screen has previously given permission to debug from this computer, the device will appear in the list.
adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key
adb shell rm /data/system/keyguard/locksettings.db
adb shell rm /data/system/keyguard/locksettings.db-wal
adb shell rm /data/system/keyguard/locksettings.db-shmExecuting these commands will delete files that store information about the pattern lock and pin code, after which you need to restart the device with the adb reboot command or manually. When you boot, the system will not find the file with the key and will let you on the desktop where you can install new protection.
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If the adb device command doesn’t show the device, try replacing the cable or installing Xiaomi USB Drivers manually from the official website.
Unfortunately, if USB debugging was not enabled before locking, this method will not work, and in newer versions of MIUI with enhanced security, even having ADB may not allow you to delete the system lock files without root rights.
Specifics of unlocking different versions of MIUI
The process of removing the pattern lock can vary significantly depending on the version of the MIUI shell and the device model. Owners of older models, such as the Redmi Note 4 or Mi 5S, often have more options to bypass protection due to vulnerabilities in older versions of Android.
On devices with MIUI 12 and later, especially with the security updates above 2020, strict account binding is implemented. Even after a full reset, the phone will require you to enter a password from Mi Account, which was synchronized earlier, this is done to protect against theft, but creates problems for forgetful owners.
- 📱 MIUI 10-11: Often allow unlocking through a Google or Mi Account without a hard link after a reset.
- 🔒 MIUI 12-14: Requires a mandatory authorization in the Mi Account after reset, if the phone was tied.
- 🛡️ HyperOS: Uses enhanced encryption algorithms, making bypassing locks without passwords almost impossible by official methods.
If you own a global firmware device, the process may be different from the Chinese version. Global firmware is more likely to rely on Google services, while Chinese versions (CN ROM) are tied exclusively to the Xiaomi ecosystem.
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The firmware version and the year of release of the device determine how difficult it will be to bypass the lock: the newer the model, the stricter the protection.
What to do if nothing helps
In cases where none of the software methods have worked, or if the device is blocked by an account whose password is lost, the only official way is to contact an authorized Xiaomi service center.
The service can reflash the device using special boxes and licensed software, which will remove the locking of the account, but this is possible only if you have a check, a warranty card or a box with a unique IMEI code that matches the device, and without proof of ownership, unlocking will be denied for security reasons.
⚠️ Note: Use of third-party paid services to unlock ("disconnection by the user") IMEI») You can give your data to scammers or get a damaged firmware, after which the phone will turn into a brick».
There are also specialized PC programs like the Xiaomi Mi Unlock Tool, but they are designed primarily to unlock the bootloader, not to remove the pattern lock with a forgotten password. Attempting to use tools to hack the bootloader without proper preparation can lead to locking the device on a timer (7 days or more).