Selling an old gadget, handing over a device to a relative, or simply having to start with a clean slate are the main reasons owners have to clean up their memory completely. The deletion procedure on Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco smartphones drastically changes the state of the operating system, returning it to factory parameters. It's not just deleting files, but deep cleaning of system partitions that requires careful attention.
Before you start taking action, it's important to recognize the irreversibility of the process. Once you start the reset mechanism, it's almost impossible to return photos, contacts and correspondence without a pre-built backup. Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells offer powerful encryption tools, so even theoretical data recovery by special services becomes a challenge.
In this article, we will take a look at all the cleaning options available, from the standard settings menu to the Recovery Engineered Mode, how to properly prepare your device, which accounts you need to unplug in advance, and what to do if your phone is locked or not turned on. Follow the instructions Step-by-step to avoid losing important information.
Preparation of the device before complete reset
The initial stage is critical to preserving your digital life. Many users make the mistake of starting a reset immediately, forgetting to sync cloud services. The first step is to check the status of your Google account and Mi Account. If you do not log out before resetting, after turning on the phone may require a password from the previous owner due to activated FRP (Factory Reset Protection).
Backup is not just a recommendation, it’s a requirement. Xiaomi smartphones have a handy backup tool that saves not only media files, but also folder structure, call log and messages, and manually check if your photos are uploaded to Google Photos or the Mi Cloud, as local files will be destroyed.
☑️ Checklist before resetting
Bank applications and two-factor authentication are worth special attention. Before cleaning, be sure to untie the device in the security settings of banking applications, otherwise you may experience locks when you sign in from a new device, and prepare recovery codes for services that use 2FA to avoid losing access to your accounts forever.
What is FRP and why is it important?
Method 1: Reset via the settings menu (standard method)
The safest and most recommended way to clean your phone is to use the built-in menu, which is suitable for situations where the device is stable, the screen responds to touch, and you remember the unlock password. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS, but the logic of actions remains the same for all models.
To start, open the Settings app and scroll down to the bottom. You're interested in the About Phone section. Inside it, you'll need to find Reset or Delete All Data. The system will immediately alert you that all files will be deleted, and prompt you to move to the next step. Press the Delete All Data button.
At this stage, the system can request confirmation through the input of a pattern lock, PIN-This is a security measure to prevent accidental or malicious reset. Once confirmed, the phone may suggest entering the password from Mi Account or Google for final verification.
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If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your Mi Account, make sure you have access to a phone number or backup code, as the system may request a sign-in confirmation before resetting.
After all the confirmations, the cleaning process will begin. The screen will go out and the device will reboot. The Xiaomi logo and the progress indicator in the form of percentages may appear on the screen. Depending on the amount of internal memory and the number of files, this process can take from 5 to 15 minutes.
Method 2: Hard Reset with Recovery Mode
If the phone doesn't turn on, you're stuck on the logo, or you forget your unlock password, the standard method won't work. Recovery mode is used. It's a low-level environment built into the device's memory that allows you to control the system bypassing the main Android interface.
To get into the Recovery menu on Xiaomi, you need to turn off your smartphone completely. Then press the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then you can release the power button, continuing to hold the volume. In a few seconds, the main recovery menu opens.
Navigation in this menu is done with volume buttons (up/down), and the choice of item is confirmed by the power button. You need to find the Wipe Data item. After selecting, the system can request confirmation by suggesting the Wipe All Data item. Confirm the action by selecting Confirm.
⚠️ Warning: In Recovery mode, the touch screen is not working. All actions are performed only with mechanical buttons. Be careful when selecting menu items so you don’t start flashing or resetting to factory settings (Factory Reset) instead of clearing data if such options are shared in your version of the recaverie.
Once the cleanup is complete, the menu will see a message called Data wiped successfully. To exit, select Reboot and then Reboot to System. The phone will reboot and start the initial setup as if you had just bought it from a store. All user data will be permanently deleted.
Deletion of accounts and protection against blocking
One of the biggest problems with selling used technology is account locking, and the FRP (Factory Reset Protection) mechanism in Android and similar Mi Cloud protection are designed to keep the stolen phone from being used, and if you just do a hard reset without deleting your accounts, the new owner will face a lock screen.
Before resetting, make sure to do the following: go to Settings → Accounts and Sync. Here you will see a list of all the services associated. click on Google, select your email address and click Delete Account. Repeat the procedure for Mi Account in the appropriate settings section.
Also worth checking your device's association in the web version of your Google account: Go to myaccount.google.com from your computer, go to Security → Your Devices, find your phone in the list, and select the "Get Out" or "Forget" option, which will break the connection between the gadget and the cloud before the reset procedure begins.
| Action. | The risk of neglect | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Deleting Google Account | FRP Blocking (Password Requirement) | Low. |
| Deletion of Mi Account | Blocking Xiaomi activation | Low. |
| Find My Device Device | Impossibility of use by the new owner | Medium |
| Screen password reset | Requiring an old password after rebooting | Low. |
If you have already sold your phone and forgot to delete your account, the only solution is to remotely clean up your phone via Google or Mi Cloud, but that requires the phone to be connected to the internet, otherwise the new owner will have to carry the device to a service center with purchase checks to prove ownership.
What to do if your phone is locked or not turned on
If you forget your pattern lock or pin, it's one of the hardest things to do. If the phone is switched on but not allowed to log in, standard resetting via settings is not available. The only option is to use a button combination to log in to Recovery, as described above.
However, if the phone has been enabled to search for the device, after resetting via Recovery, it will still require you to enter the last used Google account.
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Forgotten password from the screen can be bypassed by resetting through Recovery, but the forgotten password from the Google account after reset makes the phone unusable without contacting the service with documents.
In cases where the phone does not respond to buttons, hangs on the logo or goes into an endless restart (bootloop), you may need to flash through the computer. This uses the Mi Flash Tool utility and a special firmware in.tgz (Fastboot) format, this process is more complicated and requires the installation of ADB and Fastboot drivers.
⚠️ Warning: Fastboot flashing completely erases the userdata section. If you plan to sell the device, make sure you choose the option clean_all when firmware is in place to ensure that all traces of previous use are removed.
If the device doesn't turn on at all (black screen, no charging response), the problem may be hardware. In this case, software reset methods won't help. You need to check the charger, cable and connector. If the phone is discharged to zero, leave it on charging for 30-60 minutes before you try to turn on.