How to remove the password from Xiaomi Redmi: proven ways to unlock

A situation where a Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone is blocked due to a forgotten password occurs quite often: users often forget the complex graphic keys that they installed to protect personal data, or the device is blocked after a failed attempt to enter. PIN-At this point, the phone becomes a brick, restricted to the user, and the only thing the owner wants is to quickly reclaim contacts and apps.

Fortunately, the Android operating system and MIUI shell provide several mechanisms for access recovery. Password reset can be done through both standard Google or Mi Account tools, and through deeper system tools such as Recovery Mode. The choice of a particular method depends on whether the phone was tied to cloud services and whether debugging over USB was enabled before locking.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all the current ways to remove a password from Xiaomi, from simple methods using an account to completely reset settings. We will look at the nuances of working with Mi Cloud, the features of unlocking through Fastboot and answer the question whether it is possible to save data when you forcefully remove protection. It is important to understand the risks associated with blocking activation, so that after removing the lock screen, you do not get locked by IMEI device.

Using Mi Account to Unlock the Block

The most civilized and safe way provided by the manufacturer is to use the “Find Device” function through the Mi Cloud service, which works only if the locked smartphone has logged in to Mi Account and Internet access (Wi-Fi or mobile data) is enabled. If these conditions are met, you can remotely erase the screen lock data without losing photos and contacts.

First, you need to go to the official i.mi.com website from any other device (computer or other phone), enter the username and password from your Mi Account. The system will require proof of identity, which is an important security element. After successful authorization on the menu, select Find Device. From the list of available gadgets, find your Redmi or Xiaomi.

In the device management interface that opens up, you'll have a few options available to you, and we're interested in Unlock or Wipe Data, depending on the version of the cloud interface, and pressing that button will send a command to the phone and the lock screen will be reset.

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If the phone is not connected to the Internet at the time of sending the command, unlocking will happen automatically as soon as the device appears on the network.

⚠️ Note: After remotely unlocking via Mi Cloud, the phone may require re-entering the Mi Account password when it first downloads.This is the standard anti-theft protection known as Activation Lock.

If you don't log in to your phone, it won't work, and you'll have to resort to more radical measures that involve completely resetting your device to factory settings.

Recovery Mode (Hard Reset)

When access through the cloud is not possible, the only option is Hard Reset, a full system reset via the recovery menu, which removes all data from the phone's internal memory, including photos, apps and the password or pattern lock itself. Before starting the procedure, make sure that the battery is at least 50% so that the device does not turn off at a critical time.

The recovery procedure on Xiaomi and Redmi is standard, but requires precision. First, turn off your smartphone completely. Then press both the volume button and the power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, after which the power button can be released, continuing to hold the volume until the Recovery menu appears.

In the Recovery menu, you can control volume buttons (up/down) to move to points and a power button to confirm the selection. You need to find the Wipe Data item and confirm the action. Next, the system can request confirmation via pressing Wipe All Data and entering a special code if such protection is included in your version of MIUI. After completing the cleaning process, select Reboot -> Reboot to System.

Once you reboot, the phone will look like a new one just from the store, and you'll need to reset your initial setup, connect your Wi-Fi, and log in to your Google account, which is where you might have a problem, which we'll talk about in the next section, if the device has been further protected.

The problem of activating Google and Mi Account (FRP)

Modern Android smartphones are equipped with FRP (Factory Reset Protection) protection. If you made a reset via Recovery, but before that on the phone was entered Google account, the system at the first boot will require the password from this account, which is done so that the stolen phone can not be simply reflashed and used.

And the same thing happens with Mi accounts, where if Find Device is activated, when you reset, your phone will ask for a username and password from Mi Cloud, and you can't use it without that data, and it's not a bug, it's a security feature that you can't get around with simple methods without losing warranty or using sophisticated software.

• 🔑 Enter only data that was synchronized with the device before locking.
• 📱 If you have recently changed your Google password, wait 24 hours before trying to log in after resetting.
• ⚠️ Attempts to select a password can lead to temporary blocking of the account by Google servers.

There are many services and craftsmen offering FRP deletion services, but exploiting third-party vulnerabilities may not be secure for your personal data that may remain on your device, and the official way is to restore access to your account through a password recovery procedure on Google or Mi.

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FRP lock protects the owner’s data, but requires remembering the accounts tied to the device before selling or resetting.

Unlocking through USB debugging (ADB)

This method is suitable only for advanced users and only if the developer’s settings were enabled before the screen lock. USB (USB Debugging) and the computer was given permission to access, and if these conditions are not met, the method will not work, and time will be wasted.

The idea is to use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) toolkit on your computer, and by connecting your phone to your PC, you can send a command to delete a file that stores password and pattern lock hashes, which are usually located along the /data/system/ path, and have names like gesture.key or password.key.

adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key


adb shell rm /data/system/password.key

Once the commands are executed, the device must be restarted. The lock screen must disappear, or the phone will accept any password/key entered. However, on modern versions of Android 10/11/12/13/14 with disk encryption, this method is often ineffective, since without an unlocked screen, access to /data partition via ADB is closed.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Commands require the installation of drivers ADB A computer and basic command line knowledge, and a faulty action can cause the system to malfunction.

Third-party utilities and service codes

There are many programs on the Internet that promise to hack any Xiaomi in a couple of clicks. Most of them, such as various versions of Dr.Fone, Tenorshare or iMyFone, are paid and often do not fulfill the promises on new models. They can only work on very old versions of Android (up to 6.0), where there was no data encryption.

Service codes entered through a dialer, such as ##7780###, will also not work if you can't unlock the screen to open the Phone app. So you shouldn't rely on a "magic code" to remove the password from a locked screen.

The only way that third-party software can help is if you have a Root right. If your Redmi has super-user rights, there are file managers with access to system folders that can delete the lock keys, but you can't get Root rights on a locked phone without first unlocking the bootloader, which brings us back to the need to unplug the password.

Prevention and backup

To prevent a forgotten password from becoming a disaster, it is important to set up a backup beforehand. Xiaomi offers a built-in backup tool. Go to Settings -> About Phone -> Reservation and Recovery. Here you can create a copy of the system, messages, calls and settings to the memory card or the cloud.

You can also set up biometric unlocking, and a fingerprint scanner or face unlock makes it much easier to log in, and even if you forget the digital code, biometrics often lets you log in and change your security settings.

• 📸 Regularly sync photos and contacts with Google Photos and Google Contacts.
• 🔐 Write complex passwords to a secure location (notebook, password manager) rather than storing them in memory only.
• ☁️ Always keep sync with Mi Cloud enabled for remote control.

Remember, data security is a balance between usability and security. Passwords that are too complex are easy to forget, passwords that are too simple are easy to pick up. PIN-code in combination with fingerprint unlocking.