How to restore Xiaomi phone after a complete reset: from account to applications

Resetting on Xiaomi smartphones is a radical way to return the device to work, but often it turns into a headache: contacts, photos, messages disappear, and sometimes the phone even refuses to activate because of the tied Mi Account. This article will help you understand how to recover data after hard reset on any models – from the Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 – avoiding typical errors.

We will look at not only standard methods through Mi Cloud and Google Drive backups, but also alternative ways to recover lost information: from manually transferring files from a memory card to using specialized utilities like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare UltData. Particular attention will be paid to unlocking a phone after a reset if it requires login from a previous Mi Account - a problem that one in five users face after a hard reset.

What happens to the phone when you reset your settings?

A full reset (or hard reset) on Xiaomi erases all information from the /data section, including:

• 📱 Installed applications and their data (cache, settings, game saves)
• 📞 Contacts, call log and SMS (If not synchronized with the cloud)
• 📷 Photos and videos in the gallery (except for those in the gallery) SD-map)
• 🔑 Passwords from Wi-Fi, accounts in social networks and instant messengers
• 📊 System settings (wallpaper, sound circuits, gestures)

It does not affect:

• 💾 Files on the outside SD-card (if not encrypted)
• 📲 System firmware and core (remains the current version) MIUI)
• 🔐 Factory security settings (e.g., binding to Mi Account)

It’s important to understand that even if you back up via Settings → About Phone → Backup, you’ll have to manually restore it after you reset – there’s no automatic rollback. Moreover, on some models (such as the POCO F5 or Redmi K60), anti-theft protection (Anti-Theft) can work after a hard reset by locking the phone before entering data from a previous Mi Account.

Preparation for recovery: what to do before the reset

If the phone hasn’t dropped yet, but you plan to do so (for example, because of brakes or before selling), follow the mandatory steps:

Synchronize contacts with Google or Mi Cloud

Download photos/videos to PC or cloud

Sign up for a username/password from Mi Account

Remove the binding of cards and banking applications

Disable factory protection (unless the phone is stolen)-->

To sync contacts, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable Contacts. Similar to Mi Cloud sync (Xiaomi account required), photos and videos can be transferred to your computer via a USB-C cable or uploaded to Google Photos (free up to 15 GB).

Pay special attention to the Mi Account: if you forgot your password, restore it in advance on account.xiaomi.com. After resetting, the phone may require you to enter this data to unlock - without them you will get a "brick".

⚠️ Attention: On models with MIUI 14+ (for example, Xiaomi 13T Or the Redmi Note 12 Pro.+) when reset via Settings → Additionally. → Recovery and reset can work lock FRP (Factory Reset Protection is only bypassed through an official Mi Account or service center.

Methods of data recovery after resetting

If the reset is already performed, act on the algorithm:

First, log in to your Mi Account (if your phone is not locked).

1. Connect to Wi-Fi.
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Data Recovery.
3. Select the latest backup from Mi Cloud (if you have one).
4. Wait until the recovery is complete (it can take up to an hour).

If there is no backup, use Google Account: when you first turn on after reset, the system will prompt you to restore data from Google Drive.

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If the phone asks for the old Mi Account password after reset and you don’t remember it, try to restore access through the Xiaomi website. In extreme cases, contact the service center with proof of purchase (check or box).

How to Unlock Xiaomi After Resetting If You Require Mi Account

The most common problem after hard reset is blocking the activation screen to require you to enter data from your previous Mi Account.

• 🔒 The phone has enabled the function Find Device (Device Search).
• 📱 The device is tied to a Xiaomi account with a confirmed phone number.
• 🔄 Reset is done via Recovery Mode (not through settings).

The official way to unlock is to enter the correct username and password, if you forgot them:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com.
2. Click Forgot Password? and follow the instructions (access to email or SMS is required).
3. After restoring access, log in to the phone.

If your account is not yours (for example, a handheld phone), contact the previous owner. You can't get around the lock yourself - this violates Xiaomi's security policy. Service centers can only help if you have a check or a box with IMEI.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use left-handed software to bypass Mi Account (such as the Mi Account Unlock Tool) that often contains viruses or leads to complete data loss.

Photo and video recovery: Cloud vs. local methods

Photos and videos can be returned in several ways:

1. From cloud storage

• 🖼️ Google Photos: Open the app, log in - all synchronized media files will appear in the gallery.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud: Go to the Gallery → Albums. → Cloud (requires a Mi Account).
• 📦 Other clouds: If you used Yandex Drive or Dropbox, download files through your browser.

2. From external media

If the photo is stored on SD-For internal memory (if the reset was incomplete), try programs like DiskDigger or Recuva:

1. Connect your phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Start DiskDigger, select the phone disc.
3. Press Scan and wait for results (may take a few hours).
4. Save the files found on the computer.

The effectiveness of recovery depends on how much data is written to the phone after the reset, and if you start using the device immediately, the chances of returning lost files are reduced to 20-30%.

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The faster you start recovering from a reset, the better the chances of getting your data back, and each new record on internal memory reduces the likelihood of success.

Recovery of applications and their data

Apps are recovered after reset via Google Play or Mi Cloud, but their settings and saves (such as game progress) are often lost.

1. Automatic recovery

• 📥 When you first start after reset, Google Play will offer to restore previously installed applications.
• ☁️ B Settings → The phone. → Recovery: Select a backup from Mi Cloud (if you have one).

Manual data transfer

For games and apps with local saves (such as WhatsApp, Viber):

1. Copy the data folders from the backup (e.g. /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases).
2. Install an app from the Play Market.
3. Move the saved files back to the appropriate folders.

For WhatsApp and Telegram, it is important that the phone number stays the same, otherwise the chat history will not recover. If the number has changed, use the Export Chat function (available in the messenger settings).

3. Specialized utilities

To recover these applications (for example, correspondence in Viber or save games) suitable:

• 🛠️ Dr.Fone – Data Recovery (paid, but with trial period).
• 🔧 Tenorshare UltData (works with the MIUI 12–14).
• 📱 GT Recovery (free but requires root rights).

⚠️ Attention: Programs like GT Recovery requires unlocked bootloader and root access. On new Xiaomi models (such as Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13), unlocking the bootloader resets all data - use this method only as a last resort.

Setup the phone after recovery: optimization and security

After returning the data, do not forget to optimize the system:

1. Firmware update

Go to Settings → About Phone → Update your system and install the latest version of MIUI. This closes vulnerabilities and improves performance.

2. Security setting

• 🔐 Turn on the screen lock (PIN print).
• 🛡️ Activate Find Device in Settings → Mi Account → Searching device.
• 📡 Set up. VPN To protect traffic (we recommend ProtonVPN or Windscribe).

3. Optimization of productivity

So the phone doesn't brake:

• ⚡ Turn off autoloading of unnecessary applications in Settings → Annexes → Auto-start.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache in Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup.
• 🔄 Include Adaptive Performance in Settings → Battery.

We also recommend installing Google Files for garbage cleaning and Greenify for background management.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's recovery after reset