How to safely exit Recovery Mode on Xiaomi: all the ways 2026

Recovery Mode on Xiaomi smartphones is a service tool for system recovery, which sometimes activates spontaneously after a failed update, firmware failure or incorrectly shutting down the device. If your Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or Mi 11 is getting stuck on the screen with MI Recovery 5.0 or Fastboot Mode, do not panic: in 90% of cases, the problem can be solved without contacting the service center.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to exit Recovery Mode – from elementary reboot to manual reset via ADB. Particular attention will be paid to the methods that save user data (photos, contacts, messages). All instructions are tested on devices with MIUI 14/15 and are relevant for models of 2020-2026 release.

1.A Simple Reboot: The First Step to a Solution

In 30% of cases, Xiaomi’s smartphone is affected by a temporary system failure, and before you start to manipulate it, try the standard reboot:

• 🔄 Press and hold the power button for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out.
• 📱 If the device does not respond, press the power combination + Volume up 20 seconds (for forced reboot).
• 🔋 Connect the charger – sometimes a low battery charge blocks the recovery mode exit.

If the MI Recovery screen reappears after the reboot, then the problem is deeper. Do not try to reboot the device many times - this can damage the boot partition.

2.Use of the Recovery Menu: What to Do Without a PC

MI Recovery offers several options to help bring your smartphone back to life. Importantly, don't pick Wipe Data at random, it will lead to a complete reset!

Available options (navigation is carried out by volume buttons, the choice is by the power button):

• 🔄 Reboot – standard reboot (already tried in the first step).
• 📁 Apply update from ADB — Update via computer (discussed in section 4).
• 🔧 Wipe Data – Complete reset (only use if you are ready to lose data!).
• 📱 Connect with MIAssistant – Connect to Xiaomi’s recovery software (not working on all models).

If you see Mount/system, it means your device has an unlocked bootloader, so you can try connecting through ADB for more flexible actions.

3 Exit via Fastboot: When Recovery Doesn't Help

If the smartphone is cyclically returned to Recovery Mode or the recovery menu is not available, switch the device to Fastboot mode:

1. Turn off your smartphone (hold the power button for 10+ seconds).
2. Press Power + Volume down until the screen with the hare in the hat-eared (Fastboot logo) appears.
3. Connect the device to the PC and use the commands:

fastboot devices # Check the connection


fastboot reboot #Reboot to normal mode




fastboot continue # Continue downloading (if the reboot does not work)

Attention! If the device returns to Recovery after fastboot reboot, it indicates damage to the system partition, in which case you will need to flash it again.

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On POCO F5 and newer models, you may need to press the Volume Up button further to log in to the Fastboot after the MI logo appears.

4.Recovery through ADB: for power users

If you have an option available in the Recovery menu called Apply update from ADB, you can try to restore the system without completely resetting.

1. Install ADB and Fastboot Tools on PC.
2. Connect your smartphone to your computer (use the original cable!).
3. In the command line, do:

adb devices # Your device should be displayed


adb sideload update.zip # Replace update.zip with the current firmware file

Where to get update.zip:

• 📥 Official website MIUI Downloads (select a version for your model!).
• 🔧 Forums 4PDA or XDA Developers (Look for themes with a tagline) [Stock ROM]).

5. Complete reset (Wipe Data): last resort

If all the previous methods failed, you'll have a hard reset over Wipe Data, which will delete:

• 📸 All photos and videos (unless saved in the cloud).
• 📞 Contacts and messages (unless synced with Google or Mi Account).
• 🎮 Installed applications and their data.

How to perform the reset:

1. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
2. Confirm the action (usually you need to enter yes or press the power button).
3. After reset, select Reboot → Reboot to System.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14+ After the reset, you may need to link to the Xiaomi account that was on the device before the reset. If you do not remember the account data, the smartphone will turn into a brick»!

6. flashing through Mi Flash Tool: if nothing helps

If the smartphone never leaves Recovery Mode, you have to completely flash it through the Mi Flash Tool.

• 🖥️ Windows computer (the program does not support) macOS/Linux).
• 🔌 Original. USB-cables (cheap cables may not transmit data).
• 📦.tgz or.zip firmware for your model (download only from official sources!).

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install the Mi Flash Tool.
2. Unpack the firmware in a folder without Cyrillic characters (for example, C:\MIUI\proshivka).
3. Transfer your smartphone to Fastboot (see Section 3).
4. In the Mi Flash Tool, click Select, specify the path to the firmware folder, then Refresh (your device should appear).
5. Select Clean All (Saves Data) or Clean All and Lock (Full Reset + bootloader Lock).
6. Press Flash and wait until it is completed (5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Note: On models with a MediaTek processor (e.g. Redmi) 10A) For firmware, you need to log in to your Mi Account with a device-linked login. Without it, the Mi Flash Tool will give you an error. 0x80070057.

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Flashing through the Mi Flash Tool is the most reliable way to bring a smartphone back to life, but requires strict adherence to instructions. A mistake in choosing a firmware can turn a device into a brick.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users make the problem worse by making common mistakes:

• ❌ Use of informal firmware - custom ROM (LineageOS may conflict with Xiaomi Recovery Mode.
• ❌ Interrupting the process – if during the ADB sideload or firmware to disable the cable, the device may become inoperable.
• ❌ Version inconsistency - firmware from Redmi Note 11 is not suitable for Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (even if the names are similar!).
• ❌ Ignoring backups – copy data via adb pull before any manipulations /sdcard (if the device is determined).

If after all the manipulations, the smartphone still does not leave Recovery Mode, the reason may lie in:

• 🔋 Battery malfunctions (try to connect charging and repeat the actions).
• 🛠️ Damage to the motherboard (diagnosis is required in the service center).
• 🔒 Block the bootloader after unsuccessful unlocking (requires authorization through Mi Unlock Tool).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions