How to turn off Xiaomi Redmi Note if the power button does not work: the complete guide

Why the power button on Xiaomi Redmi Note may fail?

The on/off button on Xiaomi Redmi Note smartphones (whether it’s the Note 10 Pro, Note 9S or earlier) is one of the most vulnerable, and according to service centers, up to 30 percent of mechanical failures are related to this particular part, ranging from the usual contamination of contacts (dust, moisture, cosmetics) to the wear of the micro-switch after 50-70 thousand taps — which is about 2-3 years of active use.

But what if you need to turn off your phone and the button doesn't respond? Maybe you're planning to replace your battery, flash your device, or just reboot your freezer. In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can do it, from software to hardware tricks, including those that work even on a fully locked screen. Importantly, some methods require pre-tuning, so if your Redmi Note is still working, you should pre-prepared it.

Before we get to the instructions, the main question is: can you turn off Xiaomi without the power button without risking data? Yes, but with reservations. For example, methods with ADB or Fastboot are safe, but forced power outage (removing the battery) can damage the file system. Details are in the relevant sections.

Method 1: Turn off via the power menu (if the screen is running)

The most obvious and safe method is to use a software shutdown menu, which is suitable if the touch screen responds to touch, but the physical power button doesn't work. Here's how to do this:

1. Unlock your phone (enter a PIN, pattern lock, or fingerprint).
2. Hold the Volume Up button for 3-5 seconds until the power menu appears.
3. In the window that appears, select "Switch off" (or "Power off" in English firmware).
4. Confirm the action by tapping "OK."

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 13+) This method may not work if you turn off the option "Complete" with a long press of the volume button. To turn it on in advance, go to Settings. → Special facilities → Power and volume button.

If the menu doesn’t appear, try an alternative route:

• 🔄 Open the Settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI and tap it 7 times to activate the developer mode.
• 📱 Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers and enable the option "Switch off by long press of the volume button".

Make sure the screen responds to touch

Check whether the "Switch off the volume button" mode is enabled in the settings

Charge your phone at least 10% (to avoid a sudden shutdown)

Save important data (in case of failure)

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Method 2: Use ADB (for advanced users)

Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a debugging tool that lets you control your phone through your computer. This is a good way to do it if you have USB debugging enabled and you have access to your PC. If you've never used ADB, it's going to be tricky, but it's guaranteed to work even when you're locked up (if you've activated debugging before).

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Platform Tools (the official package from Google).
2. Connect the Redmi Note to your computer via USB-cable (preferably original).
3. Open the command prompt (cmd in Windows or Terminal in macOS/Linux) and go to the folder with adb: cd path to folder platform-tools
4. Check the connection of the device by the command: adb devices If the phone is determined (the serial number will appear), enter: adb shell reboot -p

⚠️ Note: If the adb device command returns an empty list, then:

• 🔌 Debugging by USB not enabled on the phone (you should have activated in advance in Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 taps → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔄 cable or port USB faulty (try another cable or connector).
• 📱 Xiaomi drivers are not installed on PC (download Mi) PC Suite).

If the ADB is not connected but the phone is recognized as a media device, try the command:

adb kill-server && adb start-server

Method 3: Forced Reset (Hard Reset)

If the screen doesn't respond and the ADB isn't configured, it's a hardware reset, which doesn't save data and can lead to the loss of unsaved files, but it works 99% of the time, even if the phone is completely frozen. On the Xiaomi Redmi Note, the procedure looks like this:

1. Press the Volume Up button and the power button at the same time.
2. Hold for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out and the phone vibrates (reset signal).
3. If the power button doesn’t work, try holding Volume Up + Volume Down at the same time (some Redmi Note 8/9 models do).

⚠️ Warning: Forced reboot does not turn off the phone completely - it reboots. If you need to turn off the phone specifically (for example, to replace the battery), after restart, use Method 1 or Method 4.

If the phone doesn't respond to even this combination, there may have been a total power failure.

• 🔋 Connect the charger and wait. 5-10 minutes (sometimes this "revives" the device).
• 🔌 Try another cable or power supply (possibly a problem in charging).
• 📵 If the screen remains black and the charging indicator does not burn, this may indicate a hardware malfunction (damage to the motherboard or battery).

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Forced reboot is not shutdown, it will start again, and then you can use other methods to shut down completely.

Method 4: Turning off through Recovery Mode

If the phone is turned on but the power button is not working, you can turn it off via Recovery, a method that is suitable for all Redmi Note models, including the Note 10 Pro, Note 9S and Note 8T. The main condition is that the touch screen must work (or at least respond to the volume buttons).

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone in any way you can (e.g., Method 1 or Method 3).
2. Press the Volume Up + Power button (if the power button doesn't work, try holding only Volume Up when connecting to charging).
3. When the Mi logo appears, release the buttons and you will be taken to MI-Recovery.
4. Using volume buttons for navigation, select "Power Off" (or "Off" in Russian).
5. Confirm the choice with the power button (or, if it does not work, by short pressing Volume Up).

⚠️ Attention: Recovery mode doesn't have touch gestures, just volume and power buttons, and if the power button doesn't work, it's hard to confirm the action:

• 🔄 Try connecting your phone to charge – sometimes it allows you to confirm your choice without the power button.
• 📵 If nothing helps, go to Method 5 (Battery Removal).

You can also do a Wipe Data reset in Recovery, but it will delete all the data! Use this option only as a last resort.

Method 5: Removal of the battery (last resort)

If all software methods are exhausted and the phone needs to be turned off urgently (for example, for repairs), there is a physical power outage, and most Redmi Note models (except the Note 10/11 with non-removable batteries) can do this on their own, but with the risk of damage.

⚠️ Warning: Disassembling the phone will void the warranty (if it is still valid) and may cause damage to the plumes or short circuit. If you are not sure about your skills, contact the service center.

If you decide, follow the instructions:

1. Turn off your phone (if possible) by any of the previous methods.
2. Remove the back cover. Most Redmi Notes have it attached to latches and glue. Use a plastic shoulder blade or mediator to gently fit the lid on the side (start with the headphone jack).
3. Unscrew the screws that hold the metal plate of the battery (usually 4-6 pieces).
4. Carefully tuck the battery into a plastic spatula and disconnect the power plume, and the phone will shut down immediately.

⚠️ Critical warnings:

• 🔥 Don’t use metal tools – they can close your contacts!
• 💥 Don’t press on the battery – lithium batteries can ignite when deformed.
• 🔌 Do not tear off the plume of power by force - it is fastened by a fragile connector.

After the battery is removed, don’t turn the phone on immediately – wait 1-2 minutes for the residual capacitors to run out. If you are planning to replace the battery, make sure that the new battery is compatible with your Redmi Note model (for example, the Note 9 Pro is suitable for the MZB0964X battery with a capacity of 5020 mAh).

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Before disassembly, take a picture of the location of the screws and plumes - this will help to properly assemble the phone back.

Method 6: Using third-party apps (if the phone is unlocked)

If the power button is still running once again, but you want to be safe, install one of the specialized power management apps that lets you turn off your phone via a virtual button on the screen or on schedule.

• 📱 Power Menu - adds a control panel to the notification curtain.link to Google Play.
• ⏻ Shutdown – allows you to turn off your phone by timer or voice command.
• 🔄 Quick Reboot – Offers quick reboot or shutdown in one tap.

How to set up:

1. Download and install an app (e.g. Power Menu).
2. Launch it and grant the "Overlap on top of other windows" permission (a pop-up will redirect you to settings).
3. Activate the "Show the power button" option.
4. Now a virtual shutdown button will appear in the notification curtain.

⚠️ Note: Some apps require root rights to work properly. On non-rooted Xiaomi, they may offer limited functionality (e.g., only reboot, but not completely shut down).

If you are using MIUI 12+, check the built-in features:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen and password → Additional settings.
2. Enable the option "Power button on the lock screen" (if available).

Method 7: Shut down via Fastboot (if the phone doesn't boot)

If the phone doesn't turn on (hangs on the Mi logo or reboots cyclically) but reacts to a PC connection, you can turn it off via Fastboot mode.This method requires ADB and Fastboot, but doesn't need a desktop screen.

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your computer by holding the Volume Down + Power button (if the power button doesn't work, try only Volume Down when connecting to charging).
2. Open the command line in the folder with platform-tools and enter: fastboot devices If the phone is determined, enter: fastboot oem off-mode-charge 0 This command will put the device in the full shutdown mode.

⚠️ Note: Not all Xiaomi models support the off-mode-charge command.If it didn't work, try it:

fastboot reboot poweroff

If this doesn’t work, you can either remove the battery (see Method 5) or wait until the phone runs out on its own (it can take 12-24 hours depending on the model).

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Fastboot commands only work if the phone is determined by the computer. If fastboot devices return an empty list, check the drivers and cable.

Frequently asked questions