Why TWRP Recovery is not launched on Xiaomi: a full analysis of the causes and solutions

You try to download TWRP Recovery on your Xiaomi, but instead of the familiar touch-controlled menu, you see a black screen, the Mi logo, or an automatic reboot to the standard MIUI Recovery? This problem is familiar to thousands of users who are trying to get root rights, install custom firmware, or backup through the TeamWin Recovery Project. The reasons for the failure can be dozens - from a banal installation error to hardware restrictions introduced by Xiaomi in new models.

In this article, we will not just list the possible causes, but analyze them from the technical side: Why on devices with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and later TWRP may not start due to a modified bootloader signature verification scheme, how does the MIUI version affect custom recover compatibility, and why even a properly installed TWRP sometimes “disappears” after the first reboot? You’ll also find step-by-step instructions for diagnosing and fixing the problem, from checking to unlock the bootloader to manual patching boot.img.

Warning: Some methods require ADB, Fastboot, and partition modifications. If you’re new, keep an eye on commands and don’t miss steps. One incorrect setting in fastboot flash can turn your Xiaomi into a brick.

1. The bootloader is not unlocked (or locked again)

The most common reason why TWRP doesn’t run is because it’s a bootloader that Xiaomi blocks on all devices by default, and even if you’ve unlocked it before, some actions (like updating MIUI via OTA) can return the lock.

How to check bootloader status without a PC? Press Volume down + Power when the phone is off. If you see "This device is locked" or "Device unlocked" with a red/green lock, this is a direct indicator. But there's a caveat: on some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12 Pro+), even an unlocked bootloader can block TWRP launch due to additional AVB 2.0 signature verification.

• 🔓 Official Unlocking Method: Mi Unlock Tool (requires Mi Account binding and 7-15 days waiting).
• ⚡ Unofficial methods: using patched versions of the Mi Unlock Tool or exploits (e.g., EDL- mode for older models).
• ⚠️ Pitfall: Once unlocked, some models (POCO F5, Redmi K60) automatically erase data from the internal drive.

⚠️ Warning: If you unlocked the boot boot bootloader but TWRP still doesn't start, check the MIUI version. Starting with MIUI 14 (Android 13+), Xiaomi has implemented an additional boot partition integrity check, so the solution is to patch boot.img with AVB disabled.

2. Incompatible version of TWRP for your model

Installing TWRP from the flashlight is a surefire way to get a black screen, because each Xiaomi model (and even its modifications for different regions) requires a different version of the recovery. For example, the TWRP for the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G (veux) is not suitable for the Redmi Note 11 Pro + 5G (peux), although the names are almost identical.

Where do you get the right version? TWRP's official website often lags behind the current firmware.

• 📌 XDA Developers (model-specific sections).
• 📌 Telegram channels like @XiaomiTWRP or @MIUIUpdatesTracker.
• 📌 GitHub developer repositories (e.g., Mauronofrio for POCO).

How to check your device's code name? Enter the ADB terminal:

adb shell getprop ro.product.device

Or look at Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (stick several times on the line with the kernel version).

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If you don’t find a TWRP for your model, try searching by platform code (such as tissot for the Mi A2). Sometimes builds for hardware-related devices come with minimal edits.

3. Errors When Installing TWRP via Fastboot

Even if you downloaded the correct version of TWRP, you need to flash it correctly.

• 🔌 Using the outdated fastboot flash recovery command twrp.img (this won’t work on new devices).
• 🔄 Skip the fastboot boot step twrp.img before the permanent firmware.
• 📱 Incorrect partition order (e.g., trying to flash TWRP into boot instead of recovery).

The correct sequence for most Xiaomi models (2020–2026):

1. Unlock the bootloader (see Section 1)

2. Download the current version of TWRP for your model

3. Rename the file to twrp.img and place it in a folder with fastboot

4. Run fastboot boot twrp.img (temporary start)

5. In TWRP, select Install → Install Image → and flash twrp.img to the Recovery section

6. Reboot to TWRP (not in the system!) and execute Format Data → Yes

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Why is it important to boot to TWRP temporarily first? Since Android 10, Xiaomi has implemented an automatic stock recovery mechanism. If you sew TWRP into the recovery section right away and reboot into the system, MIUI will replace it with the standard one.

⚠️ Warning: On Dynamic Partition devices (e.g., Xiaomi 11T Pro, Redmi K50), the recovery section may not be available. In this case, TWRP is stitched into the boot or recovery_ramdisk, but requires additional manipulation of vendor_boot.

4. Conflict with MIUI OTA and recoil protection

Xiaomi is actively fighting system modifications, and one of the “weapons” is anti-rollback protection (Anti-Rollback).If you try to install TWRP on a device that previously received OTA updates, the system can block the launch of custom recovery, citing a mismatch between the bootloader and modem versions.

How does this work? When you try to download it to TWRP, you see:

• 🚫 Message "This MIUI version cannot be downgraded."
• 🔄 Automatic reboot in Fastboot.
• ⚠️ Invalid boot image header error.

Decisions:

1. Check out the current version of MIUI in Settings → About Phone. If it’s newer than the one your TWRP is designed for, you’ll either have to look for a fresher build or roll back to a compatible version (risky!).
2. Use Fastboot scripts to bypass the rollback (e.g., mi_anti_rollback_disabler from the developers of XDA).
3. For Android devices, 12+ may require a vendor_boot patch with AVB disabled.

5. Partition problems and Dynamic Partition

Starting with the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Redmi K40, the company moved to dynamic partitions, which made it difficult to install TWRP. In such devices, traditional partitions (system, vendor, recovery) are replaced by a super partition, which is managed through lpbootimg.

If your device is using Dynamic Partition, the standard TWRP firmware method won't work.

1. Remove recovery.img from super.img using the lpunpack tool.
2. Replace it with patched TWRP.
3. Pack back to super.img and flash through fastboot flash super.img.

List of devices with Dynamic Partition (requires a special approach):

• 📱 Xiaomi 12/12 Pro/12X (cupid/zeus/psyche)
• 📱 Redmi K50/K50 Pro/K50 Gaming (rubens/ingres/meili)
• 📱 POCO F4/F4 GT (munch/zeus)
• 📱 Xiaomi 13/13 Pro/13 Ultra (fuxi/nuwa/ishtar)

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On Dynamic Partition devices, you can't flash TWRP in the standard way. Attempt to do so will result in a bootloop or automatic replacement of the recovery by MIUI.

6. Hardware restrictions on new processors

With the release of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Dimensity 9000+, Xiaomi tightened control over the loading of alternative receptacles. Starting with the Xiaomi 13 and Redmi K60, the boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot bootloader checks not only boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot boot but recovery partition signature, which means that even unlocked bootloader doesn't guarantee TWRP work.

Bypasses:

• 🔧 Use patched boot.img with AVB 2.0 and dm-verity disabled.
• 🔧 Install TWRP via EDL- mode (requires an authorized Xiaomi account or paid services like Mi Flash Pro).
• 🔧 Switching to alternative receptacles like OrangeFox or PitchBlack that are better adapted to new chipsets.

Example of boot.img patching command (requires Magisk):

magiskboot unpack boot.img


magiskboot cpio boot.img.cpio"skip_initramfs""skip_initramfs=1"




magiskboot repack boot.img




magiskboot hexpatch boot.img 40 00 41 56 42 32 2E 30 00 00

7. damaged files or incorrect formatting

If the TWRP was previously launched but stopped working after the system was manipulated, the reason may lie in:

• 🗃️ A damaged data partition (e.g., after failed encryption).
• 🔄 Incompatible file system (e.g., F2FS instead of ext4).
• 📁 Errors in fstab (partition mount file).

How to diagnose:

1. Connect to your PC and run: adb shell e2fsck -f /dev/block/by-name/userdata If you see errors like "superblock errors", the data partition is corrupted.
2. Check the file system: adb shell mount | grep/data Must be ext4 or f2fs (depending on the model).

Decisions:

• 🛠️ Formatting data via TWRP (Wipe → Format Data → Yes).
• 🛠️ Fstab reassembly (requires manual editing or scripting like fstab.editor).
• 🛠️ Stock firmware recovery via the Mi Flash Tool (if other methods have failed).

8 Conflict with Magisk or other modifications

If you previously installed Magisk, Xposed, or other modifications, they could change the structure of the boot section, leading to conflicts with TWRP.

• 🔄 A looped reboot between TWRP and the Mi logo.
• ⚠️ Error "No OS installed" in TWRP, the system is running.
• 🚫 Message "This package is for Xiaomi devices; this is a".

How to fix:

1. Remove all Magisk modules through Magisk Manager (if the system is booting).
2. Run the stock boot.img through fastboot: fastboot flash boot boot_stock.img
3. Install TWRP again, then Magisk (but not vice versa!).

⚠️ Warning: On Android 13+ devices, Magisk may conflict with TWRP due to changes in the init mechanism.

FAQ: Frequent questions about TWRP on Xiaomi