How to restart a Xiaomi smartphone without a power button: from simple to complex

The power button on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most vulnerable parts. It fails due to mechanical damage, moisture or trivial wear after thousands of taps. But what if the phone freezes, does not respond to touch, and the physical power button does not work? In this article, we will examine all possible ways to reboot Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices without using a hardware button — from standard Android features to advanced methods with ADB and test modes.

It's important to understand that not all methods are universal. For example, software rebooting through the menu will only work if the screen responds to touch, and ADB commands require debugging presets. We've arranged ways from the simplest to the most complex so you can choose the best option depending on the situation. If your Xiaomi is completely dead (does not respond to charging, does not vibrate when you connect to a PC), chances are that the problem is deeper and repairs are necessary.

Before you start, check:

• 🔋 Is the phone connected to charging? Sometimes a dead battery blocks everything.
• 🔌 Try another charger or cable - possibly a problem in contacts.
• 🖥️ Connect your smartphone to your PC – if your computer “sees” it, the chances of a successful reboot are higher.

1. Software reboot via menu (if screen is running)

If Xiaomi’s display is touch responsive but the power button doesn’t work, the easiest way is to use Android’s built-in features.This method is suitable for all models, including the Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4/X5, Mi 11/12/13 and older devices on MIUI 12–14.

Instructions:

1. Unlock the screen (if it is locked, use a fingerprint or a pattern lock).
2. Hold the empty area on the home screen (or swipe up if you have gesture navigation).
3. Slip on the icon "Settings»** (⚙️).
4. Scroll down and select About Phone → System Update.
5. In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and select "Reboot"** (Reboot).

Alternative path (for some versions of MIUI):

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Additionally. → Reboot and shutdown.
• 🔄 Select “Reboot”** (if the option is active).

If there is no reboot item in the menu, try activating the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. 7 times tap the MIUI version (you will be notified “You became a developer”).
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Enable “USB Debugging”** (influenced for the following methods).

2.Reboot through the notification panel (quick way)

Many users don’t know that Xiaomi can reboot the device directly from the notification panel without going into the settings, which works on most models with MIUI 10 and later, including the Redmi 9/9A/9C, POCO M3/M4 and flagship series.

How to do this:

1. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Swipe down again to open the full panel (or tap on the icon). ⚙️).
3. Find the "Switch off" icon in the upper right corner» (🔄 or ⏻). If it is not, tap the icon "Edit» (✏️) Add the Reboot/Off widget to active elements.

If the widget is missing, it can be added manually:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Notification panel and status bar → Element management.
• 🔄 Find Reboot/Switch Off** and drag it to the active area.

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On some models (such as the Xiaomi 12T), the reboot widget is hidden. To find it, swipe the notification bar to the left - there may be a second page with additional buttons.

3. Reboot via ADB (if USB debugging is enabled)

If the screen is not responding, but USB-Debugging was enabled earlier, you can restart Xiaomi using ADB (Android Debug Bridge – This method requires a computer with Google’s platform-tools drivers and tools installed.

Step-by-step:

1. Download the platform-tools and unpack the archive.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB-cable (preferably original).
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device appears in the list, go further.
5. Execute the reboot command: adb shell reboot For forced reboot (if the phone freezes): adb shell "echo 1 > /proc/sys/kernel/sysrq" && adb shell "echo b > /proc/sysrq-trigger"

If the team doesn’t work, try:

• 🔌 Disconnect and reconnect the cable.
• 🔄 Reboot the PC or change it USB-port (better to use) USB 2.0).
• 📋 Install Xiaomi drivers manually (you can download on the official website).

4. Forced reboot via charging (for "bricks")

If Xiaomi does not respond to either the screen or the PC connection, but vibrates or shows a charging indicator when connected to the network, you can try forced reset via a combination of charging and buttons. This method works on most models, including the Redmi 4/5/6, Mi A1/A2 and other devices with removable / non-removable battery.

Warning: This method may not work the first time, repeat the action up to 5-7 times at intervals of 10 seconds.

Instructions:

1. Connect Xiaomi to the charger (preferably the original 5V/2A).
2. Wait 2-3 minutes – the charging indicator (red/orange) should light up.
3. Without turning off the charging, hold the volume button (+) for 15-20 seconds.
4. If nothing happens, repeat step 3, but hold the volume button (-).
5. On some models (e.g. POCO F1), you need to hold both volume buttons at the same time.

If the phone vibrates or the screen flashes but does not reboot:

• 🔌 Try another charger (for example, from another smartphone).
• 🔋 Keep your phone charging for 10-15 minutes – the battery may be too low.
• 🔌 Connect to the PC through USB — Sometimes it works better than charging from the socket.

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The charging and volume button method is the only way to “reanimate” a completely frozen Xiaomi without disassembling. If it doesn’t work, the problem may be a hardware breakdown (for example, the plume of the power button dump).

5.Reboot through test mode (Engineer Mode)

On some Xiaomi models (especially on older ones like Redmi) 3S/4X or Mi 5) There's a hidden test mode, which allows you to restart the device without the power button. USSD-code and does not work on all firmware.

How to activate:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##4636###
2. If the code didn’t work, try ##36446337## (this is the code for Engineer Mode on some versions of MIUI).

If the test mode is not opened:

• 📵 Check if the input is blocked. USSD-codes by your operator.
• 🔄 Try entering the code through another dialing app (e.g., “True Phone”** from Google Play).
• 📋 On some firmware, the test mode is turned off - in this case, the method will not work.

Warning: Do not change other settings in Engineer Mode unless you know their destination. Incorrect settings can lead to network loss or other problems.

6. Hardware methods (if nothing helps)

If the software methods don’t work, there are hardware methods left, but they require disassembling the phone or special tools, which are suitable for power users or if you are willing to take risks (for example, if you have no reaction to charging and connecting to a PC).

Possible solutions:

• 🔋 Battery disconnection and connection: On removable battery models (e.g. Redmi) 4A) You can physically remove the battery for 10 to 15 seconds.

Warnings:

⚠️ Warning: disassembling the phone is unwarranted and may cause additional breakdowns (e.g., damage to plumes.

⚠️ Attention: closing contacts on the board without experience can short circuit and fail the motherboard!

If you decide to disassemble, follow the rules:

• 🛠️ Use plastic mediators to avoid damaging the body.
• 📸 Take a picture of the location of the plumes before disconnecting.
• 🔋 Turn off the battery first (on models where possible).

Comparison of Xiaomi reboot methods without power button

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi reboot without power button