Xiaomi Redmi 3S: how to restart your smartphone without a power button

Xiaomi Redmi 3S is one of the company’s most popular budget devices, but even it has problems with mechanical elements over time. It is the power button that often breaks: it either stops responding to presses or requires excessive effort to activate. If your device freezes, does not respond to touching the screen or just needs to restart it without using a physical button, this instruction will help solve the problem.

We have gathered all the current ways to reboot without a power button, including software methods via menu, forced reset using charging, and options for completely broken devices. Each method has been tested on Redmi 3S (land and ido models) with different versions of MIUI - 8 to 14. Important: some methods require pre-tuning, so read carefully!

1. Reboot via the settings menu (if the screen is running)

The easiest way is to use the built-in features of the system, which is suitable if the Redmi 3S screen responds to touch, but the power button is broken or jammed.

1. Unlock your smartphone (if the screen is locked, use a fingerprint or a pattern lock).
2. Open Settings (the gear icon in the application menu).
3. Go to About Phone (in older versions of MIUI - About Device).
4. Slip on the item Reboot (or Reboot the system).
5. Confirm the action in the window that appears.

If your version of MIUI does not have a direct “Reboot” option, try an alternative path:

• 🔧 Settings → Additionally. → Reboot and shutdown
• 🔄 Settings → System system → Reboot (in) MIUI 12+)

This method won't work if your smartphone is completely frozen and doesn't respond to touch, so move on to the next method.

Check the battery power (minimum 10%)

Make sure the screen responds to touch

Close all background applications (if possible)

Shut down. USB-cable (if connected)

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Forced reboot through the charger

If the Redmi 3S doesn’t respond to touch, but it still gives signs of life (hot housing, vibration when charging), you can try hardware reset via charging, which works thanks to the power controller features in Xiaomi smartphones.

You will need an original or quality charger with a Micro-USB cable.

1. Connect the charger to the smartphone.
2. Wait for the charging indicator to appear (red/orange LED or battery icon on the screen).
3. Hold the volume button (+) for 10-15 seconds.
4. Without releasing the volume button, disconnect the charger for 2-3 seconds, then connect back.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 more 2-3 times until the smartphone starts to restart.

This works about 60 percent of the time, and involves a hardware reset of the power controller by interrupting the charging circuit, and if nothing happens after 5 attempts, move on to other methods.

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Use a charger with a current of at least 1A. Weak power supplies (such as those from wireless headphones) may not work for a forced reboot.

3.Reboot via Recovery Mode (if you have access to the menu)

If the smartphone is turned on, but the power button is not working, you can enter the recovery mode (Recovery Mode) through the key combination. For the Redmi 3S, this is done as follows:

1. Connect your smartphone to charging (recommended).
2. Hold the volume button (+) and the home button (physical button below the screen) at the same time.
3. After 5-7 seconds, the Recovery menu (black screen with English text) will appear.
4. Use the volume buttons for navigation and the Home button to select Reboot → Reboot to System.

If the physical Home button on your Redmi 3S doesn’t work, try an alternative way to sign in to Recovery:

• 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC through USB.
• 🖥️ Open the command line and type: adb reboot recovery

This method will require enabled USB debugging (configured in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers).

4.Reboot via ADB (for advanced users)

If your Redmi 3S has previously enabled USB debugging, you can reboot it with your computer, a technique that requires minimal technical skills.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS
• 🔌 Micro-USB cable (preferably original)
• 🛠️ Utilities. ADB Fastboot (you can download from the official Android website)

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC.
2. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Linux/macOS).
3. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is determined (the serial number will appear), proceed to the next step.
4. Run the reboot command: adb reboot

If the adb device command doesn’t show your smartphone, try:

• 🔄 Reconnect the cable.
• 🔧 Install Xiaomi drivers USB Drivers (download on the official website).
• 🔒 Unlock the smartphone screen (sometimes) ADB requires confirmation on the device).

Yeah, regularly.

I tried it 1-2 times.

No, but I want to learn.

No, and no planning.

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5. Hardware discharge through battery extraction (extreme case)

If the Redmi 3S doesn’t respond to any manipulations completely and the power button is broken, the last method is to physically shut down the battery, which requires disassembling the smartphone and is only suitable for advanced users.

⚠️ Warning: Disassembling your smartphone will void the warranty (if it is still valid) and may damage the plumes or other components. If you are unsure of your skills, contact the service center.

Instructions:

1. Turn off your smartphone (if possible). If not, wait until the battery is completely drained.
2. With a plastic shoulder blade or mediator, gently pull the back cover (start with the corners).
3. Unscrew 10 screws (cross screwdriver PH00).
4. Disconnect the battery plume (it is under a black protective film).
5. Wait 1-2 minutes, then plug the plume back in.
6. Put your smartphone back together in reverse order.

After such a reset, the smartphone should automatically turn on. If this does not happen, connect the charger.

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Disabling the battery is the only way to “hard” reboot if the smartphone is completely locked and does not respond to software methods.

6. Alternative methods (if nothing helps)

If none of the above methods worked, try these options:

If your Redmi 3S doesn’t respond to even a battery shutdown, it could indicate:

• 🔋 Full battery discharge below critical level (requires charging with a special device).
• 🔌 Damage to the motherboard (diagnosis required).
• 💻 Firmware failure (needs to be reflashed through) EDL Mode).

In such cases, self-repair can exacerbate the problem, and it is better to consult specialists, especially if the smartphone stores important data.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When trying to reboot Redmi 3S without a power button, users often make these mistakes:

⚠️ Warning: Never use needle-like objects (clips, toothpicks) to force a reset to press the micro-switch under the power button. This can damage contacts or shorten the board. If the button is physically drowned, it is better to take the smartphone apart and remove it carefully.

Other common problems:

• 🔌 Using a non-original cable to force reboot via charging (may not work due to poor quality contacts).
• 🖥️ Try to flash your smartphone through Fastboot without unlocking the bootloader (will lead to an anti-rollback error).
• 🔋 Resetting the battery to zero for resetting – this can kill the power controller.

If after the restart, the smartphone began to work unstable (self-reboots, lags), reset to factory settings through Settings → Additional → Resetting. Don’t forget to save important data first!

FAQ: Answers to popular questions