Forgot a graphical password on Xiaomi: a complete guide to unlock

The situation when the screen of a smartphone turns into an impregnable fortress due to a forgotten key, familiar to many owners of Xiaomi. In a hurry or because of the rare use of locking, the user can forget the sequence of lines that seemed obvious yesterday. Modern Android security systems and the shell MIUI or HyperOS are designed to protect personal data from outsiders, but sometimes this protection turns against the owner.

Fortunately, the engineers have envisioned several recovery scenarios, though none are completely painless to data security. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the options you can take, from using cloud services to completely resetting your system, how to unlock Xiaomi with minimal loss, and what to do if standard methods don’t work.

Before we take action, it's important to understand what kind of protection has been installed. It can be a simple graphical drawing, a digital one. PIN-This is the choice of recovery strategy, so carefully study the methods below to choose the most suitable for your case.

Using Mi Account to Restore Access

The most civilized and safe way to unlock is to use a linked Mi Account. If you have previously logged into your Xiaomi profile on a locked device and enabled Find Device, you have a real chance of saving all photos, contacts and apps. This method works remotely and does not require connecting your phone to your computer.

First, you need to go to the official Mi Cloud service website from any other device, be it a computer, tablet or phone friend. Enter your credentials (login and password) that were used on the locked gadget. The system will automatically determine the location of your device, if it is connected to the Internet.

In the device management interface, find the Unlock or Wipe button (depending on the interface version and region) and click on it, you initiate a reset process. Note that in some versions of MIUI firmware, this action can lead to complete deletion of data, so read the warnings on the screen carefully.

Importantly, after successfully unlocking through the cloud, the phone may require re-entering the Mi Account password on the first download, an Anti-Theft security mechanism that prevents the stolen device from being used even after flashing it over. Make sure you remember the login details or the phone will remain locked.

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Using a Mi Account is the only way that theoretically allows you to save data, but only if the search function was activated in advance.

Unlocking the Google Find My Device

If the Mi Account wasn’t set up, Google’s standard Find My Device service can help, built into the default Android operating system and runs on most smartphones, including Redmi and POCO. The phone needs to have internet and geolocation enabled to work.

Go to the service site from any browser and log in to the Google account that is the main one on the locked phone. From the list of devices, select your Xiaomi model. You will see a control menu that will open up the options "Call", "Block" and "Clear device".

Selecting the "Clean Device" option will result in the complete deletion of all data, including the forgotten pattern lock. This is a radical method, but it is guaranteed to unlock. Once you reboot, the phone will be like new, and you can reconfigure it by restoring data from Google's backup.

• 📱 Make sure your smartphone is connected to a mobile network or Wi-Fi, otherwise the command will not be executed.
• 🔒 After reset, you will need to enter a password from a Google account to confirm ownership.
• ⚡ The process takes 1 to 5 minutes depending on the speed of the Internet connection.

There is a nuance associated with the versions of Android. on older versions (before Android 9) sometimes worked the function of changing the password lock screen directly through this service, but in today's realities of Android 12-14 is available only a full reset.

Resetting with Recovery Mode (Hard Reset)

When remote methods are not available, the only option is to use a recovery mode known as Recovery Mode, which is built into the phone’s firmware and allows low-level operations such as factory resets, which is universal and works even if the phone doesn’t turn on normally.

To enter recovery mode on most Xiaomi smartphones, you need to perform a certain sequence of actions with the buttons. First turn off the device completely. Then press the volume button and the power button simultaneously. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power button, continuing to keep the volume.

⚠️ Note: All data stored in the phone’s internal memory (photos, videos, contacts, messages) will be permanently deleted.

Once you log in to the Recovery menu, the navigation is done with volume buttons (up/down), and the choice is confirmed by the power button. You need to find Wipe Data or Clear User Data. In some versions of the menu, you may need to select Wipe All Data to confirm.

The cleaning process can take a few minutes. Once it's done, the phone will automatically restart. The first boot after the reset will take longer than usual, because the system needs to recreate the file structure. Be patient and don't interrupt the process.

Using ADB for Advanced Users

For those who are familiar with the computer not only as a user, there is a method of unlocking through debugging via USB and ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility, which only works if the USB debugging function was pre-enabled in the developer settings and the computer already has permission to access the device.

You will need to download Platform-Tools platform tools from the official Google website and install drivers for your device. Connect your phone to your PC through quality. USB-Open the command line in the folder with ADB and enter a command to check the connection.

adb devices

If your device is listed, the connection is established, then you can try to delete the file that stores the lock keys.

adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key

Once you have completed the command, restart the phone. If it has been successful, the lock screen will either disappear or allow you to enter any pattern lock that the system will accept. However, on modern high-security versions of MIUI, this method is often blocked, and the key file can be protected by encryption.

Specifics of unlocking different versions of MIUI and HyperOS

The MIUI shells and the new HyperOS have different levels of protection depending on the version and the region of the firmware (Global, China, EU). The Chinese versions often lack some of the restrictions present in the global ones, but they are more aggressive in protecting against theft.

Owners of devices with upgrades to HyperOS may face enhanced security checks, the system may require not only a password from the account, but also confirmation via SMS to the associated number, if it has been a long time since the last authorization, this is done to protect data in the event of loss of the device.

If your phone was bought by hand, make sure the previous owner untie the device from his account, otherwise, even after a complete reset, you will be taken to the activation screen, where you will need to enter the password of the previous owner, this is FRP (Factory Reset Protection), which is almost impossible to circumvent by legal means.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Check your cloud sync routinely, and do this at least once a month to make sure that your data can be recovered at a critical time.