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Locked out of a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO

6 minute read · intermediate

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO all run the same software and the same account system. The Mi Account is what actually locks the device after a reset, it is separate from your Google Account, and Xiaomi enforces it strictly.

Clearing a forgotten lock erases the device, and the Mi Account check survives the erase.

Mi Account versus Google Account

These phones can hold both. After a reset you may face Google's Factory Reset Protection, Xiaomi's Mi Account verification, or both in sequence.

Mi Account verification is tied to the device in Xiaomi's own records. Recovering your Google Account does nothing for it.

Read the screen carefully. If it mentions Mi Account, Xiaomi Account, or asks for a phone number tied to one, that is the layer you must resolve.

Recovering the Mi Account

  1. Go to Xiaomi's account site from a browser and start recovery.
  2. Use the phone number or email the account was registered with — Xiaomi leans heavily on the registered phone number.
  3. If the registered number is one you no longer have, recovery becomes difficult; start the process early and expect it to take time.
  4. Once you are back in, remove the device from the account's device list before resetting the phone, if the phone is still usable.

Xiaomi accounts are regional. An account registered in one region may not behave identically elsewhere.

Do not use third-party 'Mi Account unlock' tools. They tamper with device identity and will break the phone's updates.

Before you reset one of these

If the phone still opens, sign out of the Mi Account and remove the Google Account before doing a factory reset. Sixty seconds of housekeeping avoids the entire problem.

Stop and get help when

  • The Mi Account was registered to a phone number you cannot access.
  • You bought the device secondhand with the seller's Mi Account still attached.

Official route

Xiaomi customer support with the original purchase invoice showing the IMEI.

Who this is for: You must control the Mi Account (Xiaomi Account) that was signed in on the device.