How to flash or reflash a Xiaomi phone, smartphone and tablet

When you purchase a smartphone or tablet, it usually already has firmware with a certain OS version, but this is not always convenient. And it's not even about the preinstalled functions. Many Xiaomi devices do not support the Russian language, and even if there is it, the translation may be inaccurate or incomplete. In addition, the Firmware often contains unnecessary options and applications that cannot be removed, or even worse, the gadget sometimes slows down, freezes, and does not open some programs. But these problems are easy to deal with - if you are not satisfied with the factory firmware of Xiaomi Mi5 or other devices from this manufacturer, then you can update or change it.

There are official and custom (Custom) Firmware. Custom builds are created by users, sometimes they are much better than factory OSes. Which software you choose is up to you.

Where to look for firmware?

A huge amount of Firmware is available on the 4pda website. There you can find firmware for any need, including global or Russian. Each OS has a description with screenshots and detailed instructions. You can immediately understand what the system interface looks like and what functions it has.

There is a specialized service with official Firmware for Xiaomi - proxiaom. There are news, reviews, articles, applications. Choose only the OS that is suitable for your phone or tablet. If you install Firmware that was developed for another model, then problems will arise with the gadget. The firmware can also be found on the official Miui website.

Redmi 5 unlock methods

Using a SIM card

If you have a SIM card to which the mi-account was registered, then your phone will be able to unlock you. Follow all steps according to the instructions:

Go to account.xiaomi.com.
Try entering your account password several times. After several attempts, the required “ forgot password ” item will be displayed.
All you have to do is enter the verification code, which will be sent via SMS. After that, create a strong password and save the changes.

Now enter the new password on your phone and you can continue to use it.

What does "Locked bootloader" mean?

Bootloader (or “Loader”) controls the startup process of the operating system. This is analogous to a computer BIOS. If system files are damaged, the bootloader will allow you to activate recovery mode and reset the gadget to default settings.

In the latest Xiaomi models, Bootloader is blocked. This means that it will not be possible to reflash the device using standard methods. The manufacturing company sets a similar restriction so that third-party software is not loaded onto the devices, but rather they use a system that is specially designed for this gadget.

Online stores often install their own firmware. It may be filled with useless adware or be unstable. A blocked bootloader prevents you from downloading an incompatible OS to your Xiaomi device.

But this defense mechanism also has disadvantages. If you are somehow not satisfied with the factory Firmware, then you cannot change it, but you will have to look for workarounds.

You can try to remove the restriction by submitting an official request to Xiaomi. However, this doesn't always work.

You can find out if your bootloader is locked like this:

Turn off your device.
Press the volume up and power buttons at the same time. The combination may be different. It depends on the model. The instructions indicate which buttons to press.
If custom Recovery is enabled, it means that flashing Xiaomi Mi5 and other models is possible. Recovery is a debugging mode. You will recognize it by the “Install”, “Wipe”, “Backup”, “Restore” buttons.
If you see a screen like this, it means the bootloader is not locked.
If the phone reboots into Fastboot mode, it means the bootloader is locked. In this case, you can also install a new OS, but you will have to bypass the limitation, and if something goes wrong, it will be extremely difficult to restore the device.

What to do if the user has forgotten the pattern key for the Xiaomi device

If you cannot log into your device using a pattern key, or if you have forgotten the combination that unlocks your smartphone, then this can be done using your MI and Google accounts. If you enter the password incorrectly, you should see a window with the option “Remember Password” or in English “Forgot Password”.

You must click it to use the recovery of your password using the corresponding accounts to which your smartphone is linked.

After this, the Mi or Google account form will open, where you need to log in using your login details. When you do this, you will have the opportunity to change the key itself or select a different type of device lock. For other cases of phone lock, you will need to reset the settings using the Recovery menu. To do this, the bootloader must be unlocked.

Before flashing

Before flashing Xiaomi Mi5 or any other model, do the following:

Fully charge the gadget so that the battery does not run out while reinstalling the OS.
Back up information from your phone or tablet. Save contacts, messages, sms, notes, photos, videos and other important data on another device or in network storage.
Install device drivers on your computer. They must be included with your smartphone or tablet. They can also be downloaded on the Internet, but in most cases they are installed automatically when you connect the phone to the computer.
Search online and download a utility called “adb”. This is a universal program that allows you to manage Android devices from a PC. You may need it to flash Xiaomi. Place the folder with it at the root of the system disk. The path to the directory should not contain Russian letters or spaces (it will turn out to be C:\adb).
Download the Firmware in advance that is suitable for your phone model. The name of a multilingual OS with Cyrillic support must contain the word “Global” (meaning “global”).
Enable USB debugging on your mobile device. To do this, go to the settings and tap on the item with the OS version several times. After this, the “For Developers” mode will become available in the parameters. The option you need will be there.
A USB cable must be available to connect the Xiaomi to the computer.

To update the firmware, connect the device to your computer

Why unlock the bootloader?

This function will be needed to install third-party Recovery. It is also used to update the system and migrate to another firmware. For example, if you own a smartphone for the closed Chinese market and want to install the global version of MIUI, you will have to unlock the bootloader to do this. This also applies to adding plugins to the phone that affect the operation of the operating system.

Custom and localized firmware

Ported ROM is a version of the shell that is considered unofficial. Most of them are based on developer and stable firmware from Xiaomi. They may be more functional than official developments, but they are much more difficult to update. Most of these shells are not installed automatically over a Wi-Fi connection, so each assembly will have to be downloaded and launched manually on the smartphone.

Modified recovery twrp

It also requires an unlocked bootloader to install. With such software, the user can make a complete backup of the system. TWRP Recory is also needed to install third-party firmware that the factory utility does not allow.

In addition to additional functions, the program also offers standard features: resetting data, clearing cache, formatting a memory card, and more.

Root rights

After unlocking the bootloader, the user will be able to switch to developer mode. To do this, go to settings and find the “About phone” item. In the menu that opens, select the “MIUI Version” section and quickly click on it eight times in a row. If everything is done correctly, a notification “You have become a developer” will appear. Now you can start checking the bootloader lock status.

Firmware with MiFlash

To flash the gadget, you need to find and download the MiFlash program on the Internet, but installing it on a PC is not so easy. To do this, you should temporarily disable checking digital signatures of drivers.

Go to Start - Programs - Accessories.
Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “As Administrator” from the list that appears.
Type “bcdedit.exe /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS” and “bcdedit.exe /set TESTSIGNING ON” in turn without the quotes. After each command, press Enter.
Restart your computer. A notification should appear that the system is operating in test mode.
Launch MiFlash. The OS will periodically warn you that the program does not have digital signatures. Confirm that you agree to the installation.
Do not change the initialization settings. The path to the directory with the utility should not contain Russian characters or spaces. Use only Latin characters in catalog names.
To exit test mode, type “bcdedit.exe /set TESTSIGNING OFF” at the command line. Then restart your PC.
To install adb, you also need to disable driver digital signature verification.

After this, you can download the firmware.

Unpack it to the root of the system disk. The directory name must also contain only English letters.
Turn off your phone.
Connect it to your PC via USB port.
Press the volume up and power buttons on your device. Hold them until recovery or fastboot is activated. This method is not suitable for Xiaomi Mi5 and models with a locked bootloader. In them you need to switch to EDL mode.
Launch MiFlash. The program should automatically detect that the gadget is connected to the computer. To update the information, click on “Refresh”.
Click Browse. Specify the path to the folder where the firmware is located.
Click on the "Flash" button. Wait for the installation to complete.
Disconnect your phone and turn it on. When starting for the first time, the system may take a long time to load.

Firmware via EDL

To install global firmware for Xiaomi Mi5, you need to switch the device to EDL mode. This is also true for devices with a locked bootloader.

Turn off the gadget.
Press the volume down and power buttons at the same time. Hold them until a hare wearing earflaps appears on the display, repairing the Android robot. This is a kind of Fastboot logo.
Connect your device to your PC.
Launch MiFlash. The program should display the connected phone.
Go to the adb directory.
Hold down the Shift key and right-click anywhere in the folder (where there are no files or directories).
From the context menu, select Open Command Window.
Write "fastboot devices" and click. The gadget's serial number will be displayed. If it does not appear, it means that the Xiaomi drivers are not installed correctly.
Type the command “fastboot oem edl” and press Enter. The smartphone screen will go dark. This means that it has entered EDL mode.
The computer will notify you that a new device has been detected and will automatically update the drivers for it. Wait for the process to complete.
In MiFlash, click "Refresh". Information about the connected device will change.
Now you can install Firmware.

Xiaomi firmware with locked bootloader if there is no EDL

Here's how to flash Xiaomi Mi5 to global firmware if EDL doesn't work on the device:

Repeat steps 1–9 from the previous chapter. If, when switching to EDL, the message “FAILED” appears, this means that this mode is blocked.
Find and download the Unlock_edl utility.
Unzip it to your system disk. Names must contain only English characters.
Connect your phone in fastboot mode.
Hold Shift, right-click on the Unlock_edl folder and select “Open Command Window.”
Enter the commands “fastboot devices”, “fastboot flash aboot emmc_appsboot.mbn”, “fastboot reboot-bootloader”, “fastboot oem edl” in sequence. After each one, press Enter. The edl mode should start.
You can install the firmware.

If there are any problems with the device, it is better to download the factory Firmware (Chinese) first. This will restore all system files and modes, and then you can use the multilingual OS.

To flash a Xiaomi device, you need to bypass the restrictions. In modern devices from this company, the bootloader is locked, so installing a new OS using standard methods will not work, but it is still possible to change the Firmware.

Return Xiaomi bootloader lock

If Xiaomi provides an effective tool for unlocking the bootloaders of its devices in the form of the Mi Unlock utility, then the reverse procedure does not involve an official method. In this case, locking the bootloader is possible using MiFlash.

To return the bootloader status to the “locked” state, you need to install the official firmware version via MiFlash in the “clean all and lock” mode according to the instructions from the article:

Read more: How to flash a Xiaomi smartphone via MiFlash

After such firmware, the device will be completely cleared of all data and the bootloader will be blocked, i.e., the output will be a device “out of the box,” at least in software terms.

As you can see, unlocking the Xiaomi bootloader does not require any excessive effort or special skills from the user. It is important to understand that the process can take quite a long time, and to be patient. But after receiving a positive result, the owner of any Android device has all the possibilities to change the software part of the device for his own purposes and needs.

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