Xiaomi phone asking for a Mi account after a reset

You’ve reset a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO phone, or bought one second-hand, and when it starts up it says “This device is locked”. It asks for the password of the Mi account that was used on it before, and it won’t let you go any further.

This is an anti-theft feature working as intended, so the phone isn’t faulty. This guide explains what the lock is, who can remove it, and what to try first, starting with the options that cost nothing.

What the lock is

Xiaomi phones have a feature called Find device. When it’s switched on, the phone is tied to the owner’s Xiaomi account, which many people still call a Mi account. The owner can then locate the phone, ring it or wipe it from a computer if it goes missing.

If the phone is erased while Find device is on, it checks with Xiaomi when it restarts. Xiaomi tells it which account it belongs to, and the phone asks for that account’s password before it can be used again. The record lives on Xiaomi’s servers, which is why wiping the phone a second time doesn’t clear it.

It might not be the only lock

Xiaomi phones run Android, so they can also carry Google’s own reset protection. That one asks you to verify the Google account that was on the phone. It’s a separate lock run by a separate company, and getting past one doesn’t remove the other.

There’s also a third thing people mix up with these: a network lock, where the phone only works with one mobile network’s SIM cards. That has nothing to do with accounts. If the phone sets up fine but says your SIM isn’t supported, that’s a network lock, and our page on a phone that won’t accept your SIM explains it.

• Asks for a Mi or Xiaomi account: Xiaomi’s Find device lock. This guide.
• Says “Verify your account” and wants a Google email: Google’s reset protection. See our guide to the Google account lock.
• Works, but rejects your SIM: a network lock. See our page on a phone that won’t accept your SIM.

Doing it yourself, or letting us handle it

If it’s your own Mi account

If the account is yours and you’ve simply forgotten the password, the fix is to get back into the account, not to unlock the phone.

1. 1

   Use the account recovery page

   On a computer or another phone, go to Xiaomi’s account site at account.xiaomi.com and choose the option for a forgotten password.

2. 2

   Confirm it’s you

   Xiaomi will send a code to the phone number or email address linked to the account. If you no longer have either, follow the on-screen steps for recovering the account another way.

3. 3

   Sign in on the phone

   Once you have a new password, enter it on the locked screen. The phone will finish setting up as normal.

If the phone shows a phone number or part of an email address on the lock screen, it can help you work out which account it was. People with more than one account are often surprised which one it turns out to be.

If it’s someone else’s account

This usually happens with a second-hand phone, or one handed down by a relative. The quickest fix is for the account’s owner to release the phone.

1. 1

   Contact the previous owner or seller

   Explain that the phone is still linked to their Xiaomi account and ask them to remove it. Be friendly. Most people just forgot to sign out before passing it on.

2. 2

   They remove it from their account

   They sign in to Xiaomi Cloud at i.mi.com, open Find device, choose the phone and remove it or sign it out. The exact wording on the screen can vary, but the option is usually in the phone’s details.

3. 3

   Restart and set up the phone

   Connect to Wi-Fi and go through setup again. It may take a few minutes for the change to reach the phone. After that, you can sign in with your own account.

If the seller won’t help or has stopped replying, keep your messages in writing and go back to the marketplace or shop you bought from. If you paid by card or through a marketplace’s own checkout, ask about their buyer protection. Time limits apply, so it’s worth doing this soon.

Xiaomi’s support team may help the rightful owner of a phone, but they usually ask for the original proof of purchase from the shop or network. A screenshot of a private sale is unlikely to be enough on its own.

Why we’d steer clear of removal tools

Search for this problem and you’ll find software that claims to remove a Mi account for free, or for a small fee. We wouldn’t recommend it.

• Many of these programs ask you to switch off your computer’s protection or install drivers from unknown sources, which is a common way for harmful software to get in.
• Even when they seem to work, the lock is usually still recorded by Xiaomi, so it can come back after a software update or another reset.
• They don’t check whether the phone belongs to the person using them, which is why they’re popular with people handling stolen phones.

Where our check can help

If you can’t reach the previous owner and you’re not sure what’s on the phone, our diagnosis looks up the phone from its IMEI. For a Xiaomi phone, it checks whether the Mi account lock is on, whether the phone has been reported lost or stolen, and whether it’s locked to a network. You get the answer straight away, with an explanation in plain English.

If the diagnosis shows a Mi account lock and nothing that rules us out, we can offer to work on removing it. That fix costs $29.99 and usually takes 1–3 business days. We ask for proof that the phone is yours first, the result isn’t guaranteed, and we never work on a phone that has been reported lost or stolen.

To start, you’ll need the phone’s IMEI. Our guide to finding the IMEI on a locked Android shows where to look. You can also read more on our page for people locked out of an Android phone.