My Xiaomi smartphone won't turn on. What should I do in this situation?

When your Xiaomi smartphone stops responding and refuses to turn on, the first reaction is usually stress. After all, your phone is now the center of communication, work and entertainment, and a failure can disrupt your entire day. Contrary to appearances, such a problem does not always mean a serious hardware fault. Many situations can be solved on your own, as long as you follow the steps one by one and don’t skip key diagnostic actions. The guide below presents a complete set of steps worth taking before you decide to send your phone to a service center.

1. Make sure the battery is not completely drained

One of the most common reasons a phone doesn’t respond is simply a completely discharged battery. Xiaomi smartphones include battery protection that can cut off power if the charge level drops below a certain threshold. In this situation, the phone may not start immediately after being connected to the charger.

What to do?

• Connect the phone to the original or a certified charger.

• Leave it connected for at least 30 minutes, even if nothing appears on the screen.

• Try turning the device on only after a longer charging period.

If the phone was deeply discharged or hasn’t been used for several days, this “cold start” process may take up to an hour. Lack of reaction after this time is a sign that you should move on to the next steps.

2. Check the cable, adapter and USB port

Sometimes the problem isn’t the phone at all, but the charger or charging port. A damaged cable may charge intermittently or not at all, and a dirty USB port can block proper contact.

Try the following:

• Test a different USB-C cable.

• Use another charger with at least 10W of power or an original Xiaomi charger.

• Inspect the phone’s USB port — dust, lint or debris may be blocking the contacts.

• If you see dirt, gently remove it with a wooden toothpick or compressed air.

Many cases that look like a serious failure turn out to be nothing more than a dirty connector or a broken cable.

3. Force a restart of the phone

Your Xiaomi phone may stop responding because the system has frozen, which prevents a standard boot. Forcing a restart often brings it back to life.

How to force a restart?

• Press and hold the power button for at least 10–15 seconds.

• If your model has the volume and power buttons on the same side, try the combination: Power + Volume Down.

• On some models, the Power + Volume Up combination can also help.

Forcing a restart does not erase your data and is safe to perform.

4. Try starting the phone in recovery mode

If the system won’t boot but the hardware is still functional, you can try entering recovery mode to check whether the device responds to commands at all.

How to enter recovery mode on Xiaomi?

• Press and hold Power + Volume Up for 10–15 seconds.

• If the Mi logo or HyperOS/MiUI Recovery appears, it means the phone is not physically damaged.

In recovery mode you can perform:

• Reboot system now – restart the system, which often resolves the issue.

• Wipe cache – clear the cache (without losing your data).

Avoid using the “Wipe data” option unless you have a backup — it will erase all data.

5. The phone starts but gets stuck on the Xiaomi logo

This is called a bootloop. It may be caused by a system error, a failed update, a corrupted system file or lack of free space on the device.

What can you do?

• Leave the phone connected to the charger for 20–30 minutes — sometimes the system needs time after a critical stop.

• Try entering recovery mode again and select Reboot.

• If the problem persists, you can consider reinstalling the system via MiFlash, but this is a solution intended for more advanced users.

6. Check if the power button is damaged

The Power button can jam or wear out, especially on heavily used models.

Signs of a faulty power button:

• The phone only turns on occasionally.

• It freezes on the logo and keeps restarting.

• It doesn’t respond when you try to turn it on, but it charges normally.

If you suspect an issue with the button, it’s best to visit a service center — this type of repair is usually not very expensive.

7. Connect the phone to a computer

Even if the screen stays black, the computer may still detect the device. That’s valuable diagnostic information.

What to do?

• Connect the phone to a PC with a working cable.

• Check if the computer plays the sound of a newly connected device.

• If you see “QHUSB_BULK” or “Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader”, it means the device is in emergency EDL mode — the system may have critically failed, but the phone can still be recovered.

This state requires specialist tools, so it’s better to hand the device over to a professional service center.

8. When nothing works: possible hardware damage

If your Xiaomi phone still won’t start despite all the steps above, the problem may be hardware-related.

Most common faults:

• Damaged battery (cracked, swollen or worn-out).

• Motherboard failure.

• Broken USB port.

• Damage caused by liquid or moisture.

• Overheating that has disconnected or damaged electronic components.

In such cases, don’t attempt repairs on your own — you risk permanently damaging the phone.

9. When is a service center the best option?

If none of the steps helped, taking the device to a service center is the right move. It’s worth choosing a place that specializes in Xiaomi devices. Technicians have access to parts, diagnostic tools and software that ordinary users don’t.

Go to a service center if:

• the phone doesn’t react to anything at all,

• the computer doesn’t detect it,

• the screen is black but the phone clearly heats up,

• the device has been exposed to water,

• the phone stopped working right after a system update.

In most cases, repair is possible and often relatively affordable.

10. How to prevent such situations in the future?

All it takes is a few simple habits that significantly reduce the risk of failure.

To avoid similar issues:

• Regularly update the system — Xiaomi often improves stability.

• Don’t let the battery drain completely on a regular basis.

• Take care of the USB port, especially if you carry your phone in your pocket.

• Avoid low-quality chargers.

• Create backups in Xiaomi Cloud or Google.

Thanks to this, even a sudden failure won’t mean losing your data. It’s a quick way to secure your device and avoid additional problems.