Restore Xiaomi Laptop to Factory Settings If It Won’t Start

If your Xiaomi laptop is stuck on a black screen, looping on the logo, or failing to boot into Windows, you can still restore it to factory settings. This guide walks you through the built-in recovery options that work even when the system won’t start normally. You’ll learn how to reset your laptop using the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and, if that fails, how to reinstall Windows from a USB drive. No special tools or technical expertise are required—just a few minutes and, in some cases, a second computer to create a recovery drive.

What You’ll Need

• A Xiaomi laptop (any model running Windows 10 or 11)
• A stable internet connection (for downloading Windows if needed)
• Another computer (optional, only if you need to create a USB recovery drive)
• A USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space (optional, for the USB method)

Step-by-Step

Method 1: Reset via Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

1. Turn the laptop off completely. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a shutdown if it’s hung.
2. Turn the laptop on. As soon as you see the Xiaomi logo, press and hold the power button again for 10 seconds to force it off. Repeat this process three times. On the third restart, Windows should detect the boot failure and automatically enter the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
3. Once you see a blue screen with options, click Troubleshoot.
4. Click Reset this PC.
5. Choose Remove everything. This will delete all files, settings, and apps, returning the laptop to its original factory state. If you have important files you haven’t backed up, you might want to choose Keep my files instead, but note that this option is less thorough and may not fix underlying system issues.
6. Select Local reinstall if you don’t have an internet connection, or Cloud download to fetch a fresh copy of Windows from Microsoft’s servers (recommended for a cleaner install).
7. Follow the on-screen prompts. The laptop will restart several times. This can take 30 minutes to a few hours depending on your hardware and connection speed. Do not interrupt the process.

Method 2: Reset Using a USB Recovery Drive

1. On another working computer, go to the Microsoft Windows download page and download the Media Creation Tool.
2. Run the tool, accept the license terms, and choose Create installation media for another PC.
3. Select your language and edition, then choose USB flash drive as the media type.
4. Plug in your USB drive (at least 8 GB), select it when prompted, and let the tool create the bootable drive. This may take several minutes.
5. Once the USB is ready, insert it into your Xiaomi laptop.
6. Turn on the laptop and immediately press the F12 key repeatedly (or F2 to enter BIOS first, then find the boot menu) to open the boot menu.
7. Select your USB drive from the list and press Enter.
8. The Windows Setup screen will appear. Click Next, then Repair your computer in the bottom-left corner.
9. Click Troubleshoot → Reset this PC → Remove everything.
10. Follow the prompts to complete the reset. If the reset still fails, you can instead choose Install now from the first screen, delete all partitions on the system drive (usually drive 0), and perform a clean install of Windows. This will also restore factory settings, though you’ll need to reinstall Xiaomi drivers afterward.

Common Mistakes

• Interrupting the reset process: Letting the laptop run out of battery or closing the lid during a reset can corrupt the installation. Always plug in the charger during the process.
• Choosing the wrong reset option: Selecting “Keep my files” when you need a full factory reset may leave system corruption intact. For a true factory state, always choose “Remove everything”.
• Not backing up data: If you choose “Remove everything”, all personal files are gone. Even if you think you have nothing important, double-check external drives or cloud storage.
• Using a USB drive with existing files: The Media Creation Tool will erase everything on the USB drive. Back up any data on it first.
• Forgetting to change boot order: If the laptop doesn’t boot from the USB, you may need to enter BIOS (F2) and set the USB as the first boot device, or disable Secure Boot temporarily.

Tips

• Before attempting a reset, try a simple power drain: unplug the charger, hold the power button for 30 seconds, then plug in and turn on. This can fix some boot issues.
• If you have access to another computer, create a USB recovery drive as a backup before you need it. It’s much easier to have it ready.
• After the reset, visit Xiaomi’s official support page to download the latest drivers for your specific model. This ensures Wi-Fi, graphics, and other components work correctly.
• Consider backing up your drivers before resetting. You can use the command dism /online /export-driver /destination:C:\Drivers in an admin command prompt to save them to a folder.
• If your laptop has a recovery partition (most Xiaomi laptops do), the reset will use it automatically. You don’t need to download anything.

Troubleshooting

• WinRE doesn’t appear after three forced shutdowns: Try pressing F11 during boot to access recovery directly. Some Xiaomi models use F11 instead of the automatic method.
• Reset fails with an error message: If you see “There was a problem resetting your PC”, try the USB method instead. If that also fails, you may need to perform a clean install by booting from the USB and selecting “Install now” instead of “Repair your computer”.
• Laptop boots to a black screen after logo: This could be a display driver issue. Try connecting an external monitor via HDMI to see if the screen is just not displaying. If the external monitor works, the issue is likely the internal display or GPU driver.
• USB not recognized in boot menu: Ensure the USB is formatted as FAT32 (the Media Creation Tool does this automatically). Try a different USB port, preferably a USB 2.0 port if available. Also, disable Secure Boot in BIOS (F2 → Security → Secure Boot → Disabled) and try again.
• Laptop keeps restarting in a loop: This often indicates a corrupted system file. Use the USB method and choose “Repair your computer” → “Troubleshoot” → “Advanced options” → “Startup Repair” before attempting a reset. If that doesn’t work, proceed with the reset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this erase all my files?

Yes, if you choose “Remove everything”, it will delete all personal files, apps, and settings. Make sure to back up anything important before starting.

How long does a factory reset take?

It typically takes 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your laptop’s speed and whether you choose cloud download (which requires internet and can take longer).

Do I need a Microsoft account to reset?

No, you can reset without signing in. The reset process itself doesn’t require a Microsoft account, but you will need one to set up Windows afterward if you want to use certain features.

Can I reset without a USB drive?

Yes, if your laptop can enter WinRE (the blue recovery screen), you can reset directly from there without any external media.

What if my laptop has a hardware problem?

If the laptop doesn’t respond to any of these methods, it may be a hardware issue (e.g., faulty RAM, SSD, or motherboard). In that case, contact Xiaomi support or a qualified technician.

Will I lose the Xiaomi pre-installed apps?

Yes, a factory reset will remove all pre-installed Xiaomi apps and return the laptop to the state it was when you first bought it. You can reinstall any Xiaomi utilities from their support site.

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