Android devices can sometimes refuse to power on or wake from sleep, but this doesn’t necessarily mean your phone or tablet is broken. Fortunately, your Mi phone charging but not turning on can be fixed in several easy methods to help your device boot again. Mi phone or tablet has limited buttons, with the power button being the primary way to turn it on. If pressing the power button doesn’t work, don’t panic! Try everything you’ll see in this article to know how I’ve fixed similar issues.
Mi phone charging but not turning on
Do the following to fix your Mi phone charging but not turning on:
1. Long-press the power button or remove the battery
Xiaomi, Poco, and Redmi smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices can occasionally become stuck in power-off mode, making the power button non-functional as the device is frozen.
Historically, removing the battery, waiting a few seconds, and reinserting the battery before pressing the power button again, known as a “power cycle,” has resolved this issue of Mi phone charging but not turning on. If your Mi has a removable battery, this method may fix the problem fast.
However, many Xiaomi and Redmi or other Mi devices don’t have removable batteries. Fortunately, you can still perform a power cycle by holding down the power button for ten seconds. If this method doesn’t work, try pressing the power button for longer. Ten seconds should suffice for most devices, but some users have reported needing to hold the power button down for 30 or more seconds for Mi to switch on.
Your Android device should now boot properly. If not, continue reading.
2. Charge your Mi device
If your Mi phone refuses to boot and nothing happens when you press the power button, it could simply be out of power. Plug in your device and allow it to charge before attempting to turn it on again. That should fix the problem of Mi phone charging but not turning on.
If your Mi device’s battery is entirely drained, it may not boot immediately after plugging it in. Allow your device to charge for a few minutes before attempting to power it on again. Hopefully, Xiaomi will turn on normally after charging for a while.
In some cases, you may need to combine both methods—let the device charge for a bit, then long-press the power button for ten seconds. It’s worth a try if your device isn’t powering on.
3. Perform a hard reset from recovery mode
If your Android device powers on and begins booting but encounters a problem—such as a failed boot process, freezing, or immediate rebooting or shutting off—there could be an issue with the Redmi or Xiaomi software.
In this case, long-pressing the power button or charging the device won’t help, as these methods only address devices that are completely unresponsive.
A hidden method for performing a hard reset on your Mi device when it isn’t booting properly is available. Note that this will erase all data on your Android device and reset it to its default state.
This method should be used as a last resort when your Mi phone is unusable due to crashing or freezing software, as you’ll lose everything not synced to online services.
First, access your Xiaomi recovery mode. Turn the device off completely, then boot it up using one of the following button combinations:
- Press and hold volume up + volume down.
- Press and hold volume up + power.
- Press and hold volume down + power.
Hold the combination for about 10 seconds to hard reset your Mi phone. When you see the Mi logo on your screen, release the buttons.
Note: Do not perform a hard reset with the charger connected.
When your Mi phone successfully enters Recovery mode, follow these steps to perform a factory reset:
- Release the Volume Up button once the Recovery mode screen appears.
- Use the volume buttons (up or down) to navigate through the menu and the power button to confirm your selection.
- Choose “English” (or your preferred language) from the language options.
- Next, select “Wipe Reset” to initiate the factory reset process.
- Choose “Wipe all data” and confirm your selection by selecting “Yes”. This action will erase all data on your device, so ensure you’ve backed up any important files before proceeding.
- Wait patiently as the process may take a few minutes to complete. Your device will wipe all data and reset to its original factory settings.
Once the factory reset is complete, Mi will automatically restart. You’ll need to go through the initial setup process, such as selecting your language, connecting to Wi-Fi, and signing in to your Google account.
Note that the hard reset combinations vary by device and MIUI version. One of the combinations mentioned above should work for your Redmi, Poco, Xiaomi, or any other Mi phone. Otherwise, try searching Google with your device’s name and “recovery mode” to find the correct combination.
If successful, Mi device will boot to a screen with an Android icon and an open chest panel. Press the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons until the Recovery mode option appears, then press the Power button to reboot into recovery mode.
In summary, hold the Power button and tap Volume Up. Select the wipe data/factory reset option using the Volume Up and Volume Down keys and tap Power. Choose the Yes option and tap Power to proceed. That should fix Mi phone charging but not turning on.
4. Get a replacement battery
If your phone turns off immediately after the charger is removed, it’s likely that the battery is unable to hold a charge and needs to be replaced. Over time, batteries lose their ability to hold a charge, and this issue can become more pronounced as the battery ages or if it has been subjected to extreme temperatures.
Before replacing the battery, ensure that it’s indeed the battery causing Mi phone charging but not turning on. Check for any signs of physical damage, swelling, or leakage. Also, try using a different charger and cable to eliminate the possibility of a faulty charging setup.
5. It Could Be Broken
No one likes to hear this, but if your Mi device refuses to boot even after holding the power button, replacing the battery, and charging it fully — or if it’s still malfunctioning after a factory reset — it may be broken.
In extreme cases, it could be a shorted motherboard problem and requires replacement. Your Xiaomi, Poco, or Redmi won’t charge but will heat up due to the power module being shorted and causing the motherboard to malfunction.
In this case, you have a few options:
a. Contact your carrier
If it’s a phone and you have a cellular contract, take the device to your carrier’s store. They may be able to help diagnose the issue and offer a solution.
b. Check your warranty
If you purchased the device directly from the manufacturer and it’s still under warranty, contact the manufacturer’s support department. They may be able to repair or replace the device as part of the warranty.
Ultimately, if you’re not on a warranty or are out of your warranty period, you may need to consider purchasing a new phone. In some cases, if the device has a removable battery, the issue could be a faulty battery that needs replacing.
Read also: my Xiaomi’s Bluetooth kept turning on but I fixed it (MIUI 14)
