How to Root Xiaomi Android! [Universal Method]

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to root ANY Xiaomi Android smartphone or tablet, this is a universal method that works for all Xiaomi devices.

Before beginning this tutorial, you will need to unlock the bootloader on your Xiaomi device FIRST!  Please see How to Unlock Bootloader on Xiaomi Android and follow that tutorial to unlock the bootloader before beginning this tutorial.

This root method will work on ANY Xiaomi device such as:

  • Xiaomi Mi 9, Mi 8, Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite, Mi Mix 2, Mi A1, Mi 6, Mi Note 2, Mi Mix, Mi 5S, Mi 5S Plus, Mi 5, Mi Max, Mi Max 3, Mi Mix 2S
  • Pocophone F1
  • Redmi 6, Redmi 6A, Redmi 5, Redmi Note 5, Redmi S2, Redmi 5 PLus, Redmi Pro, Redmi 3S, Redmi Note 3
  • Any other Xiaomi device

July 2nd 2019 UPDATE – I have rooted my Xiaomi Mi 9 using this tutorial and you should be able to root any of newer Xiaomi Android smartphones with this tutorial also.

For this tutorial, I will be using a Xiaomi Mi 8.  You can also use Windows, Mac, or Linux to root.

Downloads:

Step 1. Power off your Xiaomi then hold down Volume Down and Power buttons together to enter Fastboot mode.

Step 2. For Windows, make sure you have proper “Android ADB Interface” driver installed.  You can check this under Device Manager.  If you don’t see “Android ADB Interface”, follow the video tutorial above to install the driver on your Windows computer.  For Mac or Linux, you do not need to install drivers.

Step 3. Unzip/Extract fastboot.zip you downloaded earlier.

 

Step 4. Download TWRP recovery at TWRP.me for your Xiaomi device.  Download the latest version ending in “.img”.

If you don’t see it at TWRP.me such as my Mi 8, it is either because the phone is too new(and should be available later) or there is a custom version of TWRP that is not supported by the official TWRP team.  In my case, I had to Google it and download an unofficial version at XDA forums.

Step 5. Copy the TWRP image file to your fastboot directory where you unzipped fastboot.zip earlier.

Step 6. Open a command prompt(or terminal for Mac/Linux) and type below commands to flash TWRP recovery to your Xiaomi.

For Windows:

cd Downloads
cd fastboot
fastboot flash recovery ReplaceWithTWRPImageNameHere.img

Note: Replace ReplaceWithTWRPImageNameHere.img with the actual TWRP image file name!!!

For Mac:

cd Downloads
cd fastboot
chmod 755 *
./fastboot-mac flash recovery ReplaceWithTWRPImageNameHere.img

Note: Replace ReplaceWithTWRPImageNameHere.img with the actual TWRP image file name!!!

For Linux:

cd Downloads
cd fastboot
chmod 755 *
sudo ./fastboot-linux flash recovery ReplaceWithTWRPImageNameHere.img

Note: Replace ReplaceWithTWRPImageNameHere.img with the actual TWRP image file name!!!

Next, you are going to type “fastboot reboot” (or “./fastboot-mac reboot” for Mac or “sudo ./fastboot-linux reboot” for Linux) and after hitting Enter, you are going to hold down Volume Up and Power buttons together until you enter TWRP recovery.  If you miss this step, you will have to repeat Step 6.

Step 7. Once you are in TWRP recovery, you are good to go.  Now, stock firmware tends to overwrite the TWRP recovery so if you don’t do exactly as shown in Step 6, you may have to reflash TWRP by repeating Step 6.  Also, next time you want to install a custom ROM, again you may have to repeat Step 6 in order to access TWRP recovery.

Step 8. Most TWRP recovery default to Chinese language on Xiaomi devices but you can change the language easily by using the bottom-right button.

If you see an option for “Keep Read Only”, choose that.  If you don’t see this option, you are good to go also.

Step 8. Copy over the Magisk ZIP installer file you downloaded earlier to your Xiaomi device.  Your Xiaomi device should automatically connect as a disk drive.  If not, you can also reboot and copy over then reboot back to TWRP by repeating Step 6.  (You can also use a USB OTG cable with USB Flash drive)

Step 9. Use the Install menu from TWRP to install Magisk ZIP file.

Step 10. When done, simply reboot!

Step 11. Once rebooted, you should find Magisk Manager app.  If you don’t see it for some reason, you can also install it manually by downloading Magisk Manager APK and install it manually(as this happens on certain phones).

Step 12. Magisk Manager app should say, “Install version” with a check mark.  If you see this, you are fully rooted, congratulations!

You can also verify you have full root access by installing the free Titanium Backup app and you should see a Superuser Request window pop up like below.

And for most Xiaomi devices, you should pass SafetyNet easily, meaning you can hide root from various apps such as Google Pay, Pokemon Go, Fortnite, or any other apps that check for root!

That’s it!  This should work on ANY Xiaomi device that has an unlocked bootloader and it is easy to root Xiaomi devices.

Have a question?

Please post all your questions at the new Android Rehab Center at HighOnAndroid Forum, thank you for understanding!

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Max Lee

Max Lee is the founder of HighOnAndroid.com. Max makes Android tutorials and review videos for people who want to get high on Android over at his YouTube channel and Korean YouTube channel.