This tutorial will show you how to install the Mi Flash Tool on your PC and then flash the Fastboot ROM via it on your Xiaomi devices. Since its inception, Xiaomi has always stood true to its grassroots of providing feature-rich devices at a price range affordable to the masses.

Furthermore, most of its devices come with the OEM’s own customized Android skin dubbed as MIUI. It stands in the list of best custom Android OS for debate, but it isn’t that it is among the most customizable skins that one could get their hands on. Users who like a fresh, clean, and stock Android experience could head over to the Mi A series of devices. Furthermore, owing to its massive appeal among the users, custom development is also among the most active ones for these sets of devices.

From unlocking to rooting or flashing custom recovery like TWRP, the opportunities stand aplenty. Along the same lines, the OEM also offers its own software for flashing the stock firmware. And in this guide, our focus of attention will be on just that. So with that said, here is everything you need to be aware of regarding the Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool, its feature list, and the installation steps. Follow along.

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What is Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool

Every Xiaomi device comes with two sets of stock firmware- the Fastboot ROM and the Recovery ROM. The major difference between them is their method of flashing. While the Recovery ROM could be flashed right from your device itself, the same isn’t true for the Fastboot ROM. The latter needs your device to be booted to the Fastboot Mode, plus a couple of fastboot binaries also needs to be installed on your PC before you could proceed with the flashing steps.

All this might raise a pretty valid question- why should one opt for Fastboot ROM when it requires such a long list of flashing efforts? Agreed, it is way too easy to flash a Recovery ROM that Fastboot, but things aren’t always so easy as it might sound. Xiaomi devices have always been known to be the frontrunners when it comes to custom development. You could try out many things, from unlocking the bootloader to the flashing of custom ROMs.

Although these custom ROMs, recovery, and mods have plenty to offer, they also come with an associated risk factor. If you flash an incompatible build or mess up even the slightest of instruction, your device might straight away get soft-bricked or boot-looped. When that happens, you wouldn’t be able to access your device normally, and hence the Recovery ROM would stand futile.

But even then, you could still access the Fastboot mode on your device. Then you simply have to flash the Fastboot ROM, and your device will be back to normal working conditions. And this is where the Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool will come in handy. It gives you a handy user interface for flashing fastboot ROMs on any Xiaomi device. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. There exists a plethora of other features that this tool beholds. Let’s check it out in detail.

Features of Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool

Here are some of the noteworthy features of this tool that deserves your attention:

Portable Installer

You no longer need to go through the entire setup process. Just launch the EXE file, and you could start using the tool right away.

Inbuilt Drivers

One of the most important features of this tool. You could install the Google drivers, ADB Tool, Qualcomm USB Serial driver, Microsoft MTP, and RNDIS Driver right from within the tool itself. It saves you from the efforts of downloading and installing each of them individually.

Multiple Flashing Options

The tool beholds three different flashing options: Clean All, Save User Data, and Clean All and Lock. Here is what each one of them means:

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  • Clean All: Wipes all the data from your device, the bootloader stays unlocked.
  • Save user Data: As the name suggests, it won’t format your data. Furthermore, the bootloader also remains intact, i.e., unlocked.
  • Clean All and Lock: It will wipe off all the data and relock the device’s bootloader.

Support for Multiple Devices

This tool supports near-about all the Xiaomi devices from the earliest builts to the newest ones.

How to Install Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool on your Computer

The newer versions of Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool come as a portable installer. Hence you don’t have to go through the setup, double-click the XiaomiFlash.exe, and the tool will be launched in no time. However, the older versions still require you to install via the setup file. If you plan to use the older version of the flash tool for some reason, here are the required instructions set for the same.

Patch Stock Boot Image via Magisk and Flash it using Fastboot

Download Mi Flash Tool

Download the latest version of the Mi Flash Tool from the link given below:

  • Mi Flash Tool 20210226: Download – New
  • Mi Flash Tool 20200314: Download
  • Mi Flash Tool 20191111: Download
  • Mi Flash Tool 20191206: Download

Installation Steps

As mentioned before, the instructions are for the older build that doesn’t come with a portable installer file. On that note, here are the steps to be followed:

  • Download the Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool on your PC from the above section and extract it to a convenient location on your PC.
  • Now launch the MiFlashSetup.msi file, which will bring up the Setup Wizard. Click on the Next button to proceed ahead.
  • Click on Browse to select the installation directory. You may also find out the available free disk space by using the Disk Cost button.
  • You could also select the users who could access this tool. From the bottom menu, click on Everyone or Just Me and hit Next.
  • In the confirmation dialog box that appears, click on Next to begin the installation process.
  • The installation process will now start and should only take a few seconds. Once that is done, hit the Close button to exit the setup wizard.

How to Flash Xiaomi device using Mi Flash Tool

Now that you have successfully installed the Mi Flash Tool on your PC, it’s time to check out the instructions set. This section will show you how to flash the Fastboot ROM onto your Xiaomi device using this tool. But before that, there are a few requirements that you should meet. Make sure to go through them before proceeding with the installation steps.

Prerequisites

  • To begin with, your Xiaomi device needs to have an unlocked bootloader. If that is not the case, refer to our detailed guide on Unlock Bootloader on Any Xiaomi Devices Using Mi Flash Tool.
  • Also, only the Qualcomm-powered Xiaomi and Redmi devices are supported as of now. Furthermore, devices before Mi 3 are not supported.
  • Download the Xiaomi USB Drivers onto your PC.
  • We would also request you to download and install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This will give us the necessary Fastboot drivers.
  • Finally, download your device-specific Fastboot ROM. Double-check that it is indeed a Fastboot ROM and not a Recovery one.

That’s all the requirements. You don’t need to enable USB Debugging because we are dealing with the Fastboot Mode. And the tool will provide all the other drivers as well. So with that said, you may now proceed with the flashing steps.

Steps to Flash Fastboot ROM

  • Once you have downloaded the Fastboot ROM for your device, extract it onto your PC.
  • Then boot your Xiaomi device to Fastboot Mode. For that, power off your device, and then press and hold the Volume Down and Power button together for a few seconds until you see the famous Mi Bunny logo along with the fastboot text.
  • Fastboot Mode Xiaomi
  • Now connect your device to the PC via USB cable and launch the Mi Flash Tool.
  • Click on the Refresh button, and you should now see a unique device ID under the Device section.
  • Then click on the Select button situated at the top-left. Browse to the extracted Fastboot ROM folder and select that folder. Make sure you have the entire folder and not just the Images folder.
  • You will see three options in the bottom right: Clean All, Save User Data, and Clean All and Lock. Please select the one as per your requirements; all these three options have already been discussed under the Features section above; you may go and have a look at it.
  • Finally, hit the Flash button, and the process will now begin. You could keep track of the same under the Progress section.
  • Once the flashing is complete, the Status section will show Flash done, while the Result section will spell out Success. After this, your device will reboot once, and you may then close the tool.

Supported Device

Conclusion

So this was all from this guide regarding the Xiaomi MI Flash Tool. This is definitely among the most important tool for Xiaomi users and a boon for tech enthusiasts. In that regard, we have listed all the necessary steps to install this tool onto your PC. Furthermore, the instructions for flashing the Fastboot ROM onto your Xiaomi device have also been discussed.

Fastboot Mode Xiaomi

If you still have any doubts about any of the aforementioned steps, let us know in the comments section. Rounding off, don’t forget to check out our other useful iPhone Tips and Tricks, PC tips and tricks, and Android Tips and Trick tips and tricks as well.