How to Unlock Bootloader of Xiaomi devices?

The owners of the new Xiaomi devices have encountered an unpleasant problem when they tried to install a custom firmware: the bootloader was locked. A reasonable question is: why Xiaomi, whose products are in great demand not only in the countries where they are officially delivered, prevents the full use of their devices? It turns out that the reason is related to security against theft. Thieves can flash the smartphone and access the personal information stored there. However, if the bootloader is locked, they will not be able to do this because each Xiaomi device is linked to a personal account Mi.

How to check if the boot loader is locked?
To check if the boot loader of your Xiaomi device is locked, you need to start your smartphone in Fastboot mode, then type the next command:

fastboot oem device-info

The result is visible on the screen in the second line of the response message. Two options are possible:

1. Unlocked device: true
2. Unlocked device: fake

It is clear that the boot loader lock imposes some restrictions on the actions of the user. For example, root access will become unavailable even if it was obtained previously. For things to get back to normal, you need to unlock the boot loader. Below, we describe in detail how to do it.

Tutorial: How to unlock the Xiaomi bootloader?
Today, permission to unlock the boot loader is given to each Mi account automatically, so that we can go directly to the unlocking process. To do this, Follow these steps:

1. Go to "Settings" – "Mi Account" and log in to your account;
   

2. Activate the hidden "Developer Options" menu by repeatedly tapping the "MIUI version" until a pop-up window appears, indicating that you are now a developer.
   

3. Then go to the "Additional Settings" – "Options for Developers" and "Allow OEM Unlocking";
   

4. Download and install Mi Unlock on your PC;
5. Turn off the phone and hold down the Power and Volume buttons at the same time until the Fastboot screen appears.
6. Connect the USB cable to the phone.
7. Launch Mi Unlock and confirm that you agree to the company disclaimer regarding the consequences of your additional actions to unlock the boot loader.
   

8. Enter the details of your account Mi: identification number and password;
   

9. Wait for the message "Device connected", then click on "Unlock" and wait a little (about 10 seconds);
   

10. If all the steps have been completed correctly, you will receive the following notification: "After 360 hours of trying to unlock the device"(The number of hours remaining may be larger or smaller.) This message is not an error, but it can not be ignored.The only solution is to wait;
    

11. Wait until the counter is reset without leaving your Mi account. Repeat the above steps again;
    

12. Your boot loader is now unlocked and you can install any custom ROM.

As you can see, any problem can be solved and unlocking the Xiaomi boot loader is no exception. Do you need to re-lock the boot loader? No problem, we have prepared a special article "How to restart the boot loader via Fastboot" to solve this problem. If you have questions, ask them in the comments below.