How to Downgrade from MIUI 10 to MIUI 9 on Xiaomi Phones

Originally written by Amit Kumar, updated by Dibyajyoti Kabi. First published July 20, 2018. Updated October 24, 2026.

To downgrade from MIUI 10 to MIUI 9, back up your phone, check that the MIUI 9 ROM won’t trip anti-rollback protection, then flash it with the built-in updater, TWRP or the Mi Flash tool in Fastboot mode. A downgrade wipes all your data, and flashing a ROM with a lower anti-rollback level can brick the phone.

This is an older guide, and I’ve kept it up for anyone still running a Xiaomi phone from that era. I’ve rewritten it so the anti-rollback check comes first, because that’s the step that decides whether a downgrade is safe at all.

Key points

• Downgrading from MIUI 10 to MIUI 9 erases everything on the phone.
• Anti-rollback protection blocks ROMs with a lower security level. Flashing one in Fastboot can hard brick the phone.
• The Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro got anti-rollback with MIUI 10 Global Beta 8.7.5.
• Fastboot flashing with Mi Flash needs an unlocked bootloader.
• Xiaomi has since replaced MIUI with HyperOS, so MIUI 9 and 10 ROMs are no longer updated.

Is MIUI still updated?

No. Xiaomi moved its phones to Xiaomi HyperOS starting in late 2023, and MIUI 9 and MIUI 10 stopped getting updates years before that. These steps only make sense on the older Xiaomi, Redmi and Mi phones that shipped with those versions.

What is anti-rollback protection on Xiaomi phones?

Anti-rollback is a security check that stops you from installing a ROM with a lower security level than the one already on your phone. Xiaomi added it to the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro with MIUI 10 Global Beta 8.7.5. If you force an older ROM in Fastboot, the phone can stop booting completely.

When it rolled out, the rule looked like this for those phones:

Other Xiaomi phones got anti-rollback later, each with their own cutoff. So check your own phone before you flash anything.

How do I check anti-rollback before downgrading?

Compare your phone’s anti-rollback index with the one in the ROM you want to flash. If the ROM’s number is lower than your phone’s, don’t flash it.

1. Boot the phone into Fastboot mode by holding Volume Down and Power.
2. Connect it to your PC and run fastboot getvar anti in a terminal.
3. Open the flash_all.bat file inside the Fastboot ROM you downloaded and look for the line with CURRENT_ANTI_VER.
4. Only continue if the ROM’s number is the same as or higher than your phone’s.

If the command returns nothing, your phone probably doesn’t have anti-rollback yet. Still read the forum thread for your exact model first.

What should I do before downgrading?

Back up everything and charge the phone. A downgrade from MIUI 10 to MIUI 9 always wipes your data, so copy your photos, contacts and chats somewhere safe. Keep the battery at 50 to 60 percent or more so it doesn’t die during the flash.

These steps were written for phones like the Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, Redmi Y2, Redmi 3S, Mi 5, Mi 6, Mi Mix 2, Mi Max and Mi Max 2. Download only the ROM made for your exact model, from Xiaomi’s official MIUI page or a ROM archive you trust.

How do I downgrade with the System Update app?

This method uses the recovery ROM, a .zip file, and works without unlocking the bootloader on many phones.

1. Download the MIUI 9 recovery ROM for your device.
2. Copy the .zip file to your phone’s internal storage.
3. Open Settings > About phone > System update.
4. Tap the three dot menu in the top right corner and pick Choose update package.
5. Select the .zip file and tap OK.
6. Tap Erase and update when the phone asks, then leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. It may restart a few times.
7. Set up the phone once the MIUI 9 welcome screen shows up.

If you get a Couldn’t verify package error, the updater doesn’t allow that downgrade. Try TWRP or Mi Flash instead.

How do I downgrade with TWRP recovery?

You need an unlocked bootloader and TWRP installed for this one.

1. Copy the MIUI 9 recovery ROM .zip to your internal storage or SD card.
2. Turn the phone off, then hold Volume Up and Power to boot into TWRP.
3. Tap Wipe > Advanced Wipe and wipe Dalvik cache, Cache, System and Data. Don’t wipe internal storage unless you’ve moved the ROM to an SD card.
4. Go back, tap Install and pick the ROM .zip.
5. Swipe to flash, then tap Reboot System.

The first boot can take a while, so give it up to 10 minutes.

How do I downgrade with Mi Flash in Fastboot?

Use the Fastboot ROM, a .tgz file, with the Mi Flash tool on a Windows PC. This is the cleanest way, but it’s also where anti-rollback can brick the phone, so do the check above first.

1. Unlock the bootloader with Xiaomi’s Mi Unlock tool.
2. Download and extract the MIUI 9 Fastboot ROM for your device.
3. Boot the phone into Fastboot mode and connect it to the PC.
4. Open Mi Flash, click Select and pick the extracted ROM folder.
5. At the bottom, choose clean all. Don’t pick clean all and lock, or you’ll relock the bootloader.
6. Click Flash and wait for success.

Frequently asked questions

Will downgrading MIUI delete my data?

Yes. Every method in this guide wipes the phone, so back up first.

Can I downgrade without unlocking the bootloader?

Sometimes. The System Update method works on many phones with a locked bootloader. TWRP and Mi Flash both need an unlocked one.

What happens if I flash a ROM with a lower anti-rollback level?

The phone can hard brick and refuse to turn on. Fixing it usually needs an authorized Xiaomi service center.

Related guides

• MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM 8.6.28 changelog and flashing steps
• Xiaomi MACE, the open source Mobile AI Compute Engine
• More Xiaomi guides on TheDroidGuru
• MIUI 10 Global Beta posts
• MIUI 10 posts
• MIUI 9 posts

That’s it. Check anti-rollback first and the rest of the downgrade is pretty simple.

If you’re not sure your ROM is safe to flash, leave a comment with your phone model, your current MIUI version and the ROM you want to install, and I’ll take a look.