[Help] Redmi Note 10 Pro Max touchscreen completely dead, phone is locked after restart. How can I recover my data?

[u/True-Deal1576]

I have an old Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and I'm trying to recover the data from it before deciding whether to replace the phone.

The problem is that the display works perfectly, but the touchscreen has completely stopped responding.

Some details:

• The phone boots normally.
• The display looks completely normal, with no visible cracks, lines, or black spots.
• Volume/power buttons work.
• Calls and notifications still come through.
• Fingerprint/face unlock worked before I restarted it.
• Initially, when the touchscreen stopped responding, a forced restart would sometimes bring it back.
• At one point I removed the phone case, restarted it, and the touchscreen worked again for a while before dying.
• Eventually I restarted it again and the touchscreen remained completely dead.

The phone is now locked because it was restarted, so it requires the PIN before fingerprint/face unlock can be used again. Obviously I can't enter the PIN because the touchscreen doesn't work.

I tried connecting it to my laptop through Phone Link, but that doesn't give me access to the actual files because the phone is locked/offline.

The phone has now been checked by a repair shop. They said the phone cannot be fixed without replacing the display, which would cost around ₹3,000–₹4,000. I'd rather avoid spending that much on an old phone if possible, especially if there is another way to recover the data.

My main question: Is there ANY way to unlock/control the Redmi without the touchscreen and recover the internal storage?

I've heard about using USB OTG + a mouse, but I don't currently have an OTG adapter or mouse. Would that actually work on the lock screen after a reboot, allowing me to enter the PIN?

Are there any other options using just a laptop/USB-C cable, ADB, Mi PC Suite, Phone Link, etc.? I'm mainly interested in recovering the data without wiping the phone.

I absolutely do not want to factory reset or unlock the bootloader if either would erase the data.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[u/migisaurio]

Use an OTG adapter and a mouse. Just for fun a few months ago, I tried unlocking my Realme (Android 15) with a pattern lock using a mouse, and an old Motorola (Android 10) with a PIN lock, also using a mouse.

[u/True-Deal1576 → u/migisaurio]

Oh okay. Thanks 😊