Where to find browser settings in the Xiaomi phone: step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi’s modern smartphone is not just a means of communication, but a powerful multimedia center where the lion’s share of user time is spent on the Internet. The browser becomes a window into the digital world, and its correct operation depends on the comfort of surfing, page load speed and security of personal data. However, the standard parameters set by the manufacturer by default do not always satisfy advanced users or do not fit specific use cases.

Owners of devices based on the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS often face the need to change the search engine, clear the accumulated cache, prohibit intrusive notifications from sites or even reset the application to a factory state. Finding the right menu item can turn into a quest due to the features of the interface and localization. In this article, we will discuss in detail where exactly the hidden and basic parameters of web browsers on Xiaomi smartphones are, and how their competent configuration can speed up the device.

Understanding the structure of the menu is essential to solving a host of problems, from the banal “braking” of the phone to blocking ads at the app level.We will look at both the standard Mi Browser and the most popular Google Chrome, as the paths to their configuration have their own unique features in the ecosystem of the Chinese brand.

The main ways to enter the configuration menu

There are several ways to get to the management of a web application, and the specific method depends on whether you want to quickly clear the memory or deep-tuning security protocols, and the most obvious and often used option is to run directly through the interface of the application itself.

To do this, run the browser shortcut on the desktop. Depending on the version of the MIUI shell, the menu button can be located in the lower right corner (three horizontal bars) or in the upper right corner (three dots).

⚠️ Note: In some versions of the firmware, the system may request permission to access the geolocation or microphone when you first log in.

The second is if the app doesn't start or the interface is frozen, and if you go to the phone's system menu, find the Settings icon, scroll down to the App section or All Apps, and if you open the list, find your browser (like Chrome or the Browser) and click on it, you'll see the app card where the Settings button is immediately available.

A third, less obvious method is useful for quick cleaning: If you pinch your finger on the desktop browser icon, you'll see a context menu, and often there's an "About the App" item that will take you straight to the system program management menu, bypassing unnecessary search steps in the shared list.

• 🔍 Through the application interface: a menu of three dots or stripes → gear.
• 📱 Through System Settings: Settings → Annexes → All applications → Choosing a browser.
• ⚡ Through the desktop: a long click on the icon → «About the annex».

Each of these methods leads to one result, but the speed of access varies, with the first option being more convenient for daily use, and the second and third for troubleshooting.

Setup of the built-in Mi Browser

Xiaomi’s standard web browser has advanced functionality that is often hidden from the eyes of the average user. Unlike minimalist Chrome, developers have implemented many tools for working with content here, including night mode, ad blocker and download manager. To get into the main configuration menu, click on three horizontal bars in the lower right corner of the screen, then select the gear icon.

Inside, you'll find Privacy and Security, where you'll find critical switches, like Tracking Protection, which prevents you from collecting data about your movements between sites, and you can manage camera and microphone permissions for specific web resources, which improves digital hygiene.

The Notifications section is particularly noteworthy, with many users complaining of spam from news sites, and Mi Browser allows you to completely disable or filter notifications, leaving only important messages, which significantly reduces the notification curtain and annoyance.

⚠️ Note: Disabling JavaScript in your privacy settings can cause modern websites to display incorrectly. Use this feature only in extreme cases to save traffic.

You can also use the Feed or News feature in the settings, and if you don't need a news aggregator on the home page, you can turn it off by selecting "Empty Page" or "My Sites," which will speed up the app's launch and make the interface cleaner.

• 🛡️ Privacy: managing cookies, JavaScript and camera access.
• 🔔 Notifications: fine-tuning push messages from websites.
• 🌙 Design: theme selection, font size and night mode.

Remember to check the About Browser section periodically to update the version. Developers regularly release security patches that close vulnerabilities through which hackers can access the device.

Google Chrome configuration on Xiaomi

Google Chrome remains the de facto standard for most Android users thanks to its Google account sync and cross-platform. On Xiaomi smartphones, its settings are slightly different than on standard Android, due to aggressive system optimization. To log in, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings.

One of the most important sections is Sites (or Site Settings), which stores all the permission information you've ever given, and you can see which sites have access to your geolocation, camera, or microphone, and revoke those rights in one click, especially after installing new apps or visiting questionable resources.

In the Privacy and Security section, we have the Clear History tool, which allows you to select the period (all times, last hour, last week) and the data types (history, cookies, cache, passwords), and clean the cache regularly to free up space in the phone’s memory, which has a positive effect on the overall system performance.

An important aspect is synchronization. Make sure that the data transfer is activated in the “Sync and Google Services” section, which will allow you to not lose bookmarks and passwords when changing your phone or reinstalling the system. On Xiaomi devices, you sometimes need to additionally allow auto-start for Chrome in the battery settings to ensure that notifications arrive on time.

• 📂 History and Cache: Managing Occupied Space and Privacy.
• 🔐 Passwords: Verification of saved data through Google Password Manager.
• 🌐 Data: setting up traffic saving mode and page preloading.

Users often look for the option to change the default search engine. In Chrome, this is done in the Search Engine section, where you can choose Yandex, Bing or DuckDuckGo instead of the standard Google.

Managing permissions and access to data

Android security is built on permissions, and the browser can't just access your photos, contacts, or location without your knowledge, but over time, the list of trusted sites grows and control is lost, and Xiaomi's management of those rights is centralized and accessible through the system menu.

Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications → [Your browser] → Application rights. Here you'll see a detailed access map, for example, "Location" can be marked as "Allowed." By clicking on it, you can change the mode to "Always Ask" or "Not" -- this is an effective way to stop the surveillance of you.

Special attention should be paid to access to "Install Unknown Applications" if the browser is allowed to install APK-It is recommended that you keep this switch off and activate it only while you manually install the proven software, and then immediately turn off the switch.

It's also worth checking access to the clipboard. Modern versions of Android and MIUI can notify the user when an app reads copied text. In privacy settings, you can prevent browsers from reading the clipboard without the user's knowledge, which will protect passwords and codes from SMS.

⚠️ Note: Do not grant the right to read contacts and SMS This data is often used for social engineering and targeted advertising.

Regularly auditing app rights is a good habit, and once a month, check the list and take access from sites you have stopped using or that are suspicious of.

Clearing the cache and resetting browser settings

Temporary files are a natural process for any browser. Cache speeds up the loading of frequently visited pages, but over time it can reach gigabytes, which leads to slowing down the phone and errors in the display of sites. Xiaomi has built-in tools for effective cleaning.

The quickest way is to go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find a browser and select Memory. Here you will see two buttons: Clear cache and Clear everything. The first deletes temporary files without affecting your logins and passwords. The second returns the browser to the “shop-like” state, deleting all data, accounts and history.

If your browser is not working properly (flying out, not opening pages), try to clear the cache first. If this does not help, use a complete data cleanup. Before doing this, make sure that your data is synced with the cloud, otherwise you will lose your browsing history and saved passwords.

For advanced users, network resets are available if the problem is a DNS or proxy conflict. This is done through the phone's main settings menu: Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. This action will affect all applications, not just the browser, so save passwords from Wi-Fi networks.

• 🗑️ Cache Clearing: Safe, Frees Up Place, Solves Minor Errors.
• 💾 Cleaning up data: Radically, deletes accounts and history, solves major crashes.
• 🔄 Network reset: Helps with Internet connection problems.

Sometimes the problem lies not in the browser itself, but in the overcrowded storage of the phone. If the device has less than 1 GB of free memory, the browser can work slowly even after cleaning the cache.

Advanced parameters and hidden functions

Many users are unaware that Chromium-based browsers (including Chrome and Mi Browser) have a hidden debugging menu known as chrome://flags, which is accessed by typing this command into the address bar, and you can activate experimental features that have not yet been implemented in the stable version.

Among the useful flags for Xiaomi owners are features that speed up page rendering or parallel file loading. However, be very careful: the inclusion of unstable features can cause the browser to stop starting, in which case only a complete reinstallation or reset through the system menu will help.

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Use Incognito mode to visit sites you don’t trust, in which history, cookies, and form data are not stored on your device after tabs are closed.

Another useful feature is Simplified Mode or Light Mode, which redirects traffic through Google or Yandex servers to compress data before sending it to the phone, saving mobile traffic and speeding up loads on weak 3G/4G networks, but can reduce image quality.

For those who use multiple profiles, switching between them is available, which allows you to separate work and personal accounts, history and extensions, and the profile setting is located in the browser's main menu, at the top of the tab list or in the sync section.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Getting your browser set up correctly on Xiaomi is a balance between convenience, speed and privacy. Check permissions regularly and update the app.