Setup the main browser on Xiaomi: from selection to optimization

Xiaomi smartphones come with a pre-installed Mi Browser browser, but not everyone likes it because of advertising, limited features or an uncomfortable interface. Meanwhile, a properly configured browser can significantly speed up the Internet, save traffic and even extend the battery life of the device. In this article, we will analyze how to make any browser the main one on Xiaomi, compare built-in and third-party solutions, and show hidden settings for power users.

It’s important to understand that your browser choice depends on your tasks: someone needs maximum page load speed, someone needs synchronization of bookmarks between devices, and someone needs ad blocking without additional extensions. We will consider all scenarios, including the unique feature of MIUI, which allows you to link specific sites to certain browsers automatically (this feature is hidden in experimental settings of the system).

Why the built-in Mi Browser isn’t always optimal

The Mi Browser is designed specifically for the Xiaomi ecosystem and integrated with the company’s services such as Mi Account and Mi Cloud.

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization of bookmarks, history and passwords between Xiaomi devices (if you use one account).
• 📱 Optimization for MIUI: Less RAM consumption compared to third-party browsers.
• 🛡️ Built-in protection against phishing and malicious sites (bases are updated through Xiaomi servers).

However, Mi Browser has some significant drawbacks that make users look for alternatives:

• 📢 Intrusive advertising in the news feed and on the homepage (even in the latest versions) MIUI 14/15).
• 🔍 Limited customization options: you can not change the location of the tab bar or disable some interface elements.
• 🌍 Problems with displaying some Western services (e.g. Google Docs or Notion) may not work properly).
• 📊 Telemetry collection: by default, the browser sends data about visited sites to Xiaomi servers (you can turn off in the settings).

⚠️ Note: In some regions (e.g. the EU), Mi Browser comes with no ads and enhanced privacy settings due to local data protection laws.If your smartphone is purchased in Europe, check the browser version in Settings → The program may be different from the global one.

How to make another browser the default

If you decide to replace Mi Browser with an alternative option (such as Chrome, Firefox or Brave), you first need to install the selected application from Google Play or through the Internet. APK-After installation, follow the following steps:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select the Default Apps.
3. Slip on Browser.
4. In the list of available browsers, select the desired one (for example, Chrome).
5. Confirm your choice by clicking Ready.

Now all links from messages, emails or other applications will open in the browser of choice, but there is a caveat: some MIUI system functions (such as a Quick Ball search or weather widget) may still use Mi Browser to fix this:

Install a new browser from an official source | Assign it as the default browser in the settings | Disable Mi Browser in Settings → Applications → Mi Browser → Disable | Clear cache and data Mi Browser (optional) |Reboot the device to apply changes

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If you want to completely remove Mi Browser, please note that this is a system application – it can only be disabled (deactivated). Complete removal is possible only with root rights, which voids the warranty and can lead to unstable MIUI operation.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ Xiaomi 13T) After disabling Mi Browser, system updates may stop working OTA. This is because the Update Center uses browser components to download files.Solution: Before disabling, check for updates manually.

Hidden browser settings in MIUI: what can be optimized

Even if you keep Mi Browser basic, it can be greatly improved through hidden settings, for example, few people know that the browser has a read mode that removes all ads and unnecessary elements from the pages, leaving only text.

1. Open Mi Browser and go to any article.
2. Slap the icon. ⋮ (three points) in upper right corner.
3. Select Read Mode (some firmwares call this item Simplified View).

Other useful features that are hidden by default:

• 🔒 Blocking pop-up windows: Settings → Confidentiality → Block pop-ups.
• 📶 Traffic savings: Settings → Additionally. → Traffic savings (compresses images and disables autoplay video).
• 🌙 Dark theme for web pages: Settings → Appearance → Dark mode of web pages.
• 🔄 Autocleaning cache: Settings → Additionally. → Clean the cache when leaving (useful to save space).

For power users, there's another hidden possibility, which is to link sites to specific browsers, so you can set YouTube to open in Chrome and the rest of the sites to open in Mi Browser.

1. Activate Developer Mode in your phone settings (7 times tap the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find Open Links by default and select Open Supported Links → Ask each time.

Now, when you open a link, the system will suggest you choose a browser, which doesn't work on all versions of MIUI, but it's stable on MIUI 14+.

Optimizing performance: how to speed up the browser

Slow browser performance on Xiaomi is often not related to the application itself, but to system settings or an overloaded cache.

1. Clear cache and data: Go to Settings → Apps → [Your browser] → Storage. Click Clear cache and Clear data (Warning: this will delete bookmarks and history!).
2. Turn off animations in MIUI: Activate Developer Mode (see above). In For developers, find the items: Window Animation Scale → Off. Size of Transition Animation → Off. Duration of Animation → Off.

Use of Lite-versions of browsers:

For weak devices (for example, Redmi 9A or Poco C31), we recommend Chrome Lite or Firefox Focus – they consume 2-3 times less RAM.

If the browser still slows down, check the use of RAM:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Memory status.
2. If less than 500MB is available, close the background apps or restart the phone.

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On Xiaomi smartphones with 8 GB of RAM and above, you can enable the function of Virtual Memory Extension (Settings → Additional → Expansion of Memory). This will add up to 3 GB of virtual RAM due to the internal memory, which will speed up the browser with a large number of tabs.

Synchronizing bookmarks and passwords between devices

One of the main reasons to use a browser from Google, Mozilla or Brave is cross-platform sync, for example, if you add a bookmark on a Xiaomi smartphone, it will automatically appear on a laptop or tablet. Let's consider how to configure this in different browsers:

Google Chrome

Sync is performed through Google account:

1. Open Chrome and tap the avatar in the upper right corner.
2. Select Log in Chrome and log in.
3. Turn on synchronization for the desired data (bookmarks, history, passwords).

Mozilla Firefox

It uses its own Firefox Account:

1. Go to Settings → Firefox account.
2. Create an account or sign in to an existing one.
3. Activate synchronization for Bookmarks, History and Logins.

Brave

Supports Brave Sync without email linking:

1. Open the Settings. → Brave Sync.
2. Generate the synchronization code or scan it. QR-code from another device.

For the Mi Browser, synchronization only works through the Mi Account, and it is less reliable – bookmarks may not sync between different Xiaomi models (for example, between Redmi and Poco).

⚠️ Note: If you are using Mi Browser and plan to reset your phone to factory settings, pre-export bookmarks to the file HTML through settings → Imports/Exports. Once reset, it is not always possible to restore them through the Mi Cloud.

Security: How to protect data in the browser

The browser is one of the most vulnerable places for personal data leaks, and this is especially true on Xiaomi, because the Mi Browser collects telemetry by default.

• 🔐 Turn off data collection in Mi Browser: Go to Settings → Confidentiality. Disable items: Send error reports Improve Mi services Personalized recommendations
• 🛡️ Use it. VPN for traffic encryption: We recommend ProtonVPN or Warp from Cloudflare (free options with restrictions).
• 🔑 Set up two-factor authentication (2FA) For accounts: This will protect your bookmarks and passwords even if someone gets access to your phone.

For maximum anonymity, consider the Tor Browser (available on Google Play) which blocks trackers, encrypts traffic and doesn't save history, but on weak devices (Redmi 8A, Poco M2) it can run slowly.

Problem Solving: Browser does not open websites or crashes

If the browser on Xiaomi stopped working correctly, first check:

• 🌐 Internet Connection: Try to open a site in another browser or reboot your router.
• 🔄 Browser updates: An outdated version may conflict with sites. Update your browser via Google Play.
• 📵 Settings DNS: Sometimes the problem with opening websites is related to DNS-ISP, try changing the system. DNS on 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google): Go to Settings → Wi-Fi (or Mobile Network) tap on the current network → Change the network → Additionally. → Settings IP → Static, in the fields. DNS 1 and DNS 2 Enter new addresses.

If the browser crashes when you open certain sites:

1. Clear the cache and browser data (see section above).
2. Turn off the extensions (if installed).
3. Try to open the site in incognito mode (this will eliminate problems with stored data).

For Mi Browser, there is another way to reset – through Safe Mode:

1. Press the power button and hold the Turn off until the Safe Mode window appears.
2. Confirm the reboot in safe mode.
3. Check the browser – if it is stable, the problem is in one of the installed applications.

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If the browser only crashes on a specific site (such as VKontakte or Tinkoff Bank), the problem is most likely incompatibility with WebView, the system component for displaying web pages. Update Android System WebView via Google Play or reset its settings to Settings → Apps → Android System WebView → Storage → Clear data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up a browser on Xiaomi