How to completely disable the sidebar on Xiaomi devices: TVs and smartphones

The sidebar on Xiaomi devices is both a useful and annoying interface element. TV It appears when you hover the cursor over the left edge of the screen, occupying up to 30% of the area and overlapping the content. MIUI A quick-setting side curtain can accidentally open when you touch the edge of the screen, and in both cases, users are looking for a way to remove it completely — and they don't always find a working solution the first time.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of disabling the sidebar for different Xiaomi devices: TVs on Android. TV/PatchWall smartphone MIUI 12–14. We will pay special attention to hidden settings that the manufacturer does not advertise, but which actually work, and warn about typical errors that cause the panel to return after a reboot or update.

If you tried to turn off the sidebar through standard settings and nothing worked, don't rush to reset the device to the factory. 90% of the time, the problem is solved by one of the five methods described below. The main thing is to correctly determine the model of your device and the firmware version.

1. How to turn off the sidebar on Xiaomi TVs (Mi) TV)

On Xiaomi Mi TVs TV (A Pro series, P1, Q2, S Pro et al.) The sidebar is activated when you hover your cursor over the left edge of the screen, and it contains quick volume, brightness, signal sources and recommended content settings, and you can remove it in three ways, depending on the firmware and shell version (PatchWall or Android). TV).

First, check what kind of skin is installed on your TV:

• 📺 PatchWall is Xiaomi’s proprietary shell with large content tiles (installed on models for India and global versions).
• 🤖 Android TV — Google's standard shell (found on European and American models).

If you're not sure, press the Home button on the remote, and the main menu will appear: if you have Google's search bar at the top, you have Android. TV; If you have a big banner with movies instead, it's PatchWall.

Check the firmware version in Settings → About TV

Connect the remote to the TV (do not use the Mi Remote app)

Close all running apps (Netflix, YouTube, etc.)

Take a photo of the current screen settings (in case of reset)

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Method 1: PatchWall settings (for global models)

This method works on TVs with PatchWall 3.0 firmware and later (e.g. Mi). TV Q1 2022 or Mi TV A Pro 2023 Instructions:

1. Open Settings (cog in the upper right corner of the main screen).
2. Go to the Device. → Screen and sound → Additional settings.
3. Find the Side Panel (or Side Panel in English firmware).
4. Switch the slider to the off position.
5. Confirm the action by pressing OK on the remote.

Important: On some models (Mi) TV 4A, Mi TV 4X) This item may be called the Quick Access Panel or Mini Launcher. If you don't find it, use Method 3 (via Android). TV).

Method 2: Through Android Settings TV (European models)

On TVs with pure Android TV (Like Mi. TV P1 2021 for Europe) side panel is turned off like this:

1. Press the Home button on the remote to open the main menu.
2. Go to Settings. → The device → Screen and sound.
3. Select Screen Settings → Additionally.
4. Find the Sidebar and turn it off.

If you don't have a paragraph, try updating your firmware to the latest version. TV (9) this option may not be available.

Method 3: Through ADB (Universal method for all models)

If standard settings do not help, use debugging by ADB. This method works on any Xiaomi TV, but requires a computer and a computer. USB-cable.

Instructions:

1. Turn on the debugging. USB on TV: Settings → On TV. → POS version → Click 7 times on the Settings build number → Additionally. → Developer parameters → Debugging by USB (On.)
2. Connect the TV to your computer through USB-port (use the port) USB 3.0 on TV for stability).
3. Download ADB Tools and open the command line in the file folder.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices (the name of your TV should appear).
5. Execute the command to disable the sidebar: adb shell settings put global side_panel_enabled 0
6. Reboot TV: Adb shell reboot

After this command, the panel will be turned off at the system level and will not turn on even after updating the firmware. To return it back, use the same command, replacing 0 with 1.

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If ADB If you don't see the TV, try using Wi-Fi debugging. In Developer Settings, turn on Wi-Fi debugging and connect via Wi-Fi. IP-address.

2. disabling the sidebar on Xiaomi smartphones (MIUI)

On Xiaomi smartphones (for example, Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11) Quick Switch sidebar opens with a swipe from top to bottom or side (depending on version) MIUI). You can’t completely remove it, but you can turn off the swipe from the edge of the screen so that it doesn’t open accidentally.

Methods differ for different versions MIUI:

Method 1: Disconnecting the swipe from the edge (MIUI 12–14)

This method removes the response to touching the edge of the screen, but does not remove the quick settings panel itself.

1. Open the Settings. → Screen (or Settings) → All settings → Screen in MIUI 14).
2. Select Full Screen Mode (or Gestures in older versions).
3. Find the Swipe item from the edge for the notification panel and turn it off.
4. Also turn off Swipe down for the control panel if you want to remove the reaction to the top edge.

In some models (POCO F3, Redmi K40) This item can be called edge sensitivity. Set it Low or Unplugged.

Method 2: Hiding the panel through "One-hand mode" (MIUI 13+)

In the new versions MIUI You can reduce the touch area so that the panel opens only when a targeted swipe is used:

1. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → One-hand mode.
2. Turn on the mode and select Mini-screen.
3. Set the touch area in the Lower Corner.
4. Return to Gestures and turn off the swipe from the top edge.

This won’t remove the panel completely, but it will make opening it a deliberate action, not a random touch.

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On Xiaomi smartphones, you can't completely remove the notification bar -- it's an Android system element -- but you can turn off the call from the edges of the screen so it doesn't get in the way.

Method 3: Use of third-party launchers (for advanced users)

If you are annoyed by the standard interface MIUI, Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) that won't remove the notifications panel, but it will allow you to use it:

• 🎨 Set up the panel opening gestures (e.g., double tapping).
• 🔍 Hide unnecessary icons in the curtain (via Xposed or LSPosed modules).
• 🔧 Change the transparency and size of the panel (root required).

Warning: Installing third-party launchers may lead to conflicts with Xiaomi system applications (e.g. com.miui.home).

3.Why can the side panel not be switched off?

If you’ve tried all the ways but the panel still appears, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🔄 Automatic firmware update - after the update, some settings are reset. → About the telephone/Television → Updating the system.
• 🛠️ Reset to factory settings – when resetting, all customizations (including the panel disconnected) return to default.
• 🤖 Application conflict – some programs (such as Google Assistant or Mi Remote) can overwrite the interface settings.
• 📱 Firmware error on some models (Mi) TV 4S, Redmi 9A) There are bugs that cause the panel to turn on itself.

If the problem is in the firmware, check its version:

1. On TV: Settings → On TV. → POS version.
2. On the smartphone: Settings → About the phone → MIUI version.

Compare it to the latest stable versions on Xiaomi's official website. If your firmware is outdated, manually update it.

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Before manually updating your firmware, disable the antivirus on your computer – it can block files with the.tgz or.zip extension required for firmware.

4.How to return the sidebar if it is missing?

If after experimenting with settings, the panel disappeared completely (including the notification panel on the smartphone), you can restore it as follows:

On TV:

• Through Settings. → Screen. → Side panel (turn on slider).
• Through ADB: adb shell settings put global side_panel_enabled 1
• Reset PatchWall settings (if the panel is missing after the update).

On a smartphone:

• Enable swipe from the edge in Settings → Gestures.
• Reset the launcher settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Erase the data.
• If the notification panel is completely gone, check if the system is disabled. UI through ADB root.

⚠️ If not only the sidebar, but also the notification panel is missing on the smartphone, this is a sign of a failure in the System UI. Solution: Reboot your phone in Safe Mode (press the power button) → "Restart Safe Mode" and check if the panel is back. If so, uninstall the recently installed apps.

5. Alternative solutions: if nothing helps

If standard methods don’t work, try these options:

For TVs:

• 🔌 Use an external remote – some remotes (such as those from Nvidia Shield) do not activate the sidebar on the Mi TV.
• 🖥️ Connect the mouse over Bluetooth - the mouse cursor does not cause the panel to appear when getting stuck on the edge.
• 📱 Manage through the Mi Remote app – it does not have the sidebar call function.

For smartphones:

• 🔧 Install the Xposed Framework + GravityBox module – allows you to fully customize the notification panel.

⚠️ Note: Xposed and Magisk modules can lead to blocking of banking applications (due to the SafetyNet trigger). XDA Developers.

6. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When trying to disable the sidebar, users often make these mistakes:

If after experimenting with settings, the TV or smartphone began to work unstable (lag, overheat), perform a soft reset:

• On TV: Settings → Additionally. → Resetting and remediation → Resetting settings.
• On a smartphone: Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Reset all settings (without deleting data).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions