The standard Gallery app on Xiaomi smartphones often causes users to complain: it consumes resources in the background, duplicates photos from cloud services and is not always easy to use. Many want to completely disable the built-in gallery to replace it with Google Photos, Simple Gallery or another third-party solution.
In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to deactivate the gallery on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO running MIUI 12-15, including hidden settings, disabling through ADB and alternative methods. Importantly, some actions require caution - improper manipulation of system files can lead to malfunctions in the phone.
Why users want to turn off the gallery on Xiaomi
The built-in Gallery app (com.miui.gallery package) has several drawbacks that push Xiaomi owners to turn it off:
- 🔋 High battery consumption – the application is actively working in the background, even if you do not use it, consuming up to 5-10% of the charge per day.
- 📱 Dubbing photos – The gallery automatically uploads images from Google Photos, Mi Cloud and other clouds, creating chaos in the album.
- 🚫 Intrusive advertising in some regions and versions MIUI In the gallery there are banners with Xiaomi services offers.
- ⚙️ Limited functionality – no advanced editing tools like Snapseed or Lightroom.
- 🔒 Privacy issues – the app requests access to geolocation and other data, which causes concerns among users.
In addition, Xiaomi’s gallery doesn’t always work properly with high-resolution RAW, HEIF and video formats, which is critical for photographers. Alternative apps (such as A+ Gallery or F-Stop) often do these tasks better.
Method 1: Disconnect via application settings (without root)
The safest method is to deactivate the gallery through the settings menu, and it won't delete the app completely, but it will stop it from working and hide the icon from the menu. MIUI 12–15:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- In the search bar, type “Gallery” and select the com.miui.gallery app.
- Click Disable (or Remove Updates if the button is inactive).
- Confirm the action in the dialog window.
After the shutdown:
- 📁 Gallery icon will disappear from the main screen and app menu.
- 🔄 The app will stop updating through the Play Market or MIUI Updater.
- ⚠️ Photo files will remain in place – they can be viewed through a file manager or a third-party gallery.
⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 10 Pro, Xiaomi) 12T) If you turn off the gallery, you may stop using the "Mi Share" function, and you'll have to activate the app again to get it back.
☑️ Preparation for gallery shutdown
Method 2: Remove via ADB (for power users)
If the shutdown is not enough, you can completely remove the gallery using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that requires connecting the phone to the computer and enabling developer mode, and once the system application is removed, it can only be restored through a full reset or firmware.
Step-by-step:
- Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)
- Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
- Connect the phone to your PC, install ADB drivers and open the command line.
- Enter the commands in turn: adb devices adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.gallery
If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.gallery| Team team. | Action. | Reversibility |
|---|---|---|
| pm uninstall --user 0 | Complete removal for the current user | Requires reset or firmware |
| pm disable-user | Disconnection (analogue of manual disabling in settings) | Can be returned via pm enable |
| pm hide | Hiding an icon (not always working on MIUI) | Reversible. |
⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14+ After removing the gallery, you may lose access to the camera in some applications (for example, WhatsApp or Instagram). 4PDA XDA-Developers for your model.
What if the ADB can’t see the device?
Method 3: Hiding a Gallery with Launcher
If you just need to remove the gallery icon from the home screen, but leave the application itself functional (for example, for system processes), use the launcher settings:
- 📌 For MIUI Launcher: Press the Gallery icon on the home screen. Drag it up to the inscription Delete (or Hide if available). Confirm the action.
- 🔄 For third-party launchers (Nova Launcher, Apex): Open the launcher settings. Find Hidden apps. Add the Gallery to the hidden list.
This method doesn't turn off the app, it just takes it out of sight.
- 🔄 Update through Play Market.
- 📊 Consume resources in the background (if not disable auto-start).
- 🖼️ Display in the menu Open with... when selecting files.
- Go back and press the Battery → Limit background activity.
- Turn off Auto Start in the Start section.