How to completely disable ads on Xiaomi Redmi 8: a step-by-step guide

Xiaomi Redmi 8 owners often face intrusive ads that appear in system applications, on the lock screen and even in the settings menu. This is not a coincidence — this is how MIUI’s proprietary shell works, which monetizes free software by showing banner ads. The good news is that most of this advertising can be turned off without installing third-party programs or obtaining root rights.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to remove ads on Redmi 8 with different versions of MIUI (including global and Chinese firmware), you will learn what settings are responsible for displaying banners, how to disable personalized advertising through a Xiaomi account, and what to do if ads return after a system update.

Important: some methods may vary depending on the regional firmware (Global, EEA, China or Russia). If you are not sure about your version of MIUI, check it in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. For Chinese firmware (Stable/Developer), some menu items may be in English or Chinese - we will indicate alternative ways.

1. Disabling advertising in MIUI system applications

The main advertising source on Redmi 8 is standard apps like Security, Themes, Music and Weather, each with hidden settings to remove banners.

Start with the Security app – it is responsible for most of the advertising notifications:

1. Open Security (the shield icon on the desktop).
2. Slap the icon. ⚙️ top-right.
3. Select Notification Settings (Notification Settings).
4. Turn off the Recommendations slider.
5. Go back and go to the cleanup. → ⚙️ → Turn off the recommendations.

Next, do the Themes app (the main source of banners on the lock screen):

• 📱 Open Topics → profile (avatar at the top) → ⚙️ Settings.
• 🔍 Find the recommendation item and turn it off.
• 🛡️ Go to Lock screen settings and deactivate Show ads.

Disable recommendations in "Safety" | Remove banners in "Temes" | Check the settings "Music" and "Weather" |Reboot the phone for changes-->

For music and weather applications, the algorithm is similar:

1. Open the app. → ⚙️ Settings → Find items with mention of advertising or recommendations.
2. Turn off all sliders associated with Personalized Offers or Banner Ads.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI You can reset your settings. Check them every 1-2 months or after you install new versions of the software.

2. Deactivation of personalized advertising through Xiaomi account

Xiaomi uses your account data for targeted advertising, and to turn off this feature, you need to go to your profile settings, which works even if you are not logged in to Mi Account, but some items will not be available.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi account (Mi Account).
2. Select Account Settings → Confidentiality.
3. Find the Personalized Recommendations section.
4. Turn off all sliders in this section (especially Interest-Based Ads).
5. Go back and go to Sync Settings → turn off Sync Use Data.

If you have a Chinese firmware (China ROM), the path may be different:

• 📱 Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Privacy
• 🔍 Look for items with Ad or Recommendation in the title.

Global (EEA)|Global (Russia)|China Stable|China Developer|other-->

One important nuance: disabling personalized ads doesn't remove all banners, it only makes them less relevant.

3. Hidden MIUI settings: Disabling Advertising through ADB

For advanced users, there is a way to disable ads at the system level by using ADB-This method doesn't require root rights, but it requires a computer and a computer. USB-The advantage is that advertising disappears even in places where it can't be removed through standard settings.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Platform Tools (part of the Android SDK).
2. Turn on the phone Developer Mode: go to Settings → About phone and 7 times tap on the MIUI version.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
4. Connect your phone to your PC, open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools.
5. Enter the commands in turn: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser

These commands disable the system services that are responsible for displaying ads. After you do, restart your phone. If the ads come back after you update MIUI, repeat the procedure.

⚠️ Note: Some commands may disable useful features (e.g. com.xiaomi.midrop is responsible for fast transfer of Mi Drop files.

4. Alternative launchers and desktop advertising bypass

If the ad appears on the desktop (in the form of widgets or banners in the search bar), the problem lies in the standard launcher MIUI Launcher.

• 🏆 Nova Launcher – flexible settings, no advertising, gesture support.
• 🎨 Lawnchair – open source, minimalist design.
• ⚡ Hyperion Launcher – optimized for Xiaomi, retains branded chips MIUI.

How to install and configure:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play or APKMirror.
2. After installation, click the Home button and select the new launcher as the main one.
3. In the launcher settings, disable all options related to Recommendations or News Feed.

If you do not want to change the launcher, you can turn off advertising widgets manually:

1. Long press on the desktop → Desktop settings.
2. Go to Widgets and remove all items marked with Recommendations or Mi Ads.
3. Turn off the search bar (it often contains ads).

5. Blocking Advertising via DNS or VPN

If previous methods have not worked, you can block Xiaomi ad servers at the network level.

• 🔒 Private DNS (built-in Android feature).
• 🌍 VPN Ad-blocking (e.g. AdGuard) VPN).
• 📡 Third-party DNS-servers (Cloudflare, NextDNS).

Instructions for Private DNS:

1. Go to Settings → Connections → Private DNS.
2. Select the host name of the Private DNS provider.
3. Enter the address: dns.adguard.com or security.cloudflare-dns.com
4. Save and restart the phone.

For AdGuard VPN:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Enable ad blocking in the settings.
3. Activate. VPN-linkage.

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If some Xiaomi services stop working after changing the DNS (for example, synchronizing notes), return the standard DNS settings or use a VPN only to block ads.

This method blocks not only Xiaomi ads, but also banners in the browser, games and other applications, but it can reduce Internet speed by 5-15%.

6. Resetting settings and extreme measures

If the ads are left despite all efforts, it is possible that your firmware contains built-in advertising modules that are not removed in standard ways.

• 🔄 Reset to factory settings (deletes all data!).
• 📥 Flashing to custom firmware (for example, LineageOS or Pixel Experience).
• 🔓 Getting root rights and removing system applications manually.

How to reset your settings:

1. Make a backup copy of important data.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.

After reset, do not restore data from the MIUI backup - this can return advertising settings.Configure the phone as new and apply the methods from this article immediately.

⚠️ Warning: Flashing to custom software or obtaining root rights voids the warranty and can lead to unstable phone operation.

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Resetting is a last resort. Try all the other ways before you do that and make sure that the problem is not with the specific application, but with the system settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Redmi 8 ads