How to permanently disable ads on Xiaomi Redmi 5: the full guide 2026

Xiaomi Redmi 5 smartphones are still popular due to their reliability and low price, but many users face one unpleasant feature – intrusive advertising in system applications, settings menus and even on the lock screen. Unlike the new models, where advertising can be turned off through standard settings, on Redmi 5 with MIUI 9/10 firmware, this process requires additional manipulation.

The reason for the ads is because of Xiaomi’s monetization policy: the company integrates ad units into its MIUI shell to offset the low cost of the devices. But if you’re willing to spend 10 to 15 minutes, you can get rid of it forever — at least until the next setup reset. In this article, we’ll look at 7 proven ways, including methods without superuser rights (root) and using ADB.

It's important to understand that some methods may require you to unbundle your Mi Account or reset to factory settings, and if you're not ready for radical measures, start with the simplest of the first three sections.

1. disable personalized advertising in your Xiaomi account

The safest and most reversible way is to deactivate targeted ads through your Mi Account settings. This won’t delete all banners, but will significantly reduce their number, especially in Mi Video, Mi Music and Themes apps.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Slip on the profile avatar at the top of the screen.
3. Select the Mi Account Settings → Advertising.
4. Turn off the slider Personalized recommendations.
5. Confirm the action by clicking Disconnect in the pop-up window.

⚠️ Note: This method only works for ads linked to your account. System banners (e.g., in Security or Settings) will remain.

Once you disable personalization, the ads will become less intrusive, but they won't disappear completely. To remove them, move on to the next section.

2. reset of the advertising ID (Advertising ID)

Each Xiaomi device is assigned a unique Advertising ID, which is used to display targeted ads, and resets it doesn’t remove banners completely, but resets your preferences, making ads less relevant (and generally less visible).

How to Reset Advertising ID:

1. Go to Settings → All settings → Google → Advertising.
2. Click Reset Advertising ID.
3. Confirm the action in the dialog window.
4. Activate the slider Turn off personalized advertising (if any).

This is especially effective if you have recently dropped your phone to factory settings or reflashed it, in which case the system has not yet collected data about your actions, and resetting the ID will make the ads almost invisible.

💡

After resetting Advertising ID, reboot your phone – this will speed up the application of changes and clear the cache of advertising services.

If the ads still appear, check to see if your Redmi 5 has apps like Mi Browser or Cleaner installed, which often display banners regardless of system settings, and can be either removed (if they are not system-based) or disabled through Settings → Apps.

3. disabling advertising through MIUI settings (hidden settings)

The MIUI 9-11 firmware for Redmi 5 has hidden options to disable some of the system ads, which are not documented by Xiaomi, but work on most devices.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to the Optimization (or Acceleration) section.
3. Slap the icon. ⚙️ (Settings) in upper right corner.
4. Find the Advertising or Recommendations item and turn it off.
5. Return to the main Security menu and check if the banners at the bottom of the screen have disappeared.

We also recommend checking the following sections:

• 📱 Settings → Lock screen → Additionally, disable Recommended Content.
• 🎵 Settings → Sound and vibration → Music Player – Deactivate Show recommendations.
• 📂 Settings → Home Screen – Turn off Show Mi apps.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware may not have these items or may be called something else (e.g. Mi Video recommendations instead of Advertising). If you don't find the right option, skip the step and move on to the next method.

Disable recommendations in “Security"|Remove ads on the lock screen|Deactivate banners in the music player|Check the settings of the home screen|Reboot your phone after the changes-->

4. Blocking Advertising through ADB (without root)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can use the Android debugging bridge (ADB), which does not require superuser rights, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📦 Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB (download from Android).
• ⚙️ Included debugging by USB phone-on.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Turn on USB Debugging.

Redmi 5

File transfer

CMD

ADB

adb devices


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics

Reboot the phone.

After these commands are executed, the system applications responsible for displaying ads will be disabled, however, this may lead to unstable operation of some MIUI functions (for example, design themes or battery optimizer).

5. Removing Advertising through Hosts File Editing

Another effective way is to block Xiaomi ad servers at the system level, by editing the hosts file that redirects domain names, which requires superuser rights (root) or access via ADB with the bootloader unlocked.

List of domains to block:

How to edit hosts:

1. Download any file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/hosts.
3. Open the file in the text editor and add at the end of the line: 127.0.0.1 tracker.ai.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 api.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com
4. Save the changes and restart the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of the hosts file can lead to loss of Internet access.Before making changes, back it up!

If you don't have root, you can use apps like Blokada or AdGuard that block ads at the VPN level, but they won't remove MIUI system banners, just ads in the browser and third-party apps.

6. Flashing on custom firmware (radical method)

If none of these methods worked, the last resort is to install custom firmware without advertising, a method that is suitable for advanced users because it requires unlocking the bootloader and could potentially lead to a loss of warranty.

Popular firmware for Redmi 5:

• 📱 LineageOS – pure Android without advertising and unnecessary applications.
• 🔄 Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel interface.
• 🛡️ MIUI by Xiaomi.eu - modified version MIUI Advertising-free and Chinese-based.

Instructions:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (can take up to 72 hours).
2. Install Custom Recovery (TWRP)
3. Download the firmware (e.g. MIUI by Xiaomi.eu) and transfer it to your phone.
4. Download to TWRP and run Wipe → Format Data (full reset!).
5. Install the firmware through Install.

⚠️ Warning: Firmware erases all data from your phone, including photos and contacts. Pre-backup through Mi Cloud or TWRP. Also note that informal firmware may contain bugs (for example, broken firmware). NFC or camera problems).

💡

Custom firmware removes ads completely, but requires unlocking the bootloader and resetting data, a method only suitable for advanced users who are prepared for potential risks.

7. Alternative methods: launchers and blockers

If you don't want to mess with the system settings, you can just replace standard apps with ads-free ones, which won't take away the system banners, but will make them less visible.

Recommended replacements:

• 🏠 Install Nova Launcher or Lawnchair – they will replace the standard MIUI Launcher with advertising widgets.
• 🌐 Browser: Use Firefox or Bromite with uBlock Origin ad blocker.
• 🎵 Music player: Replace Mi Music with Poweramp or VLC.
• 📺 Video player: Install MX Player or VLC instead of Mi Video.

You can also use the application-blockers:

• 🛡️ AdGuard – blocks ads in the browser and some applications through VPN.
• 🚫 Blokada is a lightweight blocker without root.
• 🔍 NetGuard – controls the access of applications to the network (you can manually block advertising domains).

These methods don't require a lot of knowledge, but they don't give you 100% of the result, like the banners in Settings or on the lock screen, but you get rid of the ads in most everyday scenarios.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling ads on Redmi 5