How to permanently disable ads on Xiaomi Redmi 5A: Full Guide 2026

Xiaomi Redmi 5A is still one of the most popular budget smartphones due to its reliability and low price. However, many users face intrusive advertising in the shell of MIUI — it appears in the settings menu, on the lock screen, in standard applications and even in the notification panels. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to disable ads on the Redmi 5A without root rights, with minimal risks to the system and taking into account the features of the firmware in 2026.

It's important to understand that MIUI ads come in two types: system (built-in) and third-party apps (like Mi Browser or Mi Video). We'll look at both, including hidden settings, ADB commands, and even radical measures for those who are willing to sacrifice some functionality for the sake of clean interface. If you've already tried to turn off ads through standard menus, but it comes back after updates, this guide will definitely help you.

Before you start, check the MIUI version on your Redmi 5A: go to Settings → About → About Phone → MIUI version. This depends on which menu items will be available. Also note that some methods may not work the first time - MIUI advertising is known for its "persistence", so sometimes you need a combination of approaches.

1. Disabling Advertising through the standard MIUI settings

Starting with the easiest and safest way to do this is to use the built-in MIUI options, which require no additional tools and is suitable for most firmware versions on Redmi 5A. However, note that after major system updates, some items may be reset, so you will have to reconfigure them.

The first thing you need to do is turn off personalized ads.

1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising.
2. Click Disable Ad Personalization and confirm the selection.
3. Return to the main settings menu and go to Settings → Additional → Special features → Advertising.
4. Turn off the slider Show recommendations.

Next, we move on to the settings of specific applications, where advertising appears most often:

• 📱 Lock screen: Settings → Lock screen → Additionally. → Recommendations → Turn off all sliders.
• 🔍 Search box: in Settings → Main screen turn off Show search bar.
• 📊 Notification Panel: Swipe down the notification panel, click ⚙️ → Settings of the notification panel → Turn off Recommended Content.

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI 10-11 (redmi 5A) Recommended content may not be available. In this case, try updating your firmware to the latest stable version via Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system.

If after these manipulations, the ads continue to appear in standard applications (Mi Music, Mi Video, Mi Browser), move to the next section - there we will understand how to clean each of them separately.

2. Cleaning up Xiaomi’s standard apps from advertising

Xiaomi's standard apps -- Mi Browser, Mi Video, Mi Music, even Files -- often show ads even if you're not using them. Fortunately, most of them can either be turned off or cleared of ads through settings. Below are step-by-step instructions for each.

Mi Browser (Xiaomi Browser)

This is one of the most "advertising" apps in MIUI, to remove banners and pop-ups:

1. Open Mi Browser.
2. Press. ⋮ (three-point) → Settings.
3. Go to additional → Advertising and recommendations.
4. Turn off all sliders: Personalized recommendations, Advertising notifications, Show news on the main one.
5. Go back to Settings → Homepage and select Empty Page or Google instead of Mi Start.

2.2 Mi Video and Mi Music.

These apps also sinned against showing ads before and between videos.

• 🎵 Mi Music: Open the app → ⚙️ → Settings → Additionally. → Turn off Displaying Recommendations and Advertising Notices.
• 🎬 Mi Video: similarly go to settings and disable all items related to recommendations. If there are no options, delete the app cache in Settings → Annexes → Mi Video → Memory. → Clear the cache.

If you do not use these applications, you can disable them completely:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the right app (such as Mi Video).
3. Click Disable (not “Delete” as it is system software).

⚠️ Note: Disabling system applications may cause some features to fail (e.g., playback through gallery video).If you stop opening gallery videos after you turn off Mi Video, return the application to its original state via the same settings section.

Turn off personalized ads in Mi Browser|Set an empty main page in the browser|Disable recommendations in Mi Music and Mi Video|Clear the app cache|Disable unnecessary system applications (optional)-->

3.Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If standard settings don’t work, it’s ADB (Android Debug Bridge), an Android debugging tool that allows you to make changes to system files without rooting permissions, which works on 90% of the Redmi 5A versions of MIUI, but requires a connection to a computer.

Before you start, make sure that:

• 🖥️ Drivers are installed on your PC ADB (Download platform-tools from the official website of Android Developers).
• 🔌 The phone's debugging on. USB: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Press 7 times until the words "You are a developer" appear") → Go back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Turn on Debugging. USB.
• 📋 You have the original. USB-cable (not all cables support data transmission).

Now, to the commands, open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools and type in one by one:

adb devices

(Your device should show up. If not, check the drivers and the cable.)

adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution

(This command disables the main ad module in MIUI.)

adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop

(It disables an unnecessary file transfer service that can also display ads.)

adb shell settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

(Disables Internet connection checks, which sometimes opens advertising pages.)

After you execute the commands, restart your phone. Ads should disappear from the settings menu, notification bar, and lock screen. If some of the ad remains, repeat the commands or check if the settings have reset after the reboot.

⚠️ Note: Adb shell pm hide commands do not remove applications, but only hide them from the system. This is safer than completely uninstalling, but after resetting or updating. MIUI It can be a complete failure, so just repeat the procedure.

4.Reset ad settings via Mi Account

Few people know, but some of the advertising settings in MIUI are tied to your Xiaomi account. You reset your phone settings, if you reauthorize, the ads can come back. To avoid this, you manually reset your advertising preferences in your Mi Account profile.

This can be done in two ways:

4.1. via the web version of Mi Account

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com and log in.
2. From the menu, select Privacy → Ad Preferences (or Privacy → Advertising Settings in Russian).
3. Turn off all sliders related to personalization of advertising.
4. At the bottom of the page, click Reset Ad ID.

4.2. via the Mi Account app on the phone

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi account.
2. Go to Mi Account → Settings → Privacy.
3. Find the Advertising Preferences section and disable all options.
4. Click Reset Advertising ID.

After that, log out of your Xiaomi account on your phone and log in again. This will help you apply the changes. It is also recommended to clear the cache of the Mi Account application in the settings.

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If after all the manipulations, the ads still appear in Mi Browser, try installing an alternative browser (such as Firefox or Bromite) and making it the default browser in the settings.

5. Radical methods: factory reset and custom firmware

If you've tried all of these methods, but the ads continue to haunt you, there are two radical options left: a complete phone reset or custom firmware installation. Both methods have their pros and cons, so let's look at them in detail.

5.1 Reset to factory settings

This is an extreme measure that will return the phone to its original state by deleting all data. Advertising will disappear, but all standard Xiaomi apps will return, so after resetting, you will have to reconfigure them through Section 2 of this article.

How to reset Redmi 5A:

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset.
3. Select Reset and confirm the action.
4. After the reboot, don’t sign in to Mi Account immediately – first turn off the ads via the standard settings (Section 1), and then log in.

Install custom firmware (for example, LineageOS)

This is the most reliable way to get rid of ads forever, but also the riskiest: you lose the official MIUI firmware, the warranty (if it still works), and some features (for example, the IR Blaster for managing equipment), but you get a clean Android without ads and unnecessary applications.

For Redmi 5A, the following are the firmware:

• LineageOS (AOSP-based, no advertising)
• Pixel Experience (like the Google Pixel interface)
• Havoc-OS (with extensive customization options)

The installation process shall include:

1. Unlocking the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (can take up to 72 hours).
2. Installation of custom recavery (TWRP).
3. The firmware of the selected custom OS.

⚠️ Warning: The wrong firmware can turn your phone into a brick. If you've never done this before, you'd better reach out to a power user or read the detailed forum guides. 4PDA or XDA Developers are specific to the Redmi model 5A (codename).

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Custom firmware removes advertising entirely, but requires technical skills. If you are not willing to take risks, focus on the methods in sections 1-4.

6. Alternative methods: ad blockers and host files

If you don't want to go through the settings or use ADB, there's another way to do this: block ads at the network level.

• 🌐 Browser ad blockers: uBlock Origin (for Firefox), AdGuard (there is a version for Android).
• 📵 Modifying the host file: redirecting advertising domains to "empty" IP.
• 🛡️ VPN Ad-blocking: AdGuard VPN, Blokada (does not require root rights).

The easiest way to install Blokada is to:

1. Download the app from the official website (not from Google Play!).
2. Turn it on. VPN-module in the Blokada settings.
3. Select the lock lists: EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Xiaomi Ad Block.

For advanced users, editing a hosts file blocks ad domains at the system level, but requires ADB or root rights.

adb shell


su




mount -o rw,remount /system




echo"127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com" >> /system/etc/hosts




echo"127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com" >> /system/etc/hosts




mount -o ro,remount /system

After that, ads in MIUI and standard apps should disappear, but note that after the system update, the hosts file may be reset.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When trying to disable ads on Redmi 5A, users often face typical problems, including the most common ones and ways to address them:

• 🔄 "Advertising returns after update MIUI": This is normal behavior — updates often reset settings. Solution: After the update, re-do the steps from Section 1 and Section 3 (ADB).
• 🚫 "I can't turn off the Mi. Video/Mi Music - button is inactive": This means that the application is system and cannot be removed. ADB to turn off (pm hide) or install a third-party player (for example, VLC).
• 🔌 "ADB Does not see the device": Check drivers, cable and enable debugging by USB In the developer settings, try to switch the mode. USB on PTP (camera MTP.
• 📱 "After the reset, the ads disappeared, but all the standard apps came back": "It's expected. Solution: immediately after the reset, disable unnecessary apps and set up ads through Mi Account (section 4).

Important: If you use MIUI Global Stable firmware, some ad modules can be sewn deeper than in the Chinese versions, in which case the combination of ADB + reset Mi Account + Blokada gives the best result.

If none of the methods worked, your version of MIUI may have unique features, in which case we recommend:

1. Check out the current discussions on 4PDA (Redmi 5A theme).
2. Install Magisk and Xiaomi Debloater module (requires root rights).
3. Consider switching to custom firmware (Section 5).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions