How to permanently disable advertising in Xiaomi themes: 7 working ways

Xiaomi themes are one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware that users around the world face. Even after buying a premium smartphone, Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi 13, you continue to see banners on the theme menu, notifications about “recommended wallpaper” and pop-ups offering to install a new theme. The manufacturer has integrated ad units so deeply into the system that a standard “disable ads” switch simply does not exist.

In this article, we will analyze all available methods – from official (but hidden) settings to radical methods using the use of the Internet. ADB You'll learn how to remove ads without root rights, what to do if you update them. MIUI The banners are back, and why some methods are no longer working on new firmware versions. MIUI, and the risks of informal decisions.

Important: some of the techniques require technical training. If you've never worked with ADB or custom firmware, start with the simplest methods (sections 2-3) and then move on to the most complex ones. Some actions may result in resets or locking the device, we'll warn you of such moments in advance.

1.Official method: disabling personalized advertising in MIUI

The most secure method that works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices POCO — disabling personalized advertising through the Mi Account settings. This method does not remove the ads completely, but significantly reduces the amount of them. MIUI 12–14 (including global and Chinese versions).

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings app and go to the Mi Account (or Mi Account).
• 🔍 Scroll down and select Mi Account Settings. → Data management.
• 🛑 Find Personalized Advice (or Personalized Ads) and turn off the slider.
• 🔄 Restart the device – changes will apply after restart.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (especially Chinese) may not have this item or be called otherwise, such as Advertising Preferences. If you don't see the option, try changing your Mi Account region to India or Europe - sometimes this reveals additional settings.

This method doesn't remove ads completely, but it reduces their aggressiveness. The banners on the themes menu may remain, but they will be static (without animation) and less intrusive.

2. Hidden MIUI settings: disabling advertising through "Special features"

MIUI has a hidden partition that allows you to disable some of the ad modules without using ADB or root rights, which works on Xiaomi, Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO F3/F4 and other models with MIUI 12-14.

How to find hidden settings:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version line and tap it 7-10 times until the message “You’re a developer!” appears.
3. Go back to the main Settings menu and open a new Developer Options section.
4. Scroll down and find the Debugging by USB item – turn it on.
5. Now go to Settings → Special features → Settings for developers.
6. Activate the option to Disable MIUI ads (or Disable MIUI ads).

⚠️ Note: Some devices (especially those with Chinese firmware) may not have this option. If you don't see the option, try changing the system region to Europe via Settings. → Additionally. → Region and restart the phone.

This method doesn't guarantee 100% results, but 60 to 70 percent of the time it removes ads from the themes menu, the control center, and the Security app. If banners are left, move on to the next one.

3. Disabling Advertising through ADB (without root rights)

If previous methods have failed, the most reliable way is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a tool that allows you to disable advertising services at the system level without requiring root access, and is suitable for all versions of MIUI, including the latest updates from 2026.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🔧 Installed Xiaomi drivers and package ADB Tools.
• ⚙️ Included debugging by USB phone-on.

Step-by-step:

1. Download ADB Tools from the official website and unpack the archive.
2. Connect your phone to your computer and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Open the command prompt (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and go to the folder with ADB:

cd path to folder platform-tools

1. Enter a command to check the connection:

adb devices

If the device is displayed, execute the following commands alternately:

adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop




adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1

Once these commands are executed, the ads in the themes, notification center, and the Security app will be permanently disabled until you reset, but some banners (such as in Mi Video or Mi Browser) may remain — they need to be disabled separately.

4. Manual removal of advertising packages (requires root rights)

If you have root access (e.g., through Magisk), you can completely remove the ad modules from the system, which gives 100% results, but requires caution - wrong actions can lead to the system failure.

List of advertising packages in MIUI:

How to remove packets:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/ or /system/app/.
3. Find the folders with the names from the table above and delete them (or rename them by adding.bak at the end).
4. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Removing system packages may result in loss of functionality (e.g., Mi App Store or theme settings will stop working).Always back up through TWRP before modification!

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Before removing packets, back them up: copy folders to SD-If something breaks after you delete it, you can bring the files back.

5. Use of custom firmware (for advanced users)

If you are willing to take drastic measures, installing custom firmware (like LineageOS, Pixel Experience or Xiaomi.eu) will completely remove all ads from MIUI.

• 🔧 They're good at working with TWRP and Fastboot.
• 📱 You may lose your warranty (on some devices).
• 🔄 Want to get a “clean” Android without unnecessary services Xiaomi.

Best firmware without advertising:

• 🌍 Xiaomi.eu – modified MIUI It's free of ads and Chinese services. It supports most devices. Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO.
• 🤖 LineageOS — naked Android without branded add-ons. Minus — may not work camera or sensors (requires additional patches).
• 📱 Pixel Experience is a firmware with Google Pixel interface. perfectly optimized, but may not support all of Xiaomi's features (e.g., Xiaomi's Pixel Experience, IR Blaster).

⚠️ Attention: Custom firmware installation resets all data on the phone:

1. Backup your phone via TWRP or Mi Cloud.
2. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (requires a wait of 7-15 days for new accounts).
3. Make sure the firmware supports your model (check out the XDA Developers or 4PDA forum).

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Custom firmware is the most reliable way to get rid of advertising, but it requires technical skills. If you are a beginner, start with methods without root (sections 1-3).

6.Alternative methods: Ad blocking via DNS and hosts

If you don't want to go through the phone settings, you can block Xiaomi's ad servers at the network level.

• 🌐 Change of change DNS — Redirecting requests to servers that filter ads.
• 📜 Hosts file editing – blocking ad domains directly on the device.

Method 1: Replacement of the DNS

1. Open the Settings. → Wi-Fi (or Mobile Network).
2. Click on the current network and select Change Network → Additional settings.
3. In the DNS field, enter one of the addresses: 1.1.1.3 (Cloudflare with blocking malicious sites) 94.140.14.14 (AdGuard DNS) 176.103.130.130 (DNS from Yandex with advertising protection)

Save the settings and restart the phone.

Method 2: Editing hosts (requires root)

If you have root access, you can add lines to /etc/hosts that block Xiaomi’s ad domains.

1. Install the Hosts Editor app from Google Play.
2. Open the hosts file and add the following lines:

127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com


127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 tracker.ai.xiaomi.com

1. Save the changes and restart the device.

If the ad has already returned:

1. Check if new promotional packages have appeared in /system/app/ (Section 4).
2. Repeat ADB commands – sometimes just:

adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1

1. If you use custom firmware, upgrade to the latest version (advertising may return due to changes in the MIUI core).

⚠️ Attention: Starting with MIUI 14, Xiaomi tightened the protection of system files. If after the update you see the message "adb: error: closed", then the manufacturer has blocked access to some commands:

• 🔓 Unlock the bootloader and install Xiaomi.eu.
• 🛠️ Using patches through Magisk (e.g., a module) MIUI Optimizer).

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising in Xiaomi themes