How to turn off the printing service on Xiaomi smartphones: 3 working ways

Printing service on Xiaomi is automatically activated when connected to printers via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or via the Internet USB-OTG. For most users, this feature remains useless, but it continues to work in the background – consumes battery power, takes up space in memory and can conflict with other applications. 9A, Poco M3) and devices MIUI 12-14, where the printing service is integrated into the system processes.

In this article, you will find three proven methods of disabling – from simple decache to complete deactivation via ADB. We will also discuss why the service can spontaneously turn on after updates and how to prevent this. All instructions are adapted to the latest versions of Android 11-14 and MIUI firmware (including global and Chinese builds).

Why turn off the print service on Xiaomi?

At first glance, the background print service seems harmless, but it affects the performance of the device in several ways:

🔋 Battery consumption: even in standby mode, the com.android.printspooler service can consume up to 5-7% Charge per day (test data on Xiaomi) 12T s MIUI 13).
📱 Occupied space: cache and data services are taken from 50 before 200 MB in the section /data.
⚙️ Application conflicts: There have been cases where the service blocked Google Drive and Microsoft Office due to a conflict of access rights.
🔒 Security issues: Vulnerabilities in older versions of Android Print Framework allowed attackers to access local files through fake print requests (fixed in Android 12).

In addition, the printing service is often turned on automatically after:

🔄 Firmware updates (MIUI Android).
📲 Connecting to public Wi-Fi networks (e.g. in offices or universities).
🖨️ Installation of scanning applications (CamScanner, Adobe Scan).

If you don't use wireless printing, turning off the service is a smart move to optimize your smartphone, but before you do, check to see if other software is dependent on it (e.g., some versions of WPS Office require an active service to export documents).

📊 Have you ever used a smartphone printer?

Yeah, regularly.

Yes, but very rarely.

No, never.

I tried it, but it didn't work.

Method 1: Disconnect via Android Settings (without root)

The easiest method is to deactivate the service in the settings menu.It works on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 10 and later, but has a limitation: the service can turn on again after a reboot or update.

Instructions:

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
In the search bar, enter the print (or print for English firmware).
Choose Print Spooler or Print Service.
Click Disable (if the button is inactive, click Stop first).
Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After disconnecting, it is also recommended to clean the cache of the service:

In the same app menu, click Storage → Clear the cache.
If you have the option to Delete Data, use it (this will delete all saved printers).

☑️ Preparation for the closure of the press service

Backup of important documentsCheck if the installed applications are using printingClose all background tasksConnect your smartphone to charging (in case of failure)

Done: 0 / 4

Limitations of the method:

❌ Doesn't work on some firmware. MIUI For example, in Russia (for example, on the Redmi Note 10 Pro with the MIUI 12.5 RU).
❌ The service can be turned on again after connecting to the printer or updating.
❌ On some models (Poco) F3, Xiaomi 11 Lite button No Disconnect button.

What to do if the “Disable” button is inactive?

This means that the print service is protected by MIUI policies, in which case only disabling through ADB (method 3) or removing system updates (method 2) will help.

Method 2: Removing print service updates

If the standard shutdown doesn’t work, the problem may lie in system updates that restore service, in which case removing the latest updates for the print component will help, which works on Android 9-13 and does not require root rights.

Step-by-step:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Find the Printing Service (as in Method 1).
Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates.
Confirm action. The system will return service to the factory version.
Now try to turn it off again (see method 1).

If there is no option to Remove Updates, this means that:

📱 You have a firmware without custom modifications (updates were not installed separately).
🔒 The service is built into the system partition and cannot be pumped out (relevant to the system partition). MIUI 14 on new models, such as Xiaomi 13).

In such cases, only disabling through ADB (method 3) or using Magisk to remove system components (requires root) will help.

💡

Before you delete the updates, check the MIUI version in the Settings → About Phone menu. If you have stable global firmware (e.g. V14.0.3.0), the risk of crashes is minimal.

Method 3: Complete disabling via ADB (for power users)

If previous methods have failed, the most reliable way is to deactivate the service via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer, but ensures that it is permanently disabled, even after updates.

What you need:

🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS.
🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
📦 Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB Tools.
⚙️ Included Debugging by USB smartphone.

Instructions:

Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on the MIUI Version until you become a developer!

USB debugging

Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
Activate the debugging switch over USB.
Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.
Open the command prompt (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and type: adb devices Make sure your Xiaomi appears in the list.
Execute the command to disable the print service: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.printspooler
Reboot your smartphone.

To turn the service back on, use the command:

adb shell pm enable com.android.printspooler

Advantages of the method:

✅ It works on all versions. MIUI Android.
✅ Disconnection is maintained after updates.
✅ Doesn't require root rights.

💡

The pm disable-user command disables the service only for the current user. If there are multiple profiles on the smartphone, repeat the command for each of them.

If you see an Operation not allowed error after executing the command, it means that:

🔐 Your device is locked OEM Unlock (check in Settings) → For developers).
📱 You have a Chinese firmware with restrictions on ADB-Teams (solution – to run a global version).
🔧 The alternative command is to use: adb shell pm uninstall. -k --user 0 com.android.printspooler (remove updates but keep stock version).

Table: Compatibility of methods with Xiaomi models

Smartphone model	MIUI 12/12.5	MIUI 13	MIUI 14	Notes
Redmi Note 10/10 Pro	✅ Method 1✅ Method 3	✅ Method 1✅ Method 3	❌ Method 1 (no button)✅ Method 3	On the firmware for Russia, the shutdown button is hidden.
Xiaomi 11/11T/12	✅ Method 1✅ Method 2	❌ Method 1✅ Method 3	❌ Method 1✅ Method 3	MIUI 14 requires an ADB or Magisk.
Poco F3/GT/X3	✅ Method 1✅ Method 3	✅ Method 1✅ Method 3	✅ Method 1✅ Method 3	Global firmware allows you to disable the service in a standard way.
Redmi 9/9A/9C	✅ Method 1✅ Method 2	❌ Method 1✅ Method 3	❌ Method 1✅ Method 3	Budget models often lack flexibility in settings.

If your model is not in the table, focus on the MIUI version:

MIUI 12 and older: Try method 1, if it doesn't work, method 3.

MIUI 13-14: Go straight to ADB or use Magisk.

What to do if the print service is back on?

Even after a successful shutdown, the service can automatically activate, because:

🔄 Updates MIUI (Especially if you are using beta versions).
📲 Install applications that request print access (Chrome, Gmail, Office applications).
🔧 Resetting settings (even partial, for example, resetting network parameters).

How to prevent re-enactment:

Turn off automatic MIUI update: Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update. Click on three points → Settings → Turn off Autoboot.
Block the service through App Ops (no root): Install App Ops from Google Play. Find the Print Service and turn off all permissions for it.

Magisk

Install Universal GMS Doze or Debloater.
In the list of system applications, find PrintSpooler and deactivate.

If after removal there are problems, restore the service from the backup or reflash the smartphone.

Why is it that after the printing service is turned off, PDF export does not work?

Some applications (Chrome, Google Docs) use the Print Framework to generate PDF. If you have disabled the service, try alternative methods: Use the built-in PDF Export function in WPS Office or OnlyOffice. Install dedicated PDF creation applications (PDF Converter, CamScanner). Turn on the print service temporarily, export the file, then turn it off again. On Android 10 and later, you can also use the Print function in PDF via the gallery menu (Share)

How to check if the print service is disabled?

There are several ways: Through Settings: Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management. Find Print Service – if it is disabled, status will be stopped.

Through ADB:

adb shell dumpsys package com.android.printspooler

In the output, look for the line enabled=false.

Through Task Manager:

Install Simple System Monitor from Google Play.
Check the list of active processes – printspooler should not be displayed.

You can also use the command:

adb shell ps -A | grep print

If the output is empty, the service is successfully disabled.

Will the print service shutdown affect the Mi Print?

Yes. Mi Print is Xiaomi's proprietary printing app, which is completely dependent on the system service. Once it's disabled, Mi Print will stop: Scan available printers, send documents to print. Save print history. If you use Mi Print, it's not recommended to turn off the print service. Alternatively, you can use cloud services (Google Cloud Print, HP Smart), which work over the Internet and do not require local service.