Disabling Printing Service on Xiaomi Devices: When to Do It and How to Do It

Printing service on Xiaomi devices is an integrated system component that allows you to connect printers over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or through cloud services. However, not all users actively use this feature, and the background work of the service can consume battery power, take up RAM and even create security vulnerabilities (for example, through data leakage when connecting to public printers).

In this article, we will discuss how to completely disable the printing service on Xiaomi smartphones (including models on the smartphone). MIUI 12/13/14 and HyperOS), as well as on TVs and TV sets running Android TV (For example, Mi Box S or Mi TV We will focus on hidden services that continue to work even after a standard shutdown in settings, and consider alternative methods for power users, including: ADB-commands and editing system files.

Why turn off the print service on Xiaomi?

At first glance, the printing service seems like a harmless utility, but it has a few hidden drawbacks:

• 🔋 Increased battery consumption: Background processes scan networks for printers, even if you’ve never used this feature.
• 🛡️ Security Risks: Some Versions MIUI Maintain the history of connected printers, including IP-Addresses and device names that could be used by attackers.
• 📱 Application conflicts: The print service sometimes blocks work VPN or interfere with the proper operation of Google Play Services.
• 🚀 Slowing down: On weak devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A POCO C31) background processes can take up to 50-70 MB of RAM.

Also, if you use Xiaomi in a corporate environment or connect to public networks (such as cafes or airports), the print service can automatically try to connect to available printers, which creates additional channels for potential attacks.

Standard Disconnection Method (via MIUI settings)

The easiest method is to deactivate the print service through the settings menu, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones based on MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS. The instructions are relevant for models released after 2019 (for example, Xiaomi 11T, Redmi Note 10 Pro, Poco X5 Pro).

Steps:

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Connections and Sharing section (on some firmwares – Additional → Print).
3. Select the Printing Service or Printing.
4. Turn off the print service slider (it will turn gray).
5. Confirm the action if a pop-up window appears.

After that, the core functionality will be deactivated, but some system processes may remain active to check if the service is disabled:

• 🔍 Open Task Manager (hold the Home button or swipe up and hold your finger).
• 📊 Check Memory Use section – there should be no processes with PrintSpooler or MipushPrint names.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI region CN (China) the print section may not be on the menu. ADB or edit system files (see section below).

Disable Printing Service on Xiaomi TV and Mi Box

On Xiaomi TVs and set-top boxes (e.g. Mi Box S, Mi TV Stick, Xiaomi TV A2), the printing service is integrated into Android TV and is hidden by default from the user, but it can interfere with Google Cast or cause delays when streaming video to turn it off:

Instructions for Android TV 9-12:

1. Press the Home button on the remote and select Settings (cog icon).
2. Go to Device → About the program → Reset and administration.
3. Activate Developer Mode (click 7 times on Build Number).
4. Return to the Settings → Device → For developers.
5. Turn on USB debugging and connect the console to the PC.
6. Use it. ADB-Command: Adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.printspooler

If you don’t have access to your PC, you can try disabling the service through Settings → Applications:

• 🔍 Find the Print Service (may be called Print Spooler) in the list of applications).
• ⚙️ Open its settings and select Disable or Remove Updates.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi TVs with firmware for the Chinese market (CN ROM) shutdown of the printing service ADB This could cause Google Play Services to crash, requiring a factory reset.

Disconnection via ADB (for experienced users)

If standard methods have failed or the print service continues to consume resources, you can apply low-level shutdown via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable for all Xiaomi devices, including those where the print partition is hidden.

Before starting, make sure that:

• 💻 PCs are installed. ADB-Drivers (you can download from Google or via Xiaomi) ADB/Fastboot Tools).
• 📱 On the smartphone included debugging on USB (Settings → The phone. → Build Number – Tap 7 times, then return to For Developers).
• 🔌 The device is connected to the PC via cable (preferably the original one).

Commands to disable:

adb devices # Checking the connection


adb shell pm list packages | grep print # Search for packages associated with printing




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




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.print

Once you've done the commands, restart the device. To return the print service back, use:

adb shell pm enable com.android.printspooler


adb shell pm enable com.xiaomi.print

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If your print services stop working after you shut down, such as Google Drive or Mi Cloud, try clearing the cache of the Google Play Services app in your settings.

Editing system files (root access)

For users with unlocked bootloaders and root rights, it is possible to completely delete print service files. This method is irreversible and can lead to unstable system operation if done incorrectly.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/PrintSpooler or /system/app/PrintSpooler
3. Remove or rename the PrintSpooler folder (for example, in the PrintSpooler_bak).
4. Similarly, find and delete files: /system/etc/permissions/com.android.printspooler.xml
5. Reset the device.

If errors occur after deleting (for example, System UI stopped working), restore deleted files from a backup or reset settings.

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Redmi) K70) editing system files can trigger Anti-Rollback and lock the bootloader. Create a full backup before you start. TWRP.

Problems after the printing service shutdown and their solutions

In some cases, deactivating the print service can cause side effects, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

If you notice a performance deterioration after you turn off the print service, try:

• 🔄 Perform a soft reset (hold the power button for 10 seconds).
• 🧹 Clear the system cache through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.
• 📱 Install an activity monitoring app (e.g. Greenify or Servicely).

💡

If the print service was disabled via ADB but the MIUI was activated again after the update, repeat the procedure or use the Magisk module to permanently shut down.

Alternative methods: Magisk and Xposed

For users with root access or Magisk installed, there are more flexible ways to manage the print service, such as:

• 🔧 Use the Disable Print Spooler module (available on the forum) XDA Developers).
• 🛠️ Apply the Xposed App Settings module to block the service from running.
• 📝 Edit the build.prop file by adding the line: ro.config.noprintspooler=true

The advantage of these methods is that they allow you to selectively disable only unnecessary components of the print service without affecting associated system processes. For example, you can leave Mipush (for notifications), but disable PrintSpooler.

To install the Magisk module:

1. Download the module file (for example, disable_printspooler.zip).
2. Open Magisk Manager and select Modules → Install from Storage.
3. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Modules for Magisk may conflict with SafetyNet, which will make it impossible to use banking applications or Google Pay. 4PDA or XDA.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling the print service