How to Cancel “Remember Choices” in Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Reset Saved Settings

The Memorize Choice feature on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones is designed to make it easier to interact with the system: instead of perpetual confirmations, MIUI automatically applies the action you choose, such as opening links in a particular browser, running files through a particular application, or connecting to Wi-Fi without re-entering a password. However, over time, such “memorized” settings can interfere – especially if you stop using the default application or want to regain control of actions.

The problem is that MIUI doesn’t always provide an obvious way to undo Remember Choices through standard settings. Depending on the firmware version and device model, the path to reset may vary, and some options may be hidden from the user. In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways, from basic to advanced, including working with ADB and resetting app cache, and you’ll learn how to avoid automatically saving choices in the future and what to do if the system ignores your changes.

Why Xiaomi “remembers” the choice and where it’s stored

The automatic action save feature is built into the Android architecture and adapted into the MIUI shell, and it works on three levels:

• 📱 System dialogs: Selecting the default application to open files (e.g..apk,.pdf, links).
• 🔗 Network connections: automatic connection to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth devices, VPN.
• ⚙️ Settings MIUI: saving preferences in the menu (for example, energy saving mode, screen brightness).

Data on “remembered” actions are stored in:

1. /data/system/users/0/settings_global.xml — global settings of the system.
2. /data/system/users/0/package_restrictions.xml — limitations for packages (applications).
3. Cache of individual applications (for example, Google Chrome or Mi Browser can save browser selection by default).

⚠️ Warning: Manual editing of system files without root rights can cause failure MIUI. Use this method only if other methods do not help.

In the newer versions of MIUI 14+ (based on Android 13/14), some of the settings are moved to the Settings menu → Apps → Default settings, but older models (such as the Redmi Note 8 on MIUI 12) require alternative solutions. Next, we will look at universal methods that work on most devices.

Method 1: Resetting the default choice via MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use built-in shell tools, and it's good for resetting applications that open files or links.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Default Settings (or Default Apps in older versions).
3. Click on the category (e.g. Browser, Music Player) and select Reset or Clear default settings.

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Close all apps that use “remembered” choices

Connect the device to charging (for long-term operations)

Make a backup copy of important data-->

If the default setting is missing:

• 🔍 Try to find it through a search in the settings (the magnifying glass icon at the top).
• 📲 In some models (POCO F3, Xiaomi 11T) The path may be different: Settings → Special facilities → Default settings.

⚠️ Warning: When you reset the next time you open the file, the system will prompt you to select the application again. If you click "Always", the choice will be saved again.

MIUI 14 (Android 13/14)

MIUI 12/13 (Android 11/12)

Old version (MIUI 10/11)

I don't know.-->

Method 2: Cleaning the cache and application data

If resetting through settings didn’t help, the problem could be in the cache of a particular app, such as Mi Browser or Google Chrome, which can ignore system settings and open links “at its own” discretion.

How to clean:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app that has “remembered” the wrong choice (e.g., Galery for images or Music for audio files).
3. Click Warehouse → Clear the cache and Clear the data.

System applications (such as Security or Downloads) may need to be disabled before cleaning:

1. In the app menu, click Disable (if the button is active).
2. Clear the cache and data.
3. Turn the app back on.

💡

If the problem persists after cleaning the cache, try removing system application updates through Settings → Apps → Three points → Show all apps → [Application] → Three points → Remove updates

Method 3: Using ADB to reset settings

For advanced users who do not have root rights but have access to ADB (Android Debug Bridge), this method allows you to reset "remembered" settings through the command line.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times) → Additional → For Developers → Debugging by USB.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in the device.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell pm clear-defaults com.android.browser # For browser


adb shell pm clear-defaults com.miui.gallery # For gallery




adb shell pm clear-defaults com.android.fileexplorer # For file manager

To reset all saved default settings, use:

adb shell pm clear-defaults

If the command returns a Security exception error, then your device has blocked access to these settings through ADB. In this case, only resetting to factory settings or obtaining root rights will help.

Method 4: Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

If none of these methods work, then the radical solution is hard reset, which will delete all data from the device, including the settings that you remember, but it will also be deleted:

• 📸 Photos and videos (if not saved to the cloud).
• 📱 Installed applications and their data.
• 🔑 Accounts and passwords (except those synced to Mi Account).

How to reset:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to Erase All Data (not to be confused with Settings Reset, which saves files).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

⚠️ Note: On some devices (Xiaomi 12 Pro, POCO F4) After the reset, you may need to re-assign your Mi Account to unlock.Make sure you remember your login and password!

💡

Before reset, be sure to back up via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup or Mi Cloud

Method 5: Disable automatic saving of future choices

To prevent MIUI from remembering a choice without your confirmation, you can disable this feature at the system or application level.

Option 1: Through the Developer Settings

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 taps according to MIUI version).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the option “Do Not Save Default Actions” (or Disable Default App prompts in global firmware) and turn it on.

Option 2: For individual applications

Some apps (like Google Chrome) have their own settings for managing link opening:

1. Open the app, call the menu (three dots).
2. Go to Settings → Open Links (or Default Browser).
3. Turn off the option “Open supported links”.

Option 3: Use of third-party applications

Apps like Default App Manager (available on Google Play) allow you to flexibly manage default settings without ADB:

• 📲 Install the application and give it Usage Access rights in the security settings.
• 🔧 Select a category (such as “Browser”) and reset the current application by default.
• 🔒 Activate the “Always Ask” option for specific file types.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When trying to cancel Remember Choices, users often face typical problems:

Another common situation is that after the MIUI update, the old "remembered" settings are reset, but the new ones are still aggressively saved, in which case:

1. Manual reset via ADB (see Method 3).
2. A rollback to the previous firmware version (if the update brought bugs).
3. Use alternative launchers (like Nova Launcher) that manage file openings on their own.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions