How to remove the menu on Xiaomi: a complete guide to cleaning the interface

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face redundancy of interface elements that can interfere with the comfortable use of the device. The question of how to remove the menu on shaomi does not always imply the complete removal of system components, which is technically impossible without root rights, but more often concerns the customization of the visibility of panels, widgets or navigation buttons. Modern shells MIUI and HyperOS offer many layers of interface, and it is quite easy to get confused in them.

The need to hide certain elements may be driven by a desire to minimize distractions or free up useful screen space. For example, a floating Second Space window or constantly pop-up ads in system applications require special attention. In this article, we will discuss different scenarios when a user needs to remove something from the screen, and provide step-by-step instructions for each case.

It’s worth noting that some system menus, such as notification curtains or basic settings menus, are critical to Android. Their complete removal is impossible by standard means, as this will lead to the inoperability of the smartphone. However, we can effectively manage their display, hide unnecessary tabs and disable intrusive functions, making the interface cleaner and more functional.

Disabling the navigation menu and control buttons

One of the most common requests is to get rid of the classic bottom menu with three buttons (“Back”, “Home”, “Application Menu”). In modern Xiaomi models, this feature is easily replaced with gesture control, which visually removes the bottom panel and frees up space.

In the menu that opens, you'll be asked to choose between "Buttons" and "Full-screen gestures." If you choose the second option, you completely hide the bottom control panel. Now you swipe navigation: swipe from bottom up returns to the desktop, swipe from bottom up with pause opens the menu of running applications, and swipe from the edge of the screen works as a back button. AMOLED-screens where every pixel is important.

If you're used to buttons, but you want to change the order or appearance of buttons, the system also allows you to do that. In the same section, you can adjust the sensitivity of the edges of the screen so that random touches don't activate the menu. It's important to understand that completely removing navigation without alternatives will make the phone unusable, so the system always offers a replacement.

⚠️ Attention: When switching to gesture control, the habituation period can take from 2 to 5 days.

For users who often use a smartphone with one hand, gesture control can be a more ergonomic solution, allowing you to reach any areas of the screen with your thumb without intercepting the device, and the lack of static interface elements makes watching multimedia content more immersive.

Hiding the floating window of the Second Space

Second Space creates an isolated environment on your phone, similar to the second profile, and users often accidentally activate a space switch that appears as a floating icon or button in the notification curtain, so you need to know where it is displayed to remove this element.

If you are talking about a floating icon on your desktop, it usually only appears when you activate the switch mode. To completely disable the function and remove all associated menus, go to Settings → Additional → Second Space. In the upper right corner, click on the menu icon (three dots or gear) and select the option Remove the second space. This action will irreversibly delete all data in the second profile.

If you want to save the second space but remove the quick access to it, you need to turn off the display of the switch. Go to the settings of the Second space itself (not the main one), find the transition label or the switch in the curtain and deactivate it, which will hide the visual markers of the presence of the second profile.

• 📱 Go to the main system settings through the gear.
• 🔍 Find the “Advanced” section or search by settings.
• 🗑️ Select the option to remove or hide the shortcuts of the Second Space.

It is worth noting that on some versions of MIUI, the shortcut can appear as a small user icon in the notification curtain, and you can remove it by editing the quick settings tiles: pull the curtain down to the end, click on the pencil (edit) and remove the user icon from the active zone.

⚠️ Note: Deleting Second Space will result in the permanent loss of all photos, contacts and apps installed inside this profile.

Removal of advertising menus and recommendations in MIUI

One of the most annoying features of the MIUI shell is the built-in ad units, which often look like part of the system menu. They can appear in application folders, in the Security app, or as push notifications from system services. To remove the recommendation menu, you need to disable the MSA service (MIUI System Ads).

The process of disabling advertising requires several actions in different settings sections. First go to Settings → Password and Security → Access to personal data. Find the msa service in the list and turn off the switch. The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds, then you need to click “Cancel”. If you fail the first time, try repeating the procedure 3-5 times, since servers may temporarily refuse to disconnect.

Next, remove recommendations in specific applications. Open the Explorer app, click on the menu (three bars), select Settings → About app and turn off Receive recommendations. Similar actions should be done for the Music, Video, Downloads and Cleanup apps. In each of them, you should find settings and remove the tick from the "Show recommendations" or "Receive notifications."

Also worth checking out is GetApps, which often sends notifications about “recommended” programs, go to GetApps settings, look for “Notifications” and turn off all types of alerts, especially those labeled “Recommendations” or “Marketing.”

Setting up and hiding the sidebar (Side menu)

The sidebar (or Floating Windows) is a useful tool for quick access to select apps and tools, but it can interfere with play or reading. If you are wondering how to remove the menu on the shaomi that comes from the side of the screen, this is the item. It is managed in the Settings section → Additionally. → Floating windows.

In this section, you'll find the Sidebar switch, and if you turn it off, you'll completely hide that interface element. However, if you want the functionality of the panel, but without the constant presence on the screen, you can customize its behavior, for example, you can prevent the panel from displaying in certain applications, such as games or video players, to avoid accidental taps.

To fine-tune it, tap the gear itself inside the sidebar section or go to the app-specific settings through the About menu, where you can specify in detail where the panel should appear and where it should not, which allows you to save access to the split screen functions, but remove visual noise at inappropriate moments.

• 🎮 Turn off the sidebar for games to avoid accidental swipes.
• 📺 In video players, it is better to hide the panel for a full immersion.
• 📚 For reading documents, the panel can be useful for notes.

It's important to distinguish between the sidebar and the multitasking menu. The sidebar is a narrow bar on the side, and the multitasking menu opens with a swipe on the bottom or a button. The setting of one function does not affect the other, which gives flexibility in interface management.

⚠️ Note: After updating the firmware, the sidebar settings may reset. Check this option immediately after installing the new version of HyperOS or MIUI.

Hiding apps from menus and desktop

Often, the phrase “remove menus” means users wanting to hide certain apps from a shared list or desktop. Xiaomi has a built-in Hidden Apps feature that allows you to remove program icons from view without removing them, which is useful for hiding personal photos, banking apps or games.

To activate this feature, go to Settings → Applications → Hidden Applications. Here you will see a list of all installed programs. Turn on the switches opposite the applications you want to hide, and then they disappear from the desktop and from the menu of all applications.

There is a special gesture to access hidden applications: on the desktop (main screen), you need to spread two fingers to the sides (plug out), a special window will open where only hidden programs will be displayed, and to improve security, you can set a password to log into this section in the hidden application settings.

If standard concealment is not enough, more advanced methods can be used, such as disabling system applications via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to the computer and typing commands, but allows you to remove even those system menus that are not usually deleted, but this method requires caution.

Advanced Configuration: Disabling System Components

For experienced users who want to clean the interface as much as possible, there is the possibility of disabling unnecessary system services. This is not the same as deleting, but functionally the component stops working and displaying. Before starting any manipulations of this kind, be sure to create a full backup of data, as an error can lead to the failure of the device.

The main tool for this work is the utility ADB. Connecting a smartphone to a PC, you can send commands to disable packets. For example, to remove the recommendation service, you often use the command for the com.miui.misys or similar packages. However, the names of packages may differ depending on the version of MIUI and the firmware region (Global, China, EEA).

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.personalassistant

This particular command disables the "Assistant" (the left-hand screen of the desktop), which many consider to be an unnecessary menu. If you want to remove other items, you need to know exactly the name of their package. Using third-party uninstaller applications (for example, Universal Android Debloater) can simplify the process by providing a graphical interface instead of a command line.

• 💻 Use only verified package lists for your model.
• 🛑 Do not disable packages with the names "System", "Framework", "Phone».
• 🔄 Always leave the opportunity to return changes (team enable).

Remember that after a deep cleaning, some functions, such as automatic brightness or control of bluetooth headphones, may stop working. So the "disable everything I don't know" approach is wrong. Only work with components that you are 100% sure of.

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Before disabling system packages via ADB, write their names in a notebook, which will quickly restore the phone to work with the enable command if something goes wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Competent configuration of the visibility of interface elements allows you to turn an overloaded smartphone into a convenient tool, but requires care when disabling system components.