How to remove in Xiaomi: advertising, preinstalled applications and system garbage

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive advertising that appears in system applications and a huge amount of pre-installed software that occupies precious space. This is especially true for the budget models of the Redmi and Poco series, where the company’s marketing policy involves monetization through advertising integrations. However, the MIUI software shell and the new HyperOS have flexible settings to turn the device into a clean and fast tool.

The process of cleaning the system does not require Root rights or complex reflashing, although such methods exist for advanced users. It is enough to consistently go through key menu items, turn off the MSA service (MIUI System Ads) and remove unnecessary components through the ADB or standard interface. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to remove all irritants in Xiaomi and return the device to performance.

Disabling system advertising through security settings

The first step is to disable the main source of intrusive banners, the MSA service, which is responsible for displaying ads in standard applications such as Explorer, Music and Themes, without it, any other actions will be ineffective.

First, you need to go to the Settings menu. → Passwords and security → Data access. In the list that opens, find the msa app and turn off the network slider. The system will warn you that this may affect other services, but it is necessary for the interface to be clean. If you can't turn it off the first time, try repeating the procedure. 3-4 once.

Then go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Authorization & Cancel. You need to find the Recommendations (or Get Recommendations) item and turn it off. This action removes promotional offers in folders on your desktop and in some system utilities.

• 🚫 Shutdown MSA Blocks the loading of banner ads in the interface.
• 🛡️ Security will stop showing suggestions for installing games.
• 📉 Reduces the load on the processor and RAM in the background.

It is important to understand that MIUI and HyperOS are constantly updated, and the names of some items may differ slightly. If you do not find a item, use a search by settings by entering the keyword “advertisements” or “recommendations”.

⚠️ Note: After disabling the msa service, some system applications may not work properly or stop updating through the built-in store. If you notice critical failures, return network access for this service.

Removing Pre-Installed Applications (Bloatware)

Xiaomi smartphones often come with a whole suite of pre-installed software that the user doesn’t always need, such as games, hotel reservation apps, social media or duplicate browsers, and removing this “junk” frees up space and speeds up the system.

Some applications can be removed in the standard way: press the icon on the desktop and select “Delete.” However, system components cannot be removed this way, requiring the use of a computer and an ADB utility (Android Debug Bridge) or specialized programs like Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools.

Before starting the procedure, activate the debugging mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. Then, in the Additional → For developers menu, turn on Debugging over USB.

There is a list of applications that can be removed safely without disrupting the system, including:

The ADB command line is as follows:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet

Be careful: removing critical system components such as Security Center or system frameworks can lead to a cyclical bootloop. Always check the purpose of the package before removing it.

Set up notifications and clean the desktop

Even after you turn off the ads, the system may disturb you with notifications about “memory cleansing”, “viruses” or “hot offers” that are generated by the system’s Security app.

To remove them, open the Security app, click on the settings gear in the top right corner. Go through all subsections ("Clean up," "Antivirus," "Battery") and turn off all switches related to "Receive recommendations" or "Notify about..."

You should also clean your desktop of unnecessary widgets. Hot Apps and Slider widgets (the tape to the left of the main screen) often contain ad integrations. To turn off the tape, swipe right on the home screen, click three dots in the corner and select Settings, then turn off the Widget Ribbon.

• 🔔 Disabling Security Notifications Removes Daily Spam.
• 🗑️ Removing widgets frees up RAM.
• 🎨 Clean desktop improves visual perception of the interface.

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Use a third-party launcher like Nova Launcher or Niagara to completely ignore standard MIUI widgets and get a pure Android-like interface.

Remember that some system notifications can be useful, such as low battery alerts or security updates.

Cache Cleanup and Memory Optimization

Over time, the system accumulates cache, temporary files and remnants of deleted applications, which can slow down the performance of the Xiaomi smartphone, especially if the amount of internal memory is filled by more than 85%.

The built-in Cleaner app is quite effective at basic cleaning, but you can use the Settings → Memory → Clean menu to clean up more deeply, and it will prompt you to delete large files, duplicate photos and unused apps.

For advanced users, Dalvik and ART cache clearing modes are available through recavers, but this requires an unlocked bootloader. Under normal conditions, it is enough to reboot the device regularly - HyperOS has a "Planned Reboot" feature that allows you to set up an automatic reboot once a week at night.

⚠️ Note: Do not use third-party accelerator apps (Clean Master and similar) that are often the source of advertising and only create the appearance of acceleration by loading the system.

Regularly cleaning the browser cache and messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) can free up several gigabytes of space. In Telegram, for example, the cache can be configured to automatically clean: Settings → Data and memory → Memory Use → Autodelete media.

Hiding system folders and interface elements

The MIUI interface allows you to hide not only apps, but entire folders, as well as system elements that cannot be removed by standard methods, especially for the Google and Xiaomi folders that occupy space on the desktop.

Use the “Hidden Apps” function in the Settings menu → Annexes → Hidden applications. Add any unnecessary system components, and then they disappear from the desktop and menu, but they will remain in the system, and they can only be opened through a special gesture or search.

You can also change the look of the interface to hide the extra. 10/11) The settings menu looks different, and some ad items may be less visible or missing. → Desktop → Regime.

• 🙈 Hidden applications are not displayed in the search and list of all programs.
• 🎨 Changing the topic can visually remove unnecessary interface elements.
• 📂 Grouping rarely used programs into one folder frees up space.

Remember that hiding apps doesn’t remove them from your device’s memory. If your goal is to free up space, use the ADB method described above.

Using third-party launchers for full customization

The most radical but effective way to remove MIUI is to replace it completely, and installing a third-party launcher allows you to ignore the system constraints, themes, and advertising integrations of the shell.

Popular launchers like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher provide a clean experience close to "pure" Android. Once the launcher is installed, it will become the default main screen and you won't see Xiaomi's standard folders and widgets anymore.

However, there are nuances to this method: some features specific to MIUI (such as one-hand gestures or specific swipes) may stop working or not work properly, and the launcher may consume more battery if it is poorly optimized.

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Third-party launcher is the best solution for those who want to completely forget about the design of MIUI, but are ready to put up with possible minor bugs in the work of gestures.

To install the launcher, simply download it from Google Play, launch it and select "Use by default" when you request the system. 5-10 minute.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)