How to Remove Widgets from Xiaomi Lock Screen: The Complete Guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive functionality that displays news feeds, weather or ads directly onto the lock screen, a phenomenon that has become especially common with the release of MIUI 12.5, MIUI 13 and MIUI 14 shells, where various recommendation services are activated by default. Many users want to return a clean screen that displays only time and notifications, without unnecessary information noise.

There are several ways to remove widgets from the Xiaomi lock screen, as the settings vary depending on the version of the Android operating system and the region installed in the device. In some cases, it is enough to simply switch the switchboard, in others it will be necessary to disable system applications or change the region. It is important to understand that disabling system components through ADB is the most radical, but also the most effective method if the standard settings do not work.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods to clean your lock screen, learn how to control Glance tape, disable the weather widget, and block recommendation services, and follow the instructions to personalize your smartphone to your needs.

Disabling Glance News Feed and Recommendations

The most common source of widgets on a locked screen is Glance (formerly known as Lock Screen Magazine), which automatically loads the wallpaper with news and advertising, creating a moving tape effect, and to stop this process, you need to go to the system settings.

Go to Settings → Lock screen. You should find the item responsible for changing wallpaper or image carousel. Depending on the firmware, it can be called Wallpaper Carousel, Wallpaper with carousel or simply Glance. Inside this menu, you need to find the switch "Enable" or "Activate" and put it in an inactive position.

⚠️ Note: After the wallpaper carousel is turned off, the system may suggest that you select a static image from the gallery. If you do not, the lock screen may turn black or return to standard system wallpaper.

Sometimes a standard shutdown doesn't remove the widgets completely, because the system app is still running in the background, and then it helps to clean the data of that application. Find Wallpaper Carousel or Glance in the list of applications and click Clear in the memory section, which will reset cached news and widgets.

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If the wallpaper carousel option is missing from the settings, try temporarily changing your smartphone region to India or Indonesia, where these features are often built deeper into the system.

Removal of weather and clock widget

The second most popular element that annoys users is a large weather and watch widget that occupies half the screen. Unlike the news feed, this widget is part of the MIUI system interface and is managed through a separate settings section.

To remove it, go to Settings → Lock screen → Watch format. Here you will see different time display options. Choose Classic or any other style that does not require large blocks of weather information. In some versions of firmware, there is a separate Weather Show switch that you just need to turn off.

• 🌤️ Standard widget shows temperature, humidity and forecast for the day.
• ⏰ Classical style displays only digital or analog time.
• 🎨 Third-party themes can completely ignore the system settings of widgets.
• 🔄 Resetting the lock screen settings will return the widgets to the factory look.

It’s worth noting that using third-party themes from the MIUI Themes store can return widgets even after they’re turned off. Themes often have their own lock screen settings that override the system. If you’re using a theme, check its settings in the Themes app → Profile → Theme settings → Lock screen.

Settings through the Security app

Xiaomi’s system has a centralized device management app called Security, which is where advertising recommendations and service widgets are often hidden, which are not obvious in the main settings menu.

Open the Security app and click on the three dots in the top right to open the menu. Select Settings. In the list that opens, find Get Recommendations or Recommendations. Disabling this will prevent ad widgets from appearing in system applications and, in some cases, on the lock screen.

The way to turn off advertising:


Security → Menu (three dots) → Settings → Get recommendations (off)

There's also a "Clean up" section in the Security app, and sometimes the widgets on the lock screen are the result of a memory cleaner or accelerator that reports the system's performance, check the accelerator settings, and turn off the floating window or speed widget if you have one.

Changing the region for hidden settings

One of the most effective but not obvious ways to remove widgets is to change the region of the smartphone. Xiaomi adapts the content to different countries, and in some regions (for example, in Russia or Europe), the functionality of widgets may be limited compared to the region of India or the United States.

To use this method, go to Settings → Additional settings → Region. Try to choose a region where Glance services or news aggregators are not supported or work in a reduced mode. Often, after changing the region, the widget control point appears in the menu or, conversely, the widgets disappear by themselves.

If the widgets are gone but some local features (such as the weather in your hometown) are no longer working, you can try to bring the region back, sometimes the settings stick, and the widgets don't come back even after the region is switched to the original one.

Use of third-party launchers and themes

If the system settings don’t help to completely clean the lock screen, you can resort to third-party solutions, and installing an alternative lock screen is a radical but guaranteed way to replace the standard MIUI with a fully customized one.

There are many apps in the Google Play store, such as Hi Locker, CM Locker or AcDisplay. Once installed and given the necessary permissions (access to notifications, on top of other windows), it will completely replace the standard Xiaomi lock screen.

⚠️ Attention: Using third-party lock screens can increase battery consumption and create conflict with the Pocket feature.

Alternatively, heavy-duty applications can be replaced with minimalist themes. In the Themes app, find themes labeled "Minimal" or "Clean." Often, theme authors create designs where widgets are simply hidden or replaced with static graphics, which visually solves the problem.

Radical methods: disabling through ADB

For advanced users who want to securely remove widgets and related services, there is a method of disabling system packages through USB debugging (ADB).

First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on the build number (MIUI Version). Then, in the menu "Additional" → "Develop USB" turn on "Debugging on USB." Connect the phone to your PC and execute the command to disable the carousel package:

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


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

Executing these commands will disable the system components responsible for widgets and left screen ("Assistant"). The phone will continue to work normally, but removing these elements through the standard menu will be impossible - only by re-energizing through ADB. This is the most reliable way to forget about widgets forever.

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Disabling system applications via ADB is the only way to ensure that widgets don’t return after a system update or settings reset.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)