How to Remove Excess Screens on Xiaomi: From Advertising to System Duplicates

Why Xiaomi has extra screens and how to fix it

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the problem of unwanted screens, such as duplicate desktops, banner ads on system menus, or suddenly opening windows with offers, which not only spoil the user experience, but can also slow down the device, and their causes are rooted in the features of the MIUI shell, and in the actions of third-party applications.

In this article, we’ll break down all types of Xiaomi screens, from ad inserts to desktop system duplicates, and provide proven ways to remove them. We’ll focus on MIUI settings that many users overlook. If you notice that your smartphone has unnecessary interface elements, the following instructions will help restore cleanliness and speed.

It's important to understand that some of the "extra" screens are part of Xiaomi's proprietary shell and are only deleted through deep settings or shutdown of system services. Others are the result of viruses or aggressive advertising in applications. We will teach you to distinguish one from another and act as efficiently as possible.

Removal of duplicate desktops

One of the most common problems with Xiaomi is the appearance of a second (or even third) desktop with duplicate icons, which occurs due to malfunctions in the MIUI Launcher launcher or after system updates, and you can fix the situation without resetting the settings.

First, check if the dual space function is activated (it creates a separate profile with its own desktop).

1. Open Settings → Special Opportunities → Double Space
2. Make sure the switch is in the off position.
3. If the function is active, turn it off and restart the device.

If duplicates remain, reset the launcher settings:

Remove widgets from your desktop|Keep an empty space on the screen → "Screen settings"|Select "Resetting Launcher Settings"|Confirm the action and restart the smartphone-->

The Redmi Note 10/11 and POCO X3/X4 models may require an additional step: clear the MIUI Launcher app cache through Settings → Applications → Application Management → MIUI Launcher → Memory → Clear the cache.

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If the app icons disappeared from your desktop after you reset, don't panic -- they're left on the app menu. Just drag them back.

2. How to remove advertising screens and banners in MIUI

Xiaomi’s branded shell is known for integrated advertising that can appear in unexpected places, from the screen blocker to the settings menu, and you can remove these elements by turning off personalized advertising and system recommendations.

Start with the basic settings:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Advertising and turn off Personalized Ads
2. Return to the basic settings and select Memory → Clean up, then turn off MIUI Recommendations
3. For Redmi 9/9A and later: Settings → Display → Lock screen → Additional → Recommendations → Turn off all switches

For deep cleaning, you will need to disable system services:

• 📱 Msa (MIUI System Ads: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Show All (3 points) → Show system-based → Msa → Disable and clear the cache
• 🔍 Analytic: Do the same with the Analytic app (responsible for collecting statistics)
• 🛒 GetApps: In this app store, turn off Personalized Recommendations in its settings

On Xiaomi models for the European market (marked EU), advertising modules are disabled by default – they are not required to be removed.

3. Getting rid of system pop-ups

Pop-up notifications about “useful features”, memory cleanup offers or software updates can appear even when ads are turned off, and these windows are generated by the system services Security and Cleaner, which are overactive in MIUI.

To turn them off:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Notifications Management
2. Find Security and Cleaner apps, open their settings
3. Turn off the switches Pop-up notifications and Sound
4. To completely disable: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Security → Notifications → Disable All Categories

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 12/13), these settings may be hidden, in which case disabling automatic optimization will help:

1. Settings → Battery and Performance → Optimization
2. Turn off Automatic Optimization and Cleaning Guidelines

Advertising in the settings menu|Memory cleanup proposals|Notifications of new functions|Software update windows|Nothing bothers me.-->

4. Removal of hidden system screens (for advanced)

Some screens in MIUI are not visible in the normal interface, but they take up memory and can open accidentally.

• 📱 Test menus (e.g. #4636##)
• 🔧 Hidden developer settings (even if you didn’t include them)
• 📊 Diagnostic screens (activated when connected to a PC)

To remove their tracks, you need access to the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), connect your phone to your computer and follow the commands:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution




adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.yellowpage

For POCO F3/F4 models, an additional command may be required:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop

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Use of the ADB requires the developer’s activated mode and USB-Inexperienced users are better off limiting themselves to standard settings so as not to disrupt the system.

After you execute the commands, restart the device. Note: these actions remove system components, which can lead to unstable operation of some functions (for example, Mi Drop for file transfer).

5. Cleaning the lock screen from unnecessary elements

The lock screen on Xiaomi is often captured by weather widgets, news feeds or banner ads, and can be removed through settings:

1. Settings → Display → Lock screen
2. Turn off weather, news and recommendations
3. In the section Additionally turn off Show notifications on the lock screen (if they are not needed)

For complete cleaning:

On devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 11T Pro or Black Shark 5) disabling widgets will further extend battery life, as black pixels do not consume energy.

6.Recovery after unsuccessful changes

If after removing the "extra" screens there are problems - the icons are missing, the launcher stops working or errors appear - use these tips:

To reset the launcher settings without losing data:

1. Keep an empty space on your desktop
2. Select Screen Settings → Resetting Settings
3. Confirm the action – it will return the standard location of the icons

If the system becomes unstable after ADB-team:

⚠️ Note: When removing system applications through ADB Google Play or Mi Account services may be disrupted, in which case reset via Settings. → The phone. → Reset settings by selecting Save Media Files.

To restore remote system applications:

• 🔄 Fastboot (instructions on the official Xiaomi website)
• 📥 Identify the missing ones. APK through ADB install (files can be extracted from firmware)
• 🛠️ Use the utility. MIUI bootloader for Automatic Recovery

7. Prevention of the appearance of excess screens

To prevent unnecessary elements from reappearing:

Perform these actions regularly:

• 🧹 Clear the cache of system applications (Settings) → Memory. → Cleanup)
• 🔍 Check the permissions of installed applications (especially access to Windows Overlay)
• 📵 Turn off automatic update installation for GetApps and MIUI Launcher
• 🛡️ Use alternative launchers (e.g. Nova Launcher or Lawnchair)

For models with MIUI 13/14, it is recommended to disable the Mi-Cloud function if you do not use it - it often becomes a source of unnecessary notifications and duplicate screens:

1. Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Mi-Cloud
2. Turn off synchronization and backup

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Installing custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS) radically solves the problem of system advertising and duplicate screens, but requires unlocking the bootloader and can deprive you of warranty.

Frequent questions