How to permanently remove floating windows on Xiaomi: 7 working ways

The pop-ups on Xiaomi smartphones are one of the most annoying features of the MIUI shell, which the manufacturer stubbornly refuses to remove even in new versions of firmware. These banners appear on top of the interface, overlap important elements on the screen and often contain advertising or unnecessary notifications about the company’s services. The worst case scenario is when floating windows appear during games, watching videos or working with banking applications, which is not just distracting, but also creates security risks.

Complicating the problem, Xiaomi is using these windows to promote its services: Mi Browser, Mi Video, GetApps and even Mi Pay. In some regions (for example, in India or China), the number of pop-up notifications can reach 10-15 per day, making the phone almost unusable for comfortable use. Fortunately, there are several ways to not remove them completely, then at least minimize them – from standard settings to hidden shell functions and even manual editing of system files.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of disabling floating windows on Xiaomi, including models on MIUI 12, 13, 14 and 15. Particular attention will be paid to those methods that work without root rights and do not require the installation of third-party applications. If you are willing to spend 10-15 minutes to set up, the result will exceed all expectations: the phone will become cleaner, faster and finally stop distracting with unnecessary information.

1. Disable floating windows in standard MIUI settings

The first and most obvious way is to use built-in shell tools. Xiaomi provides several options for managing notifications, but they are hidden in different sections of the menu. It is important to understand that standard settings will not remove all floating windows (especially advertising), but reducing their number is quite possible.

Start with the Settings → Applications → Application Management path, where you need to manually disable notifications for each system service that generates them.

• 📱 GetApps (Xiaomi app store) is the main source of advertising;
• 🌐 Mi Browser – Even if you don’t use it, it can display banners;
• 🎬 Mi Video and Music – promote the company’s content;
• 💳 Mi Pay and Mi Credit – Financial Services with Aggressive Advertising.

For each of these applications:

1. Slip the name;
2. Select Notifications;
3. Turn off all switches (especially pop-up notifications and banners)
4. In the Other Permissions section, forbid windows from being displayed on top of other apps (Must be displayed on top of others).

⚠️ Warning: Once notifications for GetApps are turned off, you will not receive notifications about app updates. To check them manually, go to the store once in a while. 1-2 weekdays.

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2. Hidden MIUI settings: how to disable system banners

Even after disabling notifications for all apps, some floating windows continue to appear, because Xiaomi has integrated some of the ads directly into system processes, and to remove them, you will need access to hidden shell settings.

The most reliable way is to use the code for the engineering menu. Open the Phone app and type in the combination:

##6484##

Then the MIUI Hidden Settings menu will open.

1. Go to the Notification Center section;
2. Find System Advertisements (or Advertising Notices)
3. Disable all switches in this section;
4. Save the changes and restart the phone.

If the code doesn’t work (some Xiaomi models have it locked), try an alternative method using ADB:

adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1

This command unlocks access to the hidden APIs, and then you can use applications like MIUI Hidden Settings (available on Google Play) for deeper customization.

3.Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If standard methods didn't work, it's time to move on to more radical measures. Android Debug Bridge (ADB) allows you to disable the system components that are responsible for showing floating windows, which does not require root rights, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.

First, turn on the USB debugging:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone;
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers;
4. Turn on USB debugging.

Now connect your phone to your PC, open the command prompt (or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and execute the following commands in turn:

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


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




adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.market




adb shell pm hide com.android.browser

These teams:

• 🚫 Remove the system application responsible for targeted advertising (com.miui.systemAdSolution);
• 📱 Disable Mi Drop (another source of banners);
• 🛒 GetApps – the main advertising hub;
• 🌐 Hide a standard browser that often shows pop-ups.

⚠️ Note: After these commands are executed, some system functions may not work correctly. For example, the ability to update applications through GetApps will disappear. To return everything back, use the command: adb shell cmd package install-existing com.xiaomi.market

Application Advertising | Updates Notifications |Mi Video|Banners Financial Offers (Mi Pay)|Other

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4. Apps for blocking pop-up windows

If you don't want to dig into settings or use ADB, you can use third-party apps. They don't give you 100% guarantee, but they significantly reduce the amount of unnecessary notifications.

The most effective option on this list is Blokada, which works like a VPN, but instead of encrypting traffic, it blocks requests to ad servers. Xiaomi is particularly useful with Hosts Blocking, which cuts off system banners.

1. Install Blokada and run it.
2. Select Cloud Mode (Cloud Lock Lists)
3. Activate EasyList and EasyPrivacy lists.
4. Enable the Block MIUI Ads option in additional settings.

If some apps have been installed, you can check for SDKs, for example, many launchers and optimizers from unknown developers are themselves banner sources.

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5. Manual editing of system files (for advanced)

If you're willing to take drastic measures and have root access, you can manually edit the system files responsible for showing floating windows, which is the best way to do it, but you need to be careful: wrong actions can lead to a bootloop.

The main files that need to be modified are:

• 📄 /system/etc/hosts — Adding blocking entries for advertising domains;
• 📄 /system/priv-app/MiuiSystemAdSolution/MiuiSystemAdSolution.apk — removal;
• 📄 /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db — flag-editing.

Get root access with Magisk (the instructions are on 4PDA for your model), then use any root-enabled file manager (like Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer) and follow these steps:

1. Go to /system/etc/ and open the hosts file in the text editor.
2. Add the following lines at the end of the file: 127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com 127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.intl.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 api.brs.intl.miui.com
3. Save the file and restart the phone;
4. Delete or rename the file MiuiSystemAdSolution.apk in the /system/priv-app/ folder.

To edit settings.db, you will need SQLite Editor:

1. Open the settings.db database;
2. Go to the system table;
3. Find a name record. system_ad_enabled and set the value 0;
4. Save the changes and restart the device.

⚠️ Note: Before editing system files, be sure to make a backup copy through TWRP Or OrangeFox Recovery. If the phone stops loading after the changes, restore the backup or run clean firmware through Fastboot.

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6.Alternative firmware: how to get rid of MIUI forever

If you are finally tired of floating windows and other "chips" MIUI, The radical solution is to install custom firmware, which will completely remove all Xiaomi system services, including advertising mechanisms. Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco:

• 📱 LineageOS - pure Android without unnecessary bells and whistles;
• 🔄 Pixel Experience – firmware with interface from Google Pixel;
• ⚡ ArrowOS – Optimized build with advanced settings;
• 🛡️ HaventOS – firmware with a focus on privacy.

The installation process includes the following steps:

1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Xiaomi account binding and a wait of 7-15 days);
2. Installation of custom Recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox);
3. Firmware of alternative OS through the Recovery;
4. Install Magisk for root rights (optional).

Advantages of custom firmware:

• 🚀 Complete lack of advertising and floating windows;
• 🆕 Regular security updates;
• ⚙️ Flexible interface settings;
• 🔋 Improved autonomy through optimization.

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (if the phone is under warranty);
• 📱 Certain functions (e.g, IR Blaster or Game Turbo may not work;
• 🔄 Manual firmware updates are required.

Installation instructions for a specific model look for in the forums 4PDA or XDA Developers. For example, for Redmi Note 11 This topic will do: https://4pda.to/forum/index.php?showtopic=1000000 (substitute 1000000 topical ID topic).

7 What should I do if nothing helps?

If you’ve tried all the ways but floating windows keep popping up, the problem may be:

• 📲 Regional firmware: There's a lot more advertising on phones in China or India. Try flashing the global or European version. MIUI;
• 🔄 System Update: In some versions MIUI 14/15 Advertising mechanisms work differently. Check for updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system;
• 🛠️ Factory reset: If windows show up after installing some app, a reset can help. be sure to back up the data;
• 📡 VPN Ad-blocking: Services like AdGuard VPN or proton VPN They can block advertising requests at the network level.

If you suspect that floating windows show a particular app, check it with Packet Capture. Run packet capture, wait for the banner to appear, and see which app sent requests to the ad servers.

As a last resort, contact Xiaomi via the official website: https://www.mi.com/global/support/. Indicate that the ads violate your privacy rights (especially if you are from the EU, where GDPR applies).

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FAQ: Frequent questions about floating windows on Xiaomi