How to change the default video player on Xiaomi devices: from smartphone to TV set-top box

Owners of Xiaomi devices, from MIUI smartphones to Mi TV Sticks to TVs, often face the inconvenience of a standard video player. The built-in Video app (or Gallery in newer versions) can slow down when playing MKV or 4K HDR, do not support subtitles, or impose advertising. Meanwhile, alternative players like VLC, MX Player or Kodi offer advanced functionality: hardware decoding, equalizer setting, and even support for network protocols.

The problem is that MIUI and Android TV on Xiaomi devices don’t always allow you to change the default player by standard means. In this article, we’ll discuss 5 working ways, from basic settings to manually editing configuration files. Cover smartphones (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5), TVs (Mi TV Q2, Redmi Smart TV) and consoles (Mi Box S). Particular attention will be paid to circumventing the restrictions of MIUI 14+, where the manufacturer removed the direct option of changing the player for some formats.

Why Xiaomi’s standard player doesn’t suit users

The built-in video application (com.miui.videoplayer package) has a number of limitations that become critical when used actively:

• 🎬 No codec support: does not play DTS, FLAC in video, nor does it play M2TS or AVI containers with non-standard settings.
• 📶 Network flow problems: slows down when playing with NAS, DLNA or SMB- servers, even on flagships like Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
• 🛑 Imposed advertising: regional firmware (for example, for India or Russia) in the player appear banners Mi Advertising, which can not be turned off without root.
• ⚙️ No flexible settings: No adjustments to playback speed, color correction, or audio track selection in multichannel files.

According to a survey by XDA Developers (2023), 68% of Xiaomi users install third-party players in the first two weeks after buying a device, while 42% of them face difficulties when trying to make an alternative application the default player, most often the problem occurs on devices with MIUI Global and Android TV 12+, where the manufacturer blocks direct change of handlers for “system” formats (MP4, MKV).

Method 1: Change the player through Android settings (for smartphones)

The most obvious method works on most Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI 12-14, but has limitations. The instructions are relevant for the Redmi Note 11, POCO F4, Xiaomi 12T and later:

1. Open “Settings” → “Applications” → “Application Management”.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Default Apps".
3. Find the item "Video Player" (or "Video Player" in new versions).
4. In the list, select the desired application (for example, VLC or MX Player).

⚠️ Warning: On MIUI 14 for the European region (EEA), this item may not be available, in which case the default player changes only for files opened through Explorer, but not for system media queries (e.g., from Telegram or WhatsApp).

If the player is not on the list, it means:

• 📱 The app is not declared as a video player in AndroidManifest.xml (check the description in Google Play).
• 🔒 The manufacturer has blocked the shift for a specific format (relevant to MP4 with DRM).
• 🛠️ Manual adjustment is required via ADB (see Method 4).

Method 2: Configure file associations in MIUI

The MIUI has a hidden function of associating file types to applications that works even where the standard method doesn’t work.

1. Open Explorer (com.mi.android.globalFileexplorer) and find a video file (e.g. test.mkv).
2. Hold your finger on the file, then tap "Open with help."
3. Select the player you want and tick the “Always” (or “Use by default”) box.
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

🔹 Nuance: Some firmware (MIUI 13.5 for POCO) resets the system after updating. To avoid this, secure the player via ADB (see below) or use the SetEdit app to edit the base package.xml.

💡

If the video still opens in the standard app after changing the player, clear the cache and Explorer data in the application settings. This will reset the cached file associations.

Method 3: Using Third-Party File Managers

Xiaomi's System Explorer often ignores the user settings of the associations, using alternative file managers that allow you to flexibly configure file openings.

• 📁 Solid Explorer: supports player binding to extensions, has a built-in metadata viewer.
• 🗂️ FX File Explorer: allows you to assign default applications for folder actions (e.g., Play All Videos in a Folder).
• 🔍 MiXplorer: can bypass MIUI restrictions through root access (if there is Magisk).

Instructions for Solid Explorer:

1. Install a manager from Google Play and give access to the files.
2. Find the video file, make a long press and select “Open with help”.
3. In the list of applications, tap "Always" next to the right player.
4. Restart the device – binding is maintained even after MIUI updates.

⚠️ Warning: On Android 13+ devices (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro), you may need an additional "Manage all files" resolution (in the application settings) without which the manager will not be able to override system associations.

Method 4: Change the player through ADB (for power users)

If standard methods fail, you can manually adjust it via ADB, which is suitable for all Xiaomi devices, including Mi TV Stick and Android TVs.

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB and Xiaomi drivers.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on the device (Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI → 7 taps by build number → “Additional” → “Developers”).
• 🔌 USB-Type C cable (for TV - USB-A).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the device to the PC and execute in the terminal: adb devices Make sure that the device is determined (should appear its serial number).
2. Check the current associations for video: adb shell dumpsys package d | grep -i video
3. Reset all bindings for video files: adb shell cmd package clear-defaults com.miui.videoplayer
4. Assign a new player by default (e.g. VLC): adb shell cmd package set-home-activity org.videolan.vlc/.gui.video.VideoPlayerActivity Replace org.videolan.vlc with your player package (you can find out through adb shell pm list packages | grep -i player).

🔹 For Android TV (Mi Box, Mi TV Stick):

On consoles, the team differs because of the features of the Leanback Launcher.

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d file:///storage/emulated/0/Download/test.mp4 -t video/* -n org.videolan.vlc/.gui.video.VideoPlayerActivity

💡

ADB commands only work until the device restarts. To fix the changes permanently, use SetEdit (requires root) or create a script in /data/local/userinit.sh.

Method 5: Editing System Files (requires root)

If none of these methods work, you can still manually edit configuration files, which is suitable for Magisk or TWRP-enabled devices.

Instructions:

1. Install Root Explorer or MiXplorer with superuser rights.
2. Go to /data/system/users/0/ and find the package.xml file.
3. Make a backup copy of the file (copy it on the PC).
4. Open package.xml in the text editor and find lines from com.miui.videoplayer.
5. Replace all references to the standard player with an alternative package (e.g. org.videolan.vlc).
6. Save the file, set the rights to 644, and restart the device.

⚠️ Attention: On MIUI 14+, the package.xml file can be encrypted. In this case, use the Magisk "Reset Prop" module to reset associations or the App Manager app (from Muntashir) with the "Clear Defaults" option.

🔹 Alternative method for Android TV:

On Xiaomi TVs (Mi TV Q1E, Redmi Smart TV X) you can edit /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml file by adding a line:

<signature|privileged|development>


<group gid="media" />




<permission name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />




<permission name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />




</signature>

This will allow third-party players to access system media files.

Solving problems after changing the player

Even after a successful player change, Xiaomi users may face typical problems:

🔹 Advice for Xiaomi TVs:

If the player changes to Mi TV and the audio disappears from HDMI ARC, check the audio settings in Settings → Sound → Digital Audio Output. Set the value “Auto (PCM)” instead of “Passthrough”.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing the video player to Xiaomi