How to change the default browser on Android smartphones Xiaomi: all ways 2026

Why Xiaomi is hard to change the default browser and what to do about it

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a paradoxical situation: Android allows you to install any browser, but the system stubbornly ignores attempts to make them the main one. It’s all about the MIUI brand shell, which aggressively promotes its own Mi Browser (or Xiaomi Browser in new versions). Even after an explicit choice of alternatives – Chrome, Firefox or Brave – links from messengers and applications are still opened in the standard browser.

Compounding the problem, MIUI 14/15 on Android 13/14 has dramatically changed the default browser algorithm from earlier versions. It is no longer enough to simply specify the preferred application in the settings, the system can “forget” the choice after rebooting or updating. In this article, we will discuss all the working methods, including hidden settings and workarounds for stubborn devices.

It's important to understand that it's not Android that imposes restrictions, but Xiaomi policies, that the manufacturer integrates its own services (including the browser) into MIUI, which are difficult to disable completely, but with our instructions, you can, if you don't delete the Mi Browser, at least force the system to ignore it.

The official way: Android settings (does not always work)

Let's start with the classic method that should work on any Android device, but on Xiaomi it often crashes because of the MIUI features.

1. Open “Settings” (the gear icon on the home screen or in the application menu).
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select the Default Apps.
4. Slip on Browser.
5. In the list, select the browser you want (such as Google Chrome or Firefox).

If you do that, then you still open the links in Mi Browser, then MIUI ignores the system settings, which is typical for Global or China Stable devices, and then you can go to the alternative methods below.

⚠️ Note: On some models POCO (for example, POCO F5 or X6 Pro) the default item of the App can be hidden. If it is not in the menu, try searching by settings (the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen).

Make sure that the alternative browser is installed and updated|Reboot the smartphone after changing the settings|Check if the settings are reset after the update MIUI|Try alternative methods from this article-->

Hidden MIUI settings: how to get around system limitations

MIUI hides some settings that allow you to manually prioritize applications, a method that works on most Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices with Android 12-14 firmware.

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version line and tap it 7-10 times until you become a developer!
3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new Developer section (usually at the bottom of the list).
4. Activate the debugging switch over USB (this is temporary, then you can turn it off).
5. Now go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three Points → Special Access → Opening Links by Default.
6. In the list, find your browser (e.g. Chrome) and enable all available options (HTTP, HTTPS, Web pages).
7. For reliability, do the same for the Mi Browser, but turn off all switches.

This method causes the system to ignore the standard browser at the link processing level. After applying the changes, restart the device. If the method does not work, try the next one using ADB.

Method for advanced: change the browser through ADB (without root rights)

If previous methods didn’t work, use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool, which is Google’s official utility that allows you to manage your system settings via a computer, which doesn’t require root access, but requires you to connect your smartphone to your PC.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Install ADB on your computer: Download Platform Tools from the Android Developers site. Unpack the archive in any folder (for example, C:\adb).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC: Enable USB Debugging in the developer settings (see previous section). Connect your phone with a cable and select File Transfer mode.

Run the command line:

• In Windows: press Win + R, enter cmd and go to the folder with ADB command: cd C:\adb
• Check the connection of the device: adb devices (should appear serial number of your smartphone).
• Follow the commands to change your browser: adb shell pm clear --user 0 com.android.browser adb shell cmd package set-home-activity com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main Replace com.android.chrome with your browser package (see table below).

Once you have completed the commands, restart your smartphone, a method that bypasses the system-level limitations of MIUI, but can reset after a major firmware update.

⚠️ Note: If after use ADB The browser is still unchanged, check if the antivirus (e.g. Mi Security) blocks the settings changes. ADB excepted.

Google Chrome|Mozilla Firefox|Brave Browser|Microsoft Edge|Other-->

What to do if links still open in Mi Browser

Even after a successful default browser change, some apps (such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Instagram) can persistently open links in Mi Browser, because the programs have their own settings for processing web links.

• 🔧 Set up each application separately: Go to the messenger settings (for example, Telegram) → Settings → Data and memory → Open links) and select the desired browser.
• 📱 Use Open with Help: When you open a link, hold it with your finger until the context menu appears. → Always and specify your browser.
• 🚫 Turn off Mi Browser forcefully: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Browser → Please note that this may disrupt some system functions (e.g. update checks).
• 🔄 Reset application settings: In Settings → Annexes → Three points. → Reset application settings. This will bring back all permissions to factory, but it can help if the settings conflict.

If none of these methods work, the last option is to install custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), where MIUI limitations are not present, but this requires unlocking the bootloader and may be unwarranted.

💡

Before resetting your app settings, back up your browser data (bookmarks, history, passwords) with Google in Chrome, Firefox with Settings. → Firefox Account.

Why After Updating MIUI, the Browser Is Reset to Standard

Many Xiaomi users are faced with the fact that after updating the firmware all browser settings are reset, this is due to the fact that MIUI overwrites some system files, including the default application settings, to avoid this problem:

• 📲 Turn off automatic updates MIUI: Go to Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Update settings and disable Automatic Boot.
• 🔄 Use the script to restore settings: Create a text file with a team ADB (See the section above and run it after each update. reset_browser.bat: adb shell cmd package set-home-activity com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main
• 🛡️ Install Magisk Module (for rooted devices): The Default App Manager module from the Magisk repository allows you to block resetting browser settings.

If you don't want to give up updates, the only reliable way is to use ADB after each update, which takes less than a minute, but ensures that your browser stays the primary browser.

💡

MIUI updates often reset the default browser settings because the manufacturer considers the Mi Browser to be an integral part of the ecosystem.This is not a bug, but a deliberate policy of Xiaomi.

Alternative solutions: browsers with forced link opening

Some browsers have built-in mechanisms to bypass the limitations of MIUI, which intercept system-level links and open them in their interface, even if MIUI tries to redirect to Mi Browser.

• 🌐 Bromite (fork Chrome with patches for the MIUI): This is a modified version of Chrome with Google remote trackers and additional settings to bypass manufacturers' restrictions.
• 🦊 Firefox Focus: Lightweight browser from Mozilla with the function of blocking trackers. In the settings there is an option to Always open links in Focus, which works even on the Internet. MIUI.
• 🛡️ Brave Browser with the “Capture Links” setting: In Settings → Additionally. → Link capture enable the option to Open supported links. Brave will intercept HTTP/HTTPS-traffic.
• 🔗 Link Bubble (to open links in a floating window): The app creates floating tabs on top of other programs. You can configure that all links open in Link Bubble, and from there redirect to your browser.

These browsers not only solve the problem of link opening, but also offer additional privacy features: for example, Bromite blocks ads at the DNS level, and Firefox Focus automatically clears the history after closing.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing the browser to Xiaomi