Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive system solutions.The MIUI shell, and now HyperOS, seeks to keep the user in the ecosystem by automatically launching links through the built-in Mi Browser.This is annoying, especially if you are used to the functionality of Chrome, Firefox or Edge.The standard way through settings often doesn't work, as the default browser selection point can be hidden or blocked by the manufacturer.
To make matters worse, the company’s engineers have made it harder to access system priorities in recent firmware versions, but it’s possible to circumvent these limitations by using hidden menus or specific manipulations of application rights. In this article, we’ll look at all the current methods that will allow you to regain control of the device and get links to open in the app that is convenient for you.
Why Xiaomi is blocking the browser change
Xiaomi's philosophy is to integrate services in a deep way. Mi Browser is not just a web browsing app, it's a gateway to news feeds, push notifications and analytics, which is why it's so much more than a system to prevent it from being replaced by hiding the settings or making them unavailable to the average user. Unlike pure Android, where choosing a default app is a basic feature, it's a battleground for user attention.
It's important to understand that the absence of the default browser button in the menu is not a bug, but a deliberate restriction of the MIUI interface. The system forcibly prioritizes its product, ignoring the established alternatives. However, at the Android kernel level, the choice remains, and we only need to find the right entry to this menu.
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Before you start manipulating, make sure that an alternative browser (such as Chrome) is already installed and updated to the latest version via Google Play.
And the shell often resets after major system updates, and if you notice that links are starting to reopen in the Mi Browser after the update, you'll have to do it again, which is standard behavior for custom monetization-oriented firmware.
Standard Method Through Android Settings
Before you go to the complex methods, you should try to change the settings in the classic way. In some versions of HyperOS or older MIUI builds, this method is still working. You need to go to the Settings section and find the App item. Next, select All applications and click on the three dots in the top corner of the screen.
In the drop-down menu, select the default Apps. If you're lucky, you'll see the Browser option. When you click on it, the system will suggest a list of installed browsers. Select the one you want, like Google Chrome. After that, all links should open in the selected program.
- 📱 Open the smartphone settings.
- 📂 Go to the Appendix section → All applications.
- ⚙️ Click on three dots in the corner and select the Default Apps.
- 🌐 Select the browser and specify the preferred application.
However, in most modern cases, you will find yourself in a situation where the browser list is empty or the choice is not available, which means that the system limiter is active and more advanced bypass methods are required, described below.
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Method through resetting Mi Browser settings
This is considered one of the most effective methods for MIUI 12, MIUI 13 and MIUI 14, and the idea is to force the system to forget the current file associations and request a new application selection, so we will temporarily disable the system browser.
Go to Settings → Applications → All Apps. Find the Mi Browser list (may simply be called “Browser” or “Mi Browser”). Click on it and select the Stop and then Disable or Remove Updates option. If the “Disable” button is inactive, try select Clear Data and Clear Cache.
⚠️ Note: When you disable your system browser, some system widgets or Card features may temporarily stop displaying link previews.
After performing these steps, try to open any link from the messenger (for example, Telegram or WhatsApp).The system, when it finds that the standard link handler is disabled, should give an Android system window asking "What to open?".
If you turn on the Mi Browser, you go back to settings, leave it off. It's not critical if you use an alternative. It's a radical but powerful method for older versions of firmware.
Use of the hidden Activity menu (Advanced Settings)
The most reliable way, even on the latest versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14/15, is to access the hidden Activity menu, which is designed for developers and allows you to manage application components directly, without the limitations of the interface.
To implement this method, you will need to download the free Activity Launcher app from the Google Play store. After installation, launch the program and wait for the list of all system processes to load. Search for the word "browser" or search for the "Browser" list.
Search for Activity Launcher:
1. Open the application
2. Type in search: browser
3.Look for the "Browser" -> "Clear defaults" section.Inside the item you find, open up the action list, we're interested in Clear defaults, or just Browser without specifying, and clicking on it, you'll be taken to the hidden Android menu that's hidden in the normal settings, and you can choose the priority app.
- 🔍 Download Activity Launcher from Play Market.
- 📲 Run a search for the word "browser".
- 🛠 Select Clear Defaults in the App Found.
- ✅ Set a tick opposite the desired browser.
What if Activity Launcher does not find the browser?
This method allows you not only to choose a browser, but also to reset the forced associations that the system could impose.
Comparison of browser change methods
To make it easier for you to navigate, we have prepared a method comparison table that will help you choose the best option depending on your firmware version and level of training.
| Method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard settings | Low. | Low (often hidden) | No. |
| Mi Browser's shutdown | Medium | Tall. | Failure of widgets |
| Activity Launcher | Tall. | Maximum | Minimum |
| ADB team | Expert | Maximum | High (code error) |
As you can see from the table, using Activity Launcher is the middle ground between security and the result. Standard settings are often useless, and the method of disabling can disrupt some system components.
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Using a third-party activity launcher is the only guaranteed way to bypass the blocking of new versions of MIUI and HyperOS without root rights.
Advanced method: removal through ADB
For users who are not afraid of the command line, there is a method of completely removing the system browser through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and installing drivers, which allows you to completely cut the Mi Browser from the system.
To start, turn on USB Debugging in the Developer Menu. Connect your phone to your PC, open your console, and type in a command to delete the packet: pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browser. After that, the browser will disappear physically, and the system will be forced to use the installed alternative.
⚠️ Note: Removal of system components through ADB This can cause the shell to work in an unstable way. Do a full backup of data before starting the procedure. Recover a remote package by commanding cmd package install-existing com.android.browser.
This is guaranteed to solve the problem 100%, because the competitor simply ceases to exist in the system, but when reset to factory settings, the browser will return, and the procedure will have to be repeated.