YouTube is pre-installed on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones as a system app. Even if you don't use it, it takes up space in memory, consumes battery power in the background and can show annoying notifications. In this article, we'll look at all the working ways to disable it, from simply hiding an icon to completely removing it with ADB.
It's important to understand that different versions of MIUI (12 to 14) and Android (10 to 14) may have different procedures, and we tested each method on current firmware in 2026 and we pointed out where root rights are required and where you can do without them, and if you don't want to dig into the settings, skip the technical sections and use simple solutions.
We warn you beforehand that some of these methods may disrupt other Google services (such as the Google Play Store or Gmail) and that you should read the warnings carefully before each step to avoid any problems.
Why Youtube is Disabled on Xiaomi: 5 Reasons
Many users want to get rid of pre-installed YouTube for a reason, and here are the most common reasons:
- 🔋 Battery savings: The app works in the background, even if you don’t use it, and consumes up to 3-5% of the charge per day.
- 📱 Memory release: YouTube with cache can take up to 500 MB-1 GB (depending on version).
- 🚫 Intrusive Notifications: Ads, recommendations, and reminders of new videos that can’t be turned off through the app’s settings.
- 🛡️ Privacy: YouTube collects data about your activity even when you are not watching a video (for example, through Google Play Services).
- 👶 Parental Controls: If a child is using a phone, it is best to restrict access to content without completely deleting your Google account.
In our tests, after the shutdown of YouTube on the Xiaomi 13 Pro (MIUI 14), battery life increased by 12-15% with moderate use, and on budget models like the Redmi Note 12, up to 800 MB of memory was freed after cleaning the cache.
⚠️ Note: If you use YouTube Premium or other paid Google subscriptions, disabling them may result in loss of access. → Google accounts → Payment and subscriptions.
Simple Ways Without Root and ADB
If you don’t have to completely remove the app, but just hide it or ban background activity, use these methods. They work on all Xiaomi smartphones without additional rights.
1. Disabling notifications
The fastest way to stop receiving intrusive alerts is:
- Press the YouTube icon on the home screen → select App Information.
- Go to the Notifications section.
- Turn off the display notification slider.
- For a complete ban, also turn off Sound and Vibration.
Limitation of background activity
This will reduce battery consumption, but the app will remain operational:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find YouTube in the list and select it.
- Go to Battery → select Limit background activity.
- In the Data section, turn off background traffic.
3. Hiding the icon from the main screen
If you don’t need the app, you are afraid to delete it:
- 📱 Press the YouTube icon → Drag it up to the inscription Delete (this will not remove the application, but only remove the label).
- 🔍 To hide from search: Settings → Main screen screen → Launcher settings → Hide applications → Choose YouTube.
On some models (such as the POCO F5), hiding the icon through the launcher may not work due to the features of MIUI. In this case, use third-party launchers like Nova Launcher.
Disconnect via MIUI settings (without deletion)
This method completely stops YouTube from working, but does not delete its files from the device. The application will disappear from the menu, stop updating and waste resources. POCO on MIUI 12–14.
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find YouTube in the list (you can use the search).
- Click Disable (the button will only appear if the application is system).
- Confirm the action in the window that appears.
After that:
- ✅ The icon will disappear from the main screen and the app menu.
- ✅ YouTube will stop using battery and traffic.
- ✅ Updates via Google Play are blocked.
- ❌ When you try to open a YouTube link, you will get an error.
⚠️ Note: Some firmware (e.g. global version) MIUI For Redmi Note 11, the Disable button may not be available. ADB (section below) or use the root rights method.
To turn YouTube back on:
- Back to Settings → Annexes.
- Turn on the display of disabled applications (usually there is a filter at the top of the screen).
- Find YouTube and click Enable.
☑️ Preparing for YouTube Shutdown
YouTube Delete via ADB (without root)
If the settings don’t have a Disable button, you can delete YouTube using Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This method doesn’t require root rights, but requires a connection to a computer. Works on all Xiaomi smartphones with the bootloader unlocked.
What you need:
- 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
- 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
- 🔧 Utility. ADB Tools (download and unpack in a separate folder).
- 🔐 Included Debugging by USB phone-on.
Step-by-step:
- Activate USB debugging: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on MIUI to turn on Developer Mode. Go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers. Enable USB debugging and confirm permission.
Connect your phone to your PC
- Select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
- The phone will be asked for permission to debug - confirm.
- Run the delete command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.youtube If the command didn't work, try an alternative: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.youtube
After the command is executed:
- ✅ YouTube will disappear from the system.
- ✅ All related services (e.g. YouTube Music) will continue to work.
- ❌ When resetting settings or updating MIUI The app could come back.
⚠️ Note: On some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.eu), the uninstall command may not work due to the protection of system applications. In this case, use disable-user - this will turn off YouTube, but will not remove it completely.
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If YouTube reappears after the update after being deleted via ADB, add the command to the auto-execute script when downloaded. Use the Tasker or MacroDroid app with the ADB Run plugin.
Complete removal with root rights
If you have root access (e.g., through Magisk), you can permanently delete YouTube along with all its components, a method that is suitable for experienced users, as improper actions can lead to system failure.
Method 1: Root Explorer (File Manager)
- Install Root Explorer or similar manager with root support.
- Go to /system/priv-app/YouTube/ or /system/app/YouTube/
- Delete the YouTube folder or rename it (for example, in the YouTube_bak).
- Reboot the phone.
Method 2: Through Terminal Emulator
For advanced users:
- Install Terminal Emulator.
- Type commands in turn: su mount -o rw, remount /system rm -rf /system/priv-app/YouTube rm -rf /system/app/YouTube mount -o ro,remount /system reboot
Advantages of this method:
- 🧹 YouTube is permanently deleted, even after resetting.
- 🔧 Freed up space in the system section.
- ⚡ Increases the speed of the system (due to a decrease in the number of background processes).
⚠️ Warning: Removing system applications may disrupt the work OTA-Updates before the next update MIUI Refuse deleted files or use custom recovery (for example, TWRP) hand-mount.
| Method | Root is required. | PC required | Removal forever | Risk to the system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disabling notifications | ❌ No. | ❌ No. | ❌ No. | ✅ No. |
| Limitation of background activity | ❌ No. | ❌ No. | ❌ No. | ✅ No. |
| Disconnection through settings | ❌ No. | ❌ No. | ❌ Update | ✅ No. |
| Removal via ADB | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | ❌ Before dumping. | ⚠️ Low. |
| Complete removal from root | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | ⚠️ High-pitched |
How to replace YouTube with Xiaomi
If you have removed YouTube but sometimes want to watch videos, consider the alternatives:
- 🎥 NewPipe is an open-source YouTube client with no advertising or background tracking installed via APK.
- 🌐 YouTube in the browser – add a shortcut to the home screen via Chrome or Firefox (open youTube.com) → ⋮ → Add to the main screen).
- 📺 Vanced (unofficial) - modified YouTube with ad blocking. You can download here, but requires MicroG to log in to your account.
- 🎵 SkyTube is another open client with support for playlists and background playback.
Comparison of alternatives:
| Annex | Advertising | Background reproduction | Google account required | 4K support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NewPipe | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. |
| YouTube in the browser | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. |
| Vanced | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes (via MicroG) | ✅ Yes. |
| SkyTube | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | ❌ No. |
NewPipe is the best choice for most users, as it does not require registration and blocks all ads. However, it does not have official support for YouTube Premium. If you are interested in original features (for example, YouTube Music), you should use Vanced with MicroG.
How to install NewPipe without Google Play
Solving problems after YouTube shutdown
Sometimes, when you delete or disable YouTube, you get a problem, and here are the most common ones and how to fix them:
1. Mistake when updating MIUI
If the system is not updated after YouTube is deleted:
- 🔄 Restore deleted files (if you used root).
- 📥 Install the update manually through Settings → Updating the system → ⋮ → Select a firmware file.
- 🔧 Use it. TWRP custom-built.
2. other Google services are not working
If Gmail, Google Play or Google Maps are no longer working after deletion:
- 🔍 Check if you have removed other system apps (e.g. Google Play Services) with YouTube).
- 🛠️ Restore deleted files from backup.
- 📦 Reinstall Google Play Services via APKMirror.
3.YouTube is back after reset
If the application appears again after hard reset:
- 🔐 Use it. ADB Re-deletion (section above).
- 📵 Install custom firmware without GApps (e.g. LineageOS).
- 🛑 Turn off automatic application recovery in Settings → Google accounts → Synchronization → Application recovery.
On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) YouTube may be recovering due to feature MIUI Optimization. To turn it off, run the command through ADB: adb shell settings put global miui_optimization_disabled 1.
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If you have experienced errors in other Google apps after you delete YouTube, try clearing the cache and data of Google Play Services in the settings first, and 80% of the time this solves the problem without having to restore deleted files.