How to completely disable YouTube on Xiaomi phone: all working methods

Are you tired of YouTube’s endless recommendations that distract or eat up traffic? or want to restrict access to the platform for a child on a Xiaomi smartphone? In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to disable YouTube, from simply removing the app to the deep system limitations that work even on the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS.

It's important to understand that YouTube is built into the firmware of many Xiaomi models (like the Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5) as a system application. This means that simply clicking "Delete" on the menu often doesn't work. But there are workarounds, from disabling through Settings to using ADB for deep cleaning, we'll look at the methods for different scenarios: temporary shutdown, complete removal, locking for children, and even limiting the background of the application so that it doesn't eat the battery.

Warning: Some methods require developer rights or unlock the bootloader. If you are a beginner, start with the simplest methods (sections 2–3) and then move on to the advanced ones (sections 5–6). The screen time control section will be especially useful for parents, allowing you to flexibly configure access without completely removing the application.

1. Removal of YouTube as a regular app (not working on all models)

The most obvious way is to try to remove YouTube by the standard method, which will work if the app was installed manually (not system) or on some Xiaomi models with lightweight firmware (for example, the POCO M6 Pro for the European market).

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes.
• 🔍 In the search bar, type “YouTube” (or scroll down to the letter “Y»).
• 🗑️ Click on the app. → Delete (if the button is active).
• ⚠️ If instead of “Delete” you see the button “Disable” – go to the next section.

If the deletion was successful, but YouTube reappeared after the reboot, then it was part of the firmware, in which case only disabling the updates (section 4) or deep deletion through ADB (section 6) will help.

2. disable YouTube without deletion (for system applications)

If the Delete button is inactive, try to disable the app, which will stop it from working, but will not delete files from the phone, a method suitable for models Xiaomi 12T, Redmi Note 11 and others where YouTube is sewn into the firmware.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find YouTube in the list (use search if necessary).
3. Tap on the app. → Shut down.
4. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

After the shutdown:

• ✅ YouTube icon will disappear from the main screen and menu.
• ✅ The application will not start even if you click on the link youtube.com in the browser.
• ❌ The application files will remain in memory (take up) ~100-200 MB).
• ❌ After updating MIUI YouTube may be activated again.

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If the disabled application reappears after the system update, check the automatic recovery settings in Settings → Applications → Special Access → Application Restore and disable this option.

3. Limit YouTube background activity (battery and traffic savings)

If you don’t need to completely delete YouTube, but want to prevent it from running in the background (for example, so it doesn’t eat up traffic or drain the battery), use the built-in MIUI tools:

Methods of limitation:

• 🔋 Battery Limitation: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → YouTube → Battery and select Limited Background Mode.
• 📶 Banning mobile traffic: In the same app menu, find Mobile data and turn off the switch.
• 🛑 Auto-start lock: In Settings → Annexes → Permits → Auto Launch Find YouTube and Turn It Off.

These measures will not remove the app, but will significantly reduce its impact on phone performance, such as YouTube will not:

• 🔄 Update recommendations in the background.
• 📥 Download video for offline viewing without your knowledge.
• 📊 Show notifications about new videos.

4. YouTube blocking through screen time control (for parents)

If you want to restrict your child's access to YouTube, but not delete it completely, use the built-in Digital Well-Being feature (available on MIUI 12 and later).

• 🕒 Set limits on the time of use.
• 🔒 Block the application on a schedule (for example, overnight).
• 📊 Monitoring the activity of the child.

How to set up:

1. Open Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls.
2. Select a child profile (or create a new one).
3. Go to App Restriction → find YouTube.
4. Set a daily limit (for example, 1 hour) or block it completely.
5. Activate the Protection with a password so that the child can not reset the settings.

Importantly, this method only works for a standard user profile. If your child knows the password from your Mi Account or can reset settings, he or she can bypass the lock. For reliability, combine this method with disabling the application (section 2) or deleting it through ADB (section 6).

5. YouTube Delete via Safe Mode (unless the standard methods help)

If YouTube doesn’t delete or disable normally, try doing so through Safe Mode, which only runs system apps, sometimes bypassing restrictions.

How to log in to Safe Mode:

1. Press the power button on the phone turned off.
2. In the off menu, press the button to turn off power until a request to switch to Safe Mode appears.
3. Confirm the transition.

After downloading in safe mode:

• 🔍 Try to delete YouTube again through Settings → Annexes.
• 🔄 If the deletion is successful, restart the phone as normal.

⚠️ Warning: Safe Mode has disabled all third-party apps, including launchers, and if YouTube comes back after the reboot, it's firmware-protected, you'll need to. ADB (section).

6. Complete removal of YouTube via ADB (for advanced users)

This is the most reliable way to permanently remove YouTube from Xiaomi, but it requires a computer connection and developer mode enabled.The method works on all models, including the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi K60 Pro and POCO F5.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original).
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB (download from the official website).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times)
2. Activate USB Debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.
4. Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) in the ADB folder.
5. Enter the commands in turn: adb devices (you should see the name of your device) adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.youtube

If the command is correct, YouTube is deleted, and if you want to get it back, you just need to reinstall it from Google Play.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi firmware (especially Chinese versions), YouTube may be part of the com.google.android.gm system package. its removal will lead to the collapse of other Google services).

Developer mode is on

USB debugging activated

Installed ADB drivers on PC

Downloaded utility platform-tools

The phone is connected by the original cable-->

7. Block YouTube via hosts file (without deletion)

If you don't want to delete the app, but you want to block access to YouTube servers, you can edit the hosts file, which will redirect all requests to YouTube to a non-existent address.

Instructions:

1. Install any file manager with access to the root folder (such as FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/hosts (root rights or access via ADB are required).
3. Add the following lines to the end of the file: 127.0.0.1 youtube.com 127.0.0.1 www.youtube.com 127.0.0.1 m.youtube.com 127.0.0.1 youtubei.googleapis.com 127.0.0.1 ytimg.com
4. Save the file and restart the phone.

After that:

• ✅ YouTube app will not be able to connect to servers (there will be a network error).
• ✅ The web version of YouTube.com will also be unavailable.
• ❌ This method does not block other Google services (e.g. Google Play).

To unblock, simply delete the added lines from the hosts file.

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Editing a hosts file without root rights is only possible through ADB. If you don’t have experience with the command line, use simpler methods (sections 2–4).

FAQ: Frequent questions about YouTube shutdown on Xiaomi