How to completely clean the browser on the Xiaomi phone: instructions for all models

Over time, any browser on Xiaomi’s smartphone starts to work slower: pages load longer, ads appear more often, and autocomplete forms get lost. But cleaning the browser on Android-devices of the brand has nuances: standard methods do not always work because of the branded shell. MIUI, Some system browsers (such as Mi Browser) require a separate approach.

If you have noticed that your favorite gadget is Redmi, POCO Or Xiaomi 13 has become "braking" when surfing, don't be quick to blame the hardware. In 80% of cases, the problem is solved by deep cleaning of the browser - a procedure that most users do not perform correctly or completely. From basic cache cleaning to deleting hidden data that is not visible in standard settings.

Special attention will be paid to the branded browser Mi Browser (formerly Mint Browser), which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi devices. its cleaning is different from Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, and some features (for example, synchronization with a Mi Account) can save data even after a “full” clean.

Why Xiaomi Browser Should Be Cleaned Regularly

Browser is one of the most "gluttonous" apps on a smartphone, according to a study. AVG The average Android user spends up to 3 hours a day surfing the web, and up to 5GB of unnecessary data accumulates in the device’s memory over the year. MIUI:

🔹 Cache pages. Browsers save copies of visited sites to speed up reloading. On Xiaomi, cache can take up to 1.2 GB per month (tested on the Redmi Note 12 Pro).+ s MIUI 14), even if you don't go to "heavy" sites.

🔹 Cookies and trackers: Advertising networks like Google Ads or Baidu leave up to 200 trackers on your device per week, not only tracking your activity, but also slowing down the loading of pages by 15 to 30%.

🔹 Autocomplete and history: Xiaomi browsers by default save passwords, forms and history in the Mi Cloud. This is convenient, but takes up space and creates risks of data leakage.

🔹 Background: Even a closed browser can remain active in the background, consuming up to 7% of battery power per day (lab data) DXOMARK Xiaomi 13 Ultra).

⚠️ Note: If you use the Mi Browser browser with sync enabled through your Xiaomi account, clearing the history on your phone will not delete data from the company's servers. → Cloud. → Synchronization → Browser and disable the option.

The optimal interval is once every 2-3 weeks for ordinary users and weekly if you:

• 🛒 Often shop online (card and address history accumulates quickly).
• 🎮 Playing browser games (cache can take hundreds of megabytes).
• 📊 Work with data (logins, passwords, documents).
• 📱 Use your phone as your primary surfing device.

Method 1: Standard cleaning through browser settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in browser tools, which are suitable for deleting history, cache and cookies, but do not affect deep system files, and let's look at the process using three popular browsers.

📌 For Mi Browser (branded browser Xiaomi):

1. Open your browser and tap on three points. ⋮ lower-right.
2. Select Settings → Confidentiality.
3. Click Clear Data and tick the boxes: 🗑️ History - List of visited websites. 🍪 Cookies and site data – trackers and autologin settings. 🗃️ Cached images and files – temporary page data.

Clean up

🔍 For Google Chrome:

Move to the ⋮ → History → Clear the data. You can select the period (e.g., "All Time") and the data types. Note the Media License, which is responsible for the stored permissions to play the video (e.g., YouTube or Netflix).

🦊 For Mozilla Firefox:

Come in. ⋮ → Settings → Delete Personal Data. Firefox offers more flexible settings than Chrome – you can delete it separately here:

• 🔐 Saved passwords (if you don’t use Firefox Lockwise).
• 📁 Downloaded files (clears the Download folder in the phone's memory).
• 📍 Geolocation data (if you allow sites to determine your location).

⚠️ Note: Cleaning up autocomplete data in your browser will delete all saved logins and passwords, unless you use a password manager (e.g. Bitwarden or a username manager). 1Password), Pre-export them to a file. In Chrome, it's done through ⋮ → Settings → Passwords. → ⋮ → Password exports.

Delete the story all the time|Delete cookies and website data|Clear the image cache|Turn off background synchronization (if not necessary)|Check autocomplete for unnecessary data-->

Method 2: Deep Cleaning through Android Settings

Standard browser cleaning does not delete system files that are created to speed up work. On Xiaomi, this data can take up hundreds of megabytes and not appear in the browser interface.

1. Go to the phone settings → Annexes → Application management.

2. Find your browser in the list (such as Mi Browser or Chrome) and tap on it.

3. Select Warehouse - here you will see the actual amount of occupied space (often 2-3 times more than the browser itself shows).

4. Click Clear Cache, then Clear Data (this will delete all browser settings, including bookmarks!).

📊 Comparison of cleaning methods:

🔧 For power users: If you want to delete residual browser files that are not cleared by standard methods, use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager) and manually check folders:

• /data/data/com.android.browser — system-browser.
• /data/data/com.mi.globalbrowser — Mi Browser.
• /data/data/com.android.chrome — Google Chrome.

Delete only files with extensions.tmp,.cache or.db-wal. shared_prefs Touching is not recommended - it can break the browser.

💡

After deep cleaning, restart the phone, which will help the system correctly recalculate the free space and close the background processes of the browser.

Method 3: Using cleaner applications

Third-party utilities (such as CCleaner, Files by Google or Security Master) promise “magic cleaning” with a single tap, but they don’t always work correctly on Xiaomi due to limitations. MIUI. Before installing such software, take into account:

✅ Pluses:

• 🧹 Automatic deletion of cache of all browsers.
• 🔍 Search for duplicate files (such as re-downloaded images).
• 📊 Visualization of the occupied place by category.

❌ Cons:

• 🚫 Can delete the necessary data (for example, saved passwords).
• 🛡️ Additional permits are required, which creates security risks.
• 📱 Often show "garbage" that does not actually interfere with work.

📌 How to use cleaners safely on Xiaomi:

1. Download only from Google Play (avoid it). APK from unknown sites).
2. Before cleaning, make a backup copy of important data.
3. Do not give the application the rights of the administrator of the device.
4. After cleaning, check the browser operation - some utilities break autocomplete.

🔎 Best Cleaners for Xiaomi (according to version) XDA Developers, 2026):

⚠️ Note: Some cleaners (such as Clean Master) on Xiaomi devices may conflict with the optimizer MIUI, If the phone starts to run out faster after installation, remove the utility and use the built-in tools.

Method 4: Cleaning the browser without data loss

If you want to remove garbage, but save bookmarks, passwords and history, use these methods:

🔄 Exports and imports of bookmarks:

• Chrome: ⋮ → Bookmarks → ⋮ → Export bookmarks (saves to.html file).
• In Mi Browser: ⋮ → Bookmarks → ⋮ → Backup (saves to Mi Cloud).

🔐 Saving passwords:

Use the built-in Google Smart Lock password manager (for Chrome) or Mi Account (for Mi Browser). Before cleaning, check that sync is enabled:

• For Google: Settings → Google → Managing a Google Account → Security → Passwords.
• For Mi Account: Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization → browser.

📁 Backup of history (for Advanced Only):

If you want to save your browsing history, use the History Trends Unlimited extension (for Chrome) or export your data through the browser. chrome://history (This is more difficult to do on Xiaomi because of the limitations of the MIUI, but it's possible to use ADB:

adb pull /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Default/History data_history

📌 This method requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights.

💡

Before any cleaning, check if sync with the cloud is enabled. This is the only way to guarantee bookmarks and passwords.

How to turn off background browser activity on Xiaomi

Even after closing, the browser can continue to work in the background, consuming traffic and battery power. On Xiaomi, this is especially noticeable due to aggressive optimization. MIUI, which does not always "freeze" the application correctly.

🛑 Disabling Auto-Renewal:

Browsers (especially Chrome) are often updated in the background, which eats up traffic.

1. Go to Google Play. → ⋮ → Settings → Auto-update of applications.
2. Choose Not to Update Automatically.
3. For Mi Browser, turn off auto-update in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⋮ → Settings → Downloading by car over Wi-Fi.

⚡ Limitation of background activity:

V MIUI there is a hidden function that allows you to completely block the background work of applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select a browser and tap the battery.
3. Activate the option to limit background activity.
4. In the AutoRun section, disable the AutoRun permission.

📶 Blocking access to mobile data:

If the browser “eats” traffic in the background, limit its access to the mobile Internet:

Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Transfer of data → Choice of applications → Find the browser and turn off the switch.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g, POCO F5 or Redmi K60) After limiting background activity, notifications from the browser (for example, about new messages in the WhatsApp Web) may stop coming. If this is critical, add the browser to the exceptions of the battery optimizer.

Additional tips for Xiaomi users

🔹 Use the Guest Mode in Chrome.

If you often give the phone to other people, turn on guest mode: ⋮ → Settings → Managing other users → Guest: This mode does not save history and cookies.

🔹 Set up automatic cleaning in Mi Browser.

Branded browser Xiaomi can independently delete the cache when closing:

⋮ → Settings → Confidentiality → Clear data when exiting.

🔹 Check the extensions.

If you use Chrome or Firefox with extensions (like ad blockers), they can also slow down. ⋮ → Additional tools → Expansion.

🔹 Update your browser.

Outdated browser versions not only are slower, but they also contain vulnerabilities. Check the version's up-to-date on Google Play or Settings → The phone. → System Update (for Mi Browser).

🔹 Use lightweight browsers.

If your Xiaomi is weak (like Redmi) 9A or POCO C31), Try alternative browsers:

• 🚀 Brave Browser – Blocks Ads and Trackers Out of the Box".
• ⚡ Opera Mini – compresses traffic, saving up to 50% of data.
• 🛡️ DuckDuckGo – Focuses on privacy.

Turn on the browser mode "Light" or "Saving traffic." In Chrome, this is done through ⋮ → Settings → Light mode. In the Redmi Note 10, it speeded up page loading by 40%.-->

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the browser on Xiaomi