How to Make Chrome the Main Browser on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Modern users of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco often face intrusive behavior of the proprietary shell MIUI or HyperOS. The default system offers to use your own browser Mi Browser or MIUI Browser, which may not suit you because of the abundance of advertising, news feed or synchronization features. Many prefer time-tested and stable Google Chrome, but after installation it does not always automatically become the main tool for opening links.

This is not a bug, but a feature of the Android architecture combined with customization from the manufacturer. The operating system requires the user to explicitly specify preferences for certain types of actions. In this article, we will examine all the nuances of how to force and finally make Chrome the default browser, you will learn where to look for hidden settings, how to circumvent the system limitations and what to do if the settings “fly” after a reboot.

The setup process takes only a few minutes, but knowing the exact paths in the Settings menu will save you time and nerves. We'll look at the methods for different firmware versions, as the locations of the items may vary slightly, get ready to take full control of your device and forget about unwanted transitions to embedded applications.

Why Change Your Default Browser to Android

Choosing the primary surfing tool often seems secondary until you face the limitations of standard software. Xiaomi’s built-in browsers are often optimized for background and battery saving, but they can aggressively “sleep” tabs, which makes the page reboot when you return to the app. Google Chrome in this regard provides more predictable memory work and better synchronization with the desktop version.

And many people value Google's ecosystem, and if you use Chrome on your computer, automatically saving passwords, history, and tabs on your phone becomes critical, and assigning it to your primary browser means that any link opened from Telegram, Viber, or WhatsApp will instantly run in the user interface without any questions or choices.

Another important aspect is security and speed of updates. While system browsers update with firmware or through the app store with a delay, Chrome receives security patches directly from Google almost instantly, especially for protection against phishing and malicious scripts.

Preparation for installation and configuration

Before you start changing system settings, you need to make sure that the browser itself is installed correctly on the device. On Xiaomi smartphones with global firmware, Google Play is already preinstalled, but on the Chinese versions or in the case of removing system components, it may not be.

If the app is not available, you should download it. Use only official sources to avoid modified versions with malicious code embedded. Open the Google Play Market, type in "Chrome" and click the install button. Make sure you download the app from the developer Google LLC.

Once installed, take your time to change your system settings. Start your browser at least once. This is necessary to ensure that Android registers the application as active and ready to go. On the first run, Chrome may suggest becoming the default browser, at which point you can immediately agree, but often the MIUI system blocks this window with its choice.

It’s also worth updating the app to the latest version. Often bugs that interfere with the correct operation or default assignment are fixed in patches. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Chrome and check for updates through the built-in mechanism or store.

Instructions: Assigning Chrome to the browser by default

The most reliable way to get the system to use the browser you want is to write it in the general Android settings. The interface of MIUI and HyperOS may vary slightly visually, but the logic remains the same. You will need to find the section responsible for managing applications by default.

To start, go to the main settings menu of the phone. Scroll down to the App (or Apps and Notifications) item. This is where you manage all the software installed. In some firmware versions, the desired item may be called Application Management.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• 📱 Find the settings menu item of the Application and click on it.
• ⚙️ In the menu that opens, select Settings (usually in the upper right corner or as a gear) or look for the default App item.
• 🌐 Click on the browser line. The system will show a list of available browsers.
• ✅ Select from the Chrome list.

When you select Chrome, you'll have to check the box or it'll be blue. Now, when you click on any link in your messengers or notes, your phone will automatically open that browser. If the list is empty or Chrome isn't showing, try clearing the Settings app cache or restarting your device.

💡

If there is no “Browser” item in the “Default Apps” list, use the Settings search by entering the word “browser” or “default” in the search bar at the top.

Alternative method through the settings of Chrome itself

There is a faster path that Google Chrome itself offers, and it doesn’t work on all versions of MIUI because of its aggressive shell security policy, but it’s worth trying first, as it takes less time.

Open the Chrome app on your smartphone. Click on the three dots in the top right to open the main menu, and select Settings. In the options list, find the default App section (sometimes hidden in the submenu or called App Settings). If there is one, the system will redirect you to the desired Android menu to confirm the choice.

In some cases, Chrome may give a notification when you first start, “Use Chrome as the default browser?” Don’t ignore this window. Press Yes or Use by default. If you accidentally click No or close the window, you can reset this choice through the system settings as described in the previous section.

It is important to note that on newer versions of HyperOS, algorithms can block a direct shift without confirmation through the system security menu. So if the button in the browser itself is not active or leads nowhere, use the method through System Settings → Applications.

💡

Once Chrome is primary, open a link from any messenger. If the system asks "What to open?", select Chrome and click "Always" to pin the selection.

Problem Solving: If the settings are not saved

Xiaomi users often complain that even after setting up properly, the phone persists in opening links in the built-in MIUI browser.This is because the system application may have higher priorities or “hard” anchorages in the depth of the shell.

The first thing you need to do is reset the default settings for the old browser. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the MIUI Browser (or Mi Browser) list. Click on it and select Open by default. There will be a Reset button or Delete default settings. This will untie the system from the old application.

The second step is to check permissions. Make sure Chrome has all the necessary rights. In the same app menu, search for Chrome, go to Permissions and make sure that you allow windows to be opened on top of other apps (if required) and access to storage. Without basic rights, the system can block it as the primary tool.

⚠️ Note: Do not remove the system MIUI Browser via third-party utilities without root rights. This can lead to errors in the system, as some shell components refer to it. It is better to just turn it off in the application settings if this option is available.

The problem may also be in the system cache. Try clearing the Settings app cache. Go to Apps → All Apps → Settings → Memory → Clear the cache. This won't delete your personal data, but will update the system's configuration files.

Browser Comparison: Chrome vs MIUI Browser

To make sure you are sure of the correct choice, let’s compare the technical characteristics and features of Google Chrome and the standard MIUI Browser. Understanding the difference will help you better customize the device to your needs.

As you can see from the table, Chrome benefits in terms of ecosystem and clean interface. MIUI Browser is focused on consuming content inside the shell, offering news and videos on the homepage, which is not convenient for everyone. However, it can be useful for fast file loading thanks to the built-in bootloader with acceleration.

However, for the main job, especially if you use Google services (Docs, Drive, Gmail), choosing Chrome is the most logical.It provides a single habitat where your passwords, history and bookmarks are always at hand.

Optimizing Chrome on Xiaomi

Once you’ve made Chrome the primary browser, it’s recommended that you do a little optimization to make it work as fast as possible and not waste battery life. MIUI is known for its aggressive energy saving that can “kill” the browser’s background processes.

Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Chrome. Find Battery (or Energy Consumption) Select Unlimited Mode. This will prevent the system from forcibly closing the browser when you switch to other tasks, allowing pages to load in the background and be ready to view when you return.

It's also worth turning on page load acceleration, and in the settings of Chrome itself (Settings → Traffic Saving), you can activate the corresponding feature, which is especially useful when using mobile Internet, although the effect is less noticeable when connecting to Wi-Fi.

⚠️ Note: When you turn on the “No Limits” mode for the battery, make sure that the browser does not open too many heavy tabs at the same time, this can lead to heating of the device when actively navigating.

Remember to periodically clear your browser cache if you notice a slowdown. In Chrome, this is done through Settings → Privacy and Security → Clear History. Choose the All-Time period and check only against Images and other files saved in cache to avoid losing logins and passwords.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)