How to permanently remove ads in the Xiaomi browser: from mibanners to pop-ups

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often face aggressive ads in the standard Mi Browser browser, from banners at the bottom of the screen to pop-ups when opening new tabs. The manufacturer integrates ad modules at the MIUI firmware level, making it difficult to remove them completely. However, there are legal and illegal ways to minimize or completely remove ads without resorting to root.

The problem is compounded by the fact that even after personalized ads are turned off in Mi Account settings, banners continue to appear, which is because Xiaomi uses several monetization channels: its own MSA (Miui System Ads), partner integrations with Google AdMob, and direct agreements with advertisers. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of combating, from standard settings to radical solutions for advanced users.

It’s worth noting that Xiaomi periodically updates its ad-show mechanisms, so some ways may stop working after major MIUI updates. For example, MIUI 14 removed a separate switch to disable ads in the browser that was present in MIUI 12, which means that there is no universal solution — you have to combine several approaches.

1. Disabling Advertising through Mi Browser Settings

The most obvious and safe way is to use the built-in browser options, and even though Xiaomi hides some settings, some of the settings are still available.

Open the Mi Browser and go to the ⋮ (Menus) → Settings → In addition, you're interested in two key points here:

• 🔘 Recommended Content – Disables banners with news and promotions on the homepage.
• 🔘 Personalized recommendations – reduces the amount of targeted advertising (but does not completely remove it).

Also check Settings → Privacy and deactivate the “Show Recommended Content” option, which will reduce the frequency of ad units, but does not guarantee their complete disappearance.

⚠️ Note: After disabling these settings, the ads may not disappear immediately, but after 12-24 hours.

Delete "Recommended Content"|Deactivate “Personalized recommendations"|Check the section "Confidentiality"|Restart your browser after the changes-->

2. Use of alternative browsers

If standard settings don’t help, the most reliable solution is to install a third-party browser. Xiaomi can’t control the display of ads in third-party apps, so this is the only way to get rid of banners.

Recommended browsers without advertising:

• 🦊 Mozilla Firefox – open source, support for extensions (e.g. uBlock Origin).
• 🛡️ Brave Browser – Blocks Ads and Trackers by Default.
• 🌐 Kiwi Browser – Chromium-based, supports extensions from Chrome Web Store.
• 🔍 DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser – Focus on Privacy, Blocks Most Trackers.

After installing an alternative browser, make it the default application:

1. Go to Phone Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Browser and click "Open by Default".
3. Select "Clear the default settings."
4. When you next open the link, select a new browser and confirm the choice.

Mi Browser (standard)|Google Chrome|Mozilla Firefox|Brave Browser|Other-->

3. Blocking Advertising through DNS

Change of change DNS-And in the case of servers on the phone, you can filter ad domains before they're loaded, and this works at the system level, and it blocks ads not only in the browser, but also in other applications.

Instructions for setting:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Private DNS.
2. Select "Host Name of Private DNS Provider".
3. Enter one of the addresses: dns.adguard.com – filters ads and trackers (AdGuard DNS). family.adguard-dns.com – blocks ads + adult content. doh.centraleu.pi-dns.com – an alternative option with open source.

Save the settings and restart the phone.

To check your health, open your browser and go to the AdGuard DNS Test site. If the lock works, you will see green checkmarks opposite the blocked domains.

⚠️ Note: Some banking applications and services (e.g. SberBank Online or Tinkoff) may block access when using third-party services DNS. In this case, temporarily return the standard settings.

4.Remove Mi Browser via ADB (no root)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, you can disable (but not remove completely) the Mi Browser using ADB (Android Debug Bridge).This doesn't require superuser rights, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About the phone. Press 7 times on "Version." MIUI", Notice: “You have become a developer!".

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

ADB Tools

cmd

adb devices

Make sure the device is identified (should appear its serial number).

Mi Browser

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser

Redmi/POCO may require an alternative package:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.browser

After completing the command, the browser icon will disappear from the application menu, and all links will open in the default browser. To return the Mi Browser, use the command:

adb shell pm enable com.android.browser

5. Set up the hosts file (requires root)

For users with unlocked bootloader and root rights, the most effective method available is editing the hosts file, which is responsible for matching domain names with the hosts file. IP-Adding advertising domains to it will allow you to block them at the system level.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/hosts and back up the original file.
3. Open the edit file and add the following lines at the end (blocking the main Xiaomi ad domains): 127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com 127.0.0.1 track.miui.com 127.0.0.1 api.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 api.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 globalapi.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com
4. Save the changes, set the rights to 644 (rw-r--r---) and restart the phone.

To automate the process, you can use ready-made hosts files from the community, for example, from the StevenBlack/hosts project, which contain the blocking of thousands of advertising and tracking domains.

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing of the hosts file can lead to loss of Internet access. Always back up before changes! MIUI The file can be reset to a standard.

💡

If some sites stopped opening after editing hosts, check the file for duplicate entries or syntax errors. Each line should end with a line translation (without spaces).

6. Reset browser settings and MIUI

If the ad appears even after all the manipulations, the problem may lie in cached data or misplaced MIUI settings.

Option 1: Resetting the Mi Browser settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Browser and select "Storage".
3. Click on "Clear Cache" and "Clear Data".
4. Reboot the phone.

Option 2: Resetting advertising identifiers

1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising.
2. Click "Reset Advertising ID".
3. Turn off the option of "Personalized Advertising".

This will reduce the amount of advertising by 80-90%, but it will not eliminate it completely.