How to permanently remove Zen from Yandex Browser on Xiaomi Redmi: 5 working methods

Yandex Zen’s blog post often annoys Xiaomi Redmi users with aggressive advertising, intrusive recommendations and traffic consumption. Despite being marketed as a “personalized news feed,” many consider it a useless ballast that slows down page loading and eats up to 15% of battery life in the background, a particularly pressing problem for owners of budget models Redmi Note 12/13 or POCO X5, where every megabyte of RAM counts.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to remove Zen from Yandex Browser on Xiaomi phones with MIUI 14/15 shell. We will look at both the standard application settings and hidden methods for those who have an inactive button. All instructions are adapted to the latest versions of the browser (23.7+), where Yandex has complicated the process of disabling the service.

Important: Some methods require superuser rights (root) or ADB. If you are not ready for such manipulation, focus on the first three methods that work without additional tools.

1. disable Zen through browser settings (without root)

The easiest way to hide the Zen feed is to use the built-in Yandex Browser options, which is suitable for most Redmi users and does not require technical skills. However, note: Yandex periodically changes the location of menu items, so the interface may be slightly different.

To remove Zen from the main page:

1. Open Yandex Browser and tap the icon "Three dots»** (⋮) lower-right.
2. Select the Settings item → Main page.
3. Scroll down to the Zen Ribbon block and move the slider to the "Off" position.
4. Confirm the action by clicking Save in the upper right corner.

If the tape still appears after these manipulations, try the additional steps:

• 🔄 Clear the browser cache: go to Settings → Clear the data → Cash and confirm removal.
• 📱 Restart your phone – sometimes changes only apply after a reboot.
• 🔧 Update your browser to the latest version via Google Play (if available).

Clear the browser cache

Reboot the phone

Check out the Yandex Browser version

Disable notifications from Zen

Make a backup copy of bookmarks-->

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (Like Redmi. 10C With the global version, the Zen Tape may not be in the settings. In this case, move on to the next method.

2. reset Yandex Browser to factory settings

If the standard shutdown didn’t work, resetting your browser to a “clean” state will help, which deletes all personal data (history, passwords, bookmarks), but is guaranteed to remove the obtrusive Zen tape. We recommend pre-exporting important data through the Bookmarks menu → Exports.

Resetting instructions:

1. Open Android Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Yandex Browser in the list and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse → Clear Data (not to be confused with Clear Cache!).
4. Confirm the action by pressing OK in the dialog box.
5. Start the browser again and perform the initial setting, refusing to synchronize with the Yandex account.

After resetting, the browser’s home page will become empty or display a standard search engine without Zen tape. If the problem persists, then the service is integrated at the firmware level (relevant to some regional versions of MIUI).

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To avoid data loss, log in to Yandex Browser via your Google or Yandex account before resetting and synchronize your bookmarks. After reset, they can be restored.

3. Zen removal via ADB (without root but with PC)

For advanced users who are ready to connect Xiaomi Redmi to a computer, there is a method to disable Zen via Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This method does not require superuser rights, but requires installing drivers and minimal command line knowledge.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux and established ADB.
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original from Xiaomi).
• 🔧 Included debugging by USB on the phone (path: Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap according to the version → return to → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Redmi to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer on your phone screen.
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type: adb devices Make sure your device appears in the list.
3. Run the command to disable Zen: adb shell pm hide com.yandex.browser:.zen If the command doesn't work, try an alternative: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yandex.browser.zen
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI (For example, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G) Yandex Browser can restore Zen after the update, in which case the procedure will have to be repeated or use root-right methods.

4. Zen lock through the host file (requires root)

If your Xiaomi Redmi has root rights, you can block Zen access to the Internet by editing the hosts system file. This method completely cuts off the service, but requires caution - incorrect changes can disrupt the work of other applications.

Instructions:

1. Install any file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/hosts and open the file in the text editor.
3. Add the following lines to the end of the file: 127.0.0.1 zen.yandex.ru 127.0.0.1 mc.yandex.ru 127.0.0.1 mobile.yandex.ru
4. Save the changes and restart the phone.

After that, the Zen feed will stop loading, as all requests to Yandex servers will be redirected to the local host, which also blocks some of the ads in the browser.

An alternative option for non-root users is to use applications like Blokada or AdGuard that can block Zen domains at the VPN level, but the effectiveness of this approach is lower, since Yandex periodically changes server addresses.

5. Removal of Yandex Browser completely (radical method)

If all previous methods failed, the most dramatic step is to completely remove Yandex Browser from your phone. On most Xiaomi Redmi devices, the browser is a system application, so simple deletion through the Apps menu is not available.

Methods of uninstallation:

• 📦 Through ADB (without root: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yandex.browser After this command, the browser will disappear from the menu, but its files will remain in the system.
• 🔧 With Titanium Backup (requires root): Open the application, find Yandex Browser in the list and select Delete.
• 📱 Disconnecting via Settings (for some versions) MIUI): Go to Settings. → Annexes → Yandex Browser → Shut down.

⚠️ Note: On devices with Yandex Browser preinstalled (for example, Redmi for the Russian market), its removal may lead to malfunctions. MIUI, Since some system functions depend on the components of the browser, in this case it is better to use alternative browsers (Chrome, Firefox) and simply ignore Yandex Browser.

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Before you uninstall system applications, always back up via TWRP or MIUI Backup to help restore the phone to work in the event of a crash.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

To make it easier for you to determine, we have collected the key features of each method in the table:

For most Xiaomi Redmi users, the best solution is a combination of the first and second method (disabling in settings + data reset). If you are ready for experiments, try ADB, this will give a more durable result. Root methods are left for last resort, as they require technical skills and carry risks.

Frequently asked questions