How to completely remove Zen from Yandex Browser on Xiaomi phone: all working methods

Yandex Zen tape in the browser of the same name often annoys Xiaomi users with intrusive advertising, unnecessary recommendations and traffic consumption. While the service is billed as a “personalized tape,” many want to turn it off completely without the ability to restore it — especially on smartphones with limited resources (Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 The problem is complicated by the fact that in MIUI Standard browser settings are sometimes hidden or work incorrectly due to shell customization.

In this article, we will discuss how Zen can be removed from the Yandex Browser on Xiaomi Android devices, including radical methods for advanced users, as well as system tricks for those who have an inactive button, all instructions tested on MIUI 12-14 and Android 11-14.

Why is Zen not removed in the standard way on Xiaomi?

On Xiaomi smartphones (especially with the pre-installed Yandex Browser), users face two key problems:

• 🔹 Grey buttons in settings: The “Delete Zen” option may be blocked due to an agreement with Yandex to pre-install services.
• 🔄 Automatic Recovery: After updating your browser or resetting your settings, the Zen tape returns.
• 📱 Limitations MIUI: Xiaomi’s shell blocks system applications from changing without root rights.

The reason lies in the partnership agreement between Xiaomi and Yandex: on some models (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO M3), the browser comes as a system application with removal protection. Even if you turn off Zen through the menu, after a reboot, it may appear again due to the background processes of com.yandex.browser.

Method 1: Disconnect Zen through the settings of Yandex Browser

The easiest method is to use the built-in browser options, which is suitable for most Xiaomi users if the buttons are active:

1. Open Yandex Browser and tap the icon "Three dots»** (⋮) lower-right.
2. Select Settings → Main page.
3. Find the Zen Tape section** and move the slider to the “Off” position.

If the Remove button** is inactive (grey), try:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone and repeat the steps.
• 📋 Update your browser to the latest version via Google Play.
• 🚫 Clear the browser cache in Settings → Annexes → Yandex Browser → Memory.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (For example, for Redmi Note 8 Pro, after disabling Zen, a blank page may remain with a suggestion to turn the tape back on, in which case only completely removing the browser will help (see Method 4).

Method 2: Resetting the settings of Yandex Browser to factory

If Zen continues to appear after the shutdown, try resetting your browser settings. This will delete all personal data (bookmarks, history), but often solves the problem with the obsessive tape:

1. Go to Phone Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Yandex Browser and select Memory.
3. Tap “Erase Data” and confirm the action.
4. Run the browser again and set up the home page without Zen.

After discharge:

• 🔍 Zen tape should disappear, but may return after syncing with Yandex account.
• 📌 To prevent recovery, do not log in to your account when you first start up.

Method 3: Zen removal via ADB (without root rights)

If the standard methods don’t work and you don’t have root rights, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for Xiaomi on Android 11-14 and does not require unlocking the bootloader.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap according to the version → return to additional settings → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and run a cmd (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
3. Run the command to remove Zen: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yandex.zen
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (For example, Redmi Note 11 s MIUI 13) The team can return the error DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR. In this case, try an alternative command: adb shell pm hide com.yandex.zen It will not remove Zen completely, but hides it from the system.

Method 4: Complete removal of Yandex Browser (for advanced)

If you are ready to get rid of Yandex Browser completely (together with Zen), there are two ways:

Option A: Through application settings (without root)

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. POCO F3), the browser can be removed as a regular app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Yandex Browser and tap “Delete”** (if the button is active).
3. Confirm the uninstallation.

Option B: Using root rights or Magisk

System applications will require:

1. Unlock the bootloader on Xiaomi (instruction: official website).
2. Install Magisk or get root access.
3. Use a root-righted file manager (e.g., Root Explorer) and delete files: /system/priv-app/YandexBrowser/ /data/app/com.yandex.browser-*/

After removal:

• 🆕 Install an alternative browser (Chrome, Firefox, Brave).
• 🔒 Block the installation of Yandex Browser through Settings → Annexes → Special access → Installation of unknown applications.

💡

Before removing system applications, back up via TWRP or Titanum Backup, which will help restore the browser if you experience problems with other services (such as Mi Account).

Method 5: Block Zen through a host file (for experienced)

If you can't remove Zen, you can block it from accessing the Internet by editing the hosts file, which works without root, but requires ADB:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and start the ADB.
2. Download the current hosts file: adb pull /system/etc/hosts
3. Open the file in the notebook and add the lines: 127.0.0.1 zen.yandex.ru 127.0.0.1 mc.yandex.ru
4. Save the file and download back: adb push hosts /system/etc/ adb shell chmod 644 /system/etc/hosts
5. Reboot the phone.

This method does not remove Zen, but blocks the loading of its content. The tape will be empty or show a connection error.

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 If the adb push command returns the Read-only file system error, use the alternative: adb shell "echo '127.0.0.1 zen.yandex.ru' >> /system/etc/hosts" Or install the Hosts Editor app from Google Play (requires root).

What if Zen returned after the update?

Even after successful removal, Yandex Zen may reappear after:

• 🔄 Browser updates via Google Play.
• 📲 Firmware updates MIUI.
• 🔧 Resetting the phone to factory settings.

To prevent return:

1. Turn off automatic browser update: Settings → Annexes → Yandex Browser → Three points (⋮) → Auto-update → Shut down.
2. Freeze the app with the App Quarantine (from Google Play) or Lucky Patcher (requires root).
3. Set an alternative browser by default: Settings → Applications → Default Apps → Browser

If Zen is back after the MIUI update, repeat the steps from Method 3 (ADB) or Method 4 (delete).

💡

The most reliable way to prevent Zen from returning is to completely remove the Yandex Browser and install another (Chrome, Firefox) that eliminates background processes that restore the tape.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing Zen on Xiaomi