How to Remove Unnecessary Apps on Xiaomi: 5 Ways to Work

Xiaomi smartphones out of the box come with dozens of pre-installed apps, many of which users never run. From Mi Browser to Mi Pay, these programs take up precious memory space, consume battery power in the background and can even collect data about your activity without explicit consent. Unlike devices on pure Android, where most system applications can be disabled, MIUI firmware actively resists attempts to clean the system.

In this article, you will find 5 proven methods to remove unnecessary applications, from standard MIUI tools to advanced techniques using ADB and root rights. We will analyze which programs can be safely uninstalled and which should not be touched so as not to disrupt the system. We will focus on hidden traps: why some applications return after an update, how to avoid errors when removing system APKs, and what to do if Google Services or Mi Account stop working after cleaning.

Why you can’t just delete apps through the “Delete” menu

MIUI has a built-in program removal feature (Settings → Applications → Delete), but it only works with custom applications installed from Google Play or.apk files. Xiaomi system applications are either missing from this menu or marked as “cannot be removed.”

• 🔒 Protecting against inexperienced users: Removing critical components (e.g. com.android.phone) can render the phone inoperable.
• 📊 Monetization through affiliate services. Apps like Mi Browser or Mi Video show ads that generate revenue for the company.
• 🔄 Automatic recovery. APK-Files are protected by Odex and are restored after a reboot or update MIUI.

Even if you managed to remove the system application through standard settings, there is a high risk that it will return after another firmware update. For example, users of the Redmi Note 10 Pro complain that Mi Music and Mi Community reappear after installing monthly security patches, and more radical methods will be needed to get rid of them forever.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi applications (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter) are responsible for antivirus and access permissions, and their removal may result in security vulnerabilities or inability to install new programs.

Method 1: Disabling applications without deleting (safe method)

If you're not willing to risk system stability, start by disabling unnecessary programs. This method doesn't free up memory, but stops background processes and notifications.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app from the list (such as Mi Browser).
3. Click Disable (if the button is inactive, the application is critical to the system).
4. Confirm the action in the window that appears.

The apps that are disabled will disappear from the menu, they will stop updating and consuming resources, but they will remain in the device's memory and take up space, and to bring them back, you just need to search Google Play and click "Enable".

Mi Browser|Mi Video|Mi Music|Mi Community|Mi Pay|Themes|Game Turbo (if you don't play)|Mi Remote (if you do not use an IR port)-->

On some models (such as the POCO F3 or Xiaomi 12T), disabling Mi Video can lead to gallery errors when watching videos, in which case it is better to use backup deletion methods.

Method 2: Removal via ADB (no root rights)

The ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tool allows you to remove system applications without obtaining root rights.This method works on all Xiaomi devices with an unlocked bootloader and USB debugging enabled. Advantage: once removed, applications will not recover after rebooting (but can return after the MIUI update).

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 📱 USB-Type-C Cable (original to avoid connection issues).
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB (You can download from the official website of Android Developers).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the developer mode on your phone: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and press 7 times in a row.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect the phone to your computer and select File Transfer mode.
4. Open the command prompt (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices

(Your device name should appear. If not, check the drivers.)

adb shell


pm list packages | grep'miui'

(This team will list all of Xiaomi’s system packages.)

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.browser

(Replace com.miui.browser with the name of the application package you want to remove.)

💡

Before mass deletion, back up the packet list with the adb shell pm list packages > packages.txt command. This will help restore deleted programs if something goes wrong.

A list of popular Xiaomi packages that can be removed via ADB:

⚠️ Note: Do not delete packages with the names com.android, com.google or com.qualcomm – this can lead to loss of functionality (for example, the mobile network will disappear or the camera will stop working).

Mi Browser|Mi Video|Mi Music|Mi Community|Themes|Other-->

Method 3: Removal with root rights (for power users)

If you have Magisk or another root rights manager installed on your device, you can delete system applications directly through a file manager (such as Root Explorer or FX File Manager), which gives you maximum control, but requires caution: an error can lead to a “brick” (inoperability) of the phone.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root rights support (e.g. Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/app or /system/priv-app (there are stored system applications).
3. Find a folder with the name of the application you are removing (for example, Browser for Mi Browser).
4. Rename the folder by adding.bak at the end (e.g. Browser.bak).
5. Rename files inside the folder (e.g. Browser.apk → Browser.apk.bak).
6. Reset the device.

The advantage of this method is that applications will not recover after the MIUI update unless they are completely flashed.

• 🔧 System Integrity Violation: Some applications depend on each other (e.g. Mi Account linked to Security Center).
• 🔄 Problems with OTA-After the system is removed APK It may be impossible to update by air".
• 🛡️ Reset protection: On some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro), removing com.miui.guardprovider disables antivirus protection.

Method 4: Using third-party utilities (e.g., Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools)

For users who don’t want to manually type ADB commands, there are specialized utilities, one of the most popular is Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools (Szaki developer>). It pre-compiled lists of secure applications for uninstallation and allows you to uninstall them in one click.

How to use:

1. Download the utility from GitHub (check the relevance of the version!).
2. Connect the phone to your computer and allow debugging over USB.
3. Launch XiaomiADBFastbootTools.exe.
4. Select your device model from the list (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G).
5. In the Uninstall section, tick off unnecessary applications.
6. Press Uninstall Selected and wait for the process to be completed.

The advantages of the utility:

• 🎯 Pre-filtering: The program automatically hides critical system packets.
• 🔄 Recovery. There's a retrieval feature for remote applications.
• 📋 Logistics. All actions are logged, which helps you track errors.

Disadvantages:

• 🖥️ Windows (no official version of the system) macOS/Linux).
• 🔒 Not all models are supported (for example, for Xiaomi 14 Ultra there may not be an up-to-date list of packages).

💡

Use Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools only if you are sure of the source of the download. Unofficial builds may contain malicious code, especially if downloaded from third sites.

Method 5: Flashing with a clean version of MIUI (for advanced)

If you want to get rid of all pre-installed applications once and for all, consider reflashing to a custom version of MIUI (for example, MIUI EU or MIUI Pro), which are devoid of most unnecessary software and optimized for the European market (without Chinese services).

What you'll need:

• 📱 Unlocked bootloader (Bootloader).
• 🖥️ The Mi Flash Tool or TWRP Recovery.
• 📁 Firmware MIUI EU (You can download it on the forum XDA Developers or miui.eu).

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Mi Unlock Tool (requires a binding Mi Account and wait 7-15 days).
2. Download the firmware. MIUI EU for your model (for example, ingres_global_images_V14.0.4.0.TMOMIXM_13.0 Xiaomi 12).
3. Download your phone to Fastboot (press Power + Vol−).
4. Connect to your computer and run the firmware through the Mi Flash Tool (select the clean all option).
5. After restarting, perform the initial setup.

Advantages of clean firmware:

• 🧹 No unnecessary applications (only basic Google Services and MIUI Launcher).
• 🔋 Improved autonomy (background processes reduced).
• 📱 Support OTA-Updates (can be updated without loss of data).

⚠️ Attention: Re-flashing on custom MIUI This could lead to loss of warranty and Widevine issues. L1 (The quality of streaming on Netflix or Disney will decrease+ before 480p). Before the procedure, make a backup of the data via Mi Cloud or TWRP.

What to do if apps return after an update

One of the most common problems is that remote applications reappear after installing the MIUI update, which is because the firmware contains a full set of system APKs that are restored when you update.

• 🔄 Turn off automatic updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⚙️ → Auto-update.
• 📥 Install updates manually by pre-removing unnecessary packages through ADB.
• 🛡️ Use a Magisk module like Universal SafetyNet Fix or MIUI Bloater Remover that blocks the recovery of remote applications.
• 🔧 Switch custom firmware (such as LineageOS) where there is no forced recovery mechanism.

For example, users of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ complain that after upgrading to MIUI 14, the Mi Browser and Mi Community return.

1. Delete packets through ADB.
2. Installation of the MIUI Debloater module in Magisk.
3. Disable the service com.miui.systemAdSolution, which is responsible for restoring applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing apps on Xiaomi