How to remove pre-installed apps on Xiaomi Redmi 6A

Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 6A often face a shortage of internal memory due to the large amount of embedded software.Manufacturers add a lot of services that users may never use, but they take up precious space and consume CPU resources. The process of cleaning the device from digital debris requires care, as removing critical system components can lead to unstable work of the gadget.

In this article, we will look at safe ways to free up space on Redmi 6A, using both standard Android settings and more advanced tools like ADB. You will learn which programs can be removed without risk to the system, and which are better to simply disable. A competent approach to managing applications will significantly speed up your device and increase battery life.

Before you start taking action, you need to understand the difference between user and system applications. Standard operating system tools can only remove what you downloaded or installed Google Play. Deep system settings require a connection to your computer, but the result is worth it – you get a clean system that works solely for your needs.

Space analysis and preparation

The first step to optimizing the Xiaomi Redmi 6A is to carefully analyze what exactly occupies space in the internal memory. Don’t blindly delete everything, as this can lead to errors in the MIUI. Go to the settings and examine the list of all installed programs by size, which will help to identify hidden reserves of free space, which you may not have known.

And look at apps that you haven't installed yourself, often Google services, analytics modules, or pre-installed games, some of which can be removed immediately, others require a procedure, and it's important to keep the phone stable, so we'll be stepping up.

Before you start manipulating, make sure to back up important data. Although the methods described are safe, human error or accidental failure can lead to loss of information.

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications to view the full list.
• 💾 Pay attention to the Memory item in each app to see the real weight.
• 🔍 Look for apps with names that contain “Analytics,” “Ads,” or “Feedback,” which are often redundant.

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Deleting the cache of large applications can free up to 500 MB of space without losing the functionality of the program.

Standard removal through MIUI settings

The easiest and safest way to clean the Redmi 6A is to use the built-in shell functionality, which does not require a PC connection and is suitable for removing custom applications and some system components that the manufacturer has authorized to be removed.

Find an unnecessary application in the list, click on it and select the "Delete" button. If the button is active (not grey), then the system can safely be cleared of this component. If only the "Stop" or "Disable" option is available, then the application is part of the kernel of the system or a critical service.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to remove system applications through third-party root-free cleaners if they require suspicious permissions.

For some applications, like Google Maps or YouTube, the system will only offer removal of updates.This will return the program to the factory version, which will also free up some megabytes, but will not remove the application completely.

Connecting debugging over USB and installing drivers

To remove hidden system applications on the Xiaomi Redmi 6A, we will need access through the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) debugging interface, a powerful tool that allows the computer to give commands to the smartphone at a deep level, without activating this mode, further action is impossible.

First, you need to activate the developer menu. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times in a row on the item "Version" MIUI". After that, a new section "Additional" or "Extended settings" will appear in the settings menu, where you need to find "For developers".

Inside the developer menu, find the USB Debugging switch and activate it. The phone will warn you of the risks, agree. Now, when you connect the cable to your computer, you'll see a request for debugging permission on your smartphone screen, be sure to tick Always Allow and click OK.

Make sure the computer has the right drivers installed. If the Windows Device Manager displays your smartphone as an "Unknown Device" or "ADB Interface" with an exclamation mark, download the universal Google USB Driver or Xiaomi-specific drivers.

Removing System Applications Through ADB

Once you have successfully configured the connection, you can proceed to direct deletion. Open the command line or terminal on your computer in the folder with ADB installed. Enter the command adb devices — if you see the serial number of your Redmi 6A with the status of "device", then the connection is established successfully.

To remove the application, the command adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 <package name> is used. It is important to know the exact name of the package, which often differs from the name seen on the menu. For example, YouTube can be called com.google.android.youtube, and the theme store is com.miui.market.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.bips

This method removes the app only for the current user (user 0) without affecting the system partition, which means you can reset it back to factory settings if something goes wrong.

• 🚀 The command removes the application instantly, without the need to restart.
• 🔄 To return the remote, use the command adb shell cmd package install-existing <packet>.
• ⚠️ Be careful with packages that contain “framework”, “systemui” or “phone".

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Use ADB AppControl for Windows if you're afraid of making mistakes in commands. It has a graphical interface and tells you which apps are safe to remove.

List of safe to remove Xiaomi apps

Redmi 6A owners often ask what can be removed without consequences, there is a list of applications that do not affect the basic functionality of calls, SMS and Internet access, and removing them makes the system easier and cleaner.

Safe to remove include various advertising services, analytics and duplicate Google applications. For example, if you use a third-party launcher, you can remove the standard MIUI launcher, although this requires caution, and you can also get rid of pre-installed games and demo versions.

⚠️ Note: Deleting the system application "Security" (Security) may lead to the inability to manage permissions and clean up memory with regular means MIUI.

Below is a table of examples of packages that users often delete for optimization.Before removing any package, make sure it is not used daily.

Remember that removing Google Play (GMS) services will render most modern applications, including bank clients and navigators, inoperable.

Recovery of the system after errors

If after removing the system components, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A started to work incorrectly, persistent errors or the interface disappeared, do not panic. Since we used the deletion method for the current user, the data is not physically erased from the system partition, but simply hidden.

The easiest way to get it back to normal is to reset it to factory settings, which will delete all your personal data, photos and contacts, so having a backup is critical. Once reset, the phone will go back out of the box with all the remote apps.

If you don’t want to do a full reset, you can try recovering specific packets through ADB if the phone is at least partially responsive to commands. Use the adb shell cmd package install-existing command <name packet> for each remote component that caused the problems.

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The ADB method is not irreversible, and Factory Reset completely restores remote system applications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)