How to uninstall the application on Xiaomi Redmi: from standard to system

Redmi and Xiaomi smartphones are famous for their functionality, but often come with excessive amounts of pre-installed software. Users face the need to make room or simply remove unnecessary icons that interfere with navigation. The standard removal procedure is simple, but the system limitations of the MIUI or HyperOS shell sometimes hide the delete button, making the task unobvious to the beginner.

In this article, we will discuss all the methods of cleaning the memory of your device, from the banal drag and drop icons to the use of advanced tools like Android Debug Bridge. You will learn how to safely remove Chinese services that can slow down the smartphone in the global version of firmware, and which applications should not be touched.

Before we start taking drastic measures, it is important to understand the difference between user and system processes. Incorrect removal of critical components can lead to bootloop (cyclic reboot) or inoperability of basic phone functions. We will look at secure action algorithms for different versions of the operating system.

Basic methods of removing user programs

The easiest way to get rid of unnecessary software is to use a standard desktop interface, which is suitable for all applications that you installed yourself from Google Play or Mi GetApps, as well as for some pre-installed programs that the manufacturer allowed to be removed.

To start, find the icon on the home screen. Press it and hold your finger for one to two seconds. Once the icon shakes or a pop-up menu appears without letting your finger go, drag it to the top of the screen where the basket icon or the "Delete" sign appears.

The second option is available through the menu of all applications. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or press the button "Menu" if three-button navigation is enabled), find the desired program, press it and select "Delete." The system will request confirmation - click "OK".

• 🗑️ Desktop Removal is suitable for quick cleaning of frequently used programs.
• 📂 Through the menu "All applications" it is more convenient to delete software, whose icons are removed in folders.
• ⚙️ If there is no delete button, then the program has the status of a system and requires other methods.

Note that once you delete the application data, it is permanently erased, and if you plan to use the program in the future, it is better to simply move it to the Tools folder or hide it using the Hide the applications function in the security settings.

Removal through system settings

If the application icon is removed from the desktop, but the program continues to hang in memory, or if the delete button is inactive in the menu, you need to go to the deep system settings, here you get full control of the installed software.

Go to the Settings menu, scroll down to the App section, and select All Apps. In the list that opens, find the unwanted program. When you click on it, a page will open with information that will have the Delete button at the bottom of the screen.

⚠️ Note: If the Remove button is grey or missing, it means that the application has system-level rights. ADB or the rights of the superuser (Root).

The same menu also has a Cleanup feature, which you can click on, and you can erase the cache and data from the programs, which often solves the problem of freezes, even if it's not yet possible to completely delete, and it's useful for heavy-duty applications like social media, which eventually become overgrown with gigabytes of garbage.

And there's also a size sorting in the app menu, which is a great way to quickly find the programs that take up the most space, and it often turns out that one forgotten video editor or game takes up more space than dozens of system utilities.

Cleaning up Chinese software and advertising

Owners of global versions of Xiaomi smartphones often encounter remnants of Chinese services that may come with updates or be sewn into a particular model. Apps such as Mi Video (Chinese version), Mi Music, GetApps (if not in use), or various gaming launchers may not be removed in the standard way.

There's a built-in, but hidden mechanism to fight them. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select Hide System Processes (or Show System Processes if you want to see the hidden one). If the tick is ticked, uncheck it to see the full list.

But even when you see a process, you may not be able to remove it, and this is where you get help from uninstallers that don't have Root rights, using debugging permissions, like System App Remover or NoBloat.

• 🇨🇳 Remove only those applications whose purpose you fully understand.
• 📉 Cleaning from Chinese software often improves battery autonomy.
• 🔄 After removing system components, automatic updates can bring them back.

Pay special attention to applications called MSA (MIUI System Ads), which are responsible for displaying ads in standard applications, and removing or disabling them is the first step to comfortable using a smartphone without intrusive banners.

Using ADB for Advanced Removal

The most efficient and secure way to remove any system applications is to use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool, which does not require Root rights, which preserves the guarantee for the device and operation of banking applications.

To get started, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7-10 times on the MIUI Version (or OS Version) until the message “You are a developer” appears.

Then, in the Additional → For developers menu, turn on the USB Debugging Toggle. Connect your smartphone to your computer with a cable. On your PC, you need to install Xiaomi USB Driver drivers and the SDK Platform-Tools platform.

adb devices


adb shell pm list packages




adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.packet

The adb shell pm list packages command will display a list of all packages. Find the name of the unwanted application (e.g. com.miui.mivideo) and use the second command to remove it. The application will disappear for the current user, freeing up space and resources.

⚠️ Be very careful with batch names, and removing system components like com.android.phone or com.miui.securitycenter can cause communication to fail or the device to be completely locked.

System Process Safety Table

When cleaning your smartphone, it’s important to know which processes are vital and which ones you can safely remove. Below is a table with the most common packages found on Redmi and Xiaomi.

Removing Google services (gsf, vending) will make it impossible to install new apps and work maps. Restore them without resetting to factory settings will be extremely difficult.

On the other hand, the joyose package is often responsible for trolling (decreasing performance) in games and collecting telemetry.Its removal is a popular way to optimize the Redmi Note and Xiaomi Black Shark gaming smartphones.

💡

Before mass removal of system applications via ADB, make a full backup of data or write down the names of the deleted packets, which will save time if you need to restore the system.

Frequent problems and their solution

During the cleaning process, users may encounter various errors, the most common being the message "Can't delete the application", which occurs when the process is actively used by the system or has device administrator rights.

Check whether Find Device or an antivirus scanner is enabled to block removal, and some applications, especially banking or enterprise applications, may have removal protection that needs to be removed in the application’s security settings.

Another problem is the appearance of "dead" icons, and after removing the program, the shortcut can remain on the desktop, in which case a long tap on the empty space on the screen and select "Delete everything" or simply reboot the device, which will update the launcher's cache, will help.

• 🔄 Reboot often solves problems with hanging removal processes.
• 🔒 Check the administrator rights in the section "Privacy".
• 📉 If the app is not deleted, try to force it to stop first.

If you delete the system application and the phone starts to behave incorrectly (sound is gone, the network is not working), do not panic. Most often, resetting to the factory settings helps, which will return all system components to their original state.

💡

Removing system applications through ADB is a powerful optimization tool, but it requires accuracy. Always check the name of the package before typing in a command.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)