How to completely remove the application from the phone Xiaomi: all the ways

Removing unwanted apps from Xiaomi is a task that only seems simple. Many users are faced with a situation where, after a standard removal through the menu, the application continues to take up space in memory, leaves cache or does not disappear from the list. This is especially true for preinstalled system utilities from MIUI, which the manufacturer blocks from removal. In this article, we will discuss not only the basic methods, but also hidden functions that will help to completely clean the smartphone of unnecessary software — including residual files and data.

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI They have a unique application storage architecture where some of the software is integrated into the firmware, which means that even after you delete it through Settings, some components can stay on the system, for example, applications like Mi Video, Mi Music or GetApps often come back after you update the system. To avoid such situations, it is important to understand the difference between deleting for the user (hiding an icon) and completely deleting (erasing all files and data). ADB and root-right.

If you use Xiaomi with custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), some of the instructions may not work, in which case we recommend you refer to your firmware documentation. Also note that on devices with a locked bootloader, some methods will not be available without unlocking.

1. Standard removal through the settings menu

The most obvious way is to uninstall via Settings. It is suitable for most custom applications (installed from Google Play or Google Play). APK-files), but often useless for system utilities. Here's how to do it right:

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management. Here you will see a complete list of installed software, sorted by alphabet or size. Find the desired application and tap it. In the menu that opens, select Remove (if the button is active). If it is displayed instead, Disable or Remove updates, then the application is protected by the system.

• 📱 For user applications: the Remove button will be active. After clicking, the system will prompt you to confirm the action.
• 🔒 For system applications: instead of uninstalling, the option is Disable (hidden icon) or Remove Updates (returns the "out of the box" version").
• ⚙️ Additionally: in the same menu you can clear Cash and Data, which will free up additional space.

Important: Even after standard deletion, application data folders may remain in the device memory (e.g., in the /Android/data/[package_name]). To remove them, you will need a file manager with access to root folders.

2. Removal through the launcher (quick method)

If you need to get rid of the app quickly without going into the settings, you can do it directly from the home screen. This method works for all user applications and some system ones (if they are not blocked):

Click and hold the app icon on the home screen or in the app menu. After 1-2 seconds, the context menu with options will appear. Choose Remove (basket icon) and confirm the action. Some versions of MIUI (for example, MIUI 13/14) may need to drag the icon to the top of the screen first, where the message “Delete” appears.

• ✅ Pros of the method: speed, does not require transitions to settings.
• ❌ Cons: Does not delete residual files, does not work for deeply integrated system applications.
• 🔄 Alternative: some firmware instead of removing suggested Hide - it just removes the icon from the screen, but does not uninstall the program.

If the app icon is still displayed in a search after it is removed (e.g., via MIUI Search), it is not removed completely, but only hidden.

3. disabling system applications (without root rights)

Many pre-installed Xiaomi apps (e.g. Mi Browser, Mi Pay, Themes) can’t be removed in standard ways, but they can be disabled.This hides them from the interface and stops background processes, saving battery power and RAM.

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, select the right one and click Disable. The system will warn that this may affect the operation of other applications — agree, if you are sure. The disabled application will disappear from the menu, but its files will remain in memory. To return it back, repeat the same actions and click Enable.

Check if the application is used by other services

Backup of important data

Remember the name of the package (in case of manual removal via ADB)

Reboot the phone after disconnecting-->

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system applications like MiuiDaemon or SecurityCenter can cause a smartphone to run unstable, update errors, or even crash in Fastboot. Before experimenting, make sure you know what each app is responsible for.

List of safe to disable system applications (on most Xiaomi devices):

4. Removal via ADB (for power users)

If you don't have enough shutdowns and you don't have root rights, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which allows you to remove even those applications that are blocked by the system. Warning: incorrect commands can disrupt MIUI, so follow the instructions carefully.

First, turn on USB debugging on your smartphone:

1. Go to Settings → About phone and tap on the MIUI version 7 times to activate the developer mode.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable and select File Transfer Mode (MTP).

Now install ADB on your computer (you can download from the official Android Developers website) and execute commands in the terminal (or Command Prompt):

adb devices

(This command checks the device's connection. If the phone isn't displayed, make sure the drivers are installed and debugging is enabled.)

adb shell pm list packages | grep 'xiaomi'

(Shows a list of all Xiaomi packages. Find the name of the package of the desired application, for example, com.miui.calculator for the calculator.)

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

(Remove the application for the current user. -k It stores cache and data, and --user 0 indicates the main user.)

Once the command is executed, the application will disappear from the system, but its files will remain in the /data/app folder. To delete them completely, you will need root rights.

⚠️ Warning: Deleting system packages like com.android.phone or com.miui.securitycenter will cause your phone to fail. MIUI Backup.

5. Complete removal with root rights

If your Xiaomi has root rights installed (for example, through Magisk), you can uninstall any application without restrictions, and any root-enabled file manager (for example, Root Explorer or Solid Explorer) or terminal will do this.

Instructions via Root Explorer:

1. Open the manager and give him root access.
2. Go to /data/app (which stores user applications) or /system/priv-app (system applications).
3. Find a folder with the name of the package (e.g., com.miui.calculator-1) and delete it.
4. Also check the /data/data and /sdcard/Android/obb folders for residual files.

Through the terminal (e.g., Termux with root access):

su


rm -rf /data/app/com.miui.calculator*




rm -rf /data/data/com.miui.calculator*




exit

Once removed, restart your phone. If the application was system-based, you may need to clear the MIUI cache through Settings → Memory → Clean.

💡

Before removing system applications through the root, back up /system/priv-app folder to help restore the phone to work in case of an error.

6. Deletion of residual files and cache

Even after the application is uninstalled, its data can remain in the device's memory.

• 📁 folder in /sdcard/Android/data/[package_name] and /sdcard/Android/obb/[package_name].
• 🗃️ Cash in /data/data/[package_name] (root-rights required).
• 🔗 Links in the Android database (e.g., in the /data/system/package.xml).

To clean them up:

1. Use a file manager (such as Files by Google or FX Explorer) to delete folders on your sdcard.
2. To clean /data/data, you will need root rights or ADB with the command: adb shell pm clear com.example.package
3. Restart the phone after cleaning.

If you removed an app through ADB with a -k flag, the cache will remain intact. To delete it completely, do:

adb shell pm uninstall com.example.package

(no -k flag)

💡

Residual files can take up to 50% of the original application size, for example, a 1GB game after deletion can leave 300-500MB in obb and data folders.

7. Solving problems in removal

Sometimes the removal process is accompanied by errors, and here are the most common ways to correct them:

If you have removed the system application and stopped working any functions (for example, Mi Share or Game Turbo), try to return it via ADB:

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.xiaomi.gameturbo

FAQ: Frequent questions