How to Remove an App from Xiaomi Phone: From the Standard Way to Hidden MIUI Features

Removing unnecessary apps on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphones seems like a simple task — until you encounter stubborn system programs that do not want to disappear from the menu. Even after clicking “Delete”, some applications continue to take up space in memory, slow down the system or show notifications. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to delete, from basic to advanced, including cleaning residual files and working with ADB for system applications.

The peculiarity of MIUI firmware (even in the latest versions of 2026) is that it aggressively caches application data and sometimes hides it from the user. For example, Xiaomi preinstalled services like Mi Video, Mi Music or GetApps can not be removed in the standard way - they can only be turned off. But there are workarounds that few people know about. We tested all methods on Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and POCO F6 models with the latest MIUI 15 updates.

Before you start, check:

• 📱 Version MIUI: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI. Some methods only work on new firmware.
• 🔒 Developer rights: if you plan to remove system applications, you need to activate them (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — press 7 times).
• 📁 Free space: after removing applications, clear the cache in Settings → Memory. → Clean up.

1. Standard removal through the application menu

The most obvious way is to uninstall apps through the main screen or menu, which is suitable for most user programs (such as Instagram, TikTok, VK), but will not work for pre-installed Xiaomi services.

How to do this:

1. Click and hold the app icon on the home screen or menu.
2. In the context menu that appears, select “Delete” (basket icon).
3. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If there is no Delete item, the application is system-based or updated through Google Play. In the first case, alternative methods will be required (see sections 3-5), in the second case, you need to roll back the update first:

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 📌 Find the right application and click on it.
• 🔙 In the upper right corner, press three dots. → «Remove updates».

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If the application appears again after removal, check the settings of the Google Play Store: it is possible that automatic recovery of remote programs is enabled (Settings → General → Autorecovery).

2. Remove via phone settings

This method gives more control than standard screen removal, and you can see the full list of installed programs, including hidden services, and clear their cache and data.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the top line of the search, type the name of the app (such as Facebook or Mi Browser).
3. Click on the app. → «Delete».
4. If the button is inactive, try first “Stop”, then “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data”.

For system applications (e.g. Mi Pay, Mi Community), the "Delete" button will be replaced with "Disable" button, which will not delete the program completely, but will stop it from working and hide the icon from the menu, so to return the application, just go back to its settings and click "Enable".

Activate Developer Rights|Make a backup copy of the data|Check the version. MIUI|Connect your phone to your PC (to ADB)|Make sure there is a free space-->

3. Removing system applications without root via ADB

If you want to completely remove pre-installed apps (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music, GetApps) but don’t want root rights, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that works on all Xiaomi models, including the latest flagships of 2026.

Important: improper use of ADB can lead to system instability or loss of functionality, for example, deleting Mi Account will disrupt the Xiaomi account, and deleting Google Play Services will make it impossible to use many applications.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Activate USB debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (7 times) → Return → Additional settings → For developers → Debugging over USB
3. Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: adb devices (the device should appear).
4. To uninstall the application, use the command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.pack For example, to delete Mi Video: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.video

List of popular removal packages:

• 🎵 com.miui.player — Mi Music
• 📺 com.miui.video — Mi Video
• 🛒 com.xiaomi.market — GetApps
• 🌐 com.android.browser — Mi Browser
• 📧 com.miui.notes – Xiaomi notes

4. Cleaning of residual files after deletion

Even after deleting the application, its files can remain in the phone's memory.

• 🗃️ Cash (temporary files).
• 📁 User data (settings, logins).
• 🖼️ Media files (photos, videos, downloads).

How to completely clean the tracks:

1. Cash and data: Settings → Annexes → Application management → [select] → Warehouse → Clear cache / Clear data
2. Files in folders: Open Files (or any file manager). Go to Internal Memory → Android → data and Android → obb. Delete folders with the name of the remote application (for example, com.facebook.katana for Facebook).

Residual APKs

Settings → Memory → Files → APK

There may be installation files of remote programs.

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Cleaning up residual files frees up to 10-15% of the memory on Xiaomi phones, especially if you install and delete games or social networks frequently.

You can use third-party utilities like SD Maid or Files by Google to clean up deep, but they require root rights to access full-time, and without them, they can only clean up some of the garbage.

5. Remove via Safe Mode (if the application is not removed)

If the application has blocked removal (such as a virus or an incorrectly installed program), try removing it in Safe Mode. In this mode, all third-party applications are disabled, which sometimes allows you to bypass the locks.

How to Sign In to Safe Mode on Xiaomi:

1. Press the power button before the off menu appears.
2. Press and hold the “Switch off” option (or “Reboot” on new models).
3. Confirm the transition to Safe Mode.

⚠️ Note: Removing critical system applications (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.home) can lead to a phone brick (unloadability.

7. How to return a remote system application?

If you have removed the system application through ADB and want to return it, there are two ways:

Method 1: Recovery through MIUI Update

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Download and install the latest version of MIUI (even if it is already installed).
3. After the update, the remote system applications will be restored.

Method 2: Manual recovery through ADB

1. Download the full firmware for your model from the official Xiaomi website (Fastboot ROM section).
2. Unclose the firmware and find a file with the.apk extension for the desired application (for example, in the system/priv-app folder).
3. Install it through ADB: adb install name file.apk

If none of the methods worked, it only leaves you with a complete reset (Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset), but it will remove all the data from the phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing apps on Xiaomi