Owning a modern Xiaomi Redmi 9 smartphone often starts with a pleasant surprise at the price-performance ratio, but soon many users are faced with intrusive preinstalled software. Developers and telecom operators often embed many programs into the MIUI shell that are not practical, but take up precious space in memory and consume battery power. Getting rid of digital garbage is not just a matter of aesthetics, but a necessity for optimizing the device.
The MIUI-based Android operating system has its own unique features, different from standard procedures on pure Android. Some icons simply disappear from the desktop with a long press, while others require a deeper dive into the settings menu or the use of special tools. Understanding these differences will allow you to effectively manage the resources of your gadget.
In this guide, we will take a look at all the known ways to uninstall software, from simple actions through the interface to advanced methods using a computer. You will learn to distinguish between user data and system components critical to the stability of the Redmi 9. A competent approach to cleaning the phone will ensure its performance throughout its life.
Standard removal through the desktop and menu
The most obvious and affordable way to get rid of unnecessary software is to use a standard operating system interface. You just need to find an application icon on the desktop or in the general list of all installed programs. On Xiaomi Redmi 9 models with a MIUI shell, the algorithm of actions may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the basic principle remains the same for all users.
Tap and hold your finger on the icon of the app you plan to remove. If the program is a regular user utility that you downloaded yourself from Google Play, the context menu will immediately show the basket icon or the Delete button, dragging the icon into this zone will completely erase the data and the application file from the internal memory of the device.
However, if you only see the Info button after a long press or the menu doesn’t appear at all, it means that you have a system application or program that is protected from removal by standard methods. In such cases, the Android operating system blocks direct removal to avoid critical errors in the interface, for which there are alternative ways to solve the problem, which we will discuss below.
📊 What type of apps do you most often delete?
Games I don't use.
Chinese software from Xiaomi
Google apps
Software from telecom operators
It's important to understand the difference between deleting and disabling. When you delete a user application, it disappears completely. When you disable a system application, it stops running, updating and consuming resources, but physically stays in the /system partition. For the average user, the difference is almost invisible, but only the first time the user storage space is vacated.
Managing applications through system settings
A more reliable and informative way to manage installed software is to use the built-in application manager, which allows you to see a complete list of everything installed on Redmi 9, including hidden processes that do not have icons on the desktop, access this section through the main menu settings of the smartphone.
You go to Settings, then select the App and click All Apps. This is an exhaustive list of all the software. Find the program you want in the list, click on it to open the information page. If the Delete button is active (not grey), you can easily erase the application. If it is not available, the system will suggest an option to disable or stop.
Using the settings menu also allows you to analyze resource consumption before you delete it, you can see how much space a program takes up, how much RAM it consumes, and what resolutions it has, and it helps you make an informed decision: maybe the application should not be deleted, but simply limit its background activity or clear the cache.
So, you have to focus on sorting the list of applications, and you can sort programs from the control menu by size, frequency of use, or installation date, and it helps you quickly find the heavyweights that take up gigabytes of memory, or programs that you haven't used since you bought Xiaomi, and it's a clean-up feature that you need to keep up to date.
Removal of system applications and hidden software
The MIUI shell on Redmi 9 is famous for having a lot of pre-installed software that can’t be removed by standard methods, including Mi services, various advertising tools, and Google’s duplicate apps, which require more advanced tools to work with because the standard interface hides this capability.
One effective way is to use the Special Opportunities feature to replace a standard launcher or use third-party dispatchers that require root rights. However, obtaining superuser rights on modern versions of MIUI is difficult and can disrupt banking applications. A safer and more recommended method is using USB debugging and a computer.
⚠️ Warning: Removing critical system components such as “Security,” “Google Play Services,” or “System” UI», It can cause your phone to restart indefinitely or your device to fail completely. Be extremely careful and only remove programs that you are 100 sure of%.
For advanced users, there is a method of uninstalling via computer using the ADB platform (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to send commands directly to the operating system, bypassing interface restrictions. Before starting, you need to activate the developer mode: seven times click on the build number in the About Phone section, then turn on USB Debugging in the Advanced Settings menu.
Once you connect your smartphone to your PC and install the drivers, you can use special shell utilities for ADB, such as Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools or Universal Android Debloater. These programs automatically determine the Redmi 9 model and offer a list of safe to remove system packages, which significantly reduces the risk of damaging the firmware compared to manually entering commands.
List of safe to remove system packages
com.miui.analytics (Xiaomi Analytics)|com.miui.misys (Mi System)|com.facebook.katana (Facebook)|com.google.android.youtube (YouTube, if not needed)|com.xiaomi.mipicks (Mi GetApps)|com.miui.videoplayer (Mi Video)|com.miui.player (Mi Music)|com.android.browser (Standard Browser)|com.miui.weather2 (Weather)|com.miui.notes (Notes if not used)> Use of the ADB For deep cleaning Method of use ADB It is the “gold standard” for enthusiasts who want to completely clean the Xiaomi Redmi 9 from excess software without obtaining Root-rights. USB-The idea is to execute a command line that forcibly removes packets for the current user. The first step is to install the platform. SDK Platform-Tools on the computer. After unpacking the archive, you must open the command line (Terminal or CMD) Make sure the phone is debugging on. USB And when you plug in, you get a confirmation of debugging permission from that computer, and you use pm uninstall to delete a particular application. -k --user 0 name, package, key -k saves data and cache in case you want to restore the app, and the flag --user 0 For example, to remove the standard Mi browser, the command will look like this: adb shell pm uninstall. -k --user 0 The main difficulty of this method is knowing the exact names of the packages. The name of the application in the interface (for example, "Mi Browser") and the name of its package in the system (for example, com.android.browser) are often different. You can use adb shell pm list packages or specialized identifiers that are installed directly on your phone to search for packet names. Location and cache analysis Often the purpose of removing applications is to free up space in internal memory. However, even after removing a heavy app, it can leave behind gigabytes of junk files. On Xiaomi Redmi 9, with its storage capacity, this is especially true (APK), The built-in Cleanup tool in the Security app helps to find residual files, but it doesn't always cope with deep traces of deleted programs -> Memory. Here, the system will show the distribution of space between applications, images, videos and other files. The table below shows the typical space allocation and cleaning methods for different data types on Redmi 9: Data Type Where the Cleaning Method takes place Application Cache Removal Security Section "Other" or in the memory of a specific application Settings -> Applications -> Clear Cache Safe, Data Not Lost Application Data The main application memory Settings -> Applications -> Clear all Application Reset to "as After Installation" Residual Files of the Android/data Folder or Root Folders The Explorer or Cleanup Requirents the folders Reset System Garblock Section Full Reset sizes (Hard Reset) are especially important for the social networks. MIUI has an automatic cache cleanup feature that can be configured in the Security app. This helps keep the system on top without constant manual intervention. Recovery of remote system components When something extra has been removed in the optimization process, it happens quite often. Fortunately, the Android architecture allows you to restore system applications without flashing the entire phone if you used the ADB method with the uninstall flag for the user. Standard Desktop removal is not subject to recovery except by re-installing from the store. To restore the system package removed through ADB, this command uses the installer's name from the original system. This only works for those applications that are part of the firmware but have been hidden to the current user. ⚠️ Warning: If the phone stops loading after removing the system component (hangs on the Mi logo), you will need to log in to Recovery mode. In the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data (this will delete all personal data) or try to restore the system if there is such an option in your version of Recovery. If you have removed the application through the standard interface, you can restore it simply by downloading it again from the Google Play Store or GetApps. System applications that have been removed in a radical way (e.g., through Root access with complete file erasure), may require factory resets or flashing the device through a computer using the Mi Flash Tool utility. 💡Recovery of the Remote Through ADB The installation-existing command is possible for the system application, which makes this method safer than the complete removal of files with Root rights (FAQ) Can I remove Google Play Services on Xiaomi Redmi 9? Technically, this component can only be removed with root rights or complex manipulations, but it is strongly discouraged. Google Play Services is responsible for most third-party apps, push notifications, geolocation and sync. Deleting it will render almost all installed programs inoperable. Why is the Remove button inactive (gray) for some applications? This means that the application is a system component of the operating system. MIUI Manufacturers are blocking their removal to ensure stable operation of the smartphone. To remove such programs, special methods are required, such as debugging USB (ADB) Is it safe to use the cleaners from the Play Market? Most of the popular cleaners (Clean Master, CCleaner and analogues) on modern versions of Android have limited functionality due to Google's security policy. They often can't remove system debris and can even slow down the phone by constantly working in the background. Xiaomi's built-in Security tool is quite enough for everyday tasks. What happens if I uninstall the Security app? Security is the core of the shell MIUI. It manages permissions, battery, memory cleanup and antivirus. Deleting it (via ADB) will lead to many settings disappearing, the inability to manage auto-run other programs and potential errors in the system. It is highly recommended not to touch this package. How to remove advertising applications that came yourself? Often these applications are disguised as system processes or do not have icons. Go to Settings -> Applications -> All applications. Carefully review the list for the presence of programs without a name or with an empty icon. Click on the suspicious item and select "Dele" Also check the section "Specificalities" for unknown services.