How to Remove Default Apps on Xiaomi

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where the device is full of unnecessary programs that cannot be removed in the standard way through the menu.These applications, known as bloatware, take up valuable space in internal memory and can slow down the MIUI or HyperOS operating system. Many users wonder whether it is possible to get rid of preinstalled software without obtaining superuser rights.

Fortunately, modern versions of the shell allow you to solve this problem in several ways, from simple settings to using special tools on the PC. In this article, we will discuss in detail the safe ways to deactivate and remove system components so that you can customize the gadget to your needs. Complete removal of system packages through ADB requires caution, as an error can lead to unstable device operation.

Before taking drastic action, it is important to understand the difference between deleting and disabling. Standard uninstall is only available for custom programs downloaded from the Google Play store or GetApps. System components built into firmware often require a deeper approach, which we will discuss below.

Disabling embedded applications through settings

The safest and easiest way to remove the excess from the screen is to turn off the program, which stops running, updating and consuming resources, but physically stays in the memory of the device, which is ideal for those who are afraid of disrupting the system.

You first need to go to your smartphone settings and find the program management section, and here you will see a complete list of all the software you have installed, select the unnecessary app and click the "Disable" button. If the button is active, the system will confirm the action.

However, not all system components can be disabled by standard means, often missing buttons for mission-critical Android services or Xiaomi services, in which case the system blocks the action, warning of possible errors.

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications to access the full list.
• 🔍 Find an unnecessary program, such as Mi Video or Mi Music».
• 🚫 Click “Disable” and confirm the action in the pop-up window.

It is worth noting that once you turn off the app icon, it will disappear from the desktop and menu. If you need the functionality again in the future, you can activate the component back through the same settings section by finding it in the disabled list.

Using the Developer Mode to Clean

To access advanced system management features, you need to activate a hidden developer menu, which is standard Android procedure that doesn’t require complex hardware, and activating this mode opens up additional diagnostic and management options.

To turn on the mode, you need to click on the build number several times in a row in the About Phone section. After activation, a new option will appear in the settings menu "Additional" or "Extended settings", where the desired section is hidden.

⚠️ Warning: Don't change the settings in the developer menu unless you're sure they're intended.A random change in animation or debugging settings can lead to strange interface behavior.

Inside the developer menu, we're interested in the "Do Not Activity" option or managing running services, but to remove applications, this menu serves only as an intermediate step, and the main goal here is to enable USB debugging, which you will need for the next method.

• ⚙️ Go to Settings. → About the phone and 7 times click on the "Version" MIUI».
• 🔧 Go to the Supplementary → For developers.
• ✅ Activate the "Debugging by" switch USB».

Once you have debugging enabled, when you connect your smartphone to your computer, you will receive a request for permission to access, and you must always confirm this request so that the control tools can interact with the system.

Removing System Applications via ADB on PC

The most effective method to completely remove undeleteable system applications is the use of the Android Debug Bridge toolkit (ADB). This method requires a computer running Windows, macOS or Linux and USB-It allows you to send commands directly to the operating system.

Before you start, you need to download and install drivers for your device, as well as the ADB platform tool package from the official developer site. After unpacking the archive, open the command line in the tool folder.

Connect your smartphone to your computer and make sure that the debugging permission notice appears on your phone screen. Enter the command line for adb devices. If done correctly, you'll see your device's serial number in the list.

To remove a particular packet, you use the command adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 name. packet. It is important to know the exact name of the packet, which is often different from the name of the app. For example, YouTube can be called com.google.android.youtube.

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.videoplayer

This command will remove the application for the current user, effectively hiding it from the system and freeing up space. The program data will be erased, but the ability to return it will remain if you run the command with the installation flag again.

Use of specialized utilities (Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools)

For those who don’t want to mess around with manually entering commands, there are graphical shells like Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools or Universal Android Debloater.These programs automatically identify the connected device and offer a list of removal apps with understandable names.

The interface of these utilities is usually divided into tabs, where applications are sorted into categories: system, Google, Xiaomi, third-party. This makes navigation much easier, since you do not need to Google the names of packages.

The process of using it is simple: plug in your phone, run a program, select unnecessary components in the list, and click on the Uninstall or Debloater button, and the program will generate and send the necessary commands to the device.

Using GUIs reduces the risk of error, but does not eliminate it completely. Always read the descriptions of the packages that the program suggests removing, so as not to remove a critical component, such as the System Framework.

Recovery of Remote System Components

If you delete the extra during the cleaning process and the system starts to malfunction, or you just need an app, you can restore it (--user 0), file APK remained in the system section.

To recover, you'll need to reconnect your smartphone to your computer and use the command line. The command for reinstalling looks similar to the deletion command, but with a different action, and this will return the application to its original state.

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

In some cases, especially with third-party launchers or deep modifications, a simple reinstallation may not work, and then you will have to resort to more radical measures, such as resetting or flashing.

⚠️ Warning: Recovery of remote system applications is only possible if you haven't done a full Factory Reset after deletion.Reset to factory settings permanently removes user changes, but returns a stock set of programs.

HyperOS users may notice that some system applications are modular and can be updated through the GetApps store, in which case it is enough to simply re-download the application from the official store.

Risks and Limitations in Removing System Software

Despite the power of ADB tools, it is important to understand the limits of what is allowed: Removing critical system libraries, Google Play services, or MIUI shell components can lead to a “bootloop” (cyclical reboot) or a complete failure of the smartphone.

Some applications are linked by dependencies: Deleting a seemingly harmless component, such as a keyboard or file manager, can disrupt other services that rely on them, and the system can start to produce persistent errors.

• 🛑 Do not delete packages with framework, system, provider names unless you know their exact purpose.
• 📉 Removal of Google services (GMS) will make it impossible to work most third-party applications, maps and the store.
• 🔋 Aggressive background cleaning can paradoxically increase battery consumption as the system will constantly try to recover remote services.

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Before starting a mass cleanup, make a full backup of important data to your computer or the cloud. This will take a little time, but will save your photos and contacts in the event of a crash.

Also, after a major firmware update, all applications removed through ADB can return, as the update restores the integrity of the system partition, in which case the cleaning procedure will have to be repeated.

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The safest way to do this is to disable system applications instead of permanently removing them, which keeps the system stable and allows you to easily return functionality when needed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)