How to remove apps from Xiaomi smartphone: a full guide

Owners of modern Xiaomi devices often face the need to free up interior space or simply remove unnecessary features they never use. The standard MIUI shell or the new HyperOS comes with a pre-installed set of programs that developers find useful, but for many users it becomes digital garbage. The process of cleaning the interface from unnecessary icons and background processes is not only a way to return precious megabytes of memory, but also a method of optimizing the operating system.

There are several levels of access to software management, from the banal removal of a shortcut from the desktop to deep cleaning through system settings and even the use of debugging tools. It is important to understand the difference between a regular application downloaded from the store and a system component built into the firmware manufacturer. In the first case, the process takes a few seconds, in the second – requires a more accurate approach and knowledge of certain interface nuances.

This guide covers all the current uninstallation methods available for Redmi and POCO devices. We will look at the standard system tools, hidden menu functions and advanced package management methods that allow you to achieve maximum purity of the interface without the need to obtain superuser rights.

Removal of standard user applications

The easiest and most obvious way to get rid of unnecessary software is to use a standard control menu, which is suitable for all programs that have been downloaded by the user independently from the Google Play Market or GetApps, as well as for some pre-installed services that the manufacturer has allowed to be removed.

To perform the operation, you need to find the program icon on the desktop or in the menu of all applications. On most versions of the firmware, you just need to click on the icon and hold your finger for one to two seconds before the context menu appears. In the list that opens, you should select the option “Delete”, which is usually indicated by a red basket or a text label.

• 🗑️ Press and hold the app icon until the pop-up menu appears.
• ❌ Select “Delete” or drag the icon to the basket at the top of the screen.
• ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window by pressing “OK».

An alternative route is through device settings, which is especially useful if the app icon is hidden in folders or removed from the home screen. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Here is a complete list of installed software. Find the desired program in alphabetical order or use the search bar at the top of the screen.

When you select the application, you will see a page with information about it. If the program is to be removed in the standard way, you will see the active "Delete" button at the bottom of the screen. When you click on it, the system will request final confirmation. Please note that after this action, all data stored inside the application (cache, logins, game progress) will be irretrievably lost.

Working with system applications and Bloatware

This is complicated when it comes to system components such as Music, Video, Mi Browser or Mi Store, and often the delete button in the settings is inactive (gray) or not at all, and is done to protect system integrity, as deleting critical files can lead to unstable smartphone operation or cyclical reboot.

But there is a way to hide or deactivate these applications without completely deleting their files from the system partition. Deactivating them stops all the processes associated with the program, hides its icon, and prevents it from running. In fact, the application stops consuming CPU and RAM resources, taking up only storage space that cannot be freed without root rights.

To deactivate the application, go to Settings → Applications → All Apps. Select the system program from the list. If the Remove button is not available, look for the option to turn off or turn off. In some versions of MIUI, this feature is hidden, and then you have to resort to more complex methods through the computer.

⚠️ Warning: Never attempt to disable or remove system components whose purpose you do not know (e.g. System Frame, Security, Google Play Services) and this may result in the device being completely inoperable.

For advanced users who want to clean up their system completely of embedded debris (bloatware), there is a method of using debugging tools that allows you to remove even those packages that are hidden from the average user, this approach requires connecting to a PC and installing special software to manage Android packages.

Using ADB for deep cleaning of the system

The most effective method of removing embedded applications is using the Android Debug Bridge protocol (ADB). This tool allows you to send commands directly to the operating system, bypassing the limitations of the user interface), USB-cable.

The first step is to activate the developer mode on your phone. Go to Settings → About your phone and quickly click 7-10 times on the MIUI Version (or OS Version) until the notification “You’ve become a developer” appears. Then, in the “Additional” or “Extended Settings” menu, find the “Developers” option and turn on the USB Debugging Tool.

After you have your phone ready, download the minimum set of Platform Tools from the official Android developer site. Unpack the archive into a convenient folder. Open the command prompt (CMD or PowerShell) in this folder and enter a command to check the connection:

adb devices

If a window appears on your phone asking for debugging permission, click OK. The command prompt should display your device's serial number. You can now proceed to delete packets. This uses the adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 <packet name> command. The packet name usually looks like com.mi.globalbrowser or com.android.chrome.

You can find out the exact name of the package through special analyzer applications or using the command adb shell pm list packages. Be extremely careful when entering names: an error in one character can lead to the removal of the wrong component.

Comparison of disposal methods and their consequences

The choice of removal method depends on your goals and level of training. Each method has its advantages and risks. Standard removal is safe but limited. Using ADB gives complete control, but requires caution. Deactivation is a compromise option.

The table below compares the main characteristics of various methods of cleaning the smartphone from unnecessary applications:

It's worth noting that rooting allows you to access the system partition to directly modify files, but in modern versions of Android and MIUI, it often causes security features to break, banking applications to fail, and warranty loss, so the ADB method is considered a "middle ground."

Remember that after removing system components, operating system updates may not be correct or take longer because the system will have to recover deleted files. Deleting system applications via ADB does not physically erase them from the recovery section, so resetting to factory settings will return everything as it was.

Cleaning cache and residual files

Even after successful uninstallation of the application, the phone may still have tails — temporary files, logs and empty folders — that accumulate over time and can slow down the file system, and cleaning up the residual data regularly is an important part of the gadget’s maintenance.

The built-in Security tool in the MIUI shell has a clean-up feature, but it doesn't always find all traces of deleted programs. For deeper cleaning, third-party file managers such as Files by Google or Total Commander are recommended. These applications allow you to visually inspect folders and find directories with the names of remote services.

• 📂 Open the file manager and go to the root of internal memory.
• 🔍 Look for folders with names of remote applications (for example, the folder “Facebook” after deleting the social network).
• 🧹 Manually delete these directories, first making sure that there are no personal photos or documents inside.

It's also worth checking the Storage section in the settings, and sometimes you'll see the Other category, which is inflated by the messenger cache and browsers. Clearing the cache (not data!) is secure and allows you to return the space without losing your logins and passwords.

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Use the Cleanup feature in the Security app regularly, but always check their contents before removing files from the Big Files category to avoid losing important documents.

Frequent problems and their solution

Users may encounter various errors during the removal of applications, such as a system that may issue a message saying “Not able to delete the application” or an uninstall button that may be blocked, often because the application has device administrator rights or is part of a system process.

If the application is not removed, check if the Two Apps feature (cloning) is enabled. In MIUI, cloned applications can block the removal of the main one. Go to Settings → Applications → Dual Applications and disable the clone for the problem program. After that, try to delete it again.

⚠️ Warning: If after removing the system component, the phone starts to behave strangely (sound disappears, Wi-Fi does not work), immediately reset to factory settings.

Another common problem is automatic reinstallation of remote applications, which often happens with Xiaomi services after a system update, and to prevent this, you can turn off the synchronization of the application list in the Mi Account settings, although this does not always give a 100% guarantee.

In some cases, antivirus or built-in MIUI protection may block the installation of removal tools (for example, ADB AppControl on a PC), in which case you need to add the program to exceptions or temporarily disable protection, mindful of the risks of downloading software from unverified sources.

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The safest way to get rid of an annoying system application without the risk of bricking it up is to deactivate it through settings or ADB, not completely physically delete files.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions