How to permanently remove YouTube from Xiaomi phone: from a simple shutdown to a deep cleaning

Are you tired of the annoying YouTube notifications that eat up battery power and traffic? Or want to make room on Xiaomi, where every megabyte counts? Deleting pre-installed YouTube on smartphones with MIUI is not an easy task: the system protects system applications, and the usual “delete” in the menu often just turns off updates, leaving the application itself untouched. In this article, we will examine all possible ways from securely disabling to completely uninstall using ADB and root rights, including nuances for different versions of Android (10–14) and MIUI (12–14).

It’s important to understand that YouTube on Xiaomi can be installed in two ways: as a custom application (removed in the standard way) or as a system application (more manipulations will be required).We will look at both cases, and also tell you how to avoid typical errors – for example, why the application can return after you delete the MIUI update or reset settings.

If you're not sure about your technical skills, start with the first three methods, which don't require root rights and will work for most users. Methods 4 and 5 are for experienced users who are willing to work with ADB or gain root access.

1. disable YouTube without deletion (safe way)

The easiest and safest way to disable an app, not remove it completely, will stop background activity, notifications and updates, but the app itself will stay on the system, suitable for those who want to save battery power and traffic without risking the stability of MIUI.

How to do this:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In the search bar, type "YouTube" and select the application from the list.
• ⚙️ Click Disable (if the button is inactive, first click Remove Updates).
• 🔄 Confirm the action in the window that appears.

Once disabled, the YouTube icon will disappear from the home screen and the app menu, but the APK file will remain in the system. This method is reversible: you can always turn the app back on through the same settings.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO X3 Pro) after disabling YouTube may continue to appear in search results on the system. To avoid this, further clear the cache and application data before disabling.

2.Removal of YouTube Updates (Emptying Space)

If YouTube was originally pre-installed as a system app, but Later received updates through Google Play, you can return it to the factory version.This will free up up to 100-150 MB of space, since custom updates weigh significantly more than the system version.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → YouTube.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates.
3. Confirm the action. App rolls back to factory version.
4. (Optional) Turn off the automatic YouTube update in Google Play: open the app page, click on three dots → Remove from auto-update.

After that, YouTube will remain on the system, but it will take up a minimum amount of space. To completely hide it, use the deactivation method from the first section.

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If the Remove Updates button is inactive, try clearing the cache and app data first, then restart the phone. On some MIUI firmware, this will unlock the option.

3. Hiding YouTube by running in Safe Mode

Safe Mode only loads Android with system apps, disabling all user apps. This method doesn't remove YouTube, but it does temporarily get rid of it -- useful if you want to check how the phone behaves without the service's background activity.

How to run Safe Mode on Xiaomi:

• 🔄 Turn off the phone.
• 🔘 Press the power button until the logo appears. MI.
• 👆 As soon as the logo appears, release the power button and immediately press Volume Down.
• 📱 Hold Volume Down until the phone boots in Safe Mode (at the bottom of the screen will be a Safe Mode message).

In Safe Mode, YouTube won’t work, but it will return after the reboot, which is a way to diagnose problems caused by the app, but not to permanently delete it.

⚠️ Warning: Safe Mode disables all third-party applications, including launchers, widgets and services. Don’t be afraid if your Xiaomi looks naked after you turn on this mode – everything will return to its original state after the reboot.

4. Completely delete YouTube via ADB (no root)

If you're willing to work with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can completely delete YouTube, even if it's system-based. This method doesn't require root rights, but it requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic command line knowledge.

What you'll need:

• 💻 A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI (press 7 times) → Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phone to your computer and allow debugging over USB.
2. Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with ADB.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Enter the command to delete YouTube (for the system application): adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.youtube For the user version (if installed via Play Market): adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.youtube
5. Reboot the phone.

Once you do this, YouTube will be completely removed for the current user, the app will not appear in the menu, will not be updated and will not take up space, but after resetting the phone to factory settings or updating MIUI, it can return.

5. YouTube Removal with root rights (for experienced)

If you have root access (e.g., through Magisk), you can delete YouTube permanently, including all of its system files.This method is the most radical and requires caution - wrong actions can lead to unstable MIUI operation.

Methods of removal from root:

• 📁 Through a root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer): Open the manager and go to the root-access file manager. /system/priv-app/YouTube or /system/app/YouTube. Delete the folder with the application. Clear the cache in /data/data/com.google.android.youtube.

Titanium Backup

1. Install Titanium Backup from Play Market.
2. Find YouTube in the list of apps.
3. Choose Delete! (not "Freeze")
4. 💻 Through ADB from root: adb shell su mount -o rw,remount /system rm -rf /system/priv-app/YouTube rm -rf /system/app/YouTube reboot

If you are unsure of your actions, start with the safest methods (disabling or removing updates) and then move on to more radical ones.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing YouTube on Xiaomi