How to Turn Off Apps on Xiaomi: From Background Processes to Removal

Xiaomi and Redmi are known for their performance, but even they eventually start to slow down due to the large number of applications running in the background. Many users face a situation where the battery dies in a few hours, and the task manager hangs a dozen unnecessary programs. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn off applications on Xiaomi, from temporary closure to complete removal of system services.

It’s important to understand that simply clicking on the cross in multitasking doesn’t always remove an application from memory. MIUI aggressively caches programs for quick launch, and some of them (like com.miui.analytics) automatically restart after a few minutes, and we’ll show you how to permanently disable autoruns, remove embedded apps without root rights, and even block background activity through hidden settings.

The instructions in this article are relevant for all modern models, from the budget Redmi Note 12 and POCO X5 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra and MIX Fold 3. Particular attention will be paid to the differences between the versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS (which replaced in 2026).If your device runs on Android 13/14 with a shell from Xiaomi – these methods will work for sure.

1. How to temporarily close an application through multitasking

The most obvious, but not always effective, way to do this is to close down recent apps through the dashboard, and on most Xiaomi smartphones, you need to:

1. Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold your finger for 0.5 seconds (on gesture-controlled devices).
2. Find the card of the desired application.
3. Swipe it up or press the cross (if displayed).

However, this method does not guarantee complete shutdown of the process. Many programs (for example, Facebook, TikTok or Mi Browser) continue to run in the background, consuming up to 10-15% of the charge per hour, to check whether the application is actually closed:

• 🔍 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Manager of running applications.
• 📊 Look at the RAM usage graph -- if the program is still there, it's active.
• ⚡ Check the Battery section. → Battery usage in the last 6 hours.

On HyperOS devices (such as Xiaomi 14 or Redmi K70), the multitasking algorithm has changed, so it can determine which processes to freeze to save energy. If you want to force all background applications to close, use a combination of:

Settings → Special features → Power button → turn on “Memory Cleanup” and add it to the lock screen

2. Forced stop through Android settings

If the application doesn’t close through multitasking or keeps running, try forced shutdown, which works even for system programs (such as Mi Video or Mi Music), but has limitations:

• 🔄 After restarting the phone, some apps may be activated again.
• ⚠️ Some services (e.g. com.xiaomi.finddevice) cannot be stopped without root rights.
• 📱 On HyperOS, the path to settings has changed a little.

Instructions for MIUI 14 and older:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want from the list (use search if it’s not in the visible area).
3. Press Forced Stop (the button will only be active if the program is running).
4. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

For HyperOS, the path is different:

Settings → Applications → [Select App] → Three dots in the top corner → Forced Stop

Important: Forced shutdown does not delete app data. If the goal is to free up space, use Clear cache or Clear data in the same menu. But remember that clearing the data will reset all program settings (for example, WhatsApp will delete chats).

3. Disabling Autostart and Background Activity

One of the main reasons apps run themselves is auto-run and background activity. In MIUI and HyperOS, these settings are hidden deep, but they can be turned off, especially for social networks, instant messengers and gaming clients (such as Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile), which can consume up to 300 MB of RAM even when rolled up.

Instructions for disabling autostart:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Choose the appropriate app (such as Instagram).
3. Go to Battery (or Battery Use on HyperOS)
4. Turn off the switches: 🚫 Auto-start 🔄 Secondary Start (allows the application to restart after closing) 📶 Background data transmission

Autostart is off.|Secondary launch disabled|Background data transmission is prohibited|Restricted access to location in the background-->

To massively disable auto-run all applications (except system):

Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Consumption Management → Application Selection → [Claim Unnecessary] → Limit background activity

⚠️ Note: Disabling autoruns for instant messengers (e.g. Telegram or Viber) can cause delays in receiving notifications. For critical applications, it is better to leave autorun, but limit background activity.

HyperOS has a new feature called Deep Optimization, which automatically closes unused applications, to enable it:

Settings → Battery → Battery Mode → Select “Balanced” or “Charge Saving” → Enable “Deep Optimization”

4. Removal of system and embedded applications

Many Xiaomi users are faced with pre-installed applications that cannot be removed in standard ways.

• 🎵 Mi Music (com.miui.player)
• 📺 Mi Video (com.miui.videoplayer)
• 🌐 Mi Browser (com.android.browser)
• 📊 Analytics (com.miui.analytics) – collects usage data)

There are three ways to get rid of them:

Method 1: Removal via ADB (without root rights)

This is the official method from Xiaomi, which does not require unlocking the bootloader, and is suitable for most models on MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS.

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Download ADB Tools and open the command line in the folder with adb.exe.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices (should appear serial number of your device).
5. Remove the unnecessary application by command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.pack For example, to delete Mi Music: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.player

List of popular removal packages:

⚠️ Warning: Removing system applications may cause malfunctions MIUI. For example, deleting com.miui.analytics may disrupt the theme or widgets. Before deleting, back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Method 2: Disconnect via settings (without deleting)

If you don't want to use ADB, you can just disable unnecessary apps, which hides them from the menu and stops background processes, but doesn't free up disk space.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select a system application (such as Mi Pay).
3. Click Disable (the button will appear if the application can be disabled).
4. Confirm the action.

The apps that are disabled won't update or appear in the menu, but their data will remain on the device. To return the application, just find it again in the settings and click Enable.

Method 3: Removal with root rights (for advanced)

If you have a bootloader unlocked and you have Magisk or another root manager installed, you can uninstall system applications through a file manager (such as Root Explorer).

1. Open /system/app or /system/priv-app.
2. Find a folder with the name of the application (for example, MiBrowser).
3. Delete the folder or rename it (add.bak at the end).
4. Reset the device.

💡

Before you remove system applications, check them out on the XDA Developers website.There are lists of safe packet removals for each Xiaomi model.

5.Use of third-party utilities to manage applications

If standard methods don’t work, you can use third-party programs that allow you to more flexibly manage background processes, auto-start, and even freeze system applications without removing them.

Top.-3 utility for Xiaomi:

• 🛡️ Greenify freezes apps to prevent them from running in the background, works without root, but with root it gives more features.
• 🔧 App Inspector shows all running processes and lets you stop them manually, useful for finding hidden services.
• 🗑️ SD Maid clears the cache and residual files of remote applications. There is a function to find junk packets.

For use without root Greenify:

1. Install the app and provide access to special features (Settings → Special Features → Greenify).
2. Add apps that you want to freeze (like Facebook or AliExpress).
3. Enable the option Aggressive mode (required) ADB-activation).

adb shell pm grant com.oasisfeng.greenify android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

With root rights, Greenify can completely block auto-run system applications, including com.miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.ab (advertising services).However, beware - blocking critical services (such as com.android.phone) can lead to network loss or cyclical reboot.

💡

The side of a utility like Greenify is effective, but it requires caution: Start with the minimum settings and keep your phone stable for 24 hours.

6. How to prevent applications from running after a reboot

Many Xiaomi users notice that after the phone is rebooted, some apps (such as Mi Browser or Cleaner) are activated again, due to the automatic recovery mechanism that is enabled by default in MIUI.

To disable this mechanism:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top corner and select Reset App Settings.
3. Confirm the reset (this will not delete the data, but reset all permissions).
4. Now, for each application manually disable: 🔄 Auto-start 📱 Show notifications (if not required) 🌐 Background data access

For HyperOS, a new section has been added – Auto Start, where you can globally manage the behavior of applications after a reboot:

Settings → Applications → Automatic Start → [Disable unnecessary]

If you want to completely disable the recovery of applications after a reboot, you can use it. ADB-team:

adb shell settings put global auto_restored_apps 0

⚠️ Warning: Disabling Automatic Recovery may cause some widgets (such as weather or calendar) to stop updating, and it may disrupt Google Play Services, leading to bugs in games and some apps.

7. Optimizing the phone after cleaning applications

Once you have closed or removed unnecessary apps, it is recommended to follow a few steps to optimize performance:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone – this will clear the cache and restart system services.
• 🧹 Clear the system cache: Settings → Warehouse → Cache data. → Clean up
• 🔋 Calibrate the battery (if after cleaning the time is not improved): Discharge the phone to 0% and turn it off. Charge to 100% without turning on. Turn on the phone and wait for full charge (more). ~30 minutes).

Check the permits.

Settings → Privacy → Permissions → [View by App]

Turn off unnecessary permissions (such as location access for Photos).

A new feature, Super Standby, is available for HyperOS users, which aggressively restricts background activity for rarely used applications.

Settings → Battery → Battery Mode → Super Standby → [Add Appendix]

If after all the manipulations the phone still brakes, check:

• 📊 Using RAM in Settings → The phone. → System status. If you're less than 1 GB free, you should uninstall a few more apps.
• 🔥 Processor temperature (can be checked by AIDA64). Overheating can be caused by background processes.
• 📉 Battery status in Settings → Battery → Battery status. If the capacity has dropped below 80 percent, it's time to replace the battery.