How to add an app to “Open with Help” on Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Have you ever encountered a situation where you try to open a file on Xiaomi, but the desired application is simply not in the Open with Help list? or after updating MIUI, the system suddenly “forgot” which program you usually open PDFs, archives or music tracks? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones – especially after resetting settings or installing custom firmware.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to add an app to the Open with With Menu on Xiaomi, including hidden MIUI settings, working with a file manager, and even bypassing system restrictions through ADB. You’ll learn why some apps don’t show up on the list, how to reset file associations to factory ones, and what to do if the system ignores your choices. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 12, 13, and 14 (including global and Chinese versions).

We warn you right away that some of the methods require superuser rights or PC connectivity, but we'll start with the simplest solutions, and you may not even have to go into the technical details.

Why doesn’t the app appear in the “Open with Help” list?

Before trying to cram a program into the file association menu, it’s important to understand why it’s not there. Here are 4 main reasons Xiaomi has:

• 📱 The application does not declare support for the file type (AndroidManifest.xml) For example, some players do not tell the system that they can open.mkv.
• 🔄 Resetting settings or updating MIUI. After this, the system resets all user associations of files to factory files (for example, Mi Video for video, Mi Music for audio).
• 🚫 Limitations MIUI In some firmware versions (especially Chinese ones), the system blocks the addition of apps not certified by Xiaomi to the Open with the List.
• 🗑️ The cache and the Settings application data are damaged, which causes the system to fail to properly display the available programs to open the file.

Interesting fact: on POCO F5 and Redmi Note 12 with MIUI 14, users often face disappearance from the list of VLC and FX File Explorer applications after updating via OTA. This is due to the fact that the new firmware version “resets” permissions to work with files.

⚠️ Note: If you use custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS), the problem may be incorrect implementation of the PackageInstaller service. /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml.

Method 1: Reset file associations via MIUI settings

The simplest method is to reset all file associations to factory settings, which will force the system to re-scan the installed applications and offer them in the Open with Help menu.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Reset App Settings.
3. Confirm the action by clicking Reset Settings.
4. Reboot your smartphone.

Once you reboot, try to open the file again — all the applications that support this type of file should appear on the list. If that doesn't happen, move on to the next method.

Open the file through Files or Explorer

Check if the desired application appears in the list

If not, install the app again from Google Play.

Reset the device-->

Why doesn't this always work? The thing is, the reset only affects user settings, but it doesn't force the system to re-scan application manifests. If the program didn't initially declare support for the extension, it won't appear on the list.

Method 2: Manually add via “Application Settings”

If the reset didn’t work, try manually telling the system that the application can open certain types of files, a method that works for most file managers and media players:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the application you want (such as VLC or Solid Explorer) and tap it.
3. Select Open by default (or Default Settings in new MIUI versions).
4. Click Clear the default settings.
5. Go back to the file and try to open it – the desired application should appear in the list.

If there is no Open by default, the application has not registered support for the desired extensions in the system, in which case only editing the manifesto (method 4) or using ADB (method 5) will help.

VLC or other player

File Manager (Solid, FX, MiXplorer)

Reader (Moon+ Reader, FBReader)

Archivator (ZArchiver, RAR)

Other-->

Method 3: Using a file manager with association support

Some file managers (such as Solid Explorer or MiXplorer) allow you to manually assign applications to open files, bypassing the limitations of MIUI.

1. Install Solid Explorer from Google Play.
2. Open the manager and find the file that you want to open with another application.
3. Hold your finger on the file and select Open with...
4. In the window that appears, click Other Apps (or Show all apps).
5. Select the desired application and tick Always (if you want to make it standard).

Important: Mi File Manager (a standard Xiaomi Explorer) doesn’t support this feature — it only shows applications that are already registered in the system.

If this method didn’t work, the problem goes deeper — the application probably doesn’t have permission to work with files or doesn’t declare support for file types, and the following method will help.

💡

Before installing a third-party file manager, disable battery optimization for it in Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization. This will prevent the application from closing in the background.

Method 4: Editing the application manifesto (for advanced)

This is a good method if you are sure that the application should support a certain type of file, but for some reason does not appear in the list, for example, this is true for Kodi, which sometimes “loses” registration for video files after updating.

To edit the manifesto, you will need:

• 📱 Smartphone with root rights (or the ability to temporarily obtain root through Magisk).
• 💻 Editing annex XML, MiXplorer (with Text Editor enabled).
• 🔧 Knowledge of structure AndroidManifest.xml (or willingness to follow instructions).

Instructions:

1. Using MiXplorer or Root Explorer, go to /data/app/[application packet name] (for example, for VLC it is org.videolan.vlc).
2. Find the base.apk file and copy it to any folder (like Download).
3. Rename base.apk to base.zip and unpack the archive.
4. Open the file. AndroidManifest.xml in the text editor and find the blocks with the tag <intent-filter>. Add lines for the extensions you need, for example: <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /> <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /> <data android:mimeType="video/*" /> <data android:pathPattern=".*\\.mkv" /> </intent-filter>
5. Save the changes, pack the files back to base.zip and rename it to base.apk.
6. Return the edited base.apk to the original folder (replacing the original) and restart the smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing AndroidManifest.xml Always back up the original file! Also note that after updating the app through Google Play, your changes will reset.

This technique requires technical skills, but it's the only one that is guaranteed to work for applications that don't initially support the right extensions. If you're not willing to take the risk, go with ADB.

Method 5: Using ADB to force application registration

If previous methods have failed, you can manually tell MIUI that the application should appear in the Open with Help list, which requires an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and a computer.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on the smartphone Developer Mode (7 times tap the MIUI version in Settings → About phone) and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: Adb shell
4. Enter the following command by replacing com.example.app with the desired application package (e.g. org.videolan.vlc for VLC): cmd appops set com.example.app android:support_background_location allow
5. Then do: pm clear com.android.providers.media
6. Reboot your smartphone.

Once you restart, the system will re-scan the media files and register the application to open the supported formats. If that doesn't work, try a more radical command:

pm set-install-location 0


pm clear com.android.providers.media




reboot

These commands reset the media provider’s cache and forcefully re-register all applications that work with files.

💡

Using ADB is the most reliable way to add an app to the Open with a list, but requires a PC connection and basic command line knowledge.

What do you do if nothing helps?

If none of these methods worked, the problem may be:

• 🔧 Firmware MIUI modified (e.g. custom or regional limited version) Solution: flash the official global version.
• 🛡️ The application is blocked by antivirus MIUI. Check in Settings → Security → Scanning.
• 📦 The application is installed incorrectly (for example, through APK Solution: remove and reinstall from official source.
• 🔄 MediaProvider malfunction Solution: perform reset via ADB (see method 5).

In extreme cases, a workaround can be used:

1. Install the Open With app from Google Play.
2. When you try to open a file, select Open With in the list.
3. In the Open With interface, select the desired application.

This application acts as an intermediary and allows you to open files with any program, even if it does not appear in the standard MIUI menu.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up “Open with help” on Xiaomi