Part of Xiaomi guides, HyperOS guides, 2025 guides.

Stock MIUI and HyperOS arrive loaded. You know the feeling — two screens of app icons and you open maybe eight of them. The rest sit there, using space, running in the background and asking for updates.

You can clear that out in one pass. No root, no custom recovery, no bootloader unlock. Just USB debugging and one run of the debloater.

The reason I keep this tool around is not actually the removal. It is the second mode, which puts every single removed app back. That changes the whole thing from a risk into an experiment.

What it removes and what it keeps

One pass on my phone emptied the drawer down to the things I genuinely use: File Manager, Calculator, Calendar, Messaging. Everything else went — the Mi apps, the theme store, the preinstalled Google apps like Google TV, Google One, Meet, YouTube, and the third-party ones that ship on these builds such as LinkedIn, Snapchat and WPS Office.

You do not get to pick every single item by hand in the default flow. The tool works from a list of packages that are safe to remove, which is exactly why it does not break your phone halfway through.

If you want something back, you install it from the Play Store like any other app. That is simpler than trying to restore one specific package.

What it does not do

• It does not root your phone.
• It never touches the bootloader. This works on a locked phone.
• It only handles packages that can be removed safely. It will not offer to delete something the system needs.
• It will not make a phone that needs a factory reset feel fast again. Removing apps is not a repair.

What you need

• A PC with the ADB and fastboot tool, or Termux if you do not have a PC.
• The ADB and fastboot driver installed, so the PC can see the phone.
• USB debugging switched on, on the phone.
• The debloat file from the downloads section.

Step 1 — turn on Developer options

On the phone, go to Settings, then About phone, and tap the build number repeatedly. After several taps it tells you that you are now a developer. That unlocks the hidden menu.

On HyperOS the wording moves around a little between builds, but it is still About phone and the build number, or the MIUI version entry depending on your version. Keep tapping the same item.

Step 2 — switch on USB debugging

Go back to Settings, then Additional settings or System, and open Developer options. Find USB debugging and turn it on.

Plug the phone into the PC. The phone shows a prompt asking you to allow debugging from this computer. Tick the box that remembers the choice and accept. If you dismiss that prompt by accident, unplug and plug back in to get it again.

Step 3 — prepare the tool on the PC

Extract the debloat file somewhere you can find it. Keep the ADB and fastboot tool in the same place the script expects, so the commands it runs are found.

The free Rom Flasher tool bundles the ADB and fastboot driver install into a couple of clicks, which saves you hunting through Device Manager for a phone that Windows has decided is an unknown device. It is free, and the link is in the downloads section.

Step 4 — run it and pick a mode

Open the debloater and choose your mode. Remove takes the packages out. Reinstall puts back everything a previous run removed.

Let it run to the end. It prints each package as it goes, and the whole thing takes a couple of minutes, not the twenty you might expect.

Step 5 — check the phone

Reboot the phone when it finishes. Open the app drawer and look at what is left. On my phone it was down to the basics — a much shorter list, and nothing that matters missing.

Open a few things that used to sit next to the removed apps to make sure they still launch. Contacts, Messages, the camera, the settings menus.

No PC? Use Termux

If you do not have a computer to hand, the same job runs from Termux on the phone itself, and there is a Termux flash file in the downloads section for that route.

The steps are the same idea, just run on the device. USB debugging is not involved in that mode because there is no cable, so follow the Termux instructions as written rather than mixing the two sets of steps.

Where people get stuck

• The computer prompt was dismissed. No prompt accepted, no connection. Unplug, plug back in, and accept the debugging prompt properly.
• USB debugging is on but the driver is missing. The tool reports no device. Install the driver from the downloads section and try again.
• Something misbehaves afterwards. A menu crashes, or a feature that you relied on has quietly stopped working. Run the reinstall mode. Nothing here is permanent.
• Expecting a speed boost on a tired phone. If the phone is slow because the storage is full or the system has never been reset, removing apps will not fix that.

One honest note

This is a genuinely low-risk thing to do, and I say that as someone who flashes ROMs for a living and knows how quickly "low risk" turns into an evening of recovery mode.

The reason it is low risk is the reinstall mode. Every app it takes out, it can put back. So start with the default removal pass, use the phone for a week, and only then decide whether you want to be more selective.

The one thing I would not treat as a toy is a work phone. If your employer's setup depends on a specific app, or a device management profile is installed, leave that phone alone.

Full description from the video

How to strip the extra apps off a Xiaomi or POCO phone - MIUI junk and preinstalled Google apps gone, with a one-click restore if you change your mind.

Stock MIUI and HyperOS arrive loaded, and half of it you'll never open. This tool clears that out in one go, and the reason I keep it around is the second mode: it puts every removed app back. You need a PC, or Termux if you don't have one, plus USB debugging turned on. One pass emptied my app drawer down to the things I actually use - File Manager, Calculator, Calendar, Messaging. Everything else, the Mi apps and the preinstalled Google apps, went away. If you go too far, run the reinstall mode and they all come back.

🎯 What It Does

• Removes preinstalled Xiaomi, MIUI and Google apps in a single run
• Keeps the basics you rely on: File Manager, Calculator, Calendar, Messaging
• Has a second mode that reinstalls the apps it took out
• Runs over USB debugging, from a PC or from Termux

💡 Best Part

Nothing here is permanent. The restore mode brings back everything from LinkedIn and YouTube to Google TV, Google One, Meet, Snapchat, WPS Office and the theme store. If you clear something and a menu starts misbehaving, you're one click from undoing it.

🚫 What It Doesn't Do

• It won't root your phone and it never touches the bootloader
• It only handles the app packages that can be removed safely
• It works on MIUI and HyperOS builds, but it isn't a magic speed fix for a phone that needs a factory reset anyway

📝 Setup

1. Go to Settings, then About phone, and tap the build number to unlock Developer options.
2. Turn on USB debugging in Developer options.
3. Plug the phone into the PC, or connect over Termux.
4. Open the debloater file and choose your mode - remove, or reinstall.

❓ Common Questions

• Do I need root? No. USB debugging is enough.
• Will this wipe my data? No, it only touches apps.
• What if the phone acts strange afterwards? Run the reinstall mode.
• Can I use it on any Xiaomi or POCO phone? That's what the commands are written for.

Common questions

More guides like this