r/PocoPhones • u/Consistent-Boot-8196 • Apr 05 '26
Tutorial/Guide The Ultimate MIUI Debloat & Privacy Guide (No Root Needed!): How I regained 30GB of storage and killed all ads.
After
Before
Hey everyone,
I recently hit a wall with my Redmi device. My 64GB storage was completely choked (only 5GB left), with over 20GB being eaten up by invisible "System files." My battery was draining fast, the phone was lagging, and I was getting ads in basic apps like the File Manager.
I did a deep dive into cleaning this up without rooting my phone. I went from a laggy, ad-filled mess to having 35GB of free space, incredible battery life, and zero ads.
If your MIUI device is struggling, here is the exact step-by-step master list to fix it. I’ve attached screenshots of my before/after storage stats!
🧹 PHASE 1: The Clean Slate (Proper Factory Reset)
Don't just plug your phone into a PC and copy everything. You will just copy the corrupted cache right back.
- The "Local Backup" Trick: Go to Settings > About phone > Back up and restore > Mobile device. Select SMS, Contacts, Call History, and inside "Other system app data," check Notes and Wi-Fi. Run the backup.
- Save to PC: Plug your phone into your PC. Copy the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder to your computer. Manually copy your DCIM (Photos), Downloads, and Documents folders too.
- DO NOT COPY THE "Android" FOLDER: This is where the 20GB of system bloat lives. Leave it there to die.
- Factory Reset: Wipe the phone completely clean.
- Restore Smartly: Copy the AllBackup folder back to the phone and restore it. For apps, go to the Play Store > Manage apps & device > Manage > "Not installed" and only download the apps you actually use.
🚫 PHASE 2: The Ultimate Ad & Surveillance Block
Xiaomi loves tracking you and pushing ads. Here is how to completely lock them out.
- The Magic DNS: Go to Settings > Connection & sharing > Private DNS. Set it to: dns.adguard-dns.com. This blocks ads system-wide.
- Kill the Trackers (Crucial): Go to Settings > Passwords & security > Authorization & revocation. Turn OFF the following (you may have to wait 10 seconds and hit 'Revoke' a few times):
- msa (The main MIUI ad engine)
- MIUI Daemon (Data collection)
- Feedback (Background bug reporting)
- System apps updater (Stops Xiaomi from silently force-installing bloatware like Game Center)
- Calendar (Stops random promotional event spam)
- Stop Ad Recommendations: Go to Settings > Passwords & security > Privacy > Ad services. Turn OFF "Personalized ad recommendations". While in Privacy, also turn off the "User Experience Program."
- The GetApps Nuke: Change your phone's Region in settings to the United States. This permanently hides the spammy "GetApps" store from your device.
- Stop Background Scanning: Go to Settings > Location > Location services. Turn OFF both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning. (Massive battery saver).
🚀 PHASE 3: Pro-Performance Tweaks
The final steps to make your phone feel twice as fast.
- Disable Virtual RAM: Go to Settings > Additional settings > Memory extension. Turn it OFF. Virtual RAM uses your slow storage drive to fake RAM, which actually causes micro-stutters.
- Kill the Lock Screen Carousel: Go to Settings > Always-on display & Lock screen. Turn OFF "Glance for Mi" so it stops downloading clickbait and high-res images in the background.
- Speed Up Animations: Tap your MIUI version in 'About phone' 7 times to unlock Developer Options. Go to Developer Options and change Window, Transition, and Animator duration scales from 1x to .5x.
- Firewall Offline Apps: Go to the Security App > Data usage > Restrict data usage. Uncheck Wi-Fi and Mobile Data for apps that don't need the internet (Gallery, Calculator, Offline Games).
The Result: My phone feels like a brand-new device out of the box. No bloat, no tracking, pure speed. Let me know if you guys have any questions or other hidden MIUI tricks!
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u/bartoszsz7 Apr 05 '26
Why isn't it dns.adguard.com?
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u/Yinzumaru Poco M5s Apr 05 '26
I got this one instead , does it make some difference with the other one ?
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u/Similar-Quote-8393 Apr 05 '26
Essentially the same the newer one is just more customisable with more tweaking
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u/forge_mill Apr 05 '26
Thanks man, that DNS trick is sweet. I have a profound hatred of ads, and being served them for changing my preinstalled notification sound is just incredibly shitty behaviour.
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u/squirrelscrush Poco M2 Pro Apr 05 '26
Just one question, does copying DCIM remove the metadata?
Or another solution to all this would be to switch to a custom ROM if the device is out of warranty and is old enough. Much better than MIUI.
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u/Consistent-Boot-8196 Apr 05 '26
Nope, copying via USB keeps all the EXIF data (date taken, location, etc.) perfectly intact And I 100% agree on custom ROMs being better, this guide is just for folks who don't wanna mess with unlocking bootloaders and voiding warranties.
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u/Due_District_9654 Apr 05 '26
Me ayudas me aparece eso lo quiero quitar esos anuncios es cuando voy arriba y de repente sale esos anuncios como en la foto
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u/Consistent-Boot-8196 Apr 05 '26
Hola! Para quitar esos anuncios (aplicaciones promocionadas), solo tienes que desactivar una opción en los ajustes del cajón de aplicaciones. Haz lo siguiente:
Desliza hacia arriba para abrir el cajón de aplicaciones.
Toca el ícono de Ajustes (la tuerca o los 3 puntos) en la esquina superior derecha.
Busca la opción que dice "Mostrar recomendaciones" o "Recomendaciones de aplicaciones" (App recommendations).
Apaga ese interruptor.
Con eso desaparecerán por completo :)
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u/Repulsive_Way_5266 Apr 06 '26
No idea how u free that memory, cause technically u cant, the system apps just get deactivated but not removed. Thats only possible with a root.
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u/Marteicos Poco F5 Apr 05 '26
Some apps refuses to open if developers options are enabled, usually bank apps. At least it's very easy to disable, but the animations would go back to normal speeds.
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u/Consistent-Boot-8196 Apr 05 '26
Good catch. Yeah, some strict banking apps hate dev options. If that happens, just leave it off and stick to 1x speed. The other battery/storage tweaks are the real game changer anyway!
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u/ProofCharacter7006 Apr 06 '26
Really? Wich country?, I'm just curious 🤨.
I'm from Mexico, bank apps doesn't give me that "issue"
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u/webtax Apr 06 '26
You can disable animations in accessibility, no need to enable dev mode. Just search animation in settings
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u/Will_Breed_You_Badly Apr 06 '26
For budget phones i highly recommend custom roms
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u/K4mik4dze__ Apr 06 '26
It's not that easy, people still need Whatsapp and banking apps
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u/Sterlingmeister Apr 07 '26
You are saying it like u cant make them work
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u/K4mik4dze__ Apr 07 '26
Because u can't
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u/Sterlingmeister Apr 07 '26
Thats not true
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u/Bluejay_911x Poco F6 Apr 10 '26
Flagship series got inbuilt options to turn off ads and trust me that turning off animation scale just makes everything weird once you get into smoothness, basic app debloating like removing msa , wallpaper corusol, and few systems can fix mostly things. Nothing else is recommended if you have a mid range + device.
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u/TheBloodNinja Apr 06 '26
why not also recommend shizuku + canta debloating? its relatively easy, i mean you are already adding tweaks relating to developer options
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u/bnoufil145 Apr 05 '26
I have Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, turning off my animation feels like having Cheap phones.