Debloat & uninstall system apps on Xiaomi MI 11 (Lite/Ultra) without root

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is an awesome phone. However, it comes with bloatware which can’t always be removed by default.

So to protect my privacy, save space, optimize battery life and improve the user experience… I found an easy way to remove said apps without resorting to advanced features like root or unlocking the bootloader. This trick should work on most Xiaomi smartphones, including the Xiaomi Mi 11, 11i Mi 11 Lite and Mi 11 Ultra.

Step 1: Prepare the software on your Mac/PC/Linux…

1. Download and Install Java on your PC.
2. Download “XiaomiADBFastbootTools” – You only need the .JAR file. (my mirror)
   [Small warning: Update Oct. 2023: It came to my attention that this software project has ended, I found the .jar file in a relatively trustworthy source, but I wasn’t able to test it myself yet, so use at your own risk]
3. Run/Open said .jar file with the Java software. It should look like this:

Step 2: Prepare your Xiaomi Mi 11 (Ultra)

Before we connect the smartphone, we need to enable USB debugging.

1. Go to your phone settings and tap on (probably) the first item: “about this phone“.
2. Tap a few times on ‘MIUI version’. It should count down (about 10 times) until it says: “you are now a developer”.
3. Go back to settings and go to “additional settings”, and all the way in the bottom it should show “developer options“
   (You could also just use search the settings for “developer”)
4. Enable “USB debugging”

Step 3: Connect your Xiaomi phone to your PC and debloat your device with XiaomiADBFastbootTools

1. Connect your phone to your computer with the original cable. (or just make 100% sure it’s a proper DATA cable, as some cheap USB-C cables only allow charging)
2. On your phone it will prompt to:
   1. Connect the USB in “file transfer/android auto” mode. (Do not select ‘charge only’)
   2. Next, it will ask you to allow your computer to use the USB debugging. You can allow it.
3. Finally, the full list of system apps will appear in the application.
4. Now all you need to do is select the ones you’d like to remove and press the ‘uninstall’ button in the bottom.

I’m not going to guarantee that it’s entirely safe to just remove any app. Both Reddit users and the developer of the “XiaomiADBFastbootTools” application seem to confirm it’s pretty safe to do so.

I’d advice you to just uninstall the items that either bother you and the ones you have different alternatives for. (browsers, music, video player…). I’ve just uninstalled these apps a few moments ago without issues.

And as you can see, you can always re-install them if necessary, so the whole thing seems pretty safe to me. You can see how it works in my extensive videoreview around 5:47:

I hope this helped you out. Enjoy your phone, and don’t forget to read my extensive review on the Xiaomi Mi 11!