How to completely remove themes from the phone Xiaomi Redmi Note 8: from standard to custom

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8, powered by MIUI, allows you to install hundreds of themes, from minimalist to anime styles with flashy icons. But what if the installed theme starts to slow down, conflicts with applications or just annoys with its design? Delete it is not as easy as it seems: the standard theme menu in MIUI often hides the removal option, and system themes do not have such a button at all.

In this article, we will look at 5 proven ways to remove themes, from basic (via phone settings) to advanced (using ADB and manual cache clearing), focusing on system themes that can’t be removed by standard methods, but can be deactivated or replaced. If you lose your app icons, have lost your settings or your phone is getting hot, you’ll find solutions to these problems after changing the the theme.

Important: The procedure for removing themes on the Redmi Note 8 depends on the version of MIUI (global, Chinese, custom firmware) and the status of the theme (user or system). All instructions are tested on MIUI 12-14, but are also relevant for newer versions, with minor changes in the interface.

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI Themes tools. It is suitable for custom themes installed from an official store or downloaded manually (.mtz files).

How to do this:

📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
🔍 Go to My Themes section (the tab at the bottom of the screen).
🗑️ Find the theme you want, click on it and select Delete (if the option is active).
⚙️ For those without the delete button, try applying a different theme first, then go back to the problem one.

⚠️ Note: If the topic has been set through APK-If you delete a file (not from an official store), it may require you to clear the cache or even restart the phone, and in some cases, after you delete it, you'll have artifacts like changed fonts or notification sounds, and you'll have to reset them separately.

☑️ Preparation for deletion of the topic

Backup settings (Settings → Additional → Backup)Check the version of MIUI (Settings → About the phone)Close all applications in the backgroundConnect your phone to charge (if the battery level is below 30%)

Done: 0 / 4

2. Cleaning the theme cache and resetting to standard design

If the theme is deleted, but its elements (wallpaper, icons, animations) remain, the problem lies in the MIUI cache. Clearing the cache helps in 80% of cases when the system “forgets” to return the standard design.

Instructions:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Find the Themes app (or com.android.themes in the list of all apps).
Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
Return to the theme menu and apply the standard theme (Default or MIUI).

If that doesn’t help, try resetting the themes through the hidden menu:

🔧 Open the Topics app.
📌 Click on the profile avatar in the upper right corner → Settings.
🔄 Find the option Reset theme settings (may be called Restore by default).

📊 What theme do you use most on Xiaomi?

Standard MIUI

Dark subject.

Shop-sided cassette

His own (created in the editor)

Don't change subjects.

3. Remove themes through file manager (for power users)

Some themes, especially those that are manually installed (.mtz files), are stored in folders on the phone and are not deleted through menus. To get rid of them forever, you will need to manually delete files.

Where to look for topics:

Type of topic	The path to files	Notes
Customized (.mtz)	/sdcard/MIUI/theme/	Only remove the folders with the names of the topics
System (built-in)	/system/media/theme/	Root rights required
Cash is the one.	/data/system/theme/	Cleaning can reset all settings
Downloaded from the store	/sdcard/Android/data/com.android.themes/	Delete only files with the.mtz extension

⚠️ Note: Delete files from the folder /system/ If you're not sure what you're doing, use the methods in the previous sections or go to the method of using the root. ADB (see next section).

What to do if after removing themes missing the icons of the application?

This is because of a launcher cache conflict. Go to Settings → Applications → Launcher (or com.miui.home), clear the cache and data, then restart the phone. The icons will recover, but you will have to reconfigure the desktop.

4. Removal of topics via ADB (for system and non-removable themes)

Some themes (such as preinstalled Xiaomi or themes from the carrier) do not have the option of removing in the interface, in which case Android Debug Bridge (ADB) – a tool for debugging Android through a computer will help.

Step-by-step:

Turn on USB debugging on your phone: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to activate Developer Mode. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer and enable USB Debugging.

Redmi Note 8

Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices

(Your device should be displayed.)

adb shell pm list packages | grep theme

(This command will show all packages related to themes. Look for lines like com.android.theme.iconpack..)

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.theme.iconpack.holo

(Replace com.android.theme.iconpack.holo with your theme package name.)

⚠️ Note: Removing System Themes Through ADB It can cause a launcher to crash or lose functionality of some interface elements. Before executing commands, back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.

💡

If you don’t know the name of the theme package, install the App Inspector app from Google Play, which will show the full names of all packages installed, including themes.

5. Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

If none of the methods worked, and the theme completely broke the interface (for example, after a failed update or custom theme installation), then the phone is completely reset, a radical way that will delete all data, including apps, photos and settings.

How to reset the Redmi Note 8:

🔄 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Resetting settings.
📱 Select Reset All Settings (or Delete All Data).
🔐 Enter a password (if required) and confirm the action.
⏳ Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

After the reset, the phone will boot with a standard MIUI theme. To avoid data loss, first:

📁 Create a backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
☁️ Sync contacts and photos with Mi Cloud or Google Account.
💾 Save important files to your computer or external drive.

💡

Factory reset is the last chance to get your phone back to working condition if the theme has caused critical errors. Use it only after unsuccessful attempts to delete it in other ways.

6 How to avoid problems with topics in the future

To avoid having to remove topics, follow simple rules:

🛡️ Install themes only from the official store MIUI (Third-party.mtz files may contain viruses or conflict with the system.
📊 Read reviews and topic ratings before installing – low scores often signal bugs.
🔄 Regularly clean the cache of the Topic app (once every 1-2 months).
📱 Don’t install more than 3-5 themes at once – this overloads storage and can cause lags.
🔧 Before applying a new theme, take screenshots of current settings (wallpaper, icons, fonts) to quickly restore them if a crash occurs.

If you like to experiment with design, consider alternatives to standard MIUI themes:

🎨 Launchers (Nova Launcher, Hyperion) – allow you to change icons and animations without risk to the system.
🖼️ Icon Packages (from Google Play) – work on top of a standard theme.
🌓 Dark mode (in display settings) – changes the color scheme without installing themes.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing themes on Redmi Note 8

❓ Can I remove the standard topic? MIUI?

No, you can't delete a standard theme, but you can replace it with another one or reset it to factory ones. System themes are stored in /system/, and removing them requires root rights, which is not recommended because of the risk of damaging the firmware.

❓ After removing the theme, the wallpaper and notification sounds disappeared?

This is due to a cache conflict. Try: Clear cache in Settings → Apps → Themes. Apply the standard theme (Default) Reboot your phone. If it doesn't work, check the /sdcard/MIUI/theme/ folder for residual files of the old theme and delete them manually.

❓ Why some topics are not removed from the menu?

This is due to MIUI policy: topics preset by the manufacturer or carrier are often blocked from being deleted. In such cases, use ADB (section 4) or reset (section 5).

❓ How to delete the theme if the phone does not turn on after installing it?

If your phone is stuck on the logo or goes to bootloop, try: Power + Vol Up, select Wipe cache partition, if it doesn't work, do Wipe data/factory reset, and at the very least, reflash your phone through Fastboot using the Mi Flash Tool.

❓ Can I restore a deleted topic?

If a theme has been removed through a menu or file manager, it can be re-downloaded from the theme store (if available there). For those installed through.mtz files, check backups in /sdcard/MIUI/theme/ or cloud storage. System themes are only restored after the phone is reset.