Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are often used not only for personal use but also as work tools, especially in the era of remote employment. Corporate IT departments are implementing special security containers known as work profiles to isolate service data from the personal information of the device owner. However, when an employee quits or switches to a new phone, it becomes necessary to completely clean the system of these corporate restrictions and residual files.
The deactivation process can seem complicated due to the administrative rights of mobile device management applications (MDM). The usual removal of icons from the desktop will not help here, as system services will continue to function in the background. In this article, we will discuss how to correctly and safely remove the working profile on the android xiaomi, returning the smartphone its original functionality without unnecessary locks.
Incorrectly shutting down such profiles can cause some of the data to remain in hidden memory areas or the device will continue to request administrator passwords when booting. So it is important to follow proven action algorithms that take into account the features of the MIUI and HyperOS shell. Below are methods that will help you cope with the task even in case of non-standard access rights situations.
What is a work profile and why remove it
A work profile is an isolated environment on your smartphone created with Android Enterprise technology, which stores corporate applications, email, documents and contacts that are controlled by the organization’s administrator. To the user, it looks like a separate set of icons, often marked with a special portfolio icon, that work in parallel with personal space but have different security rules.
Deletion is required when you are no longer an employee of the company or change your corporate device to a personal one. While the profile is active, the administrator can remotely block individual phone functions, require a complex screen lock, or even erase data in the event of a device loss. Complete deletion ensures that the former organization loses access to your gadget and you get rid of imposed restrictions.
⚠️ Before starting the procedure, make sure that you save all the necessary working files, as after cleaning, it will be impossible to restore them even through the company’s cloud services.
In addition, having an active profile can affect battery autonomy as background synchronization services continue to consume system resources, removing redundant components helps optimize Xiaomi performance and frees up space in internal memory.
Preparing for the removal of corporate data
Before taking drastic measures, a series of preparatory steps must be taken to avoid blocking an account or losing important contacts, first check which apps are installed inside the work perimeter, and export the information to personal files or external media, if the company's security policy allows.
- 📱 Make sure your smartphone is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network or has enough battery power to complete the sync process before being removed.
- 🔐 Write down or remember passwords from your personal Google and Mi Account accounts, as the system may require re-authorization after changing the profile structure.
- 💾 Backup your personal photos and documents so that they don’t accidentally get affected during the cleaning process.
It is also worth disabling any active connections to corporate Wi-Fi or VPN networks before starting the procedure, which will prevent automatic re-setting of security policies in case the deletion is not complete.
☑️ Pre-deletion check
It is important to understand that in some cases, an MDM application (such as Microsoft Intune, VMware Workspace ONE or Knox Manage) may block the ability to self-delete a profile, which requires either requesting an unlock code from the IT department or using the methods described below that bypass standard interface limitations.
The standard way through Android settings
The most correct and safe method of removal is to use the built-in operating system tools, which is suitable for most situations where the device is not under the tight control of a remote administrator in real time.
In the menu, find a section that might be called Users and Accounts, Accounts, or Sync. Depending on the version of the MIUI shell, the path may be slightly different. You need to find an item that is associated with a work profile or enterprise applications, often located separately from personal Google accounts.
Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Special Permits → Access to UseOnce you find the desired partition, select the option “Delete your work profile” or “Erase your profile.” The system will issue a warning that all applications and data in this profile will be destroyed. Confirm the action by entering the screen unlock password or pattern lock.
| Interface element | Action. | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Settings | Entrance to the main menu of parameters | Opening system settings |
| Accounts. | Selection of profiles | Displaying the list of accounts |
| Working profile | Pressing the deletion button | Starting of the deletion procedure |
| Confirmation | Entering PIN-code | Complete deletion of profile |
If the delete button is inactive or hidden, it means that the device has policies that prevent the user from self-removing a profile, in which case, proceed to the next section of the instructions, which describes how to circumvent the restrictions.
Deletion through device administrator rights
Often, enterprise applications get extended device administrator rights, allowing them to block standard removal methods. To remove these restrictions, you need to go to the system security section. On Xiaomi smartphones, this path usually looks like Passwords and Security → Device Administrators or Special Features.
In the Active Administrator list, you'll see applications with management rights, such as Device Policy, Internet Company Portal, or Knox, where you're tasked with unchecking the relevant application, and the system will warn you that this action could lead to the deletion of the application's data or its inoperability, which is exactly what we need.
⚠️ Warning: After disabling the administrator permissions, the app may try to lock the screen or require a password.Be prepared to quickly proceed to the next step of the instruction.
Once you have revoked the rights, go back to the App Management menu (Settings → Apps → All Apps). Find the application that managed the profile and select “Delete.” If standard deletion is blocked, try clearing the app’s data and cache before you try again.
What to do if the administrator’s rights are not removed?
In some cases, it is useful to search by settings. Type the word “administrator” or “device admin” in the settings search bar to quickly find the desired menu item, as the location of items in different versions of HyperOS can vary.
Use of debugging by USB and ADB
For advanced users who are faced with complex cases of blocking, there is a method of removing a profile through the Android debugging bridge (ADB), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and having a minimum set of tools, and allows you to send system commands directly, bypassing the graphical interface, which can be blocked.
First, activate the developer mode. Go to About Phone and quickly click on the build number seven times (MIUI Version). After the message "You became a developer", go to the menu "Additional" → "Developers" and turn on "Debugging by USB".
- 💻 Install Xiaomi drivers and Android platform SDK Platform-Tools on your computer.
- 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC through the original USB-cable and confirm the debugging request on the smartphone screen.
- 📝 Open the command line (CMD) or terminal in a folder with ADB and enter a command to delete the profile.
The command to remove the working profile is as follows:
adb shell pm remove-user --all 10However, the safer option is to search for a specific work profile ID and delete it. Often the work profile has an ID of 10 or 11. the adb shell pm list users will show a list of all users. Find a line marked "Managed" or "Work" and use the adb shell pm remove-user command [ID].
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If the team ADB not executed, make sure that the computer has the current drivers installed ADB Interface.For Xiaomi may also need to include a clause «USB-Debugging (security settings) in the developer menu.
This method is the most powerful tool, as it works at the system level, but use it with caution: removing the incorrect user can lead to the loss of personal data or the need to completely reset the phone.
Radical measures: complete resetting of settings
If none of the above methods worked, or if the device is in a “brick” state due to conflicting security policies, the last option is a complete reset to the factory settings (Hard Reset), which completely clears the internal memory of the smartphone, returning it to the state of “store-like”.
Before performing the reset, be sure to remove SIM-microSD card and memory card, if installed, will prevent the accidental deletion of important contacts or files stored on external media. Also make sure you know the password from your Mi Account and Google account, as after the reset, the system will require them to confirm ownership (protection) FRP).
To perform the reset via the menu:
- Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
- Select “Erase all data”.
- Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.
If you can't access the menu, use Recovery mode. Turn off your phone, then press the Volume Up and Power buttons at the same time. When the Mi logo appears, release the power button while keeping the volume up. In the menu that appears, select "Wipe Data" → "Wipe All Data" → "Confirm".
Once the process is complete, the phone will restart and you will need to reset the original setup, and there will be no more work profiles and enterprise restrictions on the device.
Possible problems and solutions
Unintended complications may occur during the deletion process, such as a device rebooting in a loop or constantly requesting an administrator password, which often happens if the agent application has not been removed correctly, in which cases it helps to log into the safe mode mentioned earlier, or to re-attempt to delete via ADB.
Another common problem is blocking your Google account (FRP Lock) after reset if your work profile was linked to corporate email. To avoid this, try to delete your account from your user list in your settings before reset. If this is not possible, you may need to contact the service center for official unlocking.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to reflash the device with unofficial firmware to bypass locks if you do not have sufficient knowledge.
It is also worth noting that some modern MDM-systems use deep integration with the device loader. In rare cases, complete removal requires unlocking the bootloader (Unlock Bootloader) through the official Xiaomi website, which will also entail complete erasure of data.
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The most reliable way to securely remove any working profile is to completely reset your settings (Hard Reset) after extraction. SIM-Cards and Disable All Accounts.
If you encounter a unique error that is not in open sources, try to find the exact error text in the search engine by adding a model of your phone. Xiaomi user communities often offer specific solutions for specific versions of MIUI.