How to completely remove font from themes on Xiaomi: from manual reset to ADB-team

Why Xiaomi Theme Fonts Stay in the System and How to Fix It

You downloaded the design theme for Xiaomi via MIUI Themes, but it still left the font in the settings after it was deleted? This is a common problem faced by users of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones on MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS firmware. The fact is that the system saves custom fonts in a separate folder, and simply removing the theme does not clean them automatically.

In this article, we’ll discuss 5 working ways to remove unnecessary fonts, from standard MIUI tools to manually clean through ADB and file manager, and learn why some fonts can’t be removed without superuser rights, and how to get around this restriction without the risk of bricking your device.

Before you start, check: 1. Your firmware version (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version). 2. Having a backup of important data – some methods require resetting. 3. Root rights status (if any, the process is simplified).

Method 1: Remove font through MIUI settings (without Root)

The easiest method is to use the system's built-in tools, which is suitable for fonts installed through MIUI Themes, but not always for manual installations (.ttf/.otf files).

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Display. → font.
• 🔍 Scroll through the list to the "Downloaded fonts" section (if not, the font is installed systemically).
• 🗑️ Click on the unnecessary font and select "Delete" (or basket icon).
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes changes only apply after a reboot.

If you don't have a "Delete" option, you're going to have the font sewn into the firmware or installed as a system type, and then you're going to have to use Method 3 (via ADB) or Method 4 (manual folder cleaning).

Backup important data | Check version of MIUI| Charge phone at least 50%| Disable two-factor authentication (if used)

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⚠️ Attention: Some topics MIUI install fonts in secure folders. If the font is left after deleting the topic, but it is not in the Download list, do not try to delete it through the file manager without Root - this can cause an interface failure.

Method 2: Reset theme settings to standard

If the font is stuck to the system after removing the theme, try resetting all the design settings to factory settings. This method does not require Root and is suitable for MIUI 14 and HyperOS.

How to do this:

1. Open the application Themes (MIUI Themes).
2. Go to Profile → Settings → Reset theme settings.
3. Confirm the action and wait for the device to restart.

After the reboot, check the font in Settings → Display. If it still shows, it was manually installed (see Method 4).

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If the font disappeared after resetting themes, but returned after restarting, try turning off the automatic application of themes in Settings → Themes → Auto-Apply.

Method 3: Remove fonts via ADB (without Root)

For fonts that are not removed by standard methods, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) will help.This method works without Root, but requires connecting the phone to a PC.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Debugging. USB: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Press 7 times until the message "You became a developer" appears. → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB.
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Download ADB Tools and unpack it into a folder.
4. Open the command line in this folder and type: adb shell pm list packages | grep font This will show all packages associated with fonts.
5. Remove the unnecessary font by command: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.fontprovider.Name FRIFT (replace the name FRIFT with the one found in claim 4).

If the team fails, try an alternative method:

adb shell


su




mount -o rw,remount /system




rm -rf /system/fonts/Name file.ttf




mount -o ro,remount /system

⚠️ Note: Removing system fonts through ADB Before executing commands, make sure that you delete the user font, not the system font (for example, Roboto or MiSans).

Method 4: Manually remove fonts through file manager (with Root)

If you have Root rights, you can manually remove fonts from system folders, which is the most effective method, but also the most risky one - an error can lead to a bootloop.

Where to look for fonts:

• 📁 /system/fonts/ — System fonts (remove carefully!).
• 📁 /data/fonts/ — custom-type.
• 📁 /vendor/fonts/ — Manufacturer's fonts (on some models).
• 📁 /product/fonts/ — additional fonts (in MIUI 13+).

How to delete:

1. Install a file manager with Root support (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /data/fonts/ and find the font file (usually with the.ttf or.otf extension).
3. Delete the file and restart the device.

If the font is in /system/fonts/, before deleting:

1. mount the section to write: su mount -o rw, remount /system
2. Delete the file and return the rights: mount -o ro, remount /system

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Before removing fonts from /system/fonts/, make sure to back up the folder. It's almost impossible to recover deleted files without a backup.

Method 5: Remove fonts via TWRP (for advanced users)

If previous methods didn’t work and you have Root, you can use custom recovery (TWRP) to remove fonts.This is a good way for Xiaomi with an unlocked bootloader.

Instructions:

1. Install TWRP for your model (see instructions on 4PDA or XDA Developers).
2. Boot to TWRP (clip Power + Volume up when turned on).
3. Go to Advanced → File Manager.
4. Find the font folders (/system/fonts/ or /data/fonts/) and delete the unnecessary files.
5. Reboot to the system.

The advantage of this method is the ability to create a backup before removing. In TWRP, select Backup → System to save the current state of the firmware.

⚠️ Note: Removal of fonts through TWRP HyperOS can cause errors if files are protected by DM-Verity, in which case you will have to disable signature verification via Magisk after deletion.

What to do if the font is not removed anyway?

If none of the methods worked, the following reasons are possible:

• 🔒 Font sewn into firmware (for example, MiSans on the new Xiaomi).
• 📦 The font file is corrupted or blocked by SELinux.
• 🔄 After removal, the cache did not clear (try Settings). → Annexes → Application management → Cash. → Clean up).
• 🛠️ Firmware modified (Castom Assembly can block changes).

Decisions:

1. Update your firmware to the latest version – sometimes font bugs are fixed in patches.
2. Install another launcher (like Nova Launcher) that ignores system fonts.
3. Reset your phone to factory settings (extreme if the font is critically intrusive).

If the problem occurred after upgrading to HyperOS, check the settings in Settings → Personalization → Fonts – in the new shell, the font management interface has changed.

FAQ: Frequent questions about font removal on Xiaomi