How to completely remove the theme on Xiaomi Mi 8: 5 proven ways

The Xiaomi Mi 8, released in 2018, is still popular with users thanks to its powerful hardware and support for custom firmware. However, owners often face a problem: installed themes from MIUI Themes do not remove in standard ways, take up memory or conflict with system applications. Unlike new models (for example, Xiaomi 13 or Redmi Note 12), where the interface is simplified, on the Mi 8 the the theme removal process may require additional manipulation due to the features of MIUI 9/10/11.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for removing themes from basic (via the settings menu) to radical (reset to factory settings), focusing on hidden themes that do not appear in the installed list, but take up to 500 MB of memory, and learn how to avoid the “failed to delete the topic” error and what to do if artifacts (icons, fonts or wallpaper) are left after removal.

The most obvious way is to use the built-in MIUI Themes tools, which are suitable for themes installed from the official store or manually via APK. Importantly, this method only works for active themes (current or previously used).

Instructions:

📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
🔍 Go to My Themes tab (or Management in older versions) MIUI).
🗑️ Find the theme in the list and click on it. In the window that opens, select Delete (or the basket icon).
✅ Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If the Remove button is inactive or missing, this means that the theme is system (e.g., standard MIUI Default) or was installed via ADB.

📊 How often do you change topics on Xiaomi?

Once a week.

Once a month

Only when you buy a phone

Never changed.

2. Delete via the "Settings" of the phone

Not everyone knows that theme can be removed through the basic settings of Xiaomi Mi 8. This method is useful if the Themes app does not open or gives an error.

🛠️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
🔎 In the search box, type the title of the theme (for example, Dark Mode Pro).
📦 Select the app you find (usually weighing 10–300MB).
🗑️ Click Delete and confirm.

Important: In the list of applications, topics may appear under strange names, for example:

com.miui.theme.XXX (where XXX is the theme identifier)
MiuiThemeEditor (for custom themes)
com.android.theme (system themes)

⚠️ Note: Do not remove applications called com.miui.theme.manager or com.android.themes, which are system components, and their removal will lead to the collapse of the interface!

3. Manually delete theme files through the file manager

If the theme is not deleted through the menu, its files could remain in the device’s memory. To delete them, you will need a root file manager (such as MiXplorer or Solid Explorer) or ADB.

The way to themes in Xiaomi Mi 8:

/data/system/theme/


/data/app/com.miui.theme.XXX-1/ (for custom themes)




/system/priv-app/ThemeManager/ (system themes)

Instructions:

📁 Open the file manager and follow one of the paths above.
🔍 Find a folder with the title of the theme (for example, DarkNebula or com.miui.theme.12345).
🗑️ Delete the folder completely (root rights may be required for this).
🔄 Reboot the phone.

What if there are no root rights?

Without root, you can only delete files in the /data/app/ folder via ADB. To do this, connect your phone to your PC, open the command line and type: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.theme.XXX Where XXX is the theme identifier (you can find it through the pm list packages | grep theme command).

Warning: Deleting files from /system/ without root can lead to bootloop. If you're not sure, use other methods.

4. Reset theme settings to factory

If the theme is stuck in the system and is not deleted in any way, resetting MIUI Themes to factory settings will help. This will not delete the theme files, but will return the standard interface and free up memory.

How to reset:

📱 Open the Settings. → The phone.
🔧 Press 7 times on the version MIUI, activate the developer mode.
🔙 Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
🔄 Find the Reset Theme Settings option (or Reset Theme Settings) and activate it.

After the reboot, the phone will return to the standard MIUI Default theme, minus the method: all custom theme settings (wallpaper, icons, fonts) will be reset.

Make sure that important wallpaper is saved in the Gallery

Remember the title of the current topic (if you want to return it later)

Make sure your phone has enough charge (minimum 30%)

Turn off the screen lock (if a pattern lock is used)-->

5. Completely reset the phone to factory settings

The extreme measure, hard reset, should be applied only if:

🚨 The topic caused critical errors (e.g. com.android.systemui is constantly falling),
📱 The phone brakes or overheats after installing the theme,
🔧 Other methods have not helped.

Resetting instructions:

📲 Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Recovery and discharge.
🔄 Select Settings Reset (or Delete all data).
🔐 Enter your password (if required) and confirm.
⏳ Wait until it is completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: After hard reset, all data, including photos, contacts and apps, will be deleted. → Google → Backup or Mi Cloud Backup.

Deleting method	Need root?	Deleting theme files?	Setting reset?	Risk to the system
Through MIUI Themes	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	❌ No.	⚠️ Low.
Through "Settings."	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	❌ No.	⚠️ Low.
Manual deletion of files	✅ Yes.	✅ Yes.	❌ No.	❗ High-pitched
Resetting theme settings	❌ No.	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	⚠️ Medium.
Full reset (hard reset)	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	✅ Yes.	❗ critical

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When removing themes on Xiaomi Mi 8 users face typical problems.

Error 1: “Failure to delete the subject” or the delete button is inactive.

🔹 Reason: The topic is systemic or set through ADB.
🔹 Solution: Use the manual file deletion method (Section 3) or reset the theme settings (Section 4).

Error 2: After the theme was deleted, its elements (wallpaper, icons, fonts) remained.

🔹 Reason: Theme files are cached or integrated into system applications.
🔹 Solution: Clear the cache in Settings → Annexes → Topics → Memory. → Clear the cache. If it doesn't work, reset the theme settings.

Error 3: The phone reboots in the loop after deleting the themes.

🔹 Reason: Critical system files (e.g., from the /system/priv-app/).
🔹 Solution: Restore your phone via Fastboot (instructions on Xiaomi’s official website) or reflash through the Mi Flash Tool.

Settings → Update themes → Auto Update → Turn off

This will prevent the re-installing of the deleted theme.-->

FAQ: Answers to popular questions

❓ Can I remove the standard topic? MIUI Xiaomi Mi 8?

No, you can't remove the standard theme (MIUI Default) -- it's stitched into the firmware. However, you can reset all custom theme settings to factory ones (Section 4).

❓ Why does it appear again after removing the topic?

This is because of the autorestore function in MIUI. Turn it off: Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Themes. Press AutoRun and turn off permission. Clear the cache and application data of Themes.

❓ How to find out how much space the topic takes on the phone?

Open Settings → Memory → Applications and sort by size. The theme usually weighs between 10 and 300 MB and is called com.miui.theme.XXX. You can also use the DiskUsage app to analyze memory.

❓ Can I remove themes without root rights?

The standard methods (sections 1-2 and 4) do not require root, but you do need root to delete system themes or clean up residual files.

❓ What to do if after removing the theme missing icons applications?

This means the theme has replaced standard icons with its files that have been deleted.Solution: Install any other theme from the store MIUI Apply it and delete it immediately, it will restore the icons. If it doesn't work, reset the launcher settings: pinch the empty space on the desktop. → Desktop settings → Reset.

💡

Before experimenting with themes on Xiaomi Mi 8, always back up via Mi Cloud or TWRP. This will save your data in case of a crash!