How to completely remove the theme on Xiaomi 9T (Redmi K20): 5 proven ways

Xiaomi 9T (also known as Redmi K20) is powered by MIUI, which is famous for its extensive customization capabilities. One of the most popular features is changing the themes of the design, from color schemes to full icon recycling and animations. However, not all the themes are long-lasting: some slow down the system, others look crooked after the upgrade, and others just get bored. In this article, we will discuss how to safely remove the the the theme on Xiaomi 9T, including system and downloaded options, and what to do if the topic is not removed by standard methods.

It's important to understand that the process of removing themes on MIUI is different from other Android shells, and there are nuances with cache, access rights, and even the risk of breaking the visual design if you act carelessly. We'll look at all the current ways, from simple (through the themes menu) to radical (resetting), and answering frequent questions: can you delete a standard theme, why some themes are not deleted, and how to clean up residual files after uninstallation.

1. Delete theme through the “Themes” menu (standard method)

The most obvious and safe method is to use the built-in Themes app, which is suitable for downloaded themes (installed from an official or third-party store), but will not work for pre-installed system themes.

To remove the subject:

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

If there is no Delete button, then the theme is system or was installed through APK-Also check that the theme is not active at the moment: first apply another, and then try to delete.

2. Remove themes through the System Settings

In some versions of MIUI (especially on the Xiaomi 9T with MIUI 12-14), theme can be removed through the phone’s basic settings, a method that is useful if the Themes app doesn’t display the delete button or doesn’t work properly.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version line to activate the developer mode (if not already activated).
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Enable the option of debugging over USB (optional, but will help in the future).
5. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
6. In search, type in Topics and select the com.android.themes app.
7. Click Warehouse → Clear the cache and Clear the data.

This method won’t delete the theme itself, but it will reset the theme and clear the cache, which can help if the theme isn’t properly applied or is stuck in the system.

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If the icons are old after removing the theme, restart your phone or apply any other theme, and then go back to the standard one.

3. Remove themes via MIUI Themes (cleaning cache and data)

MIUI Themes stores all downloaded themes in its cache, and if the theme is not removed in the standard way, you can try to clear the application data, which often helps get rid of stuck themes.

How to do this:

• ⚙️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Find the Topics app (or MIUI Themes).
• 🧹 Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache and Clear the data.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.

After this procedure, all downloaded themes (except system) will be deleted, and the Themes app will return to the factory settings. Note: this will also reset your favorite themes and download history.

⚠️ Attention: Cleaning the Topic app data will delete all the themes you have uploaded, not just the ones you have selected. If you want to save some of the themes, pre-back them up via Export in the theme menu (if this option is available).

4. Removal of topics via ADB (for power users)

If the subject is set as APK-file or not deleted through the interface, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. Activate USB Debugging on Xiaomi 9T (see Section 2).

adb devices

(Your phone should be displayed).

adb shell pm list packages | grep theme

(This will show all packages related to the topics).

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.theme.Name topics

(Replace the name topics with the actual name of the package from the previous step).

This method allows you to remove any topic, including those that are not displayed in the menu, but be careful: removing system themes can cause MIUI to crash.

5. Resetting phone settings (extreme case)

If none of the methods worked, and the theme spoils the system (for example, causing lags or errors), then the reset to the factory settings remains, a radical way that will remove all data from the phone, including apps, photos and settings.

How to reset your settings:

• 🔒 Make a backup copy of important data (contacts, photos, messages).
• ⚙️ Go to Settings. → The phone. → Resetting settings.
• 🗑️ Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.
• ⏳ Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

Once reset, the phone will return to the factory firmware with a standard MIUI theme, a method that is guaranteed to remove all third-party themes, but only as a last resort.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi 9T With the bootloader unlocked, resetting the settings can lead to the device locking (re-authorization of the Mi Account is required!

6. How to delete residual themes files after uninstallation

Even after deleting the theme, its files can remain in the phone's memory, taking up space. To completely clear the system, follow the following steps:

Cleaning methods:

For deep cleaning, you can use applications like SD Maid or Files by Google that find and delete unnecessary files. If you have root access, check the /data/app/ and /system/priv-app/ folders for the themes.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When removing themes on Xiaomi 9T, users often encounter typical errors.

Problem 1: The Remove button is inactive.

• 🔹 The topic is systemic – it cannot be removed without ADB rat.
• 🔹 The theme is currently in use – apply another one first.

Problem 2: After removal, the topic remains on the list.

• 🔹 Clear the Topic app cache (see Section 3).
• 🔹 Reboot the phone.

Problem 3: The topic is gone, but the icons are still old.

• 🔹 Apply the standard theme, then restart the phone.
• 🔹 Clear the launcher's cache: Settings → Annexes → Launcher → Clear the cache.

Problem 4: When you delete a topic through ADB, you get an error.

• 🔹 Check the correct name of the package (Adb shell pm list packages) | grep theme).
• 🔹 Make sure the debugging is done USB included and drivers installed.

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If the theme was installed through APK, it can be removed as a regular application: Settings → Applications → Delete.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions