How to completely remove the theme from the phone Xiaomi Redmi 10: instructions with nuances

Changing the themes to Xiaomi Redmi 10 is one of the features of the MIUI shell, but what if the installed theme drains the battery, slows down the system or just annoys? Deleting it is not as easy as it seems: unlike regular applications, the themes are integrated into the system and do not have a “Delete” button in the menu. Many users find that even after resetting to a standard theme, traces of the previous one remain in the device’s memory, taking up space and affecting performance.

In this article, we will discuss 3 working methods for removing themes on Redmi 10 (including Redmi 10 2022, Redmi 10A, Redmi 10C and others based on MIUI 12-14). Particular attention will be paid to the hidden settings that allow you to clear the cache of themes without resetting to factory settings - this is important if you do not want to lose data.

Why Xiaomi themes aren’t removed like regular apps

The theme in MIUI is not just a set of wallpapers and icons, but a comprehensive package that changes:

• 🎨 Appearance of the system: fonts, animations, color schemes
• 📱 System sounds: notification signals, alarm clocks, ringtones
• 🖼️ Background Processes: Some Themes Launch Services for Dynamic Wallpaper

Unlike apps, themes are stored in a secure folder /data/system/theme/ and are not displayed in the installed program list. Even if you reset the theme to standard through Settings → Theme, its files will remain in the device’s memory, taking from 50 to 300 MB (depending on the complexity of the design).

What’s more, MIUI automatically caches theme elements for fast loading, meaning that even after “deleting” some files can remain in the /cache/ folder, which over time leads to memory clogging and slowdown of the smartphone.

Method 1: Remove theme through standard MIUI settings

This is the safest method, but it doesn't work with all themes, and it's suitable for themes installed through the official MIUI Themes store.

Steps:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to My Subjects section (bottom of the screen).
3. Find the topic you want to remove and click on it.
4. In the window that opens, tap three points (⋮) top-right.
5. Choose Remove (if the option is active).

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Note: The Remove button may not be active for pre-installed themes (e.g. Default or MIUI Global) and some paid themes will block deletion, which can only be deactivated.

If there is no “Delete” button, try an alternative path:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In search, enter Topics and select an application MIUI Themes.
• 🗑️ Press Warehouse. → Clear data (this will reset all downloaded themes, but will not delete their files completely).

Method 2: Manually delete theme files through file manager

This method requires root rights or the use of a built-in MIUI file manager with access to system folders.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with access to root folders (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /data/system/theme/ /sdcard/MIUI/theme/
3. Find a folder with the title of the theme you are removing (usually a set of numbers and letters, such as com.theme.id12345).
4. Delete the entire folder or highlight all the files inside and click “Delete”.
5. Reboot the phone.

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Note: Deleting files from /data/system/theme/ without root permissions may cause the Topic app to crash. If the theme does not disappear after the reboot, return the files back or reset the settings (see Method 3).

If you don’t have root access, try clearing the cache with the following:

• 📁 Open the Settings. → Memory. → Files.
• 🔍 Find the file. MIUI And inside it, theme.
• 🗑️ Delete all files with the.mtz extension (these are theme archives).

Method 3: Resetting phone settings (last resort)

If the theme is not removed by any of the above methods, it is a hard factory reset, a radical solution that will remove all data from the phone, including photos, contacts and apps.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Create a backup copy: 📱 Through Settings. → The phone. → Backup. 🖥️ Or connect your phone to your PC and copy files manually.

Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset

Resetting settings

MIUI

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Note: Some versions of Redmi 10 (especially those with MIUI 13+) may require re-activation of Xiaomi account after reset.

If the reset didn’t help (which is unlikely), the problem may be in the corrupted system files, in which case only flashing through Fastboot or Recovery will help.

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Before reset, write down the phone's IMEI (type *#06#). In rare cases, after a hard reboot, it may reset, and you will need to restore it through the engineering menu.

Table: Comparison of theme removal methods on Redmi 10

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many Redmi 10 users have the same problems when trying to remove a theme, and here are some of the most common mistakes and solutions.

🔹 Error: Remove button is inactive

✅ Solution: Check if the theme is system-based (e.g., Default or Default). MIUI Global. These topics can not be deleted, only deactivated, and the button can be blocked if the theme was installed through a third-party.mtz file (not from the official store).

🔹 Error: After removal, the subject is returned

✅ Solution: This means that the theme files are left in the cache. MIUI Themes (see Method 1) and restart your phone. If it doesn't work, delete your files manually (Track 2).

🔹 Error: Phone slows down after changing the subject

✅ Solution: Some themes (especially animation) are very loading on the processor:

• 🔋 Enable performance mode in Settings → Battery.
• 🖼️ Disable dynamic wallpaper in the theme settings.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.

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If the topic was established through a third party APK-file MIUI Themes, it can't be deleted in the standard way, and then you can just reset or manually delete files.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions