How to change the alphabet in contacts on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: 5 ways to customize sorting

On Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 smartphones, users often face uncomfortable sorting of contacts by default — instead of the usual Russian alphabet, the phone can arrange names by Latin, Chinese characters or even arbitrary characters. This problem is especially relevant after updating MIUI or transferring data from another device. Unlike newer models (for example, Redmi Note 10 or POCO X3), where the sorting settings are put into a separate menu, on Redmi Note 7, the algorithm for changing the alphabet is hidden deeper — you need to know or search manually.

In this article, we’ll look at all the working ways to change the way contacts are displayed, from standard MIUI settings to manually editing system files (for advanced users), how to get a phone to sort names by the Russian alphabet, remove Chinese characters from the top of the list or return the usual English order, and what to do if contacts are not sorted at all or displayed in a chaotic manner.

Why are contacts not sorted by the Russian alphabet?

The problem of incorrect sorting on the Redmi Note 7 is related to the features of the MIUI firmware. By default, the system uses a universal algorithm that takes into account:

• 🌍 Device localization: If the region in the settings is listed as China or the United States, sorting will be by Latin or hieroglyphics.
• 📱 Version MIUI: firmware MIUI 12 sorting settings are hidden in the depth of the menu, and in new ones – are brought to the main contact screen.
• 🔄 Contact Source: Names synced to Google or Mi Account can be sorted according to their own rules.
• 📊 Character encoding: Russian letters in Unicode have different codes than Latin ones, so the system may not understand their order.

For example, if your Redmi Note 7 is purchased in China or is stitched with a global version. MIUI For the Asian market, contacts will be arranged in hieroglyphics, and Russian names will be at the bottom of the list. MIUI 12.5 Sorting is dropped into English, even if it was previously Russian.

⚠️ Note: If you are using duality SIM-maps, for example, Tele2 + MTS, contacts from different cards can be sorted differently. It's not a bug, it's a feature. MIUI — each SIM has its own display settings.

Method 1: Change sorting in standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in options. It runs on the Redmi Note 7 with MIUI 10–14 firmware (including global and Chinese versions).

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner → select Settings.
3. Scroll down to the Contact Management section and click Sort and Display.
4. In the item Sort by: Names (for alphabetical order) Surnames (if you need to arrange by surnames)

Sorting procedure

And → I

A → Z

Contacts

If your version of MIUI does not have the order of sorting item, then the firmware does not support manual alphabet change - go to the next method.

Update the Contacts app on Google Play

Make sure the language of the system is set to "Russian"

Check if your contacts are synced to Mi Account (may reset settings)

Reboot your phone after the changes-->

Method 2: Change the system language to properly sort

Sometimes the problem is regional settings, so if the main language of the device is English or Chinese, MIUI will sort the contacts in Latin, ignoring the Cyrillic alphabet, to fix this:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Language and input.
2. In the Language section, move Russian to the first position (if not, add it).
3. Back to Settings → About the phone and tap 7 times on the item Version MIUI, to activate the developer.
4. Now go to Settings → Additional → For developers and find the Force RTL layout direction option (if any). Turn it off, it will reset the text direction to standard.
5. Reboot your phone and check the sorting in Contacts.

This method is especially effective if the contacts are displayed in reverse order (from the end of the alphabet) or if the Russian letters come after the Latin. MIUI automatically reset the index of sorting.

Method 3: Manually editing contacts for forced sorting

If the system settings don't work, you can trick the sorting algorithm into adding invisible characters in front of names, which works 100 percent, but requires manual editing of each contact.

1. Open the contact that needs to be moved to the top of the list.
2. Tap Edit and in the Name field add one of these characters before the first letter (copy): (indissoluble space) (ideographic space) (zero width connector)
3. Save the changes. Now that contact will be displayed at the very top of the list.

For sorting by Russian alphabet, use this table of symbols-hints:

Importantly, this method doesn't change the alphabet globally, it only forcibly moves individual contacts, and to completely re-sort all names, you'll need to edit each contact manually.

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To quickly edit multiple contacts, export them to a VCF file (via Settings → Import/Export), edit in a text editor (like Notepad++) and import back.

Method 4: Reset the settings of the Contacts application (if sorting is lost)

Sometimes sorting settings are reset after updating MIUI or conflicting with other applications (such as Truecaller or Sync.ME).

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find your contacts (or contacts) and tap on it.
3. Select Warehouse → Clear cache and Clear data.
4. Confirm the action. Attention: this will remove any unsaved changes to your contacts, but the numbers will remain (they are stored in a Google or Mi Account).
5. Reboot your phone. Once you turn on, open Contacts and check the sorting.

To transfer contacts to the new app:

1. Export contacts from the standard application (Settings → Import / Export → Export to storage).
2. Install one of the listed apps (download from Google Play or APKMirror).
3. Import contacts to the new app through its settings menu.
4. In the sorting settings, select the Russian alphabet (A-Y) or Custom order.

The downside of this is that you have to use a third-party call instead of a standard one, but it's the only reliable option if MIUI stubbornly ignores your settings.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you change your contact sorting to Redmi Note 7, users often make these mistakes:

• 🔄 Do not restart your phone after changes. MIUI caches the contact settings, so without a reboot, sorting may not update.
• 📱 They use unofficial firmware. MIUI (For example, xiaomi.eu, sorting settings may work differently or not.
• 🔗 If you sync with both Google and Mi Account, you can have a conflict of order.
• 📊 They don't clear the cache. MIUI Old cache data may interfere with correct sorting.

If after all the manipulations the contacts are still displayed incorrectly, check:

1. Are there any design themes installed from the Mi Theme Store that change fonts (this can break sorting).
2. Is the mode for the visually impaired activated (Settings → Special features), which affects the display of text.
3. Is there a dual space where the contact settings may differ?

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If none of these methods worked, try upgrading to the latest stable version of MIUI. In newer versions (starting with MIUI 12.5), contact sorting is more stable.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions