How to completely remove contacts with Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro: from manual cleaning to system reset

Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro is a popular smartphone with extensive contact management capabilities, but it is not always obvious how to remove them correctly without consequences. Some users want to clear the phone book from unnecessary entries, others want to erase all contacts before selling the device, others face duplicates after synchronizing with Google Account or MI Cloud. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to delete contacts on Redmi 8 Pro, including hidden nuances that the manufacturer does not advertise.

Feature MIUI (Xiaomi firmware: contacts can be stored in several places at the same time: on the device itself, in the Mi Cloud cloud, in a Google account or even in a Google account. SIM-Simply clicking "Delete" in the phone book is often not enough — the record can be restored the next time you log in, we will show you how to delete contacts permanently, avoiding them reappearing, and we will also tell you what to do if standard methods do not work.

1. Delete contacts through the standard "Contacts" application

The most obvious way is to use the built-in Contacts app (or Phone in the international version of MIUI), a method that is suitable for selectively deleting individual records, but has limitations: it does not affect backups in the cloud.

To remove one contact:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on the home screen).
• 🔍 Find the right contact through search or scroll through the list manually.
• ✏️ Click on the record, then tap on the icon. ⋮ (three points) in upper right corner.
• 🗑️ Choose Delete and confirm the action.

For mass removal:

1. Press any contact in the list for 2 seconds to activate the selection mode.
2. Check all unnecessary records.
3. Click on the basket icon (🗑️) top-panel.

⚠️ Note: Contacts deleted in this way can be restored if they are synced with Google Account or Mi Cloud. To avoid this, pre-disable sync in your account settings.

Backup of important contacts|Disable synchronization with Google/Mi Cloud|Check it out. SIM-duplicate-card|Close all background applications (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.)

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2. How to remove all contacts at once (full cleaning)

If you need to erase all contacts with the Redmi 8 Pro (like before selling your phone), manually deleting each record will take too long. MIUI has a hidden mass-cleaning feature, but it's hidden in the developer's settings.

Follow the instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode.
3. Return to the main settings menu and select Additional → For developers.
4. Scroll down and find Clear Contact Data (in some versions of MIUI it is called Phone Book Reset).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.

This method only removes local contacts stored on your device, and if you are using cloud sync, the records will remain in Google Contacts or Mi Cloud and return the next time you log in.

3. Delete contacts through Google Account

If your contacts are synced to your Google Account, deleting them directly on your phone will not work, they will recover the next time you connect to the Internet. To erase them forever, you need to work directly with Google Contacts.

Instructions:

• 🌐 Open your browser on your computer or phone and go to contacts.google.com.
• 🔑 Sign in with the same account that is linked to Redmi 8 Pro.
• 📋 Select unnecessary contacts (use Ctrl combination for mass selection)+A on PC or long-press on mobile version).
• 🗑️ Click on the basket icon in the top menu.
• 🔄 After removal, be sure to clean the basket (item More) → Basket → Clear the cart, otherwise contacts will be restored after 30 days.

To disable Google contacts sync on Redmi 8 Pro:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and disable the slider opposite Contact.
3. Confirm the action by clicking Delete Data from your device (this will only delete local copies, the originals will remain in Google).

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If your contacts are returned after deleting, check your Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber app settings – they can automatically restore your phone book from their cloud backups.

4. Clear contacts via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that syncs contacts, messages and other data by default. If you use this service, deleting records only on your phone won’t help – they will return when the next update is made.

To remove contacts from Mi Cloud:

• 📱 Open the Mi Cloud app on Redmi 8 Pro (or go to Settings) → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud).
• 🔒 Sign in if you need to.
• 📊 Select the Contacts tab (or Contacts in English version).
• 🗑️ Press Control. → Delete everything (or highlight unnecessary entries manually).
• 🔄 After deleting, turn off contact sync in Mi Cloud settings to prevent them from reappearing.

If you want to completely untie your Mi Account from your phone (for example, before selling), do the following:

1. Go to Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner and select Get Out.
3. Confirm the exit and deletion of all account data from the device.

⚠️ Note: Disconnecting your Mi Account will result in loss of access to all Xiaomi services on this device, including Mi Cloud, Theme Store and Forum MIUI. It may also be necessary to re-activate some functions (for example, unlock the bootloader).

5. Removal of contacts with SIM-map

Many users forget that contacts can be stored not only in the memory of the phone, but also on the phone. SIM-When you're moving it. SIM In another machine, these records are automatically imported, which leads to duplication.

To remove contacts from SIM-Cards on Redmi 8 Pro:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app.
• 🔍 Click on the icon. ⋮ (three points) and select Contact Management → Imports/Exports.
• 📥 Select Export on Export SIM-map (you need to see the list of records on the SIM).
• 🗑️ Now go back to the main contact menu, switch the display to SIM-map (in the top drop-down menu).
• 🧹 Select unnecessary records and delete them (or click Delete Everything if you want to clear them) SIM fully).

Please note:

• 📌 SIM-Cards support a limited number of contacts (usually up to 250 records).
• 📌 Nana SIM You can not save photos or additional fields (name and number only).
• 📌 When removing contacts with SIM They will disappear forever and will not be rebuilt through the cloud.

In the memory of the phone |In Google Account |In Mi Cloud|On the SIM-card |In third-party applications (Telegram, WhatsApp)

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6. Resetting the phone to factory settings (last resort)

If you need to completely erase all data from the Redmi 8 Pro, including contacts, messages, photos and settings, do hard reset, a method used before selling the device or in case of serious malfunctions.

Step-by-step:

1. Back up your important data (contacts can be exported to.vcf via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select to erase all data (reset to factory).
4. Enter the screen lock password (if installed).
5. Confirm the action by pressing Erase Everything.
6. Wait for the process to be completed (the phone will restart and start setting up as new).

Once reset, all contacts, including those on Google Account and Mi Cloud, will be deleted from the device, but they will remain in the cloud services and return the next time you log in. To avoid this, unplug all accounts in the settings before reset.

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Before selling or transferring your phone to another person, make sure to reset to factory settings and untie all accounts (Google, Mi, social networks).

7. Recovery of accidentally deleted contacts

If you delete the contacts by mistake, they can be restored for a limited time, depending on where the records were stored:

For Google Contacts:

• 🌐 Go to contacts.google.com.
• 🔙 In the left menu, select Cancel Changes.
• ⏳ Please indicate the time period (up to 30 days ago).
• 🔄 Click Confirm to recover deleted records.

For Mi Cloud:

• 📱 Open the Mi Cloud app on your phone.
• 📊 Go to the Contact section → Basket.
• 🗑️ Select the required records and click Restore.
• ⏰ Note that in Mi Cloud, contacts are only stored in the cart for 15 days.

For local contacts:

If the records were stored only on the phone and were not synced to the cloud, it is impossible to restore them after deletion unless a backup was created, in which case only contacting the service center (but there the chances are minimal).

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Regularly back up contacts in.vcf format via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup. This file can be saved to a computer or flash drive.

FAQ: Frequent questions about contact removal on Redmi 8 Pro