How to completely remove unnecessary themes on Xiaomi: from standard to custom

Unnecessary themes on Xiaomi take up precious space in memory, slow down the system and can conflict with updates. Even after a change of design, many themes remain in the system, continuing to consume up to 500 MB in the background. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to delete them, from standard settings to advanced methods using ADB and manually clearing cache.

Compounding the problem, MIUI doesn’t always offer a complete removal option: some themes are simply deactivated but not erased, both pre-installed themes from Xiaomi and downloaded from the Mi Theme Store. The consequences of storing unnecessary themes range from minor interface glitches to critical bugs when updating firmware.

Why do topics stay in memory after deletion?

The main reason is the MIUI architecture, where the themes are stored in two places: in the user section /data/system/theme and in the system /system/priv-app/MiuiThemeManager. When you delete the topic through the menu, the smartphone only removes the link to the topic in the database, but the files themselves (.mtz,.apk) remain intact.

The second factor is the theme cache, which accumulates in /data/data/com.android.thememanager and can reach 1-2 GB when you actively use custom themes, and even after resetting, some of the cache is saved if you do not manually clean it.

• 📱 Pre-installed themes: take up to 300MB, are deleted with root rights only
• 🎨 Castomy themes from the Mi Store: stored in /sdcard/MIUI/theme, But they don't always get completely removed.
• 🗑️ Residual files: fragments of topics remain in the /data/app post-installation

The third problem is that MIUI automatically restores some of the system themes after updates, and this is the Dark Mode and Classic themes that are integrated into the firmware, and you can only turn them off, but you can't erase them.

Method 1: Remove via standard MIUI settings

The safest method, which does not require additional tools, is suitable for themes downloaded from the Mi Theme Store, but does not affect preinstalled system themes.

1. Open Settings → Theme (or Themes depending on the version of MIUI).
2. Go to My Themes or Theme Management.
3. Find an unnecessary theme, click on it and select Remove (basket icon).
4. Confirm action. The system will show the amount of memory that's being released.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Does not remove system themes (e.g., Default or Dark)
• ❌ Does not clear cache with one that can take up to 1 GB
• ❌ Does not work for themes installed through.mtz files manually

⚠️ Note: If the theme continues to appear in the list after deleting, restart the device.This will reset the Theme Manager cache and update the list of available themes.

Method 2: Manually delete theme files via file manager

Those that are manually installed through.mtz files will need to be removed directly from the storage folder, which works without root rights, but requires caution.

Instructions:

1. Open any file manager with access to root folders (such as Mi File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /sdcard/MIUI/theme (for MIUI 12-14) or /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme.
3. Find a folder with the name of an unnecessary topic (for example, DarkNights_v12.mtz) and remove it.
4. Clear the file manager basket.

Additional folders for verification:

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files from the folder /system without root rights – it can lead to collapse MIUI and the need for reflashing.

💡

Before deleting the themes, back up the MIUI/theme folder on your computer to help you recover themes if something goes wrong.

Method 3: Using Mi Theme Editor for deep cleaning

Mi Theme Editor is Xiaomi’s official theme management app that allows you to remove even system components, but it’s hidden in MIUI and requires activation.

How to turn on and use:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Install Mi Theme Editor via ADB (the command below) or download APK from a trusted source (e.g. APKMirror).
4. Open the app, select a theme and click Delete completely (the option will appear after clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner).

Installation command via ADB:

adb install -r com.miui.thememanger.editor_1.0.apk

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Removes systemic topics (except critical ones) MIUI)
• ✅ Clears the associated files in /data/app
• ✅ Shows the exact size of each topic

Method 4: Remove themes via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, ADB (Android Debug Bridge) allows you to remove themes at the system level, which requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Install ADB Tools on your computer (download from the official Android website).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB, enable debugging over USB (see the previous section).
3. Open the command line in the adb.exe folder and type:

adb devices

(The name of your device should appear)

adb shell


pm list packages | grep theme

(Shows a list of all theme packages)

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.example.themepackage

(Replace com.example.themepackage with the real name of the package from the list)

Examples of theme packages:

• com.android.theme.icon.mint - Mint icons
• com.miui.tsm.client – client of MIUI
• com.android.theme.color.darkblue – Dark Blue theme

⚠️ Note: Deleting packages like com.miui.tsm.client may disrupt the Mi Theme Store.

💡

ADB-The method is the only way to remove embedded themes without rooting permissions, but requires caution. Always check the name of the package before removing it.

Method 5: Completely clearing the theme cache (no root rights)

Even after removing themes, their cache can take hundreds of megabytes.Cache clearing requires no special knowledge, but is often ignored by users.

How to clean:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find theme (or theme manager) in the list.
3. Open the application page and click Storage.
4. Click Clear Cache and Clear Data (Warning: This Will Reset All Your Theme Settings!).

Clean the following further:

• 🧹 Cash Mi Theme Store (appendix com.xiaomi.mitv.appstore)
• 🧹 folder /sdcard/Android/data/com.android.thememanager/cache
• 🧹 Temporary files in /data/local/tmp (Requires a file manager with root)

After the cache is completely cleaned, restart the device – this will force the theme database to be updated and free up to 1.5 GB of memory.

What to do if the topics are not removed

If none of the methods worked, the problem may be related to:

1. System protection: Some themes are blocked at the firmware level (e.g. Global Theme on international versions of MIUI).
2. Damaged files: If the theme was installed with an error, it cannot be deleted in standard ways.
3. Manufacturer restrictions: Additional locks may apply on MIUI devices for POCO or Redmi.

Decisions:

• 🔄 Resetting: Reset through Settings → Additionally. → Reset settings by selecting Save Media Files.
• 📥 Firmware re-installing: install the latest version MIUI via Fastboot (instructions on the official website of Xiaomi).
• 🛠️ Root Access: If you are prepared for the risks, the obtained root rights will allow you to remove any topic through Root Explorer.

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Before resetting, export your current theme to.mtz via Mi Theme Editor, and you can restore it after resetting.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing themes on Xiaomi