How to remove duplicate contacts on Xiaomi: full instructions

Duplicate contacts in the Xiaomi phone book are a problem that one in three users encounter, and they appear after synchronization with multiple accounts (Google, Mi Account, SIM-card), import from backups or malfunctions MIUI. Instead of just one contact, you can see 2-3 copies with the same names but different numbers or blank fields, which not only makes it difficult to find the right subscriber, but also takes up the extra memory of the device.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to remove duplicates, from built-in MIUI tools to third-party applications, and explain how to prevent them from appearing in the future. All methods are tested on Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5 smartphones with MIUI 13-14 firmware. If you have a different model, don’t worry: the algorithm of actions is the same for all devices of the brand.

Why do you have duplicate contacts on Xiaomi?

Before you delete duplicates, it's important to understand the source of the duplicates, and 80 percent of the time, the problem is multiple syncs with different services.

• 🔄 Multi-account sync: Google Contacts, Mi Account and local phone book are connected at the same time, each service creates its own copy of the contact.
• 📱 Import with SIM-maps: when transferring contacts from the old SIM There are often repeated prefixes such as "+7" and "8".
• ☁️ Recovery from backup: If you restored contacts from backup and then synced them to the cloud, duplicates are guaranteed.
• 🤖 Mistakes. MIUI: in some versions of the firmware (for example, MIUI 12.5.3) was a bug that caused duplicate contacts in the editing process.

Most often, duplicates appear after resetting or flashing the device, when the system re-synchronizes data with the servers, for example, if you used Samsung before switching to Xiaomi, contacts could be duplicated during the migration.

⚠️ Warning: Before removing duplicates, turn off automatic sync in account settings. Otherwise, after cleaning, contacts may return in a few hours.

Method 1: Integrated contact association in MIUI

Xiaomi has a tool for merging duplicate records directly into the standard Contacts app, which works on all devices with MIUI 11 and later, but has a limitation: it only combines contacts with identical names.

To take advantage of the function:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Slip on three dots in the top right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the section "Connect Contacts".
4. The system will automatically find the duplicates. Click Combine next to each pair or choose Combine all.

If the "Connect" button is inactive, MIUI has not found any obvious take, so try other ways.

Disable sync with Google and Mi Account|

Make a backup of contacts |

Close all background applications |

Check the amount of memory on the device-->

Method 2: Manual removal through editing

If automatic unification fails, you can manually remove duplicates, which is suitable for a small number of repetitive records (up to 50 pieces).

Instructions:

1. Open Contacts and find a duplicate entry.
2. Slip on the contact, then click Edit (pencil icon).
3. Scroll down and select Remove Contact.
4. Confirm action. If the contact is synced to the account, the system will suggest removing it from the device or from all accounts. Choose the second option to avoid reappearance.

To speed up the process, use a name search (a magnifier at the top of the screen). If the takes differ only in one letter (for example, "Ivan" and "Ivanov"), enter part of the name to display all the options.

⚠️ Note: With manual deletion, it is easy to make a mistake and erase the desired number. Before starting, export the contacts to a.vcf file (see Method 5).

Method 3: Cleaning up through Google Contacts

If your contacts are synced with your Google Account, it is easier to clear duplicates through the web version of the service, which will avoid re-emerging entries after the next sync.

How to delete duplicates through Google Contacts:

1. Open your browser on your PC or phone and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same account as Xiaomi.
3. On the left menu, select Doubley. The system will show all the repeated records.
4. Click Combine for each pair or choose Combine All.
5. After cleaning, go back to your smartphone and manually update your contacts: Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync.

The advantage of this method is centralized management, and all changes will apply to all devices connected to this Google Account, but note that the service only combines contacts with completely identical names, and if the duplicates differ in at least one letter, they will have to be manually processed.

Method 4: Applications for removing duplicates

If you have hundreds of contacts in your phone book and dozens of duplicates, it takes hours to manually clean up, and one of the specialized applications will help, and we tested 5 popular utilities and selected the two most reliable ones:

• 📱 Simpler Merge Duplicates is a free application with a simple interface, supports name, number or email association, and has an automatic backup before cleaning.
• 🔍 Contacts Optimizer – paid utility (199) ₽) It can find duplicates by partial names (e.g., "Sasha" and "Alexander") and offers a preview before the merger.

How to use Simpler Merge Duplicates:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Launch the utility and give access to contacts.
3. Press Scan for Duplicates. The app will analyze all the records.
4. Check the proposed duplicates and click Merge Selected.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.

Important: Before using third-party apps, disable sync with Google and Mi Account, otherwise duplicates may return after the next data update.

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If after cleaning the application there are “empty” contacts (without numbers), delete them through the filter in standard Contacts: click on three points → Contact Management → Contacts without numbers → Delete everything.

Method 5: Export, Clean and Import Contacts

This is a method that's good for completely resetting the phone book, where you export all the contacts to the file, clear it of duplicates on the PC, and then import it back, and it takes longer, but it guarantees 100% results.

Step-by-step:

1. Contact Export: Open Contacts → Contact Management → Import/Export. Select Export to file and specify a folder to save (e.g. Downloads). The file will be saved in.vcf (vCard) format.
2. Clean file on PC: Copy the file to your computer. Open it in a text editor (like Notepad++) or a specialized program like VCF Cleaner. Delete the repeating blocks BEGIN:VCARD...END:VCARD with the same names.

Import back to Xiaomi

• Transfer the edited file back to your phone.
• In Contacts, select Import from the file and specify the path to.vcf.

To automate the.vcf cleanup, you can use online services like VCF Merge, which find and delete duplicates for free, saving only unique records.

💡

Export/import is the most reliable way, but it requires caution, always check the final file before importing, so you don't lose important numbers.

How to Prevent the appearance of doubles in the future

To avoid duplicate contacts, follow these rules:

• 🔗 Turn off unnecessary synchronization: Settings → Accounts. → Select an account (Google/Mi) → Turn off Contacts Leave sync enabled with only one service (Google recommends).
• 📲 Do not import contacts with SIM-Maps: It is better to manually add the necessary numbers to the phone book to avoid repetitions.
• ☁️ Clean the cloud regularly: Check Google Contacts for duplicates every 3 months.
• 🔄 Use one contact app: Do not install third-party phone books (like Truecaller) that can create their own copies of records.

If you change your smartphones frequently, turn off automatic sync on your old phone before switching to a new device and manually export your contacts to a.vcf file. This will help you avoid overlaying data when you first turn on the new Xiaomi.

FAQ: Frequent questions about duplicate contacts