How to remove contact on Xiaomi phone: all ways of 2026

Why Xiaomi’s standard contact removal doesn’t always work

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO and Black Shark smartphones regularly face a situation where a remote contact suddenly appears again after syncing with a Google Account or MI Cloud. The reason lies in the MIUI architecture: the system defaults to backup contacts in the cloud, and when restored, even returns even those records that you deliberately erased. Moreover, on some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+), contacts can be duplicated due to simultaneous synchronization with multiple accounts – Google, Mi Account and even a Sim card.

Another common problem is gray contacts that don't get deleted through the standard menu, but they appear after importing from the standard menu. VCF-These records are often linked to social media accounts (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) and their deletion requires separate actions. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to clean the phone book on Xiaomi in 2026 – from basic to advanced, including working with the company. ADB power-user.

Method 1: Delete via the standard Contacts app

The most obvious method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a human silhouette on a green background). However, even here, there are nuances: the interface may differ on different versions of MIUI. For example, on Xiaomi 14 with HyperOS, the path to removal has changed compared to the Redmi Note 11 on MIUI 13.

To remove contact:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Find the right contact through search or scroll through the list.
3. Touch the record and the contact card will open.
4. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select "Delete».
5. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If there is no Delete button, the contact is linked to a Google or Mi Account, and you will need to use other methods (see sections below). Also note that on some Xiaomi firmware, remote contacts are placed in the Recycle Bin and stored there for 30 days to clear the cart:

• 📱 Go to Contacts. → Settings (⚙) → Basket.
• 🗑️ Select unnecessary records or click “Clear everything».
• ✅ Confirm removal.

Method 2: Delete Google Account (for synchronized contacts)

If a contact is synced with a Google Account, deleting it through the Xiaomi phone book may not work – the record will return the next time you update the data, in which case it is better to edit the contacts directly in Google Contacts.

Instructions:

1. Open your browser on your phone or computer and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same account that is linked to your Xiaomi.
3. Find the right contact through search or manually.
4. Put a tick next to the record and click on the basket icon (🗑️) top-panel.
5. Confirm removal.

Then sync your contacts on your phone:

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Google.
• 🔗 Turn on the “Contact Synchronization” slider (if it is turned off).
• 📥 Click on "Sync Now».

If you use multiple Google Accounts on the same phone, make sure you remove the contact from the correct profile to check which account the record is linked to:

1. Open the contact card in the Contacts app.
2. Scroll down to the Account block – there will be a source (e.g. Google/your email@gmail.com).

Method 3: Remove via MI Cloud (for Xiaomi contacts)

Xiaomi offers its own cloud storage, MI Cloud, which is the default backup of contacts. If you haven't turned it off, remote records can be recovered from the cloud. To avoid this, clear contacts directly to MI Cloud.

How to do this:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Mi Account.
2. Select the “Contacts” section.
3. Find the desired record, tick next to it and click “Delete”.
4. Confirm the action.

After deleting, be sure to turn off automatic sync with MI Cloud if you do not want your contacts to be restored:

• 📱 On the phone go to Settings → Mi Account. → MI Cloud.
• 🔄 Find the “Contact Synchronization” item and turn it off.
• 🗃️ For reliability, clear the cache of the Contacts app in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

💡

If you are planning to sell or rent your phone, be sure to untie your Mi Account in Settings → Mi Account → Sign out before resetting to factory settings. Otherwise, the new owner will not be able to activate the device!

Method 4: Mass removal of contacts (to clean the entire phone book)

If you need to delete all contacts immediately (for example, before selling a phone or after importing an incorrect one) VCF-It's not effective to do it manually. MIUI There's a hidden mass removal feature, but it doesn't work on all firmware. An alternative method is to use Google Contacts or special apps.

Method 1: Using Google Contacts (web version)

1. Open contacts.google.com.
2. In the left menu, select “More” → “Export”.
3. Create a backup (click Export and save the VCF file to your computer).
4. Return to the main menu, tick at the top of the list (select everything) and click “Delete» (🗑️).

Method 2: Contacts app on Xiaomi

Some versions of MIUI (e.g. MIUI 14 on Xiaomi 13T) have a mass removal option:

1. Open “Contacts” and go to Settings (⚙) → Contact management.
2. Select “Delete all contacts” (may be called “Clear all contacts”).
3. Confirm the action.

Attention, mass removal does not affect the contacts stored on the SIM-They need to be washed separately through Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Management SIM-contact.

💡

Before mass deletion, be sure to export contacts to a VCF file – this is the only way to recover data if you accidentally delete important entries.

Method 5: Removing “Gray” Contacts and Duplicates

Grey contacts are records that are not deleted by standard methods.

• 🔄 Synchronization with social networks (Facebook, VK, Twitter).
• 📱 Transfer data from iPhone via Move to iOS.
• 📇 Imports of damaged VCF-file.
• 🤖 Automatic recording creation by messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).

To get rid of them:

If the “gray” contacts remain, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Click on “Storage” and select “Clear Data”.
3. ⚠️ This will remove all local contacts (not synchronized with the cloud).

Method 6: Remove contacts via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a low-level system management tool that is suitable for removing system contacts or records that are blocked by the manufacturer.

⚠️ Attention, misuse ADB This method is recommended only for users with experience with the command line.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone. 7 times click on MIUI Version. Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers and turn on USB Debugging.

USB

ADB-driver

Minimal ADB and Fastboot

CMD

adb devices

Make sure your Xiaomi is listed.

adb shell content delete --uri content://com.android.contacts/raw_contacts

To remove a particular contact, first find its ID through:

adb shell content query --uri content://com.android.contacts/raw_contacts

Then delete by ID:

adb shell content delete --uri content://com.android.contacts/raw_contacts --where "contact_id=YOUR ID"

Once you've done the commands, restart your phone. If your contacts are linked to a Google or Mi Account, they can be restored the next time you sync -- remember to turn it off beforehand.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after removal, contacts can return, and consider typical situations and ways to solve them:

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Storage.
2. Click on “Clear Data” and “Clear Cache”.
3. ⚠️ This will remove all local contacts that are not synced to the cloud.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions