How to permanently remove contacts from Xiaomi Cloud: 5 proven ways

Xiaomi Cloud Cloud Cloud automatically syncs your contacts, photos and notes between devices, which is convenient until you need to clear unnecessary data — for example, when you sell a phone, change your account or after importing duplicates. Unlike local deletion, contacts in the cloud remain available on all associated gadgets until you delete them from the cloud itself.

The problem is that MIUI interfaces change regularly, and official documentation is often silent about nuances. For example, removing a contact from a phone does not always mean it disappears from the cloud, it all depends on the synchronization settings. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to clean contacts from Xiaomi Cloud in 2026, including hidden web features and bypassing restrictions on mass removal.

Why do contacts stay in the cloud after being deleted from your phone?

Many users experience a situation where, after deleting a contact on a smartphone, it reappears after rebooting or synchronizing, this is due to two-way synchronization between the device and the cloud. By default, MIUI is configured to prioritize data from Xiaomi Cloud, which overwrites local changes.

Here are the key reasons for “returning” remote contacts:

• 🔄 Autosynchronization enabled: the cloud restores contacts every time you connect to the Internet.
• 📱 Contact linked to Google account: if it is duplicated in both clouds, delete from the Google account MI Cloud does not affect Google Contacts.
• 🔄 Contacts cache: sometimes data is stored in cache and displayed even after deletion.
• 📲 Duplicates from other accounts: Contacts can be pulled up from Facebook, WhatsApp or corporate accounts.

To get rid of unnecessary contacts forever, it's not enough to remove them from your phone — you need to turn off sync before cleaning or use the web version of the cloud.

Method 1: Remove contacts via the web version of Xiaomi Cloud

The most reliable method is to use the official web portal Xiaomi Cloud, where you can massively delete contacts, export them to a file or restore deleted records within 30 days, important: you need to confirm access via SMS or Mi Account.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. In the menu on the left, select Contacts.
3. Tick the unnecessary contacts (to highlight all click on the square in the table cap).
4. Click the Remove button (basket icon) and confirm the action.

Please note:

• 🔍 Contact search works only in Latin – Cyrillic names are searched with errors.
• 📄 Exports to CSV Available in the same section (Export button).
• ⏳ Recovery is possible within 30 days through the Recycle Bin section.

Turn off sync on your phone | Make a backup of contacts | Check duplicates in Google Contacts |Authorize on i.mi.com

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⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI 14+, After mass removal through the web version, you may need to force sync on the phone. → Accounts. → Mi Account → Synchronization and click Update.

Method 2: Delete via the Contacts app on your phone

If you need to delete individual contacts directly from your device, you can do so through the standard Contacts app. However, there is a caveat: by default, the app shows the combined data from all accounts (Mi Cloud, Google, SIM-To remove the contact from the cloud Xiaomi need to:

Instructions for MIUI 12-15:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press the right contact, then tap on three points (⋮) top-right.
3. Select Delete → From your Mi Account (not “From all devices”, otherwise contact will disappear from Google!).
4. Confirm removal.

If the option is not available from the Mi Account:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Permits and enable access to Contacts and Warehouse.
• 🔄 Update the Contacts app via Play Market or App Gallery.
• 📱 On older models (Redmi Note 8 and earlier) you may need to reset the application settings.

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To avoid duplicates, disable sync with Google before deleting. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google → Contact Sync and deactivate the option.

Method 3: Mass deletion through a CSV file (for advanced ones)

If you need to delete hundreds of contacts (for example, after importing from an old phone), manual allocation in the web version will take hours, in which case export-import via CSV will help.

Algorithm of action:

1. Export your contacts from Xiaomi Cloud to the contacts.csv file (Contacts → Export).
2. Open a file in Excel or Google Sheets and delete unnecessary strings (each line = one contact).
3. Save the file in CSV format (separators are commas).
4. Return to Xiaomi Cloud, delete all contacts (Secret all → Delete button).
5. Import the edited CSV back.

Important nuances:

⚠️ Note: When importing CSV Xiaomi Cloud can automatically combine contacts with the same phone numbers. If you need to save multiple entries with the same number (for example, for work and home), add a unique character in the Name field (for example, "Ivanov I. (slave.)").

Method 4: Disabling synchronization before deletion

If you plan to completely clear the cloud (like before selling your phone), turn off sync first, otherwise contacts can be restored the next time you connect to the Internet. This method is also useful if you want to save contacts locally but remove them from the cloud.

How to turn off synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account.
2. Slip on Data Synchronization.
3. Turn off the slider opposite Contact.
4. Confirm the action (the system will prompt Delete Data from the device – choose Leave if you want to save contacts locally).

You can now safely remove the contact:

• 📱 On the phone: via the Contacts app (they will only be deleted locally).
• ☁️ In the cloud: via i.mi.com (the data will not be returned to the phone).

Method 5: Mi Cloud Data Reset (last resort)

If previous methods failed (for example, due to a sync failure or virus), you can perform a full Mi Cloud data reset, which will delete all contacts, notes, photos and backups associated with the account.

Instructions:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com and log in.
2. Select Account Management → Delete the data.
3. Check Contacts (you can also select other data for cleaning).
4. Confirm the action via SMS or email.

Effects of discharge:

• ⚠️ All contacts will be permanently deleted from the cloud (but will remain on devices if sync is disabled).
• 🔄 Recovery is possible only from a local backup (if any).
• 📱 The phone may need to be re-authorized in Mi Account.

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Mi Cloud reset is a nuclear option, and be sure to export contacts to CSV before using it and save a backup to your computer.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When working with Xiaomi Cloud, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

Mistake 1: Contacts deleted but reappear

Reason: The phone is synced to Google Contacts or another account.

1. Open Settings → Accounts.
2. Turn off sync for all accounts except Mi Account.
3. Remove the contacts.

Mistake 2: Contact cannot be deleted – button is inactive

Reason: Contact is protected by the system (e.g., a service number from Mi Pay or Mi Home).

• Try to delete the contact via the web version of i.mi.com.
• If it doesn’t work, hide the contact: open it → Edit → delete all data (name, number), but don’t delete the record itself.

Error 3: All contacts, including the ones needed, are missing after deleting

Reason: You deleted your contacts from Google Contacts, not Mi Cloud.

• Check the cart in Google Contacts (recovery is possible within 30 days).
• If there is no backup, try to restore data through Settings → Accounts → Google → Restore Contacts.

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If you accidentally delete an important contact, do not add new entries to the cloud - this can overwrite backups.First try to restore data through the Recycle Bin in the web version of Xiaomi Cloud.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions