How to remove a number from contacts on a Xiaomi smartphone: all the ways (including hidden)

Removing unwanted contacts on Xiaomi smartphones seems like a simple task — until you encounter nuances. MIUI users often complain that after synchronizing with a Google Account or Mi Cloud, deleted numbers return, and some contacts do not want to disappear from the phone book at all. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to delete, including rare tricks for complex cases, from basic deletion through the application to cleaning through ADB.

Feature Xiaomi – duplicate contacts in different accounts (local, Google, Mi Cloud, SIM-If you just erase a number in the interface, it can stay in one of these storages and reappear after synchronization, and we'll show you how to completely erase contact from all devices and avoid it from being restored.

1. Standard removal through the “Contacts” application

The most obvious way is to use the built-in Contacts app (a little man icon on a green background), which works on all Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Black Shark 5, but has a limitation: it only removes the contact from the current storage (for example, from Google Account, but not from the Mi Cloud).

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app (if it isn’t on the home screen, search through the swipe search down).
• 🔍 Enter the contact name in the search bar or scroll through the list manually.
• ✏️ Click on the right contact. → Edit button (pencil in upper right corner).
• 🗑️ Scroll down and select Delete → confirm.

Important: If a contact is synced with multiple accounts (e.g. Google and Mi Cloud), the system will ask where to delete it. Select from all accounts, otherwise the number will remain in one of the vaults.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI 14+ After deleting the contact may temporarily remain in the recent or favorites section.To remove it from there, restart the phone or clear the cache of the Contacts app in the settings.

2. Delete via Google Contacts (for synchronized numbers)

If your Xiaomi smartphone is linked to a Google Account, all contacts are automatically synced to the cloud. Deleting directly through contacts.google.com ensures that the number disappears from all devices where you are logged in to that account.

How to do this:

1. Open Google Contacts in your browser (on your PC or phone).
2. Find the right contact through search or manually.
3. Put a tick next to the name. → click on the basket icon 🗑️ Delete.
4. Confirm action. The contact will move to the Recycle Bin, where it will be stored for 30 days before final deletion.

Nuance: If a contact is duplicated (e.g., in both Google and Mi Cloud), after deleting your contact via Google Contacts, it can remain in the phone book, in which case you need to repeat the procedure for each storage separately.

3. Removal of contacts with SIM-map

Contacts saved on SIM-This is true for users who are transferring numbers from an old phone or using the same card. SIM It's like backup storage. It's a Xiaomi interface. SIM-The contacts are hidden deep in the settings.

Step-by-step:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app.
• 🔧 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
• 📤 Select Contact Management → Import/Export of contacts.
• 📱 Tap on. SIM 1 SIM 2 (depending on the slot).
• 🗑️ Make unnecessary contacts → Delete.

Warning: Removal of c SIM-Unlike cloud services, there is no basket or history of changes. If you accidentally erase an important number, you can only restore it from a backup (if you have one).

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Before deleting your SIM contacts, export them to the VCF file: in the same Import/Export menu, select Export to your device.

Mass removal of contacts (to clean the phone book)

If you need to delete multiple numbers at once (for example, after importing duplicates or spam contacts), doing it one at a time is inconvenient. MIUI has a hidden mass removal feature, but it does not work on all versions of firmware.

Method 1: Through the Contact Application

1. Open Contacts → Press three points → Settings.
2. Select Contact Management → Combine and Fix.
3. The system will automatically find the duplicates. Press Delete the duplicates.

Method 2: Through Google Contacts (for mass cleaning)

• 🌐 Go to contacts.google.com.
• 🔍 Enter a part of the name or number (for example) in the search, +7 for Russian rooms).
• ✅ Check the boxes for unnecessary contacts → click on the basket icon.

⚠️ Attention: When you delete your numbers through Google Contacts, it is easy to accidentally erase important numbers. Before cleaning, export your backup: click on the gear. ⚙️ → Exports → Select contacts → Export how VCF.

5. Delete contacts via Mi Cloud (for Xiaomi accounts)

If you use a Mi Account for sync, contacts can be duplicated in the Mi Cloud. Deletion via the web interface ensures that the number disappears from all Xiaomi devices associated with that account.

Instructions:

1. 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. 📱 Select the Contacts section in the menu.
3. 🔍 Find the right contact. → press it → Delete.
4. 🔄 Update your phone contact list (pull down in the Contacts app).

Important: Mi Cloud doesn't have a mass removal feature, each contact has to be washed manually. If there are many takes, it's easier to turn off sync with Mi Cloud and use only Google Contacts:

Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Contacts → Disable synchronization

6. Delete contacts without access to the phone (via PC)

If your phone is lost, broken, or locked, but you have access to a Google Account or Mi Account, you can delete your contacts remotely, which is also useful if you need to clear the phone book before selling the device.

Through Google Account:

• 💻 Go to contacts.google.com from any device.
• 🔍 Find and remove unnecessary contacts (as described in Section 2).
• 🔄 Changes are synchronized with the phone the next time you connect to the Internet.

Through Mi Account:

• 💻 Go to i.mi.com.
• 📱 Delete contacts in the Contacts section (see Section 5).

Critical point: If the phone is stolen, first lock it through Find My Device (for Google) or Mi Cloud (for Xiaomi).Deleting contacts won't protect your data - an attacker can extract it through backups!

7. Reset contacts to factory settings (extreme case)

If contacts are duplicated, not deleted, or the phone is infected with a virus that adds spam numbers, a complete reset of the phone book can help, a radical method – all contacts will be erased without recovery (if there is no backup).

How to reset:

1. 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
2. 🔍 Find the Contacts app (or Contacts and Calls).
3. 🗃️ Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. 🔄 Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: This method removes all local contacts, but does not affect synced with Google or Mi Cloud. After reset, they may reappear at the next sync. To avoid this, pre-disable sync: Settings → Accounts. → Google/Mi Account. → Synchronization → Deactivate "Contacts" 💡Before resetting contacts, be sure to export them to the file VCF (through settings → Import/Export in Contacts app.This is the only way to restore numbers after cleaning. FAQ: Why does a remote contact appear again in the phone book? This is due to synchronization with cloud services (Google or Mi Cloud). For example, if you deleted a contact locally but it stayed in your Google Account, it will return the next time you update the data.Solution: Remove the contact from all storages (see table in the section below). 2). Turn off sync for the time of removal (Settings) → Accounts. → Disable contact synchronization. How to remove a contact that is not deleted (hang, gray, inactive)? Such contacts are usually tied to system applications (e.g. Mi Pay, Mi Home) or corrupted. Try: 📲 Delete via Google Contacts on PC (if synced). 🔧 Clear the cache of the Contacts application (Settings) → Annexes → Contacts → Warehouse → Clear the cache). 🛠️ Use it. ADB (For the user experience: adb shell content delete --uri content://com.android.contacts/raw_contacts --where "display_name='Name Contact' Replace the name Contact with a real name (no spaces, with emphasis). Can you delete all contacts at once? Yes, but the method depends on the storage: Google Contacts: Go to contacts.google.com → tick it off. → Delete. Mi Cloud: You need to delete one at a time (no mass removal). Local contacts: Clear the Contacts app data (see section) 7). How do you prevent apps from adding contacts automatically? Some apps (like WhatsApp, Viber, Mi Pay) create duplicate contacts. To prevent this: Go to Settings → Annexes → Permits → Contacts. Disable contact access for unnecessary applications. Mi Pay and system services: Settings → Memory. → Autoboot → Turn off auto-run for suspicious applications. Where are remote contacts stored and how to restore them? Remote contacts can be restored for a limited time: Google Contacts: In the Recycle Bin (stored) 30 Mi Cloud: In the folder Remote in the application Contacts (not available on all firmware, shelf life — 15 Local contacts: You cannot restore if you have no backup. To enable backup: Settings → Google → Backup → Enable Contact Reservations