Deleting contacts one at a time takes a lot of time, especially if the phone book is crammed with hundreds of unnecessary entries. -- Xiaomi, Redmi and smartphone owners POCO Often face this problem after importing duplicates, synchronizing with social networks or changing SIM-Unfortunately, the standard firmware. MIUI It doesnโt offer a built-in mass removal feature โ but that doesnโt mean thereโs no solution.
In this article, weโll look at 5 proven ways to delete multiple contacts on Xiaomi without a routine click on each number, from simple methods through Google Contacts to advanced tools like ADB and.vcf file processing in Excel. Choose the right option depending on your skills and the number of records you need to clear.
1. Mass Deletion via Google Contacts (the safest way)
If your contacts are synced to your Google account, this method will be the fastest and most reliable, and the main advantage is the ability to undo changes within 30 days through the shopping cart.
To remove multiple contacts:
- ๐ Open your browser on your PC or phone and go to Google Contacts.
- ๐ In the search bar, type a query (for example, label:Phone for unnamed numbers or company:Work for corporate contacts).
- โ Check the boxes for unnecessary entries. Use Ctrl to highlight everyone on the page.+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac).
- ๐๏ธ Click on the basket icon in the top menu and confirm removal.
Once synced, the changes will affect your Xiaomi. To speed up the process, go to Settings โ Google Accounts โ Contact Sync and click Sync Now.
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If you want to delete contacts from a certain letter (for example, everything in "A"), type name:A* in the search - the system will show all entries beginning with "A".
โ ๏ธ Attention: Remote contacts stay in the Google Recycle Bin for 30 days. If you manually clean the Recycle Bin, recovery will not be possible!
2.Using the built-in MIUI contact manager (limited functionality)
The standard MIUI Contacts app does not support mass deletion, but it allows you to filter and delete posts by group, which is suitable if you want to clear a specific category (for example, contacts with WhatsApp or Telegram).
Instructions:
- Open the Contacts app on your Xiaomi.
- Slap the icon. โฎ (three dots) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management.
- Go to the Group tab and select the desired category (for example, SIM-Map, WhatsApp or Other Accounts).
- Click Remove All (if option is available) or manually highlight unnecessary contacts with a long tap.
Note: this method does not work on all versions of MIUI. On Xiaomi 12/13/14 with MIUI 14+, the mass removal option may not be available.
How to Recover Remote Contacts through MIUI?
| Method | Suitable for | Limitations | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Contacts | Any number of records | It requires synchronization with Google. | Yes (30 days) |
| MIUI Contacts | Contact groups (SIM, social networks) | Not all versions support all versions. | Through Mi Cloud (if backed up) |
| Exports/imports.vcf | Advanced users | It requires file management. | Through file backup |
3. Export contacts to file and edit via Excel (for power users)
If you need to delete contacts according to a specific criterion (for example, all +7 numbers or duplicates), exporting to and processing a.vcf file is the best solution.
Step-by-step:
- ๐ค Export Contacts: Open Contacts โ โฎ โ Contact management โ Exports/imports โ Export to file. Save the file to your device or to the cloud.
- ๐ป Transfer the.vcf file to your computer. Rename the extension to.csv (e.g. contacts.vcf) โ contacts.csv).
- ๐ Open the file in Excel or Google Tables. Delete unnecessary lines or filter the data (for example, by column). TEL room-wise).
- ๐ Save the file back in.csv format, then convert to.vcf via online services (e.g.,.vcf, VCF Converter).
- ๐ฅ Import the edited file back to your phone: Contacts โ โฎ โ Contact management โ Import from the device.
โ ๏ธ Note: When importing.vcf, existing contacts may be duplicated. Before the procedure, make a backup copy via Mi Cloud or Google Account!
4. Removal via ADB (for tech-savvy users)
If previous methods donโt work and you need to delete hundreds of contacts, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool, which requires connecting your smartphone to your PC and basic command line knowledge, but allows you to delete entries without limiting the number.
What you need:
- ๐ฅ๏ธ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
- ๐ฑ Included debugging by USB on Xiaomi (Settings) โ The phone. โ Version. MIUI โ Tap 7 times, then go back to Settings โ Additionally. โ For developers โ Debugging by USB).
- ๐ USB-plug-in.
Commands for removal:
adb shell content query --uri content://com.android.contacts/data --where "mimetype='vnd.android.cursor.item/phone_v2'"
adb shell content delete --uri content://com.android.contacts/raw_contacts --where "display_name='Name Contact'"To delete all contacts at once, use:
adb shell content delete --uri content://com.android.contacts/raw_contacts๐ก
ADB allows you to delete contacts even on locked or faulty devices (provided that USB debugging is enabled).
โ ๏ธ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB It can cause data loss or phone malfunction. Create a backup via adb backup before executing commands. -f backup.ab com.android.contacts.
Applications for mass contact removal (alternative)
If you don't want to mess with Excel or ADB, you can use third-party apps. Google Play has utilities that let you filter and delete contacts according to different criteria: duplicates, empty entries, unnamed numbers, etc.
Top.-3 tested applications:
- ๐ Contact Remover โ Removal by keywords, regular expressions, or date range.
- ๐ Simpler Contacts โ Visual Editor with Mass Operations Support.
- ๐งน Cleanup: Duplicate Contacts โ specializes in finding and removing duplicates.
Before using any of these applications:
Check reviews and rankings on Google Play
Create a backup copy of your contacts
Read permission requests (the app should not require SMS or file access for no reason)
Test on a small group of contacts before mass removal
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Please note that some applications may request access to SMS or Call Log - these are unnecessary permissions to delete contacts.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
When people delete their contacts, they often face common problems, and here are the most common ones and how to solve them:
- ๐ Contacts are returned after deletion, because they automatically sync with Google, Mi Account or social media accounts. Solution: Turn off sync in Settings โ Accounts before deletion.
- ๐ต Contact with the SIM-maps SIM Protected from mass removal Solution: transfer them to the phone's memory (Contacts) โ โฎ โ Contact management โ Copy with SIM), then delete.
- ๐ Search doesn't find the contacts you want -- check if they're hidden in the filters. On Google Contacts, click on the filter icon (โฐ) and select All Contacts.
If, after deleting, contacts continue to appear in some apps (like WhatsApp or Telegram), it is due to their own databases. Clear the cache of those apps in Settings โ Apps โ [App name] โ Storage โ Clear the cache.