How to remove the theme from Xiaomi completely: 5 proven ways

Installing custom themes on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphones is a great way to personalize the device, but sometimes users are faced with the need to return the standard interface. The reasons are different, from design bugs to the desire to free up memory. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of removing themes, including hidden MIUI functions and technical techniques for experienced users.

It is important to understand that the removal process depends on how the theme is installed. System themes (preinstalled) are deleted differently than those downloaded from MIUI Themes or third-party sources. We will look at options for all scenarios, including cases where the theme is stuck after updating the firmware or resetting settings. Particular attention will be paid to the hidden method through ADB, which works even on blocked downloaders.

1. Remove theme through standard MIUI settings

The easiest way is to use the system’s built-in tools, which are suitable for those installed through the official MIUI Themes app.

Open the Topic app (Brush icon) and go to My Themes, which will show all the active and previously installed designs, click on the one you want to remove, and select Remove or Reset to standard. If no removal button, the theme is system-based and requires a different approach.

• 📱 For MIUI 14/15: The path may be different – look for the Theme Management section in the upper right corner.
• 🔄 If the topic is not deleted: try applying a different topic first, then go back to deleting it.
• ⚙️ Restriction: Some themes (e.g. Mi Fan Festival) are protected from removal without resetting.

⚠️ Note: After removing the topic through MIUI Themes can keep its files in the device's memory. Use the methods in section 4 to clean it completely.

2. Resetting themes to factory settings

If the theme has broken the interface or is not removed in the standard way, a partial reset will help, which does not affect user data, but returns all visual settings to default.

Go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Theme Resets. On some devices (POCO F5, Redmi Note 12), the path may look like Settings → Additional → Reset. Confirm action – the system will reboot with a factory theme.

This method does not delete the theme files from memory, but only cancels their use. For complete cleaning, use the methods below.

3. Removal of themes through MIUI Hidden Settings (for experienced)

MIUI has hidden settings that allow you to manage themes at the system level, and this method requires you to activate the developer mode.

First, turn on Developer Settings: go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on MIUI Version. Then go back to Settings → Additional → Developer and activate the option.

Now, follow the following steps:

1. Open the Topic app.
2. Click 5 times on the profile icon in the upper right corner and the MIUI Hidden Settings menu will open.
3. Choose Theme Manager → Installed Themes.
4. Find the theme you want and click Uninstall (even if the button is inactive in the normal interface).

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (MIUI EU, Xiaomi.eu) hidden menu may not be available. In this case, use the method with ADB (section).

4 Manual cleaning of theme files (without root)

The files are stored in system folders and can take up to 500 MB of memory, and can be manually deleted through a file manager with access to hidden directories.

Use the MiXplorer or Solid Explorer app (with root mode enabled if you have permission).

/data/system/theme/

Here are the theme names (e.g. com.example.theme1) folders. Delete the theme folder. Check for complete cleaning.

/sdcard/MIUI/theme/

• 🗑️ What to delete: Topic names (don’t touch default or system).
• 🔍 How to find: Sort files by date of change – fresh topics will be at the top.
• 📦 Careful: Do not delete files with the.mtz extension /system — it could cause a failure.

Backup of important data

Install a file manager with root access

Check the free space on the device (minimum 1 GB)

Disable automatic update of themes in settings-->

5. Removal of topics through ADB (Universal Method)

If the theme is not removed by any of the above methods, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) will help.This method works on all Xiaomi devices, including those where the bootloader is locked.

First, connect your phone to your PC and activate USB Debugging in the developer settings. Then, execute on the command line:

adb shell pm list packages | grep theme

This command will display a list of all packages related to themes, find the one you want (e.g. com.android.theme.icon.XXX) and delete it:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.theme.icon.XXX

To completely clean the cache, do:

adb shell pm clear com.android.thememanager

⚠️ Note: Do not delete packages called miui.system or miui.theme.default, this will cause the interface to crash. If you are not sure, use the adb shell dumpsys package com.android.thememanager command to check for dependencies.

💡

Before working with ADB, create a restore point in TWRP (if installed) to help restore the system if you fail.

6 What to do if the topic is not deleted?

In rare cases, topics can get stuck in the system due to MIUI Themes crashes or firmware conflicts.

1. Reinstall MIUI Themes: Remove application updates through Settings → Apps → Application Management → Topics → Remove updates.
2. Data Cleanup: For the Themes application, perform Clear Data and Clear Cache.
3. Firmware rollback: If the problem occurs after the update, return to the previous version of MIUI via Fastboot.

For devices with unlocked bootloader, you can use a script to completely clean the topics:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/system/theme/*




rm -rf /sdcard/MIUI/theme/*




reboot

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing themes on Xiaomi

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On devices with MIUI Global, removing themes via ADB may require additional rights. If the pm uninstall command does not work, use the adb shell cmd package uninstall to bypass the restrictions.