How to remove themes on Xiaomi through the Themes app: 5 working ways

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones offer users flexible interface customization through the proprietary Themes app. However, over time, the collection of downloaded themes grows, taking up precious space in the device’s memory, and some themes can conflict with the system or simply get bored. Unlike standard application removal, themes do not have a “Delete” button in the menu – they need to be cleaned through hidden settings or manually.

Many users face problems: topics are not deleted through the application interface, there are “ghost” files after uninstallation, or the system gives an error Failed to delete the topic. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to delete themes on MIUI 14/13/12, including cleaning the cache, manual deletion through the file manager and even resetting the Themes application.

1. Standard removal of topics through the Themes app

The most obvious way is to use the built-in tools of Themes, but there are nuances: not all themes can be removed in the standard way, and the menu interface may vary depending on the version of MIUI.

To remove the topic through the app:

• 📱 Open the Themes app (brush icon on desktop).
• 🔍 Go to My Themes tab (or Management in older versions).
• 🗑️ Press and hold your finger on an unnecessary topic. → Choose Remove (or Recycle Bin icon).
• ✅ Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If the Remove button is inactive or absent, this means that the theme is system (preset) and cannot be removed through the interface, in which case alternative methods described below will be required.

⚠️ Note: Deleting themes through the Themes app does not always clean all associated files.Residual data can take up to 100–300 MB in a folder /MIUI/theme/, Even if the topic is off the list.

2. Manually remove themes through file manager

If the standard method didn’t work, you can manually delete themes through the file system, which requires access to hidden folders and root rights (on some devices).

Instructions:

1. Open any file manager with Root support (such as MiXplorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /data/system/theme/ or (for older MIUI versions): /sdcard/MIUI/theme/
3. Find a folder with the title of the theme you are removing (e.g. com.theme.name) and delete it.
4. Clear the Themes app cache in settings (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Themes → Memory → Clear the cache).

If /data/system/theme/ is not available without root, try using ADB (described in the next section).

3. Removal of topics via ADB (no root)

If you don’t have root permissions but need to remove the system theme, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works on most Xiaomi devices with the bootloader unlocked.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB debugging in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times) → Additional settings → For developers → USB debugging).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
3. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices (should display the serial number of the device).
4. Delete the theme by its batch name (e.g. com.android.theme.icon.flat): adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet themes

To find out the exact name of the theme package, use the command:

adb shell pm list packages | grep theme

⚠️ Note: Removing System Themes Through ADB It may cause the interface to fail. MIUI. Before the procedure, back up the data or restore point in the TWRP (if established).

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If the adb command is not recognized, install Android Platform Tools and add a path to the folder to the Windows environment variables.

4. Cleaning the cache and data of the Themes application

Sometimes the themes are not deleted due to a damaged cache or conflicts in the application data, in which case a full reset of Themes will help:

• 🧹 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Themes.
• 🗃️ Press Memory. → Clear the cache and Clear the data.
• 🔄 Reset the device.

Once reset, all downloaded themes will disappear from the list, but the system ones will remain, and this method also solves the problem of “hung” themes that are not deleted through the interface.

If the Themes app is unstable after cleaning, try:

• Update the app via Google Play (if available).
• Install an older version of APK (e.g. with APKMirror).
• Reset your phone settings (extremely).

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Cleaning up the Themes app’s data removes all downloaded themes but does not affect system files.It’s a safe way to free up space if standard deletion doesn’t work.

5. Removing themes through Recovery (TWRP)

For advanced users with customized Recovery (TWRP) installed, there is a radical way to remove themes directly from the /data section.

Instructions:

1. Boot to TWRP (hold Power + Volume up when turned on).
2. Go to Advanced → File Manager.
3. Find the folders: /data/system/theme/ /sdcard/MIUI/theme/ and delete their contents.
4. Reset the device.

This method is guaranteed to remove all topics, including system ones, but requires caution: wrong actions in TWRP can lead to data loss.

6. How to prevent automatic downloading of topics

MIUI has the unfortunate feature of automatically loading themes in the background, even if you haven't installed them.

• ⚙️ Open the Settings. → Wallpaper and themes → Settings (⋮ top-right).
• 🚫 Disable options: Automatic update of themes, Topics recommendations, Background loading.
• 📵 Limit background activity of Themes app in battery settings (Settings) → Battery → Choice of applications → Themes → Limit background activity).

It is also recommended to disable notifications from Themes to avoid accidental downloads:

1. Press notification from Themes → select Disable notifications.
2. Or go to Settings → Notifications → Themes and turn off all alerts.

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

When removing themes, users often encounter typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, check the device for viruses (some Trojans block access to system folders) or reset the settings to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Resets).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions