How to completely remove all contacts on the Xiaomi smartphone: safe methods

Removing all contacts from Xiaomi’s smartphone at once is a challenge that users face when selling a device, resetting to factory settings, or cleaning up memory. Unlike turn-by-turn, mass cleaning saves time but requires caution: one wrong step can lead to loss of important data or synchronization problems, especially for MIUI devices where contacts can be duplicated between local storage, Google account and Mi Account.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to completely clean contacts on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, including nuances for different versions of MIUI 12-14. You will learn how to avoid common errors (for example, removing only part of contacts due to synchronization) and what to do if after cleaning the numbers continue to display.

1. Uninstall via MIUI settings (fastest way)

This method is suitable for users who have contacts stored locally on the device (not tied to Google or Mi Account).It works on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Xiaomi 13 models.

To delete all contacts through system settings:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the Import/Export section → Delete all contacts.
4. Confirm the action by ticking next to the item I understand that all contacts will be deleted irrevocably.

⚠️ Note: If you have Google or Mi Account sync enabled, this method will only delete local contacts. To clear all numbers, first turn off sync (see Section 3).

On devices with MIUI 14, the path may be different: instead of “Contact Management,” look for the “Settings” section inside the Contacts app and then “Data Cleanup.”

Export contacts to the VCF file (backup)

Check if sync with Google/Mi Account is disabled

Close all apps that use contacts (WhatsApp, Telegram)

Make sure the battery is more than 30% charged.

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2. Clean up through Google account (for synchronized contacts)

If your contacts are linked to a Google account, deleting them through your smartphone settings won’t work – they will recover the next time you sync, in which case you need to clear the data directly in Google Contacts.

Do this through your browser on your PC or mobile device:

1. Go to contacts.google.com and log in.
2. Click on the icon. ⚙️ Settings (cogs) → Delete contacts.
3. Select All Contacts or select a date range (e.g., Last Year).
4. Confirm the deletion by entering the password from your Google account.

After that:

• 🔄 On Xiaomi smartphone go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronize and turn off the slider opposite Contact.
• 📱 Go to the Contacts app and manually update the data (pull the screen down).
• 🗑️ If numbers are still displayed, clear the Contacts app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

⚠️ Attention: Deleting contacts via Google affects all devices associated with this account (tablets, other smartphones).If you use one account on multiple gadgets, pre-export backup.

Locally on the phone.

On Google account

In Mi Account.

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3. Disconnecting synchronization before removal

One of the most common mistakes is trying to delete contacts without turning off pre-sync, which causes numbers to disappear for a few minutes, then come back after another data update.

For the Google account:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and uncheck the contact box.
3. Confirm the sync shutdown.

For Mi Account:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Turn off the contact synchronization option.
3. If the option is not available, delete your Mi Account temporarily (the data will be saved on Xiaomi servers).

After the synchronization is disabled:

• 📲 Delete contacts in any of the ways described above.
• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone to make changes take effect.
• 🔒 If you plan to sell the device, do not turn on sync back.

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Before you turn off sync, check if contacts are used in other services (for example, WhatsApp or Telegram to identify accounts).

4. Reset to factory settings (radical method)

If you not only need to delete contacts, but also completely clean your smartphone (for example, before selling), perform a hard reset.This method deletes all data, including apps, photos and settings, so use it only as a last resort.

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Back up important data through Settings → About Phone → Backup.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.
4. Enter the password from the lock screen (if installed).
5. Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

After discharge:

• 📱 The smartphone will reboot to the state "as out of the box".
• 🔐 Do not connect old accounts when you first set up if you want to avoid re-establishing contacts.
• 🔧 If you plan to use the device further, restore the data from the backup selectively (without contacts).

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 11 with) MIUI 13) after reset, it may be necessary to enter a login and password from the previously associated Mi Account due to the reset protection feature (FRP). Make sure you remember the entry data!

5. Delete via ADB (for advanced users)

This method is suitable for those who are familiar with the developer tools and are ready to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which allows you to remove contacts directly from the system database, which is useful if the standard methods do not work.

This will require:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-driver.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell pm clear com.android.contacts


adb shell pm clear com.miui.contacts

1. Reset the device.

If you only need to delete contacts without affecting other app data, use:

adb shell content delete --uri content://com.android.contacts/raw_contacts

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB They have low-level access to the system, and misuse can lead to data loss or disruption. MIUI. Do not change other parameters through ADB without understanding the consequences.

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ADB-method is the only way to remove the "ghost" contacts that remain in the system after standard cleaning (for example, due to synchronization failures).

6. Verification and cleaning of duplicate contacts

Often, after mass deletion, duplicates or empty entries remain in the list, due to the peculiarities of MIUI operation, where contacts can be stored in several databases at the same time (for example, in Google, Mi Account and locally), to clear them completely:

Methods of removing duplicates:

• 🧹 In the app, tap on three points → Contact management → Combining and correcting → Delete duplicates.
• 🔍 Use third-party apps like Contacts Optimizer or Simpler Merge (available on Google Play).
• 📊 Export contacts to a.vcf file, edit it manually (via Excel or text editor) and import back.

If duplicates appear again after removal:

1. Turn off sync from all accounts (see Section 3).
2. Delete the cache and application data Contacts in the settings.
3. Perform a reboot of the device.

On Xiaomi models with MIUI 14, duplicates may arise from the MIUI Contact feature, which automatically combines data from different sources to disable it:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Display Contacts.
2. Uncheck the boxes from unnecessary sources (such as WhatsApp or Viber).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you delete your contacts on Xiaomi, users often face typical problems, and here’s how to solve them:

Another common mistake is to delete contacts from only one source, such as clearing local numbers but forgetting about Google, causing the next update to return the data.

• 🔍 Settings → Accounts – which accounts have access to your contacts.
• 📱 Annex Contacts → Settings → Sources of contact.
• 🌐 Google Contacts and Mi Account (contacts.xiaomi.com).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions