Xiaomi’s design theme can dramatically change the look of a smartphone, from icons and fonts to animations and sounds. But what if the installed theme starts to slow down the system, conflicts with applications or just annoys with its design? Returning factory style is not always as easy as it seems: some themes are deeply integrated into MIUI, leaving artifacts after removal as modified system files.
In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to remove themes on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO – from basic reset via the settings menu to manually clearing the remaining themes through ADB and third-party utilities.
Why are Xiaomi themes not completely removed?
The problem lies in the MIUI Theme Engine architecture, and unlike conventional wallpapers or widgets, Xiaomi themes are layered into several layers:
- 🎨 Visual elements: icons, fonts, interface colors (stored in the /data/system/theme/).
- 🔊 Sound packets: alarm clock melodies, notifications, system sounds (located in the /system/media/audio/).
- ⚙️ System modifications: modified files framework-res.apk or MiuiSystemUI.apk, animation.
When you click “Delete Theme” in the Settings → Theme menu, the system only clears the first layer (visual elements). The remaining files remain in the device’s memory, resulting in:
- 🐢 Slowdown of the interface due to conflict of the remaining files with the new theme.
- 🔄 Unintentionally return old icons or fonts after rebooting.
- 🚫 Inability to install official updates MIUI (system detects changes in system files).
Method 1: Standard reset via MIUI settings
The safest method that works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models with MIUI 12-14 is suitable for removing themes installed through the official Themes store.
Instructions:
- Open Settings → Theme.
- Tap on an active topic (marked with a tick).
- At the bottom of the screen, select “Delete theme” (or “Reset to standard”).
- Confirm the action and restart the device.
⚠️ Note: If the icons or fonts are changed after reset, the theme has modified the system files).
☑️ Preparation for the topic reset
Method 2: Removal through MIUI Theme Editor (without root)
The official MIUI Theme Editor app lets you manually manage installed themes, including those that don't appear in the standard menu.The app is available in the Mi App Store for devices with MIUI 13+.
How to use:
- Download and install MIUI Theme Editor from the Mi App Store.
- Open the application and give access to the storage.
- Go to the tab "My topics".
- Find an unnecessary theme, tap on it and select “Delete the package”.
- Confirm deletion and clear the cache in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Theme.
What if Theme Editor doesn’t find a theme?
🔹 Advantages of the method:
- ✅ Doesn't require root rights.
- ✅ Remove even “stuck” themes that aren’t reset through settings.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove system themes with default, miui, or system names – this can cause the interface to fail.
Method 3: Cleaning through ADB (for power users)
If the theme has changed system files (for example, replaced) framework-res.apk), The remaining parts can only be removed via Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method requires the developer mode to be activated and USB-debugging.
Step-by-step:
- Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap 7 times to the MIUI Version.
- Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers and include USB-debugging.
- Connect your phone to your PC, install ADB Tools, and execute the commands:
adb shell
su
rm -rf /data/system/theme/*
rm -rf /data/resource-cache/*
reboot🔹 What teams do:
- rm -rf /data/system/theme/* - removes all custom themes.
- rm -rf /data/resource-cache/* - clears the cache of resources (important for resetting icons).
- Reboot – Reboots the device to apply the changes.
💡
Before executing ADB commands, check if the bootloader is locked on your device. On models with a locked bootloader (such as the Xiaomi 12T or Redmi Note 11), some commands may not work.
Method 4: Reset to factory settings (last resort)
If none of these methods work, it's a radical solution that will bring the phone back out of the box, but delete all the data, including photos, messages and apps.
How to reset:
- Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
- Select “Erase all data”.
- Enter the password (if installed) and confirm the action.
- Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-15 minutes).
⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO F4, Xiaomi 13) may need to re-activate your Mi Account after a reset.Make sure you remember your username and password!
🔹 What will remain after the discharge:
| Data data | Keeping? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Photo/video on memory card | ✅ Yes. | If you use SD-map as a portable storage. |
| Contacts (Google) | ✅ Yes. | When synchronizing with your Google account. |
| Annexes and their data | ❌ No. | Including saves in games. |
| Network settings (Wi-Fi) | ❌ No. | You will need to re-enter passwords. |
| Files in internal memory | ❌ No. | Including downloads and documents. |
💡
Factory reset is the only way to get a fully clean system back if the theme has corrupted critical files (e.g. MiuiSystemUI.apk).However, use it only as a last resort, as data recovery can take hours.
Method 5: Manual removal via TWRP (for stitched devices)
If your Xiaomi has custom TWRP recovery installed, you can manually delete theme files, including system modifications, which is suitable for users with unlocked bootloader and root rights.
Instructions:
- Boot to TWRP (hold Power + Volume up when turned on).
- Go to Advanced» → «File Manager».
- Delete the following folders and files: /data/system/theme/ /data/resource-cache/ /system/priv-app/MiuiThemeManager/ (if the theme has modified the system APKs).
TWRP
«Wipe» → «Dalvik / ART Cache»
Reset the device.
⚠️ Note: Removing files from /system/ This can lead to bootloop if you remove critical components. TWRP!
How to avoid problems with topics in the future
To avoid having to remove topics, follow simple rules:
- 🛡️ Install themes only from the official Themes store. APK-Files often contain modified system components.
- 📥 Check reviews before installing a new theme – users often write about bugs (for example, “After installation, icons disappeared»).
- 🔄 Clean the theme cache regularly in Settings → Annexes → Theme → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
- 📱 In the models with MIUI 14 and later use the “Light” mode for themes – it limits the depth of changes.
💡
If you like customization but are afraid of crashes, try alternatives to themes: Nova Launcher for icons, KWGT for widgets, or Substratum (requires root) for deep customization.