How to completely remove all contacts with Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro: safe methods

Why the standard contact removal on the Redmi Note 8 Pro doesn’t always work

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro often face a situation where an attempt to delete contacts through the standard “Contacts” application leads to an incomplete cleanup of the list. MIUI It can be stored in several places at the same time: in the memory of the phone, on the phone. SIM-You can use a map, a Google account, even a Mi Cloud cloud storage, and if you just click "Delete All" in the contact menu, the system can leave copies in one of these sources.

Another common problem is that contact sync continues to recover deleted records after a phone reboot or Internet connection, because the Redmi Note 8 Pro syncs data by default with Google or Xiaomi servers. Without disabling this feature, contacts will return again and again. In this article, we will look at all possible ways to delete, from simple to radical, including resetting to factory settings.

Before you start cleaning, make sure you have a backup of important numbers. Even if you plan to delete everything irrevocably, accidentally pressing the wrong button can cause data to be lost from other accounts (such as WhatsApp or Telegram, where contacts can also be duplicated).

Method 1: Remove contacts through the standard Contacts app

The most obvious method is to use the built-in Contacts app (or Contacts in the English version of MIUI), which is suitable if all your contacts are stored locally on your phone, rather than being tied to Google or Xiaomi accounts.

1. Open the Contacts app on the home screen or in the app menu.
2. Press three points (⋮) In the upper right corner, select Contact Management (or Manage Contacts).
3. Go to the Import/Export section → Delete all contacts.
4. Confirm the action by selecting Remove from the phone (not from the phone) SIM-card!).

⚠️ Note: If this menu does not have the option to delete everything, then your contacts are synced with Google or Mi Cloud, in which case they must be deleted through the corresponding accounts (see methods 2 and 3).

Turn off sync in Settings → Accounts

Make a backup of important numbers

Check if there are any contacts on SIM-map

Close all messengers (WhatsApp, Viber, etc.)

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Once deleted, restart your phone and check if the contacts have reappeared, and if so, they've been linked to the cloud, in which case, move on to the next way.

Method 2: Clearing Contacts with Google Account

If your Redmi Note 8 Pro is linked to a Google account, all contacts are automatically synced to the company’s servers, and even after local deletion, they will be restored the next time you connect to the Internet, and to delete them permanently, you need to clear the data directly in Google Contacts:

1. Open your browser on your phone or computer and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same account used on the Redmi Note 8 Pro.
3. Click the tick in the top left corner to highlight all contacts (or select the ones you need manually).
4. Click on the basket icon (Delete) and confirm the action.

Then go back to your phone and follow these steps:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Accounts. → Google.
• 🔄 Turn off contact sync (switch next to Contacts).
• 🗑️ Press three points (⋮) → Delete your account (optional but no recovery is guaranteed).

⚠️ Note: Deleting your Google account from your phone will result in loss of access to other services (Gmail, YouTube, Play Market).If you don’t want to do this, just turn off your contacts sync and manually clear them through the web version, as described above.

In the memory of the phone

Nana SIM-map

On Google Contacts

In Mi Cloud

In messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram)

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Method 3: Remove via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

Xiaomi offers its own cloud storage, Mi Cloud, where contact backups can be saved by default, and if you've ever enabled this feature, contacts could be duplicated there.

1. Open Settings → Mi Account on the phone.
2. Go to Mi Cloud → Sync and turn off the switch next to Contacts.
3. Go back to the Mi Cloud main menu and click Data Management.
4. Select Contacts → Delete Data → Confirm the action.

If you want to delete all data from the Mi Cloud (including backups), do the following:

• 🌐 Go to i.mi.com from your computer.
• 🔐 Sign in to your Mi Account.
• 📊 Go to the Cloud section → Contact and delete all records manually.
• 🗑️ For a complete cleanup, go to the Account Settings → Delete your account (this will delete ALL data, including purchases from the Mi Store!).

⚠️ Note: Deleting your Mi Cloud account will result in loss of access to all Xiaomi services, including Mi Home, Mi Fit, and Mi Store.

Method 4: Reset the settings of the Contacts app

If contacts are not deleted through standard methods, the problem may lie in the cache or settings of the Contacts app itself, in which case the reset of its data will help:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Contacts (or Contacts) in the list and open it.
3. Click Warehouse → Clear the data and Clear the cache.
4. Confirm the action (this will delete all local contacts and reset the application settings).

After discharge:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📵 Check if the contacts have reappeared (if so, they have been synced to the cloud).
• 🔒 Turn off automatic synchronization in Settings → Accounts.

This method does not affect the contact of SIM-It resets all the local data, and if you clean it up, it's back, it's definitely stored in Google or Mi Cloud.

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Before resetting the Contacts app, export the current numbers to the file VCF. To do this, open the Contacts. → ⋮ → Imports/Exports → Export to the device. The file will be saved in the Downloads folder and can be restored later.

Method 5: Completely reset your phone to factory settings

If no other method has worked, the most radical is hard reset, which will remove ALL data from your phone, including contacts, apps, photos and settings, and use this method only as a last resort!

Resetting instructions:

1. Make a backup copy of all important data (photos, videos, documents).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Delete all data (or Factory data reset).
4. Enter the phone password (if installed) and confirm the reset.

Once you reboot, it'll look like new, so that contacts don't automatically regenerate.

• 🚫 Do not connect your Google Account or Mi Account when you first set up your account.
• 📵 Turn off the internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data) before you complete the initial setup.
• 🔧 Manually disable the synchronization of contacts in the account settings.

⚠️ Warning: After resetting to factory settings, the phone will require entering account data that was on it before (protection) FRP — Factory Reset Protection: If you do not remember the password from Google or Mi Account, it will be impossible to unlock the device without additional manipulations!

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Full reset is the only method guaranteed to delete contacts from all sources, but it also erases all other data, so only use it if other methods have failed.

Additional tips: how to avoid returning contacts

Even after successful deletion, contacts can return if you don't turn off automatic sync.

• 🔄 Turn off sync: For Google: Settings → Accounts. → Google → Disable contact sync. For Mi Cloud: Settings → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Contacts (off).
• 📵 Delete backups: In Google Drive: Go to Drive → Backup copies → Remove copies from Redmi Note 8 Pro. In Mi Cloud: Settings → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud → Data management → Delete backup copies.
• 📱 Check the messengers: WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram can store their copies of contacts. Clean them manually in the settings of each application.

If you plan to sell or transfer your phone to another person, it is recommended not only to reset your settings, but also to:

• 🔐 Delete all accounts (Google, Mi, social networks).
• 📱 Get out. SIM-card and memory card (if any).
• 🔧 Disable Find My Device (in Google Settings).

This will prevent the new owner from accessing your data and eliminate the possibility of re-establishing contacts through cloud services.

Frequently asked questions