How to completely remove all topics from Xiaomi: 5 working ways

The problem with themes on Xiaomi: why are they so hard to remove?

If you’ve ever tried to remove themes on Xiaomi through standard settings, you’ve probably encountered one of these problems: Themes stay in memory, don’t get deleted completely, or come back after a reboot. It’s all about the architecture of MIUI, Xiaomi’s proprietary shell, which aggressively caches graphic resources and saves the data to themes even after they’re “deleted” through the interface.

According to internal documentation Xiaomi (leakage) 2023 year), the system reserves up to 500 MB under the cache - and this is not taking into account themselves APK-files of subjects that can weigh on 10-50 MB each, and the standard theme manager (com.miui.themes) doesn't provide the tools to clean it up completely. Why? Because Xiaomi makes money selling premium themes through the Mi Theme Store, and removing them completely is against their business model.

In this article, we will discuss 5 ways, from simple to radical, including hidden MIUI settings, ADB commands, and even system file modifications (for advanced users). Each method is tested on the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 (Android 13/14) and works on models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Method 1: Standard removal via MIUI Themes (partial cleaning)

Let's start with the obvious, the built-in theme manager, which will only remove active user themes, but it won't affect system files and cache, which is good if you're just tired of the current theme and want to return the standard one.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
• 🔍 Go to My Themes tab (or My Themes in global firmware).
• 🗑️ Press and hold your finger on an unnecessary topic. → Choose Delete (or Delete).
• 🔄 For a standard theme MIUI Click Apply (it is usually called Default or System).

⚠️ Note: This method does not remove:

📁 Cash in the file. /data/system/theme/; 📦 APK-file (/data/app/com.miui.themes-*); 🔄 Design settings saved in com.android.themes.

If after that the interface still slows down or takes up a lot of space, move on to the next method.

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To see the actual size of the themes, go to Settings → About Phone → Memory → Apps → Themes. It displays full weight, including cache.

Method 2: Clearing the cache and data of the "Themes" application (deep cleaning)

This method removes all downloaded themes except the system, and also clears the cache.It is suitable if you need to free up space or fix display errors after changing themes.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In search, type in Themes (or Themes) and select the app.
3. Press Storage (or Storage)
4. Choose one by one: 🧹 Clear the cache; 🗑️ Clear the data (this will remove all downloaded themes!).

Reboot the phone.

After this procedure, all user themes will be reset, and the Themes app will return to the factory state.

⚠️ If after cleaning the data, the phone began to brake - this is normal. MIUI I'm reassembling the interface cache. 5-10 minutes or restart the device again.

Method 3: Remove via ADB (for power users)

If the first two methods didn’t work, it’s time to connect ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to remove even the system components of the theme, but requires USB debugging and a computer to be enabled.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS;
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original);
• 🛠️ Established ADB Tools;
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap → return to → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Commands for removal:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.themes


adb shell pm clear com.android.themes




adb shell rm -rf /data/system/theme/*




adb shell rm -rf /data/data/com.miui.themes/*

What these teams do:

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI EU) rm -rf It may not work without superuser rights, in which case use the adb shell su (if there is root) or move to the method. 4.

Method 4: Reset to factory settings (radical solution)

If the themes have messed up the system so badly that the interface is buggy or the phone is slowing down, you just have to reset it completely. This method will delete everything: themes, apps, settings and data. Use it as a last resort!

How to reset Xiaomi to factory settings:

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Erase All Data (or Erase All Data).
4. Enter the password from the Mi Account (if linked).
5. Confirm the reset.

Once reset, the phone will be as new as it is, without any unnecessary themes, but without your data, and it is guaranteed to remove all traces of themes, including system files.

⚠️ Note: On models with a locked bootloader (for example, Redmi Note 12 for Russia) after reset, you may need to re-authorize in the Mi Account!

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Resetting to factory settings is the only way to guarantee that you will delete ALL themes, including system ones, but it will also delete all your data, so only use it if other methods have not worked.

Method 5: Manually delete theme files (for root users)

If you have a bootloader unlocked and you have Magisk installed (or another root manager), you can manually delete the theme files from the system folders. This method is the most effective, but also the most risky - an error can lead to a bootloop.

What files and folders should be deleted:

• 📁 /data/system/theme/ — There are active themes here;
• 📁 /data/app/com.miui.themes-* — APK topic-loaded;
• 📁 /data/data/com.miui.themes/ — cache and settings;
• 📄 /data/property/persist.sys.miui.theme — file.

To delete, use any root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer). Alternatively, through ADB with superuser rights:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/system/theme/*




rm -rf /data/data/com.miui.themes/*




pm uninstall -k com.miui.themes

⚠️ Note: Deleting system files without backup may result in:

🔄 Loaded loading (bootloop); 🖥️ Loss of interface functionality (icons, fonts); 🔧 Need to refashion your phone via Fastboot.

How to prevent automatic recovery of themes after removal?

Even after a complete cleanup, MIUI can reload themes when it first connects to the Internet, due to Auto Theme Restore, which synchronizes settings with your Mi Account.

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Mi Account.
2. Turn off sync for the Topic (or Themes) item.
3. In the Topics app, go to the settings (⚙️) and turn it off: 🔄 Auto-update themes; 📥 Automatic download of recommendations.

It is also recommended to block the background activity of the "Themes" application:

• 🛡️ Settings → Annexes → Topics → Battery → Limit background activity.
• 🚫 Settings → Annexes → Topics → Permits → Shut it down.

If you do not plan to use customization of the interface, you can completely disable the application "Themes":

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.themes

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing themes on Xiaomi