Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often face a desire to radically change the look of their device. Standard wallpaper and icons quickly become tedious, and the built-in personalization capabilities seem limited. It is at this point that the question of how to create a theme on Xiaomi to bring their ideas to life, this process opens up access to deep customization of the interface of MIUI and HyperOS.
Designing your own design is not just about replacing images, it's about working with the graphics and configuration files of the system. You'll have to dive into the folder structure, understand the logic of how it works. theme_editor And then we can start to package data properly, and the result is that we can share this unique design with millions of users around the world through a store.
Before you start to take practical steps, you need to realize that creating a theme requires attention to detail. A mistake in one parameter can lead to the interface being displayed incorrectly or the Themes application not recognizing the file at all. However, following a clear algorithm, even a beginner can assemble a working project in a few hours.
Preparation of tools and developer account
The first step to designing your own design is to register with the Xiaomi ecosystem, and you need a Mi Account that you need to tie to a special design status, and without that, you can't upload projects to the store, because security blocks the publication of unverified content.
You'll need specialized software to run on a computer, and the main tool is the Theme Editor, which is officially provided by the company. The manual editing method is an alternative for advanced users. XML-Files and archiving, but it requires a deep knowledge of the.mtz structure.
Where to download Theme Editor?
You should also prepare a graphics editor. Adobe Photoshop or the free GIMP version is great for drawing icons and wallpaper. It is important to determine the color scheme and style in advance, so that the whole project looks harmonious. Don't forget to check the free space on the disk, since the source codes can occupy a significant amount of space.
- 🖥️ Registered Mi Account with Designer Rights.
- 🛠️ Installed Theme Editor program of the latest version.
- 🎨 Graphic editor for image processing (Photoshop, Paint.NET).
- 📂 File Archiver for working with extensions.zip and.mtz.
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Use a separate browser or incognito mode to work with the developer account to avoid cache conflicts when logging into Theme Editor.
Project structure and basic settings
When you launch Theme Editor, you'll have a new project creation window, and you'll have to specify the basic metadata, the title of the topic, the author's name, and the version, and that's what's going to be displayed in the app store, so it's worth getting creative, but it's not bug-free.
Within the project, files are distributed in a strict hierarchy. The main changes are made to the description folder where the description.xml file is stored. This document contains information about compatibility, the required version of MIUI and the lists of resources used. Any change in XML must be syntactically correct.
Special attention is paid to screen resolution. Although modern themes are often made adaptive, basic resolution sets the tone for rendering elements. Most often, they focus on the standard 1080×2400 or 1440×3200 pixels. Ignoring pixel density (DPI) can lead to blurring of icons.
| Parameter | Default value | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Min version of MIUI | MIUI 10 | MIUI 12 / HyperOS |
| Basic authorization | 1080p | Corresponds to the flagships |
| Icon format | PNG | PNG-24 with alpha channel |
| Archive size | No restrictions. | Up to 50MB for fast download |
It's important to understand that folder structure inside the theme archive is highly regulated, with lock screen images in one directory, desktop images in another, and breaking that logic will mean that Theme Editor won't put the project into the final file.
☑️ Verification of the project structure
Design of icons and desktop
The heart of any topic is app icons. Xiaomi uses its own masking system, but for full customization it is better to draw each icon manually. The standard set includes hundreds of popular applications, but to start it is enough (cover) system utilities and top-50 popular.
When you draw icons, you need to have a uniform style. If you choose a flat design, you need to have no gradients or shadows. If it's Neumorphism or Glassmorphism, you need to adjust the light and transparency correctly. The inconsistency between the different icons is glaring and spoils the overall experience.
The Launcher desktop is also subject to a major modification, so you can change the look of the watch, weather and calendar widgets, and for that purpose, there are separate folders in the design that upload images for each state of the widget, for example, you need separate images for numbers and backgrounds for a watch.
- 🎨 Keep a uniform canvas size for all icons (usually 192×192 px).
- 🔍 Check the readability of icons on a dark and light background.
- ⚙️ Don’t forget about system icons (settings, phone, messages).
- 📱 Test the display of folders with applications on the desktop.
A special case is dynamic icons that change depending on the state of the application (for example, the counter of unread messages). XML-It's an advanced level, but it greatly increases the value of your theme in the eyes of users.
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Icon quality determines 80% of the success of the theme, and users focus on the accuracy of app icons, not wallpaper.
Design of the lock screen and wallpaper
The Lockscreen is the first thing that a user sees, including a smartphone. In modern versions of HyperOS and MIUI, this element has undergone major changes to become more information-rich, and when creating a theme, you need to take into account that the clock and date often overlap the central part of the image.
For the background, it is best to use high-resolution images that are as good as Xiaomi's screen matrix. It is optimal to take source sizes of 1440×3200 pixels and above. Compression should be minimal to avoid artifacts on gradients. JPG format is suitable for photos and PNG is suitable for graphics.
In addition to static images, you can also introduce animation elements. However, you should remember the effect on the battery. Complex scripts can cause delays when unlocking. Simple effects, such as parallax or color change depending on the time of day, are embedded through special tags in the system. XML-lock screen description files.
⚠️ Warning: Avoid placing important visual elements (logos, text) in the lower third of the lock screen, as there are unlock and call buttons that will override your design.
This section also includes setting the notification style, so you can change the color of the posters, the time font and the unlock icon, all of which are stored in the lockscreen folder inside the project, and carefully working through the little things creates a premium product.
System menus and settings
Deep customization not only affects desktops, but also system menus. Notification panel, fast-setting curtain, volume menus and dialog boxes — all of these can be redesigned. control_center, status_bar framework.
When changing system elements, it is critical to consider readability of text: white text on a light background or black on a dark one will make the phone unusable, contrast is a key parameter when selecting colors for buttons and sliders.
To implement changes to the system menus, you often need to use special templates provided in Theme Editor. Simply replacing the image is not enough; you need to prescribe paths to new resources in the appropriate ones. XML-A mistake in the path will cause the system to roll back to the standard design of this element.
- 🔔 Redrawing icons in the notification curtain (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE).
- 🔊 Changes in the appearance of volume sliders.
- 📞 Adaptation of the call interface and contact book.
- ⚙️ Styling the settings menu and the list of applications.
Assembly, testing and publication
The final stage is the compilation of the project. In Theme Editor, it's done through the File menu. → Export → Export to.mtz. The file that is obtained has the.mtz extension and is a renamed file. ZIP-archive. Before sending to moderation, the file must be installed on the device for verification.
The theme should be tested on different devices and firmware versions. What looks perfect on the Xiaomi 13 with HyperOS can “go” on a budget Redmi with MIUI 11. Pay special attention to working with a dark theme if your theme supports it.
To publish, you need to upload the file to the Xiaomi developer portal, which takes from a few days to a week to moderate, and moderators check for bugs, viruses, and community compliance, and once approved, the topic becomes available in a global or local directory.
⚠️ Note: When you first publish, be sure to fill out the topic description in several languages (English, Russian, Chinese). Untranslated topics are often rejected or receive fewer downloads.
Remember, the first version of the theme is rarely perfect. Users can find bugs you missed, be ready to quickly release updates, fix bugs and add new icons at the request of the audience. Active support is the key to high rankings.