How to change charging animation on Xiaomi: from standard themes to custom solutions

Are you tired of the standard charging animation on your Xiaomi that shows a butterfly, interest or flashing battery? Want to make the charging process more personalized - with your favorite logo, GIF or even your own video? In this article, we will explore all the available ways to change the charging animation, from official MIUI features to hidden features for advanced users.

It’s important to understand that customization options vary depending on the smartphone model and firmware version. For example, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra with MIUI 14 has some settings available, while the Redmi Note 10 Pro with MIUI 12.5 has others, and we’ll look at the universal methods that work on most devices, and we’ll also point out the limitations for specific lines.

If you've never changed your system settings, don't worry: the first two don't require root rights or technical knowledge. For enthusiasts, we've provided instructions for working with ADBs, modified firmware, and even creating your own animations. But remember, any changes to system files can affect the stability of the device.

1.Official way: change the topic in MIUI

The easiest and safest method is to use built-in MIUI themes, and many users don't know that charging animations change with the design theme. Here's how it works:

• 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush) on the home screen.
• 🔍 In the search bar, type in the query "charging" or "battery." The system will show themes that change animations.
• 🎨 Select your favorite theme (such as Minimal Battery or Neon Charge) and click Apply».
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes changes only take effect after a reboot.

Not all themes change the charging animations, some only affect icons or wallpaper. To avoid wasting time checking each, pay attention to the screenshots in the description of the theme: if there is a new battery animation, then it will be applied to your smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14+ And some of the themes that HyperOS may require you to subscribe to Mi Account, and the free options are usually limited to basic animations.

If you don't like the new animation, you can return the standard one through the "My Themes" section of the Themes app, select the default theme (usually called Default or Standard) and apply it.

Make sure the theme supports your version MIUI|Check out the reviews of other users|Check the theme update date (older theme may not work)|Save a backup of your current settings-->

2.Using hidden MIUI settings (without root)

MIUI has hidden settings that allow you to change charging animations without installing themes.This method works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with firmware versions from MIUI 11 to MIUI 14.

1. Open the Settings app and go to the About Phone section.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row – this will turn on the developer mode.
3. Go back to the main Settings menu and open a new section for developers.
4. Activate the debugging switch over USB and confirm the action.
5. Connect your smartphone to your computer and execute the command in ADB:

adb shell settings put global charging_animation_style 1

Once you have completed the command, restart the device. Now, when you connect the charge, you will see an alternate animation (usually a traveling wave or a circular loading) to return the standard one, use the same command, but with a value of 0 instead of 1.

This method does not give complete freedom of choice, but allows you to quickly switch between two animation options. On some devices (for example, Xiaomi 12T) up to 4 hidden styles are available, which are activated by values from 1 to 3.

3. Install custom animations through Magisk (root required)

If you're ready for a deeper customization, you can install custom charging animations through Magisk modules, which is suitable for users with an unlocked bootloader and root access installed, and the advantage of the method is the ability to download any animation, including GIFs or videos in.mp4 format.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

• 📱 Install Magisk Manager and get root rights.
• 🔧 Download the Charging Animation Changer module from the Magisk repository (available on the site) XDA Developers).
• 🖼️ Prepare your animation: Format:.gif or.mp4 (maximum 10 Resolution: 1080×2400 (For most modern Xiaomi. file name: charging_animation (expansion).
• 📁 Put the file in the folder. /sdcard/Download/charging_animation/.
• 🔄 Restart the device to recovery mode (TWRP) and run the module.

Important: Not all animations will be displayed correctly due to system resolution limitations, for example, on the Redmi Note 9 Pro, the maximum resolution of animation is 1080×2340, and on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, 1440×3200.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrectly prepared animations can cause bootloop (locking on the boot.

If the animation doesn't appear after installing the module, check the logs in Magisk Manager (Modules → Logs section). A common error is the discrepancy between screen resolutions and animations, in which case you will have to edit the file in Adobe Premiere or CapCut.

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Use templates from Canva or Kapwing to create animations. Export to MP4 with a bitrate of no higher than 5 Mbps to avoid lags.

Replace system files manually (for experienced)

This method is suitable for those who are ready to work with MIUI system files directly, it allows you to replace standard animation with any other, but requires an unlocked bootloader and knowledge of working with ADB and fastboot.

Charging animations in MIUI are stored in files:

• /system/media/bootanimation.zip is the main on-line animation (sometimes affecting charging).
• /system/media/charging_animation.zip — animation when connecting charging.

To replace them:

1. Download the archive with new animations (you can find it on XDA or create it yourself).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb shell su mount -o rw,remount /system cp /sdcard/Download/charging_animation.zip /system/media/ chmod 644 /system/media/charging_animation.zip reboot
3. If the file charging_animation.zip No – it needs to be created independently, infollowing the structure of the standard archive.

The structure of the archive should be as follows:

⚠️ Note: Incorrectly changing files in /system This can cause you to lose warranty and device failure.Always back up your original files!

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Before replacing system files, check for compatibility with your version of MIUI. For example, animation from MIUI 12 may not work on MIUI 14 due to changes in the structure of the archives.

5. Alternative launchers with customization support

If you don’t want to mess with system files, you can use alternative launchers that support changing animations, such as Nova Launcher or Lawnchair, which let you install your own icons and animations, including the charging screen.

Here's how it works:

• 📥 Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
• 🔧 Open the launcher settings and go to Settings → Additionally. → Animation.
• 🖼️ Select Charging Animation and upload your file (.gif and.apng are supported).
• 🔄 Apply changes and restart the launcher.

There's a limitation to this method: the animations will only be displayed on the lock screen, not on the device that's turned off, so if the phone is completely discharged and you plug it into charging, the standard MIUI animation will still appear.

But it's completely safe and doesn't require root rights, and in addition, Nova Launcher can adjust the smoothness of animation, the speed of playback, and even add sound effects when you connect the charger.

6.Reset to standard animation and eliminate errors

If something went wrong after experimenting with charging animations (like the phone doesn’t show charge percentages or hovers on the boot screen), here’s how to get it all back:

• 🔄 Soft reset: Restart the device in Safe Mode (press the power button) → Restart Safe Mode. This will disable all third-party modules and themes.
• 🗑️ Removing Magisk Modules: If the problem occurs after installing custom animation, remove the module through Magisk Manager and restart.
• ⚙️ Reset themes: In the Topic app, select a standard design theme.
• 📱 System File Recovery: If you have manually changed files, return the original versions via ADB: adb shell su mount -o rw,remount /system rm /system/media/charging_animation.zip reboot

If none of these methods worked, you’ll have to do a full reset (Settings → Additional → Restore and Reset) before you do, be sure to save important data, as all files and applications will be deleted.

⚠️ Warning: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14), a factory reset can return firmware to the stock version by removing all modifications, including the unlocked bootloader.

FAQ: Frequent questions about charging animation on Xiaomi