Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often seek to personalize the device, starting with a visual design. The standard set of graphic elements can seem boring, especially after several years of using the gadget. Finding new visual solutions becomes a priority for those who want to refresh the perception of the MIUI or HyperOS interface.
The process of replacing graphics is not as simple as it seems at first glance, because the ecosystem of the Chinese manufacturer has its own peculiarities. System restrictions do not always allow you to simply drag the picture to the desktop. You need to understand where to look for quality content and how to install it correctly to avoid conflicts in the work of the launcher.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways to change the appearance of icons. You will learn about proven content sources, methods for installing third-party packages and the nuances of working with thematics on different versions of the shell.
Official MIUI Theme Store and Its Capabilities
The easiest and safest way to change the look of the interface is to use the built-in Themes app, a pre-installed service that is integrated directly into the MIUI shell, and it's a collection of thousands of design choices created by the company and independent designers around the world.
To access the catalog, you just need to find the app of the same name in the menu. The official store offers not only ready-made sets, but also the ability to combine elements. The user can download the whole theme or select only certain components, such as wallpaper, sounds or, most importantly for us, icons.
However, there are limitations to this method: many quality themes are labeled as paid or require a premium account; and not all themes support replacing system icons on all smartphone models; some developers optimize their creations only for flagship lines.
⚠️ Warning: When downloading themes from third-party areas of the store ("Top" or "News" from independent authors), always check the rating and number of downloads. Some files may contain ads or work incorrectly with your version of Android.
To find the icons, go to the developer profile or use tag search. Often the theme description will indicate whether it supports icon customization. If this option is not available, the theme will only change the wallpaper and style of the notification curtain, leaving the application shortcuts unchanged.
Third-party sources of icon packs for Android
If the integrated directory doesn’t meet your aesthetic needs, third-party resources come to the rescue. Google Play Store’s global platform offers a huge number of launcher apps and graphics sets. It’s the most versatile option, running on most Android devices.
Popular sources include specialized applications like ZEDGE or Icon Pack Studio, which let you not only download the finished set, but also create your own design from scratch, you can change the color, shape, and even add logos to standard images.
- 🎨 Icon Pack Studio is a powerful tool for creating and editing your own icon sets with export support.
- 📦 ZEDGE — a huge catalog of free and premium icons, wallpaper and ringtones from the community.
- 🖌️ LineX Icon Pack is one of the most popular sets with minimalist design, supporting thousands of applications.
- 🔧 XIcon – an application that allows you to use icons without installing a third-party launcher (requires special permissions).
It is important to understand that installing packages from the Play Market often requires changing the launcher. The standard MIUI launcher does not always correctly pick up third-party sets. In such cases, the system will suggest installing a Nova Launcher, Smart Launcher or other analogue to apply changes.
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Before installing a new launcher, take screenshots of the location of the widgets on the desktop, since after changing the shell program, all icons can be lost in a standard grid.
Installation of icon packs without changing the launcher
Many users are reluctant to abandon the familiar MIUI interface in favor of third-party solutions. Fortunately, there are methods to use new icons without completely replacing the system launcher, which allows you to maintain the functionality of the “native” shell, while obtaining the desired visual.
One effective way to do this is to use themes that only contain a set of icons, which are often distributed on forums like 4PDA or XDA Developers, and the theme file has the.mtz extension, and then you have to put it in the root of your internal memory or in the MIUI/theme folder.
Then you open the Topics app, go to Profile (human icon) and select Topics. The local file list should show a downloaded archive. By clicking on it, you can apply the set. If the system says that the theme is incompatible, you can try to circumvent this restriction through the the theme developer menu, but this requires additional rights.
Alternatively, you can use helper apps like Theme Editor, which lets you embed a third-party icon into a system theme, and the process is this: you pick a basic theme (like a standard Classic), then import a set of icons from Google Play into it, and apply the result as a new theme.
Compatibility table and popular formats
When looking for graphics, it is important to look at file formats and compatibility with your version of the OS. Different installation methods require different types of data. Below is a comparative description of the main approaches to customization.
| Method of installation | Required format | I need a Root. | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official store | .mtz | No. | Low. |
| Third-party launcher | Annex (APK) | No. | Low. |
| Shortcuts (Tags) | Image (PNG) | No. | Tall (hand-held) |
| Systemic replacement | .mtz/Modification | Often required | Tall. |
As you can see from the table, the easiest way to do this is to use official tools or third-party launchers, manually replacing system files or using shortcuts, which requires more time and attention to detail, and how you choose to do this depends on how deeply you're willing to interfere with the system.
The.mtz format is a proprietary Xiaomi format. XML-Markup and graphics resources: Regular.zip or.rar image archives will not be suitable for direct installation through the theme menu, but must be pre-converted or packaged with special utilities.
Manually Replace Badges Through Creating Labels
The most time-consuming, yet complete, way to look is to manually create shortcuts, which allows you to replace any particular app icon with any picture in your gallery, which is ideal if you only need to change the graphics for a couple of programs.
To implement this method, you will need a shortcut application, for example, Shortcut Maker. The process looks like this: you open the program, select the desired application, then in the Icon section, specify “Gallery” and select the downloaded image. After setting the name, a new shortcut is created on the desktop.
⚠️ Note: When using the shortcut method, notifications from apps may stop showing as badges (digits) on the icon.This is a system restriction of Android for third-party shortcuts.
The main disadvantage of the method is that there is no automatic update. If the application updates and its real icon changes, your shortcut will remain the same, and if you reset the launcher settings, all manually created shortcuts will disappear, and you will have to repeat the procedure.
How to keep labels when resetting?
However, to create a unique minimalist design where all icons are in the same color or style, this method is best suited. You can download a set of monochrome images and replace all standard icons with them in a sequential manner.
Compatibility problems and their solution
Xiaomi users often face various problems in customization process: icons may not be applied, be displayed in squares or look stretched, most often due to the lack of support for a particular application in the selected icon pack.
If you use a third-party launcher, go to its settings and find the Appearance or Icon section. There's usually an item called "Unnamed icons" or "Default Icon." By changing the style for unidentified applications, you bring the entire desktop to a single denominator.
- 📉 Icons don't change: Make sure the theme is fully applied.Reboot the device after installation.
- 🔲 White Squares: The app has no support in the package. Use the "Create a shortcut" function in the Lawn Cher settings.
- 🎨 Different style: Mixing icons from different sets gives a bad result. Try to use one quality pack.
Also worth mentioning is the scaling problem: On high-resolution screens, old icons can look blurry. Always download versions of icons marked HD or 4K so they look clearly on modern Redmi Note or Xiaomi Mi displays.
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The most common cause of icon problems is the conflict between the Android version, the MIUI/HyperOS shell, and the icon pack itself. Always check the date of the last theme update.