How to Change the Lock Screen on Xiaomi MIUI 12: From wallpaper to hidden settings

Introduction: Why lock screen setting is important for MIUI 12

Lock screen on Xiaomi smartphones with a shell MIUI 12 is not just a barrier to basic features, but a full-fledged information hub, displaying notifications, fast actions, weather widgets and even smart home controls. MIUI 12 allows you to customize up to 80% of the elements of the lock screen - from unlock animation to the location of notification icons.

Unlike previous versions, MIUI 12 has made revolutionary changes in the visual part: there are dynamic wallpapers Super Wallpapers, adaptive themes based on the time of day and even the ability to integrate with the service Xiaomi Cloud to synchronize settings between devices. But to unlock the full potential, you need to know where to look for hidden options – many of them are hidden in the Settings submenu. → Lock screen or require activation through Developer Mode.

In this article, we will analyze not only the basic ways to change wallpapers and widgets, but also advanced tricks: how to install live wallpaper from third-party developers, configure the display of notifications for specific applications or even return the classic lock style from the site. MIUI 11 if you don't like the new design.

The basic ways to change the lock screen in MIUI 12

So, let's start with the simplest thing, changing the wallpaper and the basic elements. MIUI 12 this is done through a standard menu, but with a few nuances that few people know about. For example, the system automatically selects the color palette for text and icons depending on the selected background, but this feature can be disabled.

To change the lock screen wallpaper:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Lock screen.
• 🎨 Select the Wallpaper Lock screen (not to be confused with the wallpaper of the desktop!).
• 🌄 Scroll down to Dynamic Wallpapers – Super Wallpapers are available here with unlock animations (e.g., flying over Mars or Earth).
• 🔄 If you want to return a static image, tap on the Standard Wallpaper and select a photo from the gallery.

Please note: in MIUI 12 lock screen and desktop wallpaper are set separately. If you change the background on the desktop, it will not affect the lock screen - it must be set separately through the menu mentioned above.

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If the selected wallpaper appears too dark and the text of the notifications is not readable, turn on the option Auto Brightness of the text in the lock screen settings. The system will automatically adjust the font contrast.

In addition to wallpaper, in the basic settings you can:

• ⏰ Change the display style (digital or analog).
• 📅 Add/remove date and day of the week.
• 🔔 Set up notification display (hide content for sensitive applications).
• 🔋 Show/Hide the Battery Charging Indicator.

Advanced Customization: Widgets and Hidden Functions

MIUI 12 offers a lot more customization than it first appears. For example, you can add weather widgets, a music player or even quick buttons for a smart home to the lock screen – but these options are hidden in the depths of the menu.

To add widgets:

1. Click the empty space on the lock screen (not on the wallpaper!) and select Add widgets.
2. In the list of available options you will see: 🌡️ Weather (with animation and forecast for 5 days). 🎵 Music player (playback control without unlocking). 💡 Smart home (fast scenarios for Xiaomi Mi Home devices). 📊 Stepmer (if wearable devices are connected).

Drag the desired widget to the bottom of the screen – here it will be displayed constantly.

Important: Some widgets (such as a music player) only appear on the lock screen when you play active, and if you add a player but it doesn't show up, run any song on Mi Music or Spotify.

Another hidden feature is setting up the unlock animation. MIUI 12 uses a smooth "dissolution" of the screen, but other effects can be selected:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Unlock animation.
2. Choose one of the options: 🌀 Spiral (classical style of the MIUI 11). 🌊 Wave (smooth blur). ⚡ Instantly (without animation).

Installation of third-party wallpaper and so on

If the standard wallpaper in MIUI 12 you get tired of installing custom themes or live wallpapers from third-party developers, and there are two ways to do this: through the official Xiaomi Dark Store or manually by downloading theme files in.mtz format.

Method 1: Installation through the Dark Store

• 🛍️ Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
• 🔍 In the search bar, type in a query, such as anime lock screen or minimalist wallpaper.
• 📥 Select your favorite theme and click Apply. Note: Some themes only change the desktop, not the lock screen — look for the Lockscreen mark in the description.
• ⚙️ After applying the theme, go to Settings → Lock screen → Style to more accurately customize the display of elements.

Method 2: Manual installation of themes (.mtz)

⚠️ Note: Installing themes from unverified sources may contain malicious code. download.mtz files only from official Xiaomi forums (such as Mi Community) or trusted resources.

For manual installation:

1. Download the.mtz theme file to your device.
2. Open the file through Explorer – the system will automatically prompt you to apply the theme.
3. If the theme does not apply, move the file to the folder MIUI/theme on the internal drive and restart the device.

For live wallpaper (for example, from the app) KWGT The Wallpaper Engine will be required:

• 📲 Install an app for live wallpaper from Google Play.
• 🔧 In the application settings, select the option to Set on the Lock screen (not all applications support this function on the screen). MIUI!).
• 🔄 If the wallpaper is not displayed, turn on the option to Allow drawing on top of other applications in the special features settings.

Check the version. MIUI (Some topics only work on MIUI 12.0.x)

Backup your current settings through Settings → The phone. → Backup>

Disable battery optimization for the Themes app (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery)

Restart your phone after installing the theme-->

Set up notifications and confidentiality

One of the key elements of the lock screen is notifications. MIUI 12 their display is flexible: you can hide the content for individual applications, change the style of notifications or completely disable their display on a locked screen.

To set up notifications:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Lock screen.
2. Turn on or off the option to Show notifications on the lock screen.
3. Select the apps that you want to hide the text of notifications (for example, messengers or mail).
4. In the Notification Style section, select: 📋 Detailed (full text of the notice). 🔒 Hidden (app icon only). 📊 Compact (abbreviated text).

For additional confidentiality, you can configure:

• 🔐 Password to unlock notifications: in Settings → Lock screen → Include the option to hide notifications before unlocking.
• 👁️ Hiding Personal Information: Turn off displaying owner name and operator data in Settings → Lock screen → Owner's information.
• 📱 Disable quick answers: If you do not want messages to be answered directly from the lock screen, disable this function in the settings of each messenger separately.

Important: Some apps (like WhatsApp or Telegram) have their own privacy settings that override the system. Go to the settings of each messenger and check the Notifications section. → Confidentiality.

Additional tricks: gestures, sounds and developer mode

MIUI 12 hides some useful features that can be activated through developer mode or special gesture combinations, such as changing the unlock sound, adding additional controls, or even removing animations completely to speed up work.

Activation of the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the item MIUI version (you will be notified you became a developer!).
3. Go back to the main settings menu and open a new section for developers.

Now you can set up:

Another useful trick is to set up gestures on the lock screen. MIUI 12 supported:

• 👆 Swipe up - unlock.
• 👉 Swipe right - camera opening.
• 👈 Swipe left – start the voice assistant (if configured).

To modify or add gestures:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Gestures.
2. Select the swipe action left/right (you can set the launch of any application).
3. For advanced gestures (such as double tap for sleep), activate the option of Additional gestures in developer mode.

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The most useful hidden function MIUI 12: The ability to assign any application to swipe left/right on the lock screen, which speeds up access to frequently used programs (such as a flashlight or notebook) without unlocking.

Problem Solving: What to do if the settings do not apply

Sometimes, when you change the lock screen settings, they don't apply or they reset after you reboot. MIUI 12, which is about caching a system or conflicting themes. Here's how to solve it:

Problem 1: The lock screen wallpaper does not change

• 🔄 Restart the device – often it helps to apply changes.
• 🧹 Clear the app's cache Themes in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Topics → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 📁 Check that the selected image is in the folder DCIM or Pictures — MIUI Sometimes you can’t see files from other directories.

Problem 2: Widgets disappear after the update

⚠️ Note: After major updates MIUI (For example, from 12.0.x to 12.5.x, the system can reset the widget settings. Before updating, take a screenshot of the current lock screen configuration to quickly restore it.

To return the widgets:

1. Remove and add the widget again through the lock screen settings menu.
2. Check if the widgets are disabled in Settings → Battery → Battery optimization (some widgets are blocked by the system to save energy).
3. Update the app associated with the widget (e.g. Mi Home for the smart home widget).

Problem 3: Unlock animations are slowing down

If smooth transitions are running with delays, try:

• ⚡ Enable performance mode in Settings → Battery → Performance mode.
• 🗑️ Clear the system cache through Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup.
• 🔧 Disable animation completely in developer mode (see previous section).

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up the lock screen in MIUI 12