Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a desire to personalize the device interface beyond standard capabilities. MIUI or the new HyperOS provide powerful tools for change, but not always obvious to the beginner. Standard graphics set can seem boring, and style uniformity is broken after installing new apps from Google Play.
The process of changing graphics doesn't require superuser rights or complex technical manipulations; you don't have to be a programmer to turn a lock screen and a desktop into a piece of digital art; you just have to know where to look for the settings and what tools to use to get the results you want.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at all the ways you can go from the built-in theme store to advanced methods of replacing specific images through a file manager. You’ll learn to create unique sets, mix styles, and return the original look if needed. Deep customization is available to anyone willing to spend a few minutes learning the interface.
Use of the built-in “Themes” application
The easiest and safest way to change the look of the interface is to use the Theme System App, which is pre-installed on all the brand devices and has access to deep layers of the interface, and you can find thousands of off-the-shelf solutions created by both the official designers and the user community.
To get started, open the app and go to the Profile tab or click on the avatar in the corner of the screen. From the menu, select My Themes. This shows all the designs you've ever installed. If you want to download a new one, go back to the home screen of the app and search for keywords like "iOS style" or "Minimal."
When you select a new theme, look at the preview. When you click on the theme image, you'll see a detailed description. A free or price button allows you to install the package. Once you download, the system will prompt you to apply changes immediately or customize individual elements. You can choose whether to change the lock screen, system icons, fonts or wallpaper.
- 🎨 Thousands of free and paid design options from around the world.
- ⚙️ Ability to combine elements: icons from one theme, wallpaper from another.
- 📱 Adaptation to different screen resolutions of Xiaomi and Redmi devices.
- 🔄 Regular update of the catalog taking into account design trends.
⚠️ Note: Some topics from third-party regions may contain ads or display incorrectly on global firmware versions. Always check ratings and comments before installing.
It's important to understand that the application of the theme affects the system launcher, which means that not only will the application graphics change, but also the type of folders, settings menus and notification curtains. If you only need to replace icons, select the option "Configure" when using the theme and only check the "Icons" box.
Installation of third-party launchers for deep customization
If standard features don’t suit you, third-party shells known as launchers will come to the rescue. Installing an alternative launcher like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher gives you complete control over the desktop grid, animations and, of course, icons. This is the best way to change the icons on Xiaomi if the built-in themes seem too limited.
After installing the launcher from Google Play, Android will ask you to confirm the default application replacement. Select Always for the new launcher. Now, to change your graphics, you will need icon packs. When searching for a store, type in an “icon pack” and download your favorite set. In the launcher settings under “Look” or “Icons”, select “Icon Style” and specify the downloaded package.
The advantage of this method is that you don't change system files, you just layer them over, and it ensures that you can work smoothly and you can go back to the standard look at any time just by changing the launcher in your settings, and third-party shells often allow you to resize icons, which is not available in stock MIUI.
☑️ Preparation for launcher installation
It’s worth noting that some launchers may conflict with Xiaomi’s signature gestures, and in such cases, it’s a good idea to switch to classic three-button navigation or use special patches if they’re available for your model. Also, launchers can consume more RAM, which is critical for budget models with a high-end memory. 3-4 GB RAM.
Manual replacement of icons through file manager
For advanced users who want to replace an image of a particular application without installing entire themes or launchers, there is a manual replacement method that requires a file manager with access to system folders, such as MT Manager or ZArchiver, but often works with a standard Explorer if permissions to display hidden files are allowed.
The essence of the method is to find the file icon_config.xml Or a similar configuration file in the launcher's data folder. MIUI 12 And above, you can create a shortcut. You can find the right app in the list of all the programs, you can pinch it and you can select "Create a shortcut." When you create a shortcut, the system often lets you select an image from the gallery. So you can put any picture on any application.
This is a good way to do spot changes, for example, if one app gets out of style, you can download a single PNG image, preferably with a transparent background, and assign it a label, and you can hide the old icon in a folder so you don't horn your eyes.
- 🖼️ The ability to put any photo or picture on the application.
- 📂 Does not require heavy software installation or such.
- 🔒 It is safe for the system because it does not affect the system. APK-file.
- ⏱️ It takes a minimum of time for one or two applications.
⚠️ Note: When manually replaced through shortcuts, notifications may stop showing on the icon (unread messages counter), since this will not be the original application, but its copy-tag.
If you decide to use a file manager to directly replace files in system directories (path /data/data/com.miui.home/files/icon), you will need Root rights. Without them, the system will simply not allow you to save the changes.
What to do if a label is not created?
Setting up the size and grid of the desktop
Changing graphics often requires rethinking the organization of space. The standard 4x5 or 5x6 grid may not be suitable for newer, more detailed icons. MIUI and HyperOS have built-in settings to change the scale and number of elements on the screen.
To get into these settings, go to Settings → Additional (or Desktop) → System Navigator (some versions just “Desktop”). Here you will find a font size slider and icons. Size reduction allows you to fit more elements, and zoom in makes the interface more readable and larger, which is relevant for people with low vision.
There's also a feature called Change Grid, which allows you to choose the number of rows and columns, for example, a 6x6 grid will turn your screen into a dense control panel, and a 4x4 will leave a lot of free space ("air"), which looks great with minimalist graphics sets.
| Parameter | Description of the impact | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Type size | Changes the size of the signatures under the icons | Leave the average for readability |
| Size of icons | Scaling up graphical elements | Select the pixel density of the screen |
| Grid (Columns) | Number of icons in a row | 4-5 for convenience, 6+ for maximumism |
| Increase | The regime for the visually impaired | Use only when necessary |
Remember that changing the grid can confuse the location of the widgets. Once you zoom in, check what your weather or watch widgets look like, and you may have to remove them and add them again to fit properly into the new grid cells.
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Before changing the grid, take a screenshot of the current location of the icons, which will help you quickly restore the familiar structure if the new scheme is uncomfortable.
Compatibility and Adaptation Problems in HyperOS
With the release of HyperOS (based on Android 14), Xiaomi has made a number of changes to the interface rendering mechanism, some of the older themes created for MIUI 11 or 12 may not be displayed correctly: icons may become white squares or disappear altogether, due to changing resource paths and image format requirements.
If you see standard green androids or empty squares after installing the theme, then the package is not adapted to your version of the OS. In this case, cleaning the cache of the Themes application helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Find Themes → Clear → Clear the cache (not data, otherwise downloads will fly).
New firmware versions also tighten restrictions on third-party launchers, which can aggressively unload them from memory or block gestures, and to avoid this, you need to lock the launcher in memory (lock in the menu of running applications) and allow auto-start in the battery settings.
- 🆕 HyperOS requires themes to support new ones API rendering.
- 🧹 Cleaning the cache often solves problems with “broken” graphics.
- 🔋 Energy saving needs to be adjusted for third-party launchers.
- 📉 Old themes MIUI 10-12 They may work unstablely.
Another common problem is the appearance of black bezels around icons, which happens when you install a round pack of icons on a system that forcibly imposes its own mask (squircle), to remove the frame, you need to find the "Shape of icons" in the themes or launcher settings and select "Without mask" or "Original".
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Theme compatibility depends on the Android version and shell. For HyperOS, look for themes marked “Android 14 compatible” or use proven packages from major authors.
Return to standardization
You may want to go back to the factory look sooner or later, whether it's due to a new update that breaks compatibility with your theme, or just a desire for freshness, and the process of returning is simple, but it has its own nuances depending on how you changed the design.
If you used the built-in Themes app, just open it, go to the profile and select the Classic or No Theme theme. Click Apply. This action will reset all graphical changes by returning standard MIUI icons, fonts and wallpaper. All your data and applications will remain in place.
If you use a third-party launcher, the return process is done through system settings. Go to Settings → Desktop (or Home Screen) and select Default Launcher. In the list that opens, select System Launcher or MIUI Home.
⚠️ Note: When removing a third-party launcher without first switching to the system, the phone may temporarily freeze or show a black screen.Always switch to the standard launcher before removing third-party software.
Sometimes, after a theme is reset, the icons may remain broken or empty, in which case the device reboot helps, and if that doesn't work, try temporarily changing the region of the phone in the settings (for example, India or the United States), applying a standard theme, and then returning your region, this forcefully updates the interface configuration files.