How to change the icons on the Xiaomi desktop: full instructions

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the desire to personalize the appearance of their device, making it unique and unlike others. The standard set of graphic elements provided by the shells of MIUI or the new HyperOS can seem boring or not consistent with the personal preferences of the user. Fortunately, the Android system allows you to manage the visual design with sufficient flexibility, and replacing the standard icons of applications is one of the easiest and most effective ways to change the interface.

The process of changing graphics can range from using built-in tools to installing specialized software that requires deeper intervention. Depending on your phone model and operating system version, the methods available may vary slightly, but the general principle remains the same. In this article, we will detail all the current ways that will help you transform your desktop without having to obtain root rights.

Use of the built-in “Themes” application

The easiest and safest way to change the visual style of your smartphone is to use the official Themes app, which is pre-installed on all the brand’s devices, which provides access to a huge library of custom and professional designs, where you can often find packages containing only a set of icons without changing the system fonts or wallpaper.

To get started, you need to run the app and go to Profile, then select the Topic item. In the search box, type in "icons" or "icons" to filter the results. After selecting the set you like, click the download button and then Apply. The system will automatically replace the standard graphics with a new one in all supported applications.

Note that not all applications can be supported by third-party themes. Xiaomi system utilities usually change without problems, however, the graphics of third-party programs such as WhatsApp or Telegram can remain standard if the theme author does not provide them in his package.

• 🎨 A huge selection of free and paid design options from the community.
• ⚡ Quick installation and the ability to roll back changes at any time.
• 🛡️ Security: Official topics are checked by moderators for malicious code.
• 🔄 Automatic update of graphics when new versions of the theme are released.

⚠️ Note: When installing themes from third-party regions (such as Indian or Indonesian), some system features may not work properly, so it is recommended to use themes adapted to your region.

Application of third-party launchers

If the built-in MIUI shell capabilities don’t satisfy you, an alternative launcher is a great solution. Launcher is a program that completely replaces the standard desktop, control panel and application menu, giving much more freedom in customizing the appearance, including support for any icon sets.

The most popular and stable options today are Nova Launcher, Lawnchair and Microsoft Launcher. Once you install such an application from Google Play, you will need to give it the necessary permissions and assign it to the default launcher in the system settings.

The main advantage of this method is that it is completely independent of the manufacturer’s limitations: You can change the size of the desktop grid, add gestures, customize animations and, of course, use thousands of free graphics sets that are not available in the official Xiaomi theme store.

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For maximum smoothness of the third-party launcher, turn off animation in the “For Developers” menu or set the animation zoom factor to 0.5x.

The process of setting up graphics in a third-party launcher usually goes like this: you download an icon package (like Whicons or LineX), then open the launcher settings, find the Appearance or Icons section, and select the installed package from the list. Changes apply instantly.

Manual replacement of graphics through system settings

Newer versions of the HyperOS shell and some MIUI 14 updates offer the option to partially change the icon style without installing whole themes, allowing you to choose from several styles that change shape (circle, square, rounded square) and sometimes the color gamut of standard applications.

To access these settings, go to Settings → Wallpaper & Personalization → Components. Here you will find the section dedicated to the style of icons. Although this method does not give the same freedom as installing third-party packages, it allows you to quickly bring the interface to a single denominator, especially if you are being broken up by the sharp corners of standard icons.

It is important to note that this feature only works with system applications and those programs that follow Material Design standards. Applications with their own unique graphics can ignore the global form settings and remain as they were conceived by the developers.

Use of specialized applications

There's a category of apps that aren't launchers, but allow you to change icons individually for each shortcut, and programs like X Icon Changer or Shortcut Maker create new desktop shortcuts that lead to the original app but have the image you choose.

This method is especially useful if you want to change the graphics for only a few specific applications without affecting the rest of the system. You can download any image from the gallery or select an icon from the built-in application library. Once you create a new shortcut, the old one can be removed from the desktop, leaving only the new one, customized.

However, this approach has its drawbacks: First, notifications on such shortcuts may not be displayed correctly or at all, as the system perceives them as separate objects, not as entry points to the application. Second, when you update the main application, the created shortcut may stop working and it will have to be created again.

⚠️ Note: When using shortcut applications, avoid removing the original app from the menu, otherwise the shortcut will stop opening the program.

Compatibility problems and their solution

When the interface is actively customized, users often find that some app icons remain standard despite the theme set, because theme developers have not added support for those specific apps to their graphics package, in which case the system automatically substitutes the standard Android or MIUI icon.

There are several ways to solve this problem: the easiest way to find and install an add-on (plug-in) for your current theme, often called “Icons Fix” or “Icon Patch,” which include graphics for popular apps that are not in the main theme, and can be found in the Themes app when you ask for the title of your main theme.

Another option is to use the Mix feature in the theme app (if available in your area), which allows you to combine elements of different themes: you can take icons from one theme and wallpaper and system sounds from another, which gives you the opportunity to assemble the perfect set where you support all the applications you need.

If you use a third-party launcher, the problem is even easier: in the style settings of the launcher icons, there is often an option “Icon Shape” or “Backup icon”; you can force a form (for example, a circle) for all unsupported icons, which visually aligns the desktop.

The impact of customization on productivity

Many users are wondering if installing heavy themes or third-party launchers will affect the speed of the smartphone.In the case of the official Themes app, the impact on performance is minimal, since it is a system component optimized by Xiaomi engineers.

The situation with third-party launchers is a little different. Heavy launchers with lots of animations and widgets can consume more RAM (RAM), which on budget models with 3-4 GB of memory can lead to more frequent unloading of background applications. However, modern optimized launchers such as Nova Launcher run very fast even on older devices.

For owners of smartphones with AMOLED-It is also important to consider that using themes with black backgrounds and dark icons can significantly save battery power. AMOLED-screens allow you to turn off the backlight of individual pixels, which reduces power consumption.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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The most stable and safe way to change icons is to use an official theme store, and third-party launchers are better suited for maximum flexibility.