How to Change the Notification Curtain on Xiaomi: From Transparency to Full Customization

Notification curtain on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most frequent sources of discontent among users. It is too transparent, icons merge with the background, then the usual design disappears completely after the MIUI update. In this article, we will analyze all the ways to change it: from basic settings in the phone menu to deep customization through themes and third-party applications.

It's important to understand that the ability to edit the curtain depends on the version of the shell. For example, in MIUI 14 and later, the manufacturer severely limited the freedom of action by removing some options from the standard settings. But even then, there are workarounds, which we'll talk about.

If you want to return the old version of the curtain, make it less transparent or even change the color scheme – here you will find solutions for all models of Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi (including the flagships of the 13/14) series.

1. Basic Curtain settings in MIUI

So let's start with the simplest of them all, built-in options that are available without installing any additional apps, and even if you're a beginner, these steps are easy to do.

Open Settings → Screen → Notification curtain. Here you will see a few key parameters:

• 🔄 Curtain style - the choice between "Classic" (old version) and "New" (with grouping of notifications). MIUI 13/14 This item may not be available.
• 🌓 Dark theme for curtains is forced to turn on the dark background, even if the system is activated light mode.
• 📱 Transparency: A 0% (completely opaque) to 100% (maximum transparency) regulator, and on some models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5), this slider is hidden.
• 🔔 Notification order — sorted by time or importance (not working on all versions MIUI).

If you have MIUI 12 or older, you may also have the option to Show Notification Icons, which is responsible for displaying app icons in the status bar. On newer versions, this setting is moved to Settings → Notifications → Additional.

⚠️ Warning: On Xiaomi 13T and Redmi K60 with MIUI 14, some of these settings may be blocked, in which case move to the next section with alternative methods.

2.How to return the old notification curtain

Many users complain that after upgrading to MIUI 13/14, the curtain became uncomfortable: notifications are grouped, the usual animations are lost, and the icons are smaller.

Method 1: Through the settings of the themes

Go to Topics → My Themes → Icon settings and select Old Version (or Classic) option. This will work if you have an official theme installed from Xiaomi (like Default or MIUI Classic).

Method 2: Reset the curtain settings

Sometimes it helps to reset to factory parameters:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System.
3. Find the System UI (or MIUI System) application.
4. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.

After rebooting, the curtain will return to its original appearance, but all your notification settings will reset.

⚠️ Warning: On POCO F5 and Xiaomi 13 Lite, a System UI reset may cause navigation gestures to fail. Before the procedure, back up to Settings → Additional → Backup.

3. Changes in transparency and colour of curtains

If you are annoyed by the over-transparency of the notification panel (especially on light wallpaper), it can be adjusted or removed altogether. MIUI.

For MIUI 12 and below

Go to Settings → Screen → Notification curtain → Transparency and move the slider to the left to reduce the effect. If there is no item, try:

1. Install a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher).
2. In the launcher settings, find the option Transparency of the notification panel.

For MIUI 13/14

In newer versions, the transparency slider is often hidden to bring it back:

1. Download the MIUI Hidden Settings app (available on 4PDA).
2. Open the System UI Tuner section.
3. Enable Notification Shade Transparency.

After that, a transparency regulator will appear in the standard settings.

If you want to completely remove transparency, try installing a dark theme with an opaque curtain (for example, Dark Mode Solid in the Xiaomi theme store).

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If after changing the transparency of the curtain began to glit (twitch when swiping), try to turn off animations in Settings → Special features → Delete animations.

4. Customization through themes and third-party applications

If built-in options aren't enough, you can go further, install a custom theme or use specialized utilities, which will give you access to changing icons, fonts and even curtain animations.

Official Themes from MIUI Themes

Xiaomi Theme Store offers hundreds of curtain design options to use:

1. Open the Topic app.
2. In the search, enter the notification shade request or notification curtain.
3. Choose your favorite topic (pay attention to the rating and reviews).
4. Click Apply - the changes will take effect after the reboot.

The most popular themes for curtains are: iOS Style, Material You Dark, One UI Notification.

Third-party launchers

Launchers like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair allow you to change the style of the curtain through plugins.

• 🎨 Nova Launcher + Teslacoil Notifications is a customization of color, transparency and arrangement of elements.
• ⚙️ Lawnchair is a built-in transparency setting and support for Pixel-style icons.
• 🔧 Rootless Launcher is for devices without root rights but with limited capabilities.

⚠️ Warning: On the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Redmi K50 Ultra, some launchers may conflict with system gestures. Check compatibility on forums (e.g. XDA Developers) before installing.

5. Deep Customization with Root Rights

If you're willing to take drastic measures, root access will open up unlimited possibilities for changing the curtain, a method that's suitable for power users, as it requires unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk.

What can be changed from root:

• 🖌️ Text and icon color through file editing in /system/framework/framework-res.apk.
• 📏 Element size – changing parameters in density (requires edits to build.prop).
• 🔄 Animations are the replacement of standard animations with custom animations via Xposed or LSposed.
• 🚫 Removing unnecessary items — for example, removing ads or system notifications.

Step-by-step (for MIUI 13/14):

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool.
2. Install Magisk and get root access.
3. Download the MIUI System UI Tuner module for Magisk.
4. In the module settings, find the Notification Panel section.
5. Edit the settings (e.g., notification_bg_alpha for transparency).
6. Reset the device.

On Xiaomi 14 with HyperOS, this method may not work due to the changed system file structure, in which case you will need to manually edit overlay files.

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Root access voids warranty and increases the risk of system failures. Before the procedure, create a full backup through TWRP or Mi Flash Tool.

6. Alternative notification panels

If none of these things worked, you can replace the standard curtain with a third-party curtain, and there are several applications that completely redefine the notification bar.

Best alternatives:

• 📱 Noto – Notification Center – a simulation of a curtain from iOS with support for dark theme and grouping of notifications.
• 🔄 Shade: Notification Panel is a customizable panel with the ability to change color, transparency and arrangement of elements.
• 🎨 Power Shade is an advanced replacement with support for fast switches and widgets.

These applications have limitations:

• Not all notifications can be displayed correctly (especially system notifications).
• The work requires permission of Accessibility Service (special features).
• On MIUI 14, some functions may be blocked.

To install an alternative curtain:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Run it and provide all the permissions requested.
3. In the application settings, select the Enable Notification Panel.
4. Swipe down from the top of the screen and a new panel should open.

⚠️ Warning: On Redmi Note 11 and POCO X4 Pro, applications like Power Shade can conflict with system gestures. In this case, turn off the standard curtain via ADB: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

When you change the notification curtain, users often encounter bugs, and here are the most common ones and how to fix them.

If after all the manipulations the curtain did not work correctly, try:

1. Reset the settings to factory (Settings → About phone → Reset settings).
2. Reverse to the previous version of MIUI via the Mi Flash Tool.
3. Contact Xiaomi Support (if the device is warranty).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions