How to change the look of the desktop on Xiaomi: from wallpaper to system themes

Xiaomi’s desktop is not just a background with icons, but a full-fledged personalization tool that can dramatically change the experience of using a smartphone. Even the basic settings of MIUI allow you to transform the interface beyond recognition, from changing wallpapers to install dynamic themes with animation. But most users are limited to standard wallpaper from the gallery, unaware that much more flexible tools are hidden under the hood of the system.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can customize your desktop on Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO smartphones, from the obvious (replacement of wallpaper) to the little-known (setting transitions between screens or hiding icons), and focus on the problems that can arise when you change themes, and give you clear instructions on how to solve them. If you want to make your Xiaomi unique, this guide is for you.

1. Basic wallpaper change: 3 ways you may not have known

The easiest way to change the look of a desktop is to change the wallpaper, but even here, MIUI offers more options than it first seems. Let's look at all the methods available, including the hidden ones.

Standard path: Long desktop press → Wallpaper. Here you will see tabs:

• 📱 My wallpaper - uploaded images from the gallery.
• 🌄 Topics – wallpaper from the current system theme (change with it).
• 🔄 Dynamic – animated wallpaper (not available on all models).
• 🎨 Super wallpaper — 3D-effects that respond to the phone's tilt (requires) MIUI 12+).

Little-known life hack: If you want to install different wallpapers on different screens, scroll right/left after selecting an image and click Apply to this screen. It works even for dynamic wallpaper!

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To prevent wallpaper from stretching or cropping, use images with a resolution of 1080×2340 (for most Xiaomi models) or 1440×3200 for flagships such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra.

The third way is through the Gallery:

1. Open any image in the Gallery app.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Set as.
3. Select Desktop Wallpaper or Lock Wallpaper.

2.Installation of themes from MIUI Themes: how to find hidden collections

System themes in MIUI change not only wallpaper, but also icons, fonts, transition animations, and sometimes even notification sounds. However, the standard theme store (Themes) shows not all the options available.

The first step is to update the Themes app to the latest version via Google Play or App Store (for global firmware).

1. Open Topics → Online.
2. In the search box, type: MTZ This will open hidden themes in.mtz format that don’t appear in the main directory.
3. To apply the theme, click Download, then Apply.

Important: Some themes require an unlocked bootloader or root rights. If the phone starts to brake after applying the theme, return the standard through Themes → Mine → By default.

For advanced users: Themes can be manually installed via ADB. For example, a command to apply the theme from a file:

adb shell am start -n com.android.themes/.activity.ThemePreviewActivity -d file:///sdcard/Download/theme.mtz

3. Customize icons and widgets: how to remove chaos from the desktop

By default, MIUI places app icons chaoticly and widgets take up too much space, and you can fix this without third-party launchers:

• 📂 Grouping icons: Drag one icon to another to create a folder. folder names support emojis (e.g., emoji, "🎮 Games").
• 🔍 Hiding icons: long-pressing icon → Remove from the desktop (the application will remain on the menu).
• 📏 Change the size of widgets: when you add a widget (long press) → Widgets) some of them support stretching on the grid.
• 🔄 Self-sorting: in the launcher settings (Long press) → Desktop settings → Home screens: Enable automatic sorting.

For models with MIUI 14, the Smart Folder feature is available: the system automatically groups icons into categories (social networks, games, tools). To enable it, go to Desktop Settings → Smart Folder.

Remove unnecessary icons |Group similar apps |Install weather/calendar widgets |Configure gestures for quick access |Check auto sorting

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Hidden chip: If you hold your finger in the free space of the desktop and pull down, the notification bar will open without having to reach the top edge of the screen. This works on all models with MIUI 12+.

4. Dynamic Wallpapers and Super Wallpapers: How to turn on 3D-effects

Super Wallpapers is a Xiaomi signature feature that transforms the background depending on the time of day or the angle of the phone, for example, Mars wallpaper shows the rotation of the planet, and Earth shows the change of day and night.

To establish them:

1. Long press on the desktop → Wallpaper.
2. Select the Super Wallpaper tab (on some models it is hidden behind the More button).
3. Download your favorite version (weight up to 100 MB!).
4. Apply to the desktop and/or lock screen.

Super wallpaper problems:

• ⚠️ In the models with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12 Pro) wallpaper can burn pixels with prolonged use. 1-2 month.
• ⚠️ On budget smartphones (Redmi Note 10 and below) Super wallpaper can slow down due to a lack of RAM.

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Super wallpaper consumes up to 5% extra battery power per day due to constant animation.

Alternatively, Google's dynamic wallpapers are available, so install Google's Wallpapers app and select Live Wallpapers, which are less resource-intensive but support animations (like waves or clouds).

5. Problems with changing the desktop and their solutions

Even a simple change of wallpaper sometimes leads to bugs, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

If after changing the theme, notification icons disappeared or the search bar disappeared, reset the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the launcher (or MIUI Launcher).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.

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Before resetting the launcher, take a screenshot of the current location of the icons – after cleaning the data, they will return in a chaotic order.

6.Alternative launchers: when standard settings are not enough

If you don't have the capabilities of a standard MIUI launcher, you can install a third-party.

• 🚀 Nova Launcher - flexible customization of gestures, icons and animations. Supports backup of settings.
• 🎨 Lawnchair – lightweight launcher with support for Android 12+ style.
• 🔧 Apex Launcher – Optimized for performance, suitable for weak smartphones (Redmi) 9A similar).
• 🌌 Microsoft Launcher – Integration with Windows 11 (Sync notifications, documents).

To install an alternative launcher:

1. Download it from Google Play.
2. After installation, click Home and select the new launcher as the main one.
3. In the launcher settings (Long press → Settings)Configure gestures, icons and transitions.

Important: on some models (POCO F3, Xiaomi 11T) after installing a third-party launcher, system widgets (such as weather or steps) may disappear. To return them, temporarily return the standard launcher through Settings → Applications → Default → Launcher.

7 Hidden MIUI features for advanced customization

In MIUI there are functions that are not advertised, but significantly expand the possibilities of setting up the desktop:

• 🔒 Hiding icon names: long pressing on the desktop → Desktop settings → Display application names (turn off slider).
• 📱 Screen duplication: In the launcher settings, enable Double Desktop – this will create a second screen with separate wallpapers and icons.
• 🎭 Masking applications: in Settings → Annexes → Hidden applications can be hidden from prying eyes (they will remain on the menu, but disappear from the desktop).
• 🔄 Quick change of topics: add the themes widget to the desktop - now you can change themes in two tapas.

For models with MIUI 13/14, the Live Wallpaper feature is available, which responds to music, to enable it:

1. Install wallpaper from the Dynamic section.
2. Play music through the standard Music app.
3. The wallpaper will start to pulsate in beat.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions