How to change icons on Xiaomi Redmi 9: from standard themes to deep customization

The standard icons on Xiaomi Redmi 9 become boring over time, and the desire to personalize the smartphone grows. Fortunately, the manufacturer and third-party developers offer several ways to change the appearance of the interface, from simple themes to completely replacing system icons through engineering tools. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, their pros, cons and potential risks.

It is important to understand that the depth of change directly affects the stability of the system. If the replacement through the built-in MIUI themes is safe and reversible, then editing system files via ADB or manually changing the APK can lead to failures. We will describe each method in detail so that you can choose the best option without the risk of “bricking” the device.

1.Using the built-in MIUI themes

The easiest and safest way to change icons is to use the official theme store. Xiaomi offers thousands of free and paid themes, many of which include unique icons for system and third-party applications.

To apply a new theme:

• 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
• 🔍 Enter the search box for “icons” or “acons” (for example, “Minimal Icons”, “Flat Design").
• 🎨 Choose your favorite theme and click Apply.
• ⚙️ In the theme settings, you can choose which elements to change: only icons, wallpaper or full style.

Advantages: no root rights, all changes are reversible, regular updates to themes from developers, and limited options for some system applications (e.g. Settings or Phone may remain unchanged).

Installation of third-party launchers

If the built-in themes are not enough, you can install an alternative launcher from Google Play.

• 🚀 Nova Launcher – supports.iconpack icon packages.
• 🎭 Apex Launcher - flexible setting of sizes and animations icons.
• 🖼️ Microsoft Launcher – Windows integration and cloud themes.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher and icon package (such as “Whicons” or “Moonshine”).
2. Click the empty space on the desktop → Settings → Style of icons.
3. Select the downloaded icon package.
4. Apply the changes to individual apps through a long-term click on the icon.

⚠️ Note: Some launchers may conflict with gestures MIUI. If swipes stop working after installation to return or call the menu, check the gesture settings in Settings → System system → Gestures.

Make a backup copy of the current desktop

Check the compatibility of the launcher with MIUI 12/13/14

Download a pack of icons in advance

Disable battery optimization for launcher

-->

3. Manually modifying icons via ADB (no root)

For advanced users willing to work with the command line, there is a way to replace the system icons without obtaining root rights. ADB (Android Debug Bridge and requires a smartphone connection to a PC.

Before we start:

• 🔧 Turn on Debugging. USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click 7 times on the line with the version, then return to the → For developers).
• 💻 Install. ADB Tools on the computer.
• 📁 Prepare new icons in format PNG permittingly 192×192 pixel.

Replacement process:

adb shell


pm path com.miui.home | sed's/package://'# find the way to the launcher




pull /data/app/com.miui.home-1/base.apk # download APK on PC



Next, you need to unpack the APK, replace the icons in the res/drawable folder and reassemble the file.


Use tools like apktool or 7-Zip to do this.



adb install -r new_home.apk # install modified APK

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect assembly APK It could cause the system launcher to crash. MIUI 12.5+ This method is unstable due to verification of the signature of system applications. APK.

4. Replace icons with Magisk modules (requires root)

If your Redmi 9 has an unlocked bootloader and Magisk is installed, you can use modules for deep customization.

• 🎨 Iconify – supports more than 100 icon packages.
• 🔄 MiuiCustomizer - a specialized module for MIUI.
• 📦 XIconChanger – allows you to change the icons separately.

Instructions for Iconify:

1. Install Iconify via Magisk Manager.
2. Download the icon package (such as "Delta" or "Fluid") in.zip format.
3. Reset the device.
4. Open the Iconify app and select the downloaded package.

Advantages of the method: maximum flexibility, support for animations and adaptive icons. Risks: incompatibility with some system updates, possible bugs in the work of gestures.

5. Manual editing of system files (for experienced)

This method is only suitable for users with an unlocked bootloader and TWRP installed. It allows you to replace icons directly in system files, but requires knowledge of the structure of Android and work with SQLite.

Main steps:

1. Create a backup of the /system partition via TWRP.
2. mount /system in write mode (mount -o rw, remount /system).
3. System application icons are stored in: /system/app/[application name]/res/drawable*/system/priv-app/[application name]/res/drawable*
4. Replace the icon files (names must match the original ones).
5. Change the rights to new files: chmod 644 /path/to/icon.png.
6. Reset the device.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 9 s MIUI 13+ system partition is protected by dm-verity. /system Without disabling the checks will lead to bootloop.

Comparison of methods of changing icons

💡

Before any manipulation of system files, create a full backup using TWRP or the Mi Flash Tool, which will restore the smartphone’s performance even after serious errors.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When you change icons, users often face typical problems.

1. icons do not change after the application of the theme

Reason: Launcher cache not updated.

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 🧹 Clear the app's cache Themes in Settings → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔧 In the launcher settings, select Reset settings.

2.The launcher stopped working after installing the icon pack

Reason: Incompatibility of MIUI with module.

• 📌 Check the firmware version in Settings → The phone.
• 🔍 Find the supported versions in the module description MIUI.
• 🔙 Reverse to the previous version of the module or firmware.

3. System icons (Phone, Contacts) are not changed

Reason: MIUI limitations for system applications.

• 🔧 Use a launcher with icon masking support (e.g. Nova Launcher) + Icon Pack Studio).
• 🛠️ Full replacement will require root and editing framework-res.apk.

💡

On Redmi 9 with MIUI 14+ firmware, most root-free methods are unstable due to enhanced file protection. For deep customization, it is recommended to unlock the bootloader and use Magisk.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions