How to Move the Watch on Xiaomi Lock Screen: All Ways

Xiaomi’s lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on your smartphone, and the location of the watch can significantly affect usability. Some prefer a classic center placement, some want to make room for the weather widget, and some want to hide the time under the wallpaper. Depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13 or 14) and the device model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.), the ways of moving the watch vary from standard settings to hidden functions.

In this article, we will look at all the current methods, including official settings, workarounds for older versions of firmware, and even manual editing of system files for advanced users. We will focus on the nuances of why some devices are not available, how to return the standard location, and what to do if the clock “got off” after the MIUI update, and you will find a table of methods compatibility with popular models and answers to frequent questions, such as whether it is possible to move seconds or a date separately from the main time.

Why can’t you just drag your watch with your finger?

Unlike wallpaper or widgets on the home screen, the lock screen elements in MIUI do not support interactive movement, and this is due to the shell architecture: the clock, date and notifications are rigidly tied to the system files /system/media/theme/default/lockscreen. Even if you see the prompt “Push and hold for editing” with a long tap on the lock screen, it only applies to:

• 📱 Weather widget (can be moved or removed).
• 🔔 Application shortcuts (in the lower corners).
• 🖼️ Wallpaper (scaling, shifting).

The watch itself is blocked from random changes, as its position affects the location of other elements (for example, notifications or camera buttons). However, this does not mean that they can not be moved at all, just need to use hidden settings or third-party tools.

Method 1: Standard lock screen settings (MIUI 13/14)

Since MIUI 13 (and MIUI 14), most Xiaomi devices have built-in clock positioning options, which are not available on all models — for example, on the POCO F4 or Redmi K50 it is not, but on the Xiaomi 12 Pro or Xiaomi 13 Ultra it is present.

1. Open the Settings → Lock screen.
2. Slip on the item Style of the lock screen (or Design in some firmware).
3. Select the current style (e.g., digital watch).
4. If the option is available, you will see the Switch Clock position with options: Up in the center, Left, Right.

On some devices, instead of a switch, a thumbnail of a lock screen with drag and drop points is displayed - just touch the clock and move it to the desired area (for example, to the upper left corner). If neither is present, move to the next method.

Check the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version

Update your firmware to the latest stable version

Backup settings (Settings → About Phone → Backup)

Close all background apps (especially launchers and themes)-->

Method 2: Use MIUI themes (works on all versions)

If standard settings don’t allow you to move your watch, the most reliable way is to install a custom theme from the official Xiaomi Themes store. Many themes offer unique lock screen styles, including custom time settings. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Themes app (if not, download it from Google Play).
2. In the search bar, enter the request: 🔍 Lockscreen clock left (left clock), 🔍 Lockscreen Clock Bottom (Clock Screen Clock Bottom), 🔍 Minimal lockscreen (minimalist themes with flexible settings).

Apply

Important: Some themes can change not only the position of the clock, but also the font, color or add animations. If you need to keep the original style of time, look for themes marked Only clock position or Lockscreen tweak.

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Before installing the theme, check reviews – some users complain that after applying themes with non-standard hours, the weather widget disappears or wallpaper is knocked down.

Method 3: Manual editing of system files (for advanced)

If the first two methods didn’t work, the most radical one is editing the theme files manually, which requires root rights or unlocked bootloader, and basic knowledge of working with ADB. We’ll look at a simplified version without root, but using MT Manager.

Step-by-step:

1. Install MT Manager from the official source.
2. Go to /data/system/theme/default/lockscreen or (for MIUI 14): /system/media/theme/default/lockscreen
3. Find the file. clock_layout.xml (or digital_clock.xml) Open it in the text editor.
4. Change the settings of android:gravity or android:layout_margin. For example, to move the clock to the left, add: android:gravity="left|center_vertical"
5. Save the file, restart the device.

If none of these methods worked, your Xiaomi model may have hardware limitations (e.g., Black Shark with gaming firmware), in which case you just have to wait for updates or use third-party launchers that replace the lock screen (e.g., Niagara Launcher or Action Launcher).

Can you move the second or date apart from the clock?

By default, MIUI doesn't allow you to separate hours, minutes, seconds and date -- they're all tied to a single block.

1. Extra Watch Widget: Install a weather widget with a time display (like Google Clock or Chronus) and place it on the lock screen.
2. Custom themes with modules: Some themes (like Minimal OS or iOS Lockscreen) offer separate display of date and time. Search for them by tag #separateclock in the theme store.
3. ADB-teams (for MIUI 14): With help. ADB You can change the system widget settings, for example, to take seconds off, do adb shell settings put global. lock_screen_clock_seconds 0 Replace the second back. 0 on 1.

⚠️ Note: Change of system parameters through ADB It can cause the weather widget or notifications to crash. Before experimenting, check the team's work on a firmware backup.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

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If your device doesn't support moving the clock with standard tools, the safest way is to use custom themes. It doesn't require root rights and it's easy to roll back.