How to install your wallpaper on the lock screen Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

The lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on your smartphone, and Xiaomi's standard wallpaper isn't always eye-catching. Whether you want to set a personal photo, art from your favorite artist, or a minimalist background to the style of your Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 - the wallpaper replacement procedure on the lock screen in MIUI has nuances. Unlike the main screen, where changing the background takes a couple of taps, there are often questions here: why the option is not available, how to circumvent the system's limitations or return the standard wallpaper if something went wrong.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to change the wallpaper on the lock screen for Xiaomi to MIUI 12, 13 and 14, including bypassing restrictions on some models. You’ll learn how to use embedded tools, third-party applications and even hidden system functions. And if your smartphone does not support direct replacement, we’ll show you alternative solutions with a guarantee of results.

Before you start, make sure your device has the latest firmware installed. Some features (such as split wallpaper settings for the home screen and lock) only appeared in MIUI 13 and later. Check the version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.

1. Standard method: through the settings of the themes

The easiest method is to use the built-in theme menu.It works on most modern Xiaomi devices (from Redmi 10 to Xiaomi 13 Ultra), but may not be available on budget models or devices with custom firmware.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on the home screen or in the app menu).
2. Go to the My Wallpaper section (bottom of the screen).
3. Select the Lock Screen tab (if not, see the next section).
4. Click Add New Wallpaper and select the source: 📷 Gallery - upload your photo 🎨 Online themes – download ready-made wallpaper from the Xiaomi collection 🖼️ Live wallpaper - animated backgrounds (not available on all models)

Apply

If the lock screen tab is missing, then your model does not support separate wallpaper settings. In this case, apply the wallpaper through the main theme menu - they will automatically install on the lock screen (but also change the background of the main screen).

Back up the current wallpaper (screenshot of the lock screen)

Check the resolution of the selected image (recommended 1080×2340 pixels)

Close all background applications for smooth interface operation

Connect to Wi-Fi if you plan to download themes from the Internet-->

2. Alternative method: through the gallery

On some devices (such as the POCO F4 or Xiaomi 12T), you can install wallpaper on the lock screen directly from the Gallery app, which is faster, but it doesn’t work on all firmware.

How to do this:

1. Open the gallery and find the image you want.
2. Slip it on it, then press the button. ⋮ (three points) in upper right corner.
3. Select Set as → Lock screen wallpaper.
4. Adjust the framing area (if necessary) and confirm the choice.

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB and allow debugging.
2. Open the command line in the platform-tools folder and execute: adb devices (your device should be displayed)
3. Copy the image to the system folder: adb push lockscreen_wallpaper /sdcard/MIUI/Wallpaper/
4. Install the wallpaper with the command: adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.SET_WALLPAPER
5. Reset the device.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB If the lock screen turns black or there are errors after executing the commands, reset the wallpaper through the theme menu or follow the command: adb shell rm /sdcard/MIUI/Wallpaper/lockscreen_wallpaper

4.Side of the annex: when nothing helps

If the built-in methods and ADB didn't work, third-party utilities will come to the rescue. We tested 5 popular apps, the best results were found by Wallpaper Carousel and Muzei.

Wallpaper Carousel (available on Google Play):

• 🌄 Automatic change of wallpaper on schedule
• 🔒 Support for separate installation on the lock screen
• 🎨 Integration with Unsplash, Pexels and other stock services

Muzei (open source):

• 🖼️ Blurring and darkening wallpaper for better readability
• 🔄 Daily background updates from selected sources
• 🛠️ It works even on devices with limited rights.

How to install wallpaper through Muzei:

1. Download and install the app from Google Play.
2. Open Muzei → Sources → Select Local Images.
3. Add your photo to the Muzei folder on the device.
4. Enable the option Apply to the lock screen in the application settings.

5. Problem Solving: Wallpapers are not applied or discarded

Sometimes, after a change in wallpaper, they are reset to standard or not displayed correctly, and here are the most common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI Global Stable (for example, Redmi Note 11 for the European market) may be disabled the function of separate wallpaper installation due to Xiaomi policy. MIUI China or use ADB.

6.How to return standard wallpaper

If the wallpaper experiments were unsuccessful or you want to return the factory background, do the following:

1. Open Topics → My wallpaper.
2. Select the Lock Screen tab (or the main tab if there is no separate setting).
3. Scroll down and click Standard or Default.
4. Apply the option you have chosen.

If standard wallpaper does not appear in the list, reset the theme settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find themes and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data (this will reset all custom themes and wallpaper).
4. Reset the device.

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Create a Wallpapers folder in the root directory of internal memory and save frequently used wallpapers there, so you can quickly find them through the gallery or file manager.

7. Optimization of wallpaper for AMOLED-screen

If your Xiaomi is equipped AMOLED-display (e.g. Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F4 GT), Ordinary wallpaper can cause pixel burnout. To avoid this, follow the recommendations:

• 🌑 Use dark wallpaper with a predominance of black (saves battery power and reduces the load on the matrix).
• 🔄 Change the wallpaper every 1-2 months.
• 📏 Avoid static elements (logos, text) in one area of the screen.
• 🎨 To create AMOLED-Optimized wallpapers use services like WallpapersCraft (filter "AMOLED").

Example of commands for ADB to force a dark theme on the lock screen (works on MIUI 14):

adb shell settings put secure lock_screen_allow_dark_theme 1

FAQ: Frequent questions

💡

On devices with MIUI 14 and later, lock screen wallpaper syncs with your Xiaomi account, which means that after resetting or replacing the device, you can quickly restore your backgrounds through the cloud (provided you log in to one account).