How to put your wallpaper on the Xiaomi desktop: 5 proven ways

Tired of standard Xiaomi wallpaper and want to make your smartphone unique? Installing your own wallpaper on your desktop is a simple procedure, but in MIUI it has nuances depending on the version of the firmware and the model of the device. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways, from standard tools to circumventing the restrictions on some versions of MIUI 14.

We tested the instructions on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Poco X5 Pro, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Black Shark 5 — all of which work on 2020-2026 devices. If you have an older model (before MIUI 11), some items may differ — they have added a separate section with alternative solutions.

Important: before changing the wallpaper, check that there is enough free memory on the smartphone (minimum). 500 MB), otherwise the system may not save new images (GIF/APNG) consume up 15% day-time.

1. Standard method through "Themes" (works on 90% of devices)

The simplest method that all Xiaomi smartphones support on MIUI 12-14 is suitable for static images in JPG, PNG or WEBP formats with a resolution of up to 4K.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the “Themes” app** (icon with a brush on your desktop).
• 🖼️ Go to the Wallpaper tab. → My wallpaper.
• 📁 Press. + in the lower right corner and select from the gallery.
• ✅ Select the desired image and confirm the choice with the Install button.

If the My Wallpaper tab is missing, update the Themes app** via Google Play or AppGallery. On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 13.5 for Poco F4), this item is hidden - use an alternative method from the next section.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI For the global market (for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro) 5G Global) if you install wallpapers via the "Themes" can work lock by region. If the image is not applied, try changing the region in the settings of the Xiaomi account to India or Russia.

2. Alternative method through the Gallery (for MIUI 13-14)

If the standard method didn't work, use this workaround, which is especially relevant for the Poco M5 and Redmi 10C, where the My Wallpaper tab may not be available.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Gallery and find the image you want.
2. Slip it, then tap it. ⋮ (three-point) → Set up how.
3. Choose Desktop Wallpaper (not to be confused with Lock Wallpaper!).
4. Adjust the scale and position of the picture, then click Apply.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14.0.2 for Xiaomi 12T), after this step, the wallpaper may not apply immediately.

Reboot your smartphone|Check if the energy saving mode is on.|Update the Gallery app to the latest version|Try another image (for example, with resolution) 1080p instead 4K)-->

Critical Feature: on Devices with MIUI 14 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) when installing wallpaper through the gallery, a bug with cropping the bottom of the image may occur. №3 or crop the picture in advance in the proportion of 18:9.

3. Installation of live wallpaper (GIF/APNG) without root

Standard MIUI tools don't support animated wallpaper, but there are workarounds. We tested 3 apps that don't have root rights:

• 🎞️ GIF Live Wallpaper - Supports GIF 30 FPS, It consumes up to 20% of the battery per hour.
• 🖥️ Video Live Wallpaper – converts video to wallpaper, works on MIUI 12-14.
• 🎨 Kappboom – Optimized for Xiaomi, there is a preview.

Instructions for GIF Live Wallpaper:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Download. GIF-file (max. size 10 MB).
3. Click Set as Wallpaper → select Home Screen.
4. In the settings, disable Battery Optimization for this application.

💡

To save charge, reduce FPS animations to 15 frames/sec in live wallpaper settings. This will reduce battery consumption by ~40%.

On the Poco X4 Pro and Redmi K50, a message may appear when using live wallpaper, "System stopped wallpaper."

⚠️ Attention: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Three points. → Special access → Optimize the battery and disable the optimization for the live wallpaper app.

4. Manual copying of wallpaper to the system folder (for experienced)

This method is suitable if you want to save wallpaper forever (for example, for backup) or if standard methods do not work. FX File Explorer).

Algorithm of action:

1. Download and install a file manager with root support (you don’t have to have root rights!).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/wallpaper/ If you don’t have a wallpaper, create it manually.
3. Copy your image into this folder (the file name should be in Latin, for example, my_wallpaper.jpg).
4. Reset the device.
5. Go to Settings → Wallpaper and select your image from the list.

Nana MIUI 14 This method is unstable, sometimes the wallpaper disappears after updating the firmware. To fix it, create a file in the same folder. wallpaper_config.xml contents:

<wallpaper>


<item name="custom_wallpaper" path="/storage/emulated/0/MIUI/wallpaper/my_wallpaper.jpg" />




</wallpaper>

5.Use of ADB for forced wallpaper installation

If none of the methods worked (relevant to the MIUI 14 China ROM), you can apply wallpaper through ADB. This method is technically more difficult, but it is guaranteed to work on all Xiaomi devices.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-driver.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap the version).
• 📁 Image in format PNG screen-resolution.

Instructions for installation (perform in order):

adb shell


su




mount -o rw,remount /system




cp /sdcard/Download/wallpaper.png /system/priv-app/MiuiHome/wallpaper/default_wallpaper.png




chmod 644 /system/priv-app/MiuiHome/wallpaper/default_wallpaper.png




mount -o ro,remount /system




reboot

After the reboot, the wallpaper will be set as the default system wallpaper, which is also useful if you want to remove watermarks from standard MIUI wallpaper.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can lead to bootloop. Before executing commands, back up your data via Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

6. Problem Solving: Wallpapers are not installed or dropped

If you encounter errors when installing wallpaper, check these points:

On MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 13T and Poco F5, a bug may occur when the desktop wallpaper is automatically duplicated on the lock screen.

1. Go to Settings → Lock the screen.
2. Turn off the option to sync wallpaper.
3. Set separate wallpaper to lock through Settings → Wallpaper → Lock screen.

💡

If the wallpaper is still reset, try rolling back the Themes app version to 12.1.3.0, which has fewer bugs with user images saved.

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper on Xiaomi