How to customize the theme on Xiaomi smartphone: from basic changes to custom solutions

Introduction: Why customizing themes on Xiaomi is more than just changing wallpaper

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones have long stood out for their personalization flexibility. Unlike the naked Android or shells of other brands, the theme change affects not only wallpaper and icons, but also system fonts, animations, notification sounds, and sometimes even the style of the settings menu. However, many users are limited to standard settings, unaware that under the hood of MIUI hidden tools for deep customization of the interface without root rights.

In this article, we will discuss not only the basic ways to change topics through built-in tools, but also advanced methods: Install custom themes from third-party sources, solve them loading problems (Error 404 or “Failed to apply”), and optimize performance after installing heavy themes. MIUI 14 and MIUI 15, as in the latest version Xiaomi has significantly reworked the mechanism of working with themes.

How to install themes on Xiaomi: from official to alternative

To start with, the basic theme store is built-in, and is available on all Xiaomi smartphones (except for devices for the European market with MIUI Global firmware, where functionality can be cut down).

1. Go to Settings → Wallpaper and themes.
2. Select the Topic tab (usually the second one on the left).
3. Click Theme Review or Theme Store (depending on the MIUI version).

Here you'll find thousands of free and paid themes, sorted by category: Minimalism, Dark, AMOLED, Game, and others.

• 🔄 Limited regional content: some topics are hidden in some countries.
• 💰 Paid topics: many high-quality solutions cost from 50 to 300 rubles.
• ⚠️ Loading errors: There are often problems with Xiaomi servers (especially during peak hours).

Alternative ways to set themes:

• 📱 APK-files: download.mtz themes from trusted sources (e.g., Xiaomi Themes Store on the site) 4PDA).
• 🔧 Custom launchers: Nova Launcher or Hyperion Launcher lets you apply themes over top MIUI.
• 🛠️ Modified firmware: for example, Xiaomi.EU expands the themes through remote restrictions.

Step-by-step: how to install a theme from MTZ-file

If you find a theme you like in.mtz format (for example, on forums or Telegram channels), it will take no more than a minute to install it. MIUI, but requires prior preparation.

Download. MTZ-file on the phone (not on the PC!)

Make sure the file is not corrupted (check the size and extension)

Open the Files and find the downloaded MTZ

Click on the file and select "Apply theme"-->

Detailed instructions:

1. Downloading a file: Use only verified sources (e.g., a topic on the subject). 4PDA). Avoid sites with suspicious links in MTZ-files can be introduced malicious code.
2. Transfer to your phone: If you downloaded it to a PC, transfer the file to the device’s memory via USB or cloud storage.
3. Installation: 1. Open Files by Google or MI File Manager. 2. Find the downloaded file with the.mtz. 3 extension. tap on it → select Apply theme. 4. Confirm the action in the window that appears.
4. Reboot: After applying the theme, restart your smartphone so that the changes take effect in full (especially important for animations and fonts).

⚠️ Warning: If after installing the theme, the smartphone began to brake or overheat, return the standard theme to Settings → Wallpaper and themes → Some custom themes are poorly optimized and can load the processor on the computer. 20-30% background.

Solving common themes issues on Xiaomi

Even official topics sometimes don't work properly, and here are the most common mistakes and ways to fix them:

Especially often users encounter a 404 error when downloading themes from the official store, this is due to the blocking of Xiaomi servers in some regions or server overload.

• 🌍 Use it. VPN: Connect to the servers of Singapore or Hong Kong.
• ⏳ Try again later: peak loads are in the evening (18:00-22:00 Moscow time).
• 📥 Download the topic manually: find its name on 4PDA and set through MTZ.

💡

If the theme does not apply due to "incompatibility", try changing the device region to India in Settings → Additional → Region.

Optimizing Performance After Installing Theme

Beautiful themes with animations and complex elements can be a noticeable strain on a smartphone, for example, the theme "Neumorphic UI" increases battery consumption by 15-20%, and the theme "Cyberpunk 2077" can cause lags when scrolling through menus.

1. Turn off unnecessary animations: Settings → Special features → Delete animations (enable)
2. Limit background activity: Settings → Battery and performance → Background Process Management → Limit for “Theme”
3. Use light themes: avoid solutions with live wallpaper or 3D-icon.

To check the load:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → System Status → CPU Use.
2. Apply the theme and watch the schedule for 5-10 minutes.
3. If the processor load exceeds 10-15% in simple, it is better to change the theme.

⚠️ Note: on budget models (Redmi) 9A, Poco C31) heavy topics can cause overheating, if the temperature of the processor rises above 45°C (checked in annex) CPU Monitor, return the standard theme.

💡

Dark topics not only save battery power AMOLED-screens, but also reduce the load on GPU, Because they do not require the rendering of bright colors.

Resetting themes to factory settings

If after experimenting with themes, the interface began to work unstable (for example, notification icons are missing or the settings menu opens with a delay), return the standard theme:

1. Go to Settings → Wallpaper and themes → My themes.
2. Choose Standard or MIUI Default.
3. Confirm the reset and restart the device.

If this does not help, reset the cache of the "Themes" app:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Theme Manager app.
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

In extreme cases, a full reset will help, but you should only resort to it if other methods have not worked. Before reset, back up your data through Settings → About the phone → Backup.

Advanced customization: custom icons and fonts

MIUI allows you to change not only the whole themes, but also individual interface elements, for example, you can install:

• 🎨 Custom icons: through apps like Icon Pack Studio or X Icon Changer.
• 🔤 Fonts: C Settings → Wallpaper and themes → Fonts (not available on all firmware).
• 🖼️ Download animations: Replaced through Settings → Lock screen → Download animations.

For the installation of custom icons:

1. Download the icon pack in.apk format (like Whicons or Delta).
2. Install a launcher app (Nova Launcher or Poco Launcher).
3. In the launcher settings, select the downloaded pack of icons.

Limitations:

• On the standard MIUI launcher, custom icons will not work.
• Some icon packs require root rights for full integration.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Topics on Xiaomi