The floating wallpaper (or live wallpaper) on the Xiaomi Redmi 9 is a MIUI feature that adds smooth animations as you scroll through your desktop. It's a nice visual for some users, an annoying element for others, which also increases the CPU load and drains the battery. A particularly pressing problem is on budget models like the Redmi 9, where every percentage of performance counts.
In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can turn off floating wallpaper, from standard MIUI settings to advanced ADB and third-party tools, and why animations can spontaneously turn on after updates, and how to avoid that, and if you encounter bugs like screen tugging or scrolling brakes, you'll find solutions here.
Before you start settings, make sure your Redmi 9 has an up-to-date MIUI installed. Some methods may not work on heavily outdated firmware (below MIUI 12). Also note: disabling wallpaper animation does not affect system transitions (for example, opening / closing applications) - this is a separate setting in the Special Features section.
1. Method: through the settings of MIUI themes
The easiest and safest method is to use built-in shell tools, which are suitable for those who do not want to go into technical details and risk the stability of the system.
Go to Settings → Wallpaper → Live Wallpaper. Here you will see all the animated themes installed. If there is an active live theme on the list (for example, Ocean or Space), click on it and select Delete or Disable.
- 🔄 Return to the home screen and check if the animation has disappeared when scrolling.
- 🎨 If the wallpaper changed to standard, but the effect of paralax (slight displacement of layers) remained - go to Settings → Additionally. → Animation effects and disable the Parallax effect option.
- ⚙️ In some versions MIUI The path may be different: try settings → Screen. → Animation of wallpaper.
Important: If you use a third-party launcher (like a Nova Launcher or Hyperion), the MIUI settings may not apply, in which case the animation should be turned off in the launcher settings.
2. Method: Disconnection through "Special Opportunities"
MIUI hides some of the animation settings in the section for disabled users, which works even if the floating wallpaper is not turned off through the theme menu.
Instructions:
- Open Settings → Special features → System settings.
- Find Remove animation or Disable transitions (depending on the MIUI version).
- Activate the slider. This will turn off all animations in the system, including floating wallpaper.
- Restart the device to apply the changes.
The downside is that you'll also have some useful visuals (like smoothly opening apps) along with the wallpaper, so if you need to save the system animations but only remove the wallpaper, move on to the next method.
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If you don’t have Delete Animation, try turning on Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone) and repeat the steps.
3. Method: Use of ADB (for advanced users)
If standard methods don’t work, you can turn off animations via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires a computer connection but gives you maximum control over system settings.
What you need:
- 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB Tools.
- 📱 Included Developer Mode and Debugging by USB smartphone.
- 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original).
Step-by-step:
- Connect Redmi 9 to your PC and confirm the debugging permission on your phone screen.
- Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type:
adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 0.0
adb shell settings put global transition_animation_scale 0.0
adb shell settings put global animator_duration_scale 0.0These commands will disable all animations in the system. To return only floating wallpaper, and leave the rest of the effects, use:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.homeWarning: the last command turns off the standard MIUI launcher, and once it's done, the desktop can become unstable.
adb shell pm enable com.miui.homeWhat if the ADB can’t see the device?
4. Method: Third-party applications to disable animation
If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can use Google Play's specialized utilities, which offer flexible animation settings without manually entering commands.
Top.-3 supplant 9:
| Annex | Functions | Need a Root? | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disable Animations | Turns off all kinds of animation, including wallpaper. | ❌ No. | Google Play |
| QuickShortcutMaker | It allows you to find hidden MIUI settings, including wallpaper animation. | ❌ No. | Google Play |
| MIUI Hidden Settings | Discloses additional shell parameters, including paralax shutdown. | ❌ No. | Google Play |
Note: Check reviews and rankings on Google Play before installing third-party utilities. Some apps may contain ads or request unnecessary permissions (such as access to contacts).
Check ratings and reviews|Download only from the official store|Not to give access to personal data|Create a Recovery Point MIUI|Check for app updates-->
5 Why floating wallpapers turn on themselves: causes and solutions
Many Redmi 9 users complain that after a MIUI update or reboot, the wallpaper animation returns, due to the nature of the shell, and here are the main reasons and ways to eliminate them:
- 🔄 Automatic update of topics: MIUI You can install new live wallpaper on your own. → Wallpaper. → Settings → Auto-update themes.
- 📱 Resetting launcher settings: When cleaning the cache of the com.miui.home application, all wallpaper settings are reset. To avoid this, do not manually clean the launcher cache.
- 🔧 Conflict with SEOs: applications like Clean Master or MIUI Optimizer can reset settings. Add launcher to exceptions.
- 📦 Firmware errors: in some versions MIUI (For example, 12.0.3 for Redmi 9) there is a bug that spontaneously turns on animations.
Critical information: If the floating wallpaper is not disabled by any means after upgrading MIUI to version 12.5+, this may be due to Xiaomi’s policy of forcing animations to “improve the user experience,” in which case only a rollback to an earlier firmware or the use of a custom launcher will help.
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Check MIUI updates regularly – newer versions often fix wallpaper animation bugs, but back up your settings before updating!
6. Alternative solutions: custom launchers and firmware
If neither method works, there are still radical measures to replace the standard launcher or firmware, which is suitable for those who are willing to sacrifice some of the features of MIUI for stability.
Option 1: Installation of a third-party launcher
Popular alternatives:
- 🌟 Nova Launcher – supports disabling all animations, including paralax.
- ⚡ Hyperion Launcher – Optimized for Xiaomi, has built-in performance settings.
- 🎨 Lawnchair is an open source lightweight launcher.
After installation, go to the launcher settings and turn off the scroll animation and paralax effect options.
Option 2: Installation of custom firmware
Firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience lacks many MIUI features, including floating wallpaper.
- 🔓 Unlocked loader (Bootloader).
- 🛠️ Established custom recaveri (TWRP).
- 📥 Backup of all data (process erases internal memory).
⚠️ Warning: Installing custom firmware voids warranty and may result in a device blink (completely inoperable).On Redmi 9 with MediaTek Helio processor G80 The risk of firmware errors is particularly high due to limited support from developers.
7.Performance optimization after disabling animation
Turning off the floating wallpaper is only the first step to improving the Redmi 9. To maximize the system, make additional adjustments:
- 🔋 Turn off auto-run of unnecessary apps: go to Settings → Annexes → Auto-run and ban background work for underutilized programs.
- 🗑️ Clear the system cache: in Settings → Memory. → Clean Up select Deep Cleanup (but do not delete application data!).
- 🔄 Reduce the transition animation time: if you do not want to completely disable the animation, set its duration at a minimum in Settings → For developers → Animation speed (select Windows animation: 0.5x).
- 📵 Turn it off. MIUI Optimization: in Settings → For developers, find the option to Disable MIUI Optimization and activate it. This can eliminate the lags when scrolling.
Tip: If the phone still brakes after turning off the animation, check the CPU boot in Settings → Battery → Battery Use. If an application consumes more than 15% in the background, delete or limit its activity.