How to transfer themes from one Xiaomi smartphone to another: all ways of 2026

Moving your favorite MIUI themes from an old Xiaomi smartphone to a new one is a challenge that many users face after buying a new device. Despite the seeming simplicity, the process has nuances: not all themes are synced through the account, and some methods work only on certain versions of the firmware. In this article, we will discuss three proven ways to port themes (including hidden MIUI 14/15) features, and also explain how to avoid typical errors, from the lack of an export button to license problems.

It's important to understand that Xiaomi restricts the portability of paid themes due to licensing policies, but even free themes are sometimes "lost" when you change devices. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and POCO F5 models - the results are summarized in the comparison table below. If you plan to change your smartphone soon, save this instruction - it will save hours to reconfigure the interface.

Method 1: Sync through Mi Account (official method)

The most obvious, but not always the most effective way is to sync themes through the Mi Account cloud, which, in theory, should automatically appear on a new device after you sign in to one account, and in practice, this only works for free themes and under three conditions:

• 📱 Both devices are tied to the same region (e.g. Russia)./Europe). If the regions are different, the topics will not move.
• 🔄 On the old smartphone, synchronization of themes is enabled: Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization → Topics.
• 📅 It has been no more than 30 days since the last activity on the old device (otherwise the cloud may delete the data).

To start the synchronization:

1. On the new smartphone, log in to the same Mi Account as on the old one.
2. Open the Topics app and wait for the notification “Synced Data Discovered” to appear.
3. If the notification does not appear, manually update the data: go to Profile → Settings → Sync now.

⚠️ Note: Paid themes purchased on an old device may not show up on a new one, even if the synchronization is successful, this involves linking the license to a particular smartphone model, in which case you will have to buy the theme again or use workarounds (see Method 3).

Method 2: Backup via Mi Cloud or locally

If synchronization doesn’t work, try migrating themes through backup, which is suitable for all types of themes (including paid ones), but requires prior preparation.

Instructions for local backup:

1. On an old smartphone, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select the “Subjects” item (if it is not in the list, use Additional → User Data).
3. Save the backup to the memory card or internal memory.
4. Transfer the backup file (usually with the.mbk extension) to the new smartphone and restore it through the same menu.

For the cloud backup:

• 🌥️ Go to Settings. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup of the device.
• 📁 Make sure that the list selects “Themes” or “System settings».
• 🔄 After recovery on a new device, restart your smartphone – themes will appear in the Topics app in 5-10 minutes.

Check the free space on the memory card (minimum 500 MB)

Connect your smartphone to charging (the process can take up to 30 minutes)

Disable battery optimization for the Themes app

Remember the password from the Mi Account (required for recovery)-->

Method limitation: Some custom themes (such as those downloaded from third-party sources) may not recover, in which case only manual exporting will help.

Method 3: Manual export and import of themes (for advanced ones)

If the first two methods fail, manually transfer theme files remains, requiring access to the smartphone file system and even works for those downloaded from third-party sources (e.g. MIUI Themes Editor or Zedge).

Algorithm of action:

1. On an old smartphone, enable the display of hidden files (for example, through the file manager Mi File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/ All installed themes are stored in folder format with names of the type com.example.theme.name.
3. Copy the desired folders to a memory card or PC.
4. On the new smartphone, insert these folders into the same directory /MIUI/theme/.
5. Reboot the device and open the Themes app – the transferred themes will appear in the My Themes section.

Critical nuance: on some firmware (for example, MIUI Global 14.0.5) folder /MIUI/theme/ It's protected from recording. It takes a lot of work to get around it:

• 🔓 Get root rights (not recommended for beginners).
• 📂 Or use it. ADB-commands to change access rights: adb shell chmod 777 /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/

⚠️ Warning: Manual editing of system folders can lead to malfunctions MIUI. Before you start, create a complete data backup through Settings → Additionally. → Recovery and reset: If the smartphone starts to brake after transferring the theme, delete the copied files and restart the device.

Comparison of methods of transferring topics

You can see from the table that manual export is the most versatile method, but it requires technical skills. For most users, local backup is the best solution, since it is independent of the cloud and even saves paid themes.

💡

If you plan to change Xiaomi smartphones frequently, set up automatic themes backup in the Mi Cloud. this will eliminate the need for manual porting in the future.

Typical errors and their solutions

Even when you follow the instructions, users have problems, and we'll look at the most common ones.

• 🚫 Theme Not Supported Error: Occurs when you transfer themes between devices with different versions MIUI (for example, MIUI 13 on MIUI Solution: Update the firmware on both smartphones to the latest version.
• 🔒 No Export button: New versions MIUI Xiaomi has removed the ability to export themes through the app.Backdoor: use manual file transfer (see Method 3).
• 💰 Paid theme requires repayment: This is due to the linking of the license to IMEI Solution: Contact Xiaomi with a check to buy — sometimes they transfer the license for free.
• 📱 Theme applies but displays incorrectly: The problem is that the screen resolution is incompatible. Solution: edit the theme in MIUI Theme Editor (available on Play Market).

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔄 Themes in the Play Market (sometimes bugs are fixed in new versions).
• 📡 Internet connection stability (for cloud-based methods).
• 📂 Access rights to the folder /MIUI/theme/ (must 777 or rw-rw-rw-rw-rw-).

💡

Before selling an old Xiaomi smartphone, make a factory reset, but after backing up the themes.This will delete personal data, but will retain the ability to restore themes on the new device.

Transfer of topics between different MIUI regions

One of the difficulties is transferring themes between smartphones with different regional firmware (for example, from MIUI Global to MIUI China or MIUI Russia), in which case the official methods (synchronization through an account) do not work due to differences in Xiaomi services.

Solutions for cross-regional transfer:

1. Manual file export (see Method 3) is the only reliable option. Note that some topics (such as fonts or animations) may not show due to differences in firmware.
2. Installing custom firmware (e.g. xiaomi.eu or Pixel Experience) with a unified version of MIUI is a risky method, as it requires unlocking the bootloader and can deprive you of warranty.
3. Use third-party launchers (such as Nova Launcher or Hyperion Launcher) that support importing themes in the universal.apk or.mtz format.

Example of a problem: a theme downloaded on Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (Global) may not appear on Xiaomi 13 (China) due to different versions of the service com.miui.theme.

1. Copy the theme files to a new smartphone.
2. Install MIUI Theme Editor and manually apply the theme through it.
3. If the theme doesn’t apply, try converting it to.apk using the MTZ to APK Converter utility (available on XDA Developers).

Alternative methods: third-party services and tools

If standard methods don’t work, third-party solutions are suitable for users who often experiment with themes or migrate them between devices of different brands (for example, from Xiaomi to Realme).

Popular tools:

• 🎨 MIUI Theme Editor (available on Play Market): allows you to edit and export themes in a universal format. MIUI 12–15.
• 📱 Zedge (theme app): Some themes from Zedge can be downloaded in.apk format and installed on any device.
• 💻 MT Manager (file manager with root rights): can unpack and edit files of.mtz themes.
• 🌐 Sites like miuithemes.com: here you can download themes in.mtz format and upload them to a new smartphone through the Themes → Imports.

Examples of MIUI Theme Editor:

1. Download and install the app.
2. Open it and select “Import Theme” – specify the path to the copied files.
3. Click “Apply” – the theme will be installed bypassing the standard MIUI restrictions.

Warning: Some third-party themes may contain promotional modules or malicious code. Before installing, check files through VirusTotal or similar services.

Frequent questions about the transfer of themes Xiaomi