How to change the background of the keyboard on Xiaomi: all the ways for MIUI 14 and 15

The background of the keyboard on Xiaomi smartphones is one of those little things that can dramatically change the visual experience of the device. The standard white or gray substrate under the keys becomes boring over time, especially if you actively use instant messengers or social networks. Fortunately, the manufacturer and third-party developers offer several ways to personalize — from built-in themes to deep customization through ADB.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of changing the background of the keyboard on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices running MIUI 14/15 (including global and Chinese versions of firmware).

• 🎨 Apply standard themes from Settings → Theme shop
• 📱 Use third-party keyboards with extended customization (Gboard, SwiftKey)
• 🔧 Introduce user background through ADB-Teams (for advanced teams)
• ⚙️ Bypassing restrictions MIUI on certain models, for example, POCO F5 or Redmi Note 12)

Importantly, not all methods are universal. For example, on devices with HyperOS (the new shell from Xiaomi), some functions may work differently.

1. Standard MIUI themes: fast background change without apps

The easiest way to change the background of the keyboard is to use the built-in Theme Store, which works on all Xiaomi devices with original firmware (no custom builds).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Themes.
2. Go to the Keyboard tab (on some versions of MIUI it is called the Entering Style).
3. Choose your favorite topic from the ones you like. Pay attention to the notes: 🌙 Dark topics are appropriate for AMOLED-screens (saves charge). 🎭 Animated – background with dynamic effects (can affect performance). 🖼️ Static – ordinary pictures or gradients.

Apply

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ There is no way to upload your background – only ready-made templates.
• ❌ In some models (POCO X5 Pro, Redmi K60) Keyboard themes may not be available in the store.
• ❌ After updating MIUI topics are sometimes dropped.

💡

If your Theme Store is blocked in your region (e.g. Europe), try changing your Mi Account region to India or Russia via Settings → Xiaomi Account → Region.

2.Side of the keyboard: Gboard, SwiftKey and others

If the built-in themes aren't enough, you can install an alternative keyboard, the most popular ones being Gboard (from Google) and SwiftKey (from Microsoft), which supports changing the background, including uploading their images.

How to set up the background in Gboard:

1. Install Gboard from Google Play.
2. Open any input field (such as in Notes), swipe down the keyboard toolbar and tap ⚙ Settings.
3. Go to Topics. → Create your own theme.
4. Select a background and upload your image or select a gradient.
5. Set up transparency and key color, then save the theme.

Advantages of third-party keyboards:

• ✅ The ability to use any image from the gallery.
• ✅ Synchronizing themes between devices (via account) Google/Microsoft).
• ✅ Additional functions: gestures, text prediction, real-time translation.

⚠️ Note: On some devices (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, POCO F4 GT) When using third-party keyboards, you may experience lags when entering in high-security applications (banks, encrypted messengers). MIUI.

3. Advanced customization through ADB (for power users)

If you need to completely replace the system files of the keyboard background, you can use ADB-This method requires an unlocked bootloader and superuser rights (root), but gives maximum freedom.

Step-by-step:

1. Install ADB and Fastboot Tools on PC.
2. Activate Debugging by USB on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the build number, then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: Adb devices Make sure the device is identified.
4. Download the archive with custom background files (for example, from the Xiaomi.eu forum) and unpack it in a folder with ADB.
5. Execute the command to replace files (example for MIUI 15): adb push keyboard_background.png /system/media/theme/default/ adb shell chmod 644 /system/media/theme/default/keyboard_background.png
6. Reset the device.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause data loss or device blink. make a backup copy through Settings before you start. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

4. Hidden MIUI settings: how to enable experimental functions

Some versions of MIUI have hidden options for customizing the keyboard that don't appear in the standard interface, and you need to use access codes or Activity Launcher to activate them.

Method 1: Through the Engineering Menu

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the code ##6484##
3. In the menu that appears, select Keyboard Settings (if available).
4. Activate Custom Background and upload the image.

Method 2: Activity Launcher

• 📱 Install Activity Launcher.
• 🔍 Find in the list com.miui.mms or com.android.inputmethod.latin.
• 🛠️ Start an activity called KeyboardThemeActivity.

⚠️ Note: Engineering menus may vary depending on the region of the firmware. MIUI (MIUI EU) 6484## is often blocked.

5. Problem Solving: Why the background doesn't change?

Sometimes users are faced with the fact that the background of the keyboard is not updated or reset.

Problem 1: The background is reset after the reset.

• 🔄 Check if Auto Update Themes is included in Settings → Topics → Settings of topics.
• 📥 Reinstall the keyboard theme from the Theme Store.
• 🔧 If you use ADB, Check the file access rights (Chmod 644).

Problem 2: Gboard does not use a user background.

• 🖼️ Make sure that the image has at least a resolution. 1080×1920.
• 🔄 Restart the Gboard app in Android settings (Settings) → Annexes → Gboard → Forced stopping).
• 📲 Update Gboard to the latest version.

Problem 3: There is no option to change the background on the POCO X3 Pro.

This is a well-known feature of firmware for devices on the Snapdragon 860.

• 🔄 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (check in Settings) → Updating the system).
• 📱 Install custom firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.eu or Pixel Experience).
• 🎨 Use a third-party keyboard (Gboard, SwiftKey).

💡

On HyperOS devices (such as Xiaomi 14), standard keyboard background changes may not work, in which case third-party keyboards are the only reliable option.

6. Alternative methods: bypass the limitations of MIUI

If none of these things worked, you can try workarounds, which are more effortful, but often work.

Method 1: Use of Substratum/Themes

Substratum allows you to apply overlays on top of system applications, including the keyboard.

1. Install Substratum and Andromeda (for rootless devices).
2. Download a theme with keyboard support (like Swift Black or PitchBlack).
3. Apply the theme and restart the device.

Method 2: Replacement of system APKs

For experienced users:

• 🔧 Download the modified LatinIME.apk (keyboard MIUI) forum 4PDA or XDA Developers.
• 📲 Set it up through ADB or TWRP.
• ⚠️ Risk: Incompatible versions can cause system applications to crash.

Method 3: Emulation of another model

On some devices (e.g. Redmi 10C), the keyboard customization options are hidden due to regional constraints.

1. Install BuildProp Editor (root required).
2. Change the ro.product.model value to a feature-enabled model (e.g. Redmi K40).
3. Restart the device and check for options in Settings → Themes.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing the background of the keyboard to Xiaomi