How to change the keyboard wallpaper on Xiaomi: all ways and life hacks

The keyboard on Xiaomi smartphones is not just a typing tool, but a full-fledged interface element that can and should be personalized. Many users do not even realize that the standard gray or white background of the keyboard is easy to replace with any image, from abstract patterns to personal photos. This feature is available on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices running MIUI 12 and later, but it is not always obvious where it hides.

In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can change your keyboard wallpaper, from standard settings to hidden chips, how to set dynamic wallpapers, use your own images, and what to do if the option suddenly disappeared after the update, and we'll also uncover some secrets that are not even written in official guides, such as how to circumvent MIUI's limitations on the size of uploaded images.

Before you start, check your firmware version: Settings path → About phone → MIUI version. If you have MIUI 11 or older, some features may not be available — but don't worry, we've prepared alternative solutions. Also note that on devices with a Google keyboard instead of a standard Mi Keyboard, the process will be different.

1. Standard method: changing the wallpaper through the keyboard settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in Mi Keyboard tools. It works on most models, including Xiaomi 12/13/14, Redmi Note 11/12, POCO F4/X5 and others with MIUI 12-14.

1. Open any application where the keyboard appears (such as Messages or Notes).
2. Touch the gear badge (⚙️) in the top row of the keyboard to open its settings.
3. Select Keyboard Themes (or Keyboard Wallpaper depending on version).
4. Scroll down to My Wallpaper section and click Add New.
5. Select the source: 📷 Gallery – upload your photo (it will be automatically deleted). 🌄 Standard Wallpaper – Collection by Xiaomi (abstractions, gradients, natural landscapes). 🎨 Color - monotonous background with the ability to choose a shade.

After selecting the wallpaper, click Apply and check the result.

If you don't have the Keyboard Themes button displayed, you're using Gboard instead of the standard one. Go to the Gboard section below.

Make sure the keyboard is active (open in any application)

Are you using the standard Mi Keyboard instead of Gboard?

MIUI version at least 12 (check Settings → About phone)

Free space on the device (wallpaper stored in memory)-->

One important thing is that Xiaomi automatically trims uploadable images to the size of the keyboard. If you need to keep the proportions, use square pictures with a resolution of 1080×1080 pixels, so there will be less distortion. Apps like Canva or PicsArt will be suitable for creating such wallpapers.

2. Dynamic wallpaper: how to make the keyboard "live"

Few people know, but MIUI 13 and 14 have a dynamic keyboard wallpaper that responds to clicks by changing color or animation, and here's how to turn them on:

1. Open the keyboard settings (as in the previous section).
2. Go to Keyboard Themes → Dynamic Wallpaper.
3. Choose one of the proposed options: 🌊 Waves – Animation that Reacts to Touch. ✨ Glowing dots – particles disperse when typed. 🌈 Gradient – smooth change of colors.

Adjust the animation speed and intensity of the effect (if available).

Dynamic wallpaper consumes a little more power, but the difference in battery consumption is minimal (about 1-2% in 8 hours of active use).If you notice a strong heating of the device after turning on the animation, go back to the static wallpaper.

Static (photos/gradients)

Dynamic (animation)

Unique (just color)

I don't change the standard.-->

Secret Lifehack: If your version of MIUI doesn’t have dynamic wallpaper but you want animation, set a keyboard theme from Theme → For me. Some themes (like Neon or Cosmic) include animated elements that even work on MIUI 12.

3. Using Gboard instead of Mi Keyboard: Features of the settings

Many Xiaomi users prefer Gboard (Google keyboard) because of its advanced features such as built-in translator or GIF search. However, Gboard does not have a direct option to change the keyboard wallpaper - instead it uses a theme system.

1. Install Gboard from Google Play if you haven’t already.
2. Open any app with a keyboard and tap the Gboard icon (🔤) top-row.
3. Select Themes (pallette icon) 🎨).
4. Scroll down and click Create your theme.
5. Upload your image or choose from the ones you've got. Note: Gboard cuts the wallpaper in its own way, so it's better to use horizontal pictures (16:9).
6. Set up the transparency and color of the buttons, then save the theme.

Unlike the Mi Keyboard, you can’t install dynamic wallpaper in Gboard, but there is a unique feature of the Mini-app (for example, fast access to Google Search or YouTube directly from the keyboard). → Mini-applications.

Attention! ⚠️ If you lose your Mi Keyboard wallpaper after you install Gboard, it's okay -- both keyboards store the settings separately. To get back to your old look, open your Mi Keyboard settings again and reapply the wallpaper.

4 Problems and Solutions: Why You Can't Change Wallpaper

Sometimes users find that the wallpaper change option disappears or doesn't work, and here are the most common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If none of these methods helped, try resetting the keyboard settings:

1. Go to Settings → System and Device → Language and Entering → Current Keyboard.
2. Click on Additional Settings (⋮) → Resetting settings.
3. After restarting the device, try to install the wallpaper again.

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If wallpaper doesn’t apply, try temporarily turning off the dark theme in the MIUI settings, which sometimes helps to reset the graphical glitches of the keyboard.

5. Top.-5 applications for customization of the keyboard on Xiaomi

If you don't have much built-in MIUI, look at third-party apps that not only change the wallpaper, but also completely redesign the keyboard.

• 🎨 Chroom - more than 1,000 themes with animation and sound effects. There is a free version with a limited set of wallpapers.
• 📱 Fleksy is a keyboard with flexible color and background settings. Supports gestures and emoji predictions.
• 🌈 Color Keyboard – a simple editor for creating gradient wallpapers and adjusting transparency.
• 🖼️ Kika Keyboard – more than 5,000 themes, including wallpaper with 3D-The downside is a lot of advertising in the free version.
• 🔧 SwiftKey – from Microsoft, with support for cloud-based synchronization of themes between devices.

Before installing a third-party keyboard, be sure to check the permissions it requests. For example, if an application requests access to Messages or Contacts for no obvious reason, this is a reason to be wary.

Attention! ⚠️ Some pirated keyboard themes may contain malicious code. Download wallpaper only from official sources (Google Play, Mi Theme Store) or trusted sites like Zedge.

6.How to create unique wallpaper for the keyboard yourself

If you want your keyboard to look really unique, why not make the wallpaper yourself? It doesn't require professional design skills -- just a smartphone and a few apps. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Select the main image. This can be: 📸 Your photo (portrait, landscape, macro). 🎨 Abstract drawing (generated in Canva or Adobe Express). 🖼️ Image from the Internet (for example, with Pinterest or Unsplash).
2. Cut the image to a square format (1:1) with a resolution of 1080×1080 pixels. Any editor application will do this, for example: Snapseed (from Google, free), Lightroom Mobile (for advanced color correction), Photo & Picture Resizer (for quick trimming).
3. Add effects (if desired): 🌫️ Blurring background (to keep the button text readable). 🎨 Gradient substrate (e.g., dark semitransparent layer on top). 🔠 Text or logo (but don’t overload – keys should remain visible!).

Save the result in either PNG (for transparency) or JPEG (for less weight).

Upload the wallpaper to the keyboard settings (as described in the first section).

Professional advice: If you want to make the wallpaper fit perfectly into the design of MIUI, choose colors to suit the current theme of the system. For example, if you have a dark theme on, use dark wallpaper with bright accents (neon lines, light dots). For a light theme, pastel colors or minimalistic patterns will suit.

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The most important thing when creating wallpaper is contrast, and the keyboard buttons must stand out clearly from the background, otherwise typing will become uncomfortable.

7.Resetting wallpaper to factory settings

If the wallpaper experiments have gone too far and the keyboard is unreadable, you can always go back to the original state.

For Mi Keyboard:

1. Open the keyboard settings (cogs) ⚙️ keyboard).
2. Go to Keyboard Themes → My wallpaper.
3. Press and hold your finger on the current wallpaper, then select Remove.
4. Go back to the main themes menu and select Standard or Classic.

For Gboard:

1. Open the Gboard settings (image) 🔤 keyboard).
2. Go to Topics. → My subjects.
3. Find your customized theme, swipe left and click Delete.
4. Choose a standard theme (e.g. Material Design).

If after resetting the wallpaper still does not appear correctly, try clearing the keyboard cache:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → [keyboard name] → Storage → Clear cache

Attention! ⚠️ Do not confuse Clear cache with Clear data – the second action will reset all keyboard settings, including saved words and input history.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions