How to change wallpaper on the lock screen Xiaomi: all the ways for MIUI 12/13/14

Xiaomi’s lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on your smartphone, and the overall impression of the device depends on its design. Many MIUI users are faced with the problem of how to change wallpaper on the lock if the standard settings do not offer the right options or there is no background change button at all. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, from basic to hidden firmware functions that work on the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 13 Ultra and other models from 2022-2026.

It is important to understand that the MIUI interface is regularly updated, and the location of menu items may vary depending on the firmware version (for example, in MIUI 14 the path to wallpaper settings has changed compared to MIUI 12).We took these nuances into account and prepared universal instructions that will be suitable even for devices with custom shells like HyperOS (the new firmware for Xiaomi 14 flagships).

1. Standard method: through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the system's built-in tools, and it's suitable for most models, including the Redmi 10/11/12, the POCO F4/F5 and the Mi 11 Lite.

1. Unlock your smartphone and go to the main screen.
2. Press and hold the empty space on your desktop until the wallpaper menu appears.
3. Select Wallpaper (or Themes in some versions).
4. In the menu that opens, go to the Lock Screen tab.
5. Scroll through the list of available wallpaper and choose your favorite option.
6. Click Apply or Install (depending on the version of MIUI).

If you don't have a separate tab on your menu for the lock screen, it synchronizes the desktop and lock backgrounds.

• 🔄 Select wallpaper in the Main Screen section.
• 📱 Make sure that the option is enabled to Apply to both screens (usually the tick at the bottom of the screen).
• 🔧 If there is no option, go to Settings. → Display. → Wallpaper and check the settings there.

Limitations of the standard method:

• ❌ It's impossible to install live wallpaper (GIF or video) without third-party applications.
• ❌ In some regional firmware (for example, for Europe), the choice of wallpaper is limited.
• ❌ On HyperOS devices, the path to settings may be different.

2.Use of the "Themes" app for unique wallpaper

The Themes app (or Themes in the international version) allows you to download wallpaper and design from other users. This is the official way from Xiaomi, but with nuances:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush and palette).
2. Go to the Wallpaper tab or Lockscreen (lock screen).
3. Select the set of wallpaper you like and click Apply.
4. Confirm the change for the lock screen (sometimes a separate confirmation is required).

If the Themes app is not on your device (e.g., on POCO F5 for the global market), you can manually install it:

Download APK from their official website themes.xiaomi.com|

Allow installation from unknown sources in Settings → Applications → Special Access |

Install APK and restart your smartphone |

Update the app via Google Play (if available)-->

Important: Wallpapers from the Themes app may contain advertisements or watermarks – check reviews before installing.

3. Installation of live wallpaper (GIF/video) on the lock screen

Standard MIUI tools don't support live wallpaper on the lock screen, but there are workarounds. This will require a third-party application, such as Video Wallpaper or KLWP.

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and select a video or GIF-gallery-file.
3. Click Set as Wallpaper and select Lock Screen.
4. Confirm permissions (the application needs access to the storage and system settings).

For Xiaomi with MIUI 14 and newer, you may need to adjust:

adb shell pm grant com.videowallpaper.android android.permission.SET_WALLPAPER

This command should be executed through ADB (Developer Tool). If you don’t know how to do this, read our guide on setting up ADB for Xiaomi.

Warning: Live wallpaper increases battery consumption.On Redmi Note 12 Pro+ s AMOLED-Screen consumption can grow by 5-10% per hour of active use.

4 Manually modifying wallpaper through file manager

For power users, there is a way to replace lock wallpaper manually by editing system files, a method that works on most devices with MIUI, but requires root rights or ADB.

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode).
2. Download and install ADB on your computer (instructions are available on the official Android website).
3. Follow the command to copy your image to the system folder: adb push /path/to/your/image.jpg /sdcard/MIUI/wallpaper/
4. Rename the file to lockscreen_wallpaper.jpg (The name may vary depending on the version. MIUI).
5. Reset the device.

If you have root access, you can replace the file directly in the /system/media/theme/default/wallpapers/ folder.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped reboot).Before changes, back up the original file!

5. Reset wallpaper settings to standard

If after experimenting with wallpaper, the lock screen starts to glitches (for example, a black background or artifacts are displayed), you can return the standard settings.

1. Go to Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Select the Lock screen tab.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Reset to Standard.
4. Confirm the action.

If this method doesn’t work (for example, on the POCO X3 Pro with custom firmware), try:

• 🔄 Reset Launcher Settings (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the data).
• 📱 Remove the application cache Topics (Settings) → Annexes → Topics → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🔧 Perform a discharge through ADB: adb shell cmd overlay reset com.android.systemui

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If the wallpaper hasn’t recovered after resetting, try switching to another theme in the Themes app and then back again, which often helps to wake up system settings.

6. Features for different Xiaomi models

Some Xiaomi devices have unique lock screen settings, and the table below shows the key differences for popular models:

On HyperOS devices (such as Xiaomi 14), the path to wallpaper settings has changed:

1. Open the Settings. → Personalization.
2. Select the lock screen.
3. Click Change Wallpaper and follow the instructions.

7. Solving wallpaper problems on the lock screen

Sometimes when you change the wallpaper, you get bugs, the background doesn't change, you get a black screen or old wallpaper. Here's how to fix this:

• 🔄 Rebooting the device helps in 70% of cases.
• 📱 Cleaning the cache of the Themes or Launcher app.
• 🔧 Reset Launcher settings (see Section 5).
• 🛠️ Update MIUI — In new versions, often correct the bugs with wallpaper.

If the problem persists, check:

⚠️ Note: on some devices (e.g. Redmi) 10A) The lock screen wallpaper is tied to your Mi Account account. If you reset your phone to factory settings without logging out, the wallpaper may not change. → Accounts. → Mi Account and try again.

For devices with unlocked bootloader and custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the process may be different.

• Use apps like Substratum for themes.
• Check the settings in Settings → Display → Styles and Wallpaper.

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If none of these methods worked, the problem is likely in the com.android.systemui system file, which is to reflash the device via Fastboot or use the official Mi Flash Tool.

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper on Xiaomi