Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a desire to personalize the device interface beyond standard capabilities. MIUI’s standard shell or its modern version of HyperOS provide basic tools for changing wallpapers and themes, but do not always allow you to change the color of specific applications individually, a limitation that can annoy users accustomed to deep customization of the interface.
There are several proven methods to achieve the desired visual effect: some require enhanced access rights, others work exclusively within system settings or third-party software. Deep customization opens up access to hidden system functions, but requires caution when making changes to system files.
In this guide, we’ll look at all the current ways to change the color gamut of applications, we’ll look at both safe methods for beginners and advanced techniques for power users, and you’ll learn how to use built-in personalization tools and third-party utilities to create unique designs.
Use of built-in themes and Themes store
The easiest and safest way to change the look of icons is to use the official theme store. In the MIUI shell, this tool is integrated at the system level and does not require additional software installation. However, it is worth remembering that the color scheme often depends on the chosen theme as a whole, rather than a separate application.
To get started, you need to open the Topics app on the home screen. You can search for queries like "Color icons," "Neon," "Pastel," or just the English color names, because the search works better with the Latin alphabet. After selecting the appropriate set, click Download and then Apply.
⚠️ Note: When installing themes from third-party sources or unofficial Themes stores, there is a risk of system stability being compromised.Always check author rating and reviews before downloading.
If a standard theme gallery doesn't offer the right shade, you can try the "Theme Mixer" feature, which allows you to combine elements of different designs, for example, take icons from one theme, and leave the system fonts as standard, which gives you more flexibility in customizing your visual style.
Customization of the color palette in HyperOS and MIUI 14
With the release of new firmware versions, Xiaomi has introduced a dynamic color palette change feature known as the Color Palette, which allows you to automatically adjust the colors of menus, widgets and some interface elements to the dominant color of your wallpaper.
To activate this feature, go to the Settings menu and select Wallpaper and Personalization. There you will find Palitra, and by enabling it, you can choose from the options offered by the system or create your own set of shades that will apply to supported applications.
- 🎨 Open personalization settings in the main menu.
- 🖼️ Select the section "Wallpaper and personalization".
- 🔘 Activate the "Flower Palette" switch".
- 🎨 Choose the shade that best fits with your mood.
It's important to understand that this feature doesn't change the color of the app icons themselves, but rather the background or elements inside the system menus. It still requires the use of one or another launcher to completely change the icons color.
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Use monochromatic wallpaper with a predominance of one color to make the function of the "Palitre" work as efficiently and predictably as possible.
Use of third-party launchers for changing icons
If the built-in tools don't meet your needs, third-party launchers come to the rescue, replacing the standard desktop and app menus entirely, with Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher and Smart Launcher being the most popular solutions.
Once you install the launcher from Google Play, you need to assign it to the primary one. Android will request confirmation of the action. After that, you will have access to advanced appearance settings. Most modern launchers support icon packs, which can be downloaded separately.
The process of installing the icon package is as follows:
- Download your favorite icon package from the Play Market.
- Open the settings of the installed launcher.
- Find the "Icons" or "Icons" section.
- Select "Icon Style" and specify the package installed.
Some launchers allow you to change the color of each icon individually, and you need to press the app icon for a long time, select "Edit" and, if the function is supported, change the color setting, which gives you maximum creative freedom, allowing you to create a unique layout.
☑️ Launcher installation
Editing topics through MIUI Theme Editor
For advanced users who want to change the color of a particular system application or interface element, there is a tool MIUI Theme Editor. This is the official utility from Xiaomi, which allows you to unpack, edit and collect themes.
With this editor, you can replace the graphical resources (png files) inside the theme, you can take a standard theme, find the icons of the desired application (for example, "Phone" or "Messages") and redraw them in any graphics editor, changing the color to the desired one.
The process of working with the editor requires the following steps:
- 📥 Install. MIUI Theme Editor on PC or Android.
- 📂 Import an existing theme or create a new one.
- 🖌️ Replace the icon files in the icons folder with your own.
- 💾 Collect a theme and install it on your smartphone.
⚠️ Note: Editing system themes can lead to interface display errors.Be sure to back up the original theme before starting work.
The result is a completely customized theme, where each app has exactly the color you've given it, and it's the only way to get the design to 100% match your needs without root rights, although the process takes time.
Where can I find the source icons?
Comparison of customization methods
The right method depends on your skills and goals, and to help you decide, we have prepared a comparative table of the main ways to change the color of applications, which will help you assess the complexity and effectiveness of each option.
| Method | Difficulty | Flexibility | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tham's shop | Low. | Medium | Tall. |
| HyperOS Palette | Low. | Low. | Tall. |
| Third-party Lounchers | Medium | Tall. | Tall. |
| Theme Editor | Tall. | Maximum | Medium |
As you can see from the table, for most users, a combination of a theme store and a color palette is the best solution, but for enthusiasts who are striving for the ideal, it is worth mastering the work with a theme editor, which will give full control over each pixel of the screen.
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The combination of a third-party launcher and a quality icon package gives a better balance between functionality and appearance without risk to the system.
Possible problems and solutions
Users may encounter various difficulties in setting up color schemes, and it is often the case that after installing a new theme, some apps are left with standard icons, which occurs if the icon package does not have a graphic element for a particular application.
In such cases, the system automatically substitutes a standard stub, and the solution to the problem is by manually creating an application shortcut through the launcher settings and selecting any image from the gallery for it, and sometimes cleaning the theme app cache through the memory management menu also helps.
Another common problem is de-synchronizing colors after a system update, new versions of MIUI can change the structure of files, which leads to a reset, in which case you will have to reuse the theme or find an updated version from the developer.