How to change the font color on the Xiaomi Redmi desktop: from standard themes to hidden MIUI settings

Xiaomi Redmi desktop with its MIUI shell offers many customization options, but not all parameters lie on the surface. One of the most popular user requests is to change the color of the font on the home screen, in folders or widgets. By default, the system uses white or black text depending on the chosen topic, but what to do if you want something brighter or contrasting?

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to change the color of text on the desktop, including official MIUI settings, third-party launchers, and even hidden commands for advanced users. It’s important to understand that the depth of customization depends on the firmware version and smartphone model — for example, on the Redmi Note 12 with MIUI 14, one option is available, and on the Redmi 9A with MIUI 12.5 — others.

Why can’t you just change the color of the font in the settings?

Many users wonder why MIUI doesn't have a direct color option in the personalization menu, because it links the color of the font to the current theme of the design, and automatically adjusts to the wallpaper background or system palette (light/dark theme) by default, which is designed to be readable but limits the choice.

There are, however, workarounds:

• 🎨 Use of topics MIUI Themes – Some themes change not only the wallpaper, but also the color of the text.
• 🔧 Manual editing of system files through ADB (power-user).

Before you start making changes, check the MIUI version in the settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version). On newer versions (13+), some of the features can be hidden or moved.

Method 1: Change the color of the font through standard MIUI themes

The easiest and safest method is to use embedded or downloaded themes, and many of the themes from MIUI Themes' official store change not only the wallpaper and icons, but also the color of the caption text on the desktop.

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to the Topics tab and select Popular or MIUI category.
3. Scroll through the list and pay attention to the topics with the notes: 🌈 "Color accents – usually change the text to bright shades. 🖤 "Dark/Light" - affect the contrast of the font. 🎭 "Customized" - may include unique fonts.

Apply

If the text becomes unreadable after applying the theme (e.g., gray on a white background), return the standard theme or try another. Some themes require a device reboot to make the changes take effect.

💡

Before using the theme, take a screenshot of the current desktop so you can quickly restore the location of the icons if something goes wrong.

Method 2: Use of third-party launchers (Nova Launcher, Apex)

If the built-in themes don't work, you can install an alternative launcher, popular options are Nova Launcher and Apex Launcher, which allow you to change not only the color of the text, but also the font size, the style of the icons and even animations.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

1. Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
2. Assign it to the default launcher (at the first start, the system will prompt you to do this).
3. Press the free space on the desktop and select Settings.
4. Go to the Appearance. → Label color.
5. Choose one of the offered colors or click User and set your shade through the palette.

In Apex Launcher, the path will be similar: Apex Settings → Appearance → Label Color. Both launchers support text transparency and shadow, which is useful for improving readability on bright wallpaper.

Download APK from the official website (not from third-party sources)

Backup of current MIUI settings

Check compatibility with the Android version

Disable battery optimization for launcher-->

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi) 10C s MIUI 13) after installing a third-party launcher system widgets (weather, steps) may disappear. To return them, temporarily switch back to the standard launcher via Settings → Annexes → By default. → Launcher.

Method 3: Edit system files via ADB (for advanced)

If you need to change fonts in depth (for example, change the color in the system menus), you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights (on some firmware, it is enough to enable USB debugging).

Instructions:

1. Enable USB debugging in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times) → Additional → For developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put secure sysui_theme_customization 1 This will unlock hidden theme settings.
3. You can then change the font color via /system/media/theme/default/com.android.systemui/colors.xml, but you need root access and an editor like Mixplorer to do this.

Example of settings in KWGT:

1. Install KWGT and download any widget template (e.g. Minimal Text).
2. Add a widget to your desktop and edit it: select a text element and change the color in the settings (Touch → Color).
3. Place the widget over the icons so that it simulates the signatures.

The downside of this method is that widgets take up space on the screen and can conflict with MIUI gestures, but this is the safest way to do so, without requiring root rights.

💡

Color widgets are the only method that works on all Redmi models without MIUI restrictions or root rights.

Method 5: Hidden MIUI settings (for some firmware)

Some versions of MIUI (e.g. MIUI 12.5 Enhanced on the Redmi Note 11) have hidden font customization options to activate:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the Display. → Type style.
3. Click 5 times on the font style to unlock the font developer mode.
4. There will be a new menu Additional font settings, where you can choose a color from the palette.

This method doesn’t work on all devices and may disappear after the MIUI update.If the option isn’t available, try other methods from this article.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When changing the color of the font, users often face the following difficulties:

If after the changes the desktop began to slow down, try:

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 🧹 Clear the launcher cache (Settings) → Annexes → Launcher → Memory. → Clear the cache).
• 📱 Reset the launcher settings to standard.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions