Personalizing the interface of a smartphone is one of the most enjoyable ways to make a device truly your own. Owners of gadgets from Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO often face the desire to replace standard, sometimes boring icons with something more vivid and unique. The MIUI shell and its new version of HyperOS provide a lot of opportunities for customization, but standard means of the system to change the appearance of one particular application is not always possible.
There are several proven methods to do this without having to get super-user rights or reflash your phone, and you can use built-in themes, third-party launchers, or specialized editorial applications, each with its own features, advantages, and limitations that you need to consider before you start a modification.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at all the current shortcut replacement options so you can choose the most convenient for yourself. We will look at the nuances of working with system components and third-party software to make your desktop look exactly the way you want it to.
⚠️ Note: Using third-party launchers and modifying system files can lead to unstable interface operation.
Using the built-in Themes app to change icons
The easiest and safest way to change the look of your desktop is to use the official Themes app, which is pre-installed on all your devices, which allows you to change not just individual pictures, but entire style sets, which ensures visual integrity of the system. But there is a major drawback: you can’t choose one particular icon for Telegram and another for Instagram without applying the whole theme.
To get started, launch the app and go to the Profile tab in the lower right corner. Here you are interested in the Themes section, where all the designs you have installed are stored. Choose any theme you like visually, and click Apply. Once the theme is activated, all application shortcuts on the desktop and menu will change according to the style of design.
If you like the theme, but some icons look unnatural or don't match your preferences, you can go the other way. There are icon packages in the theme store that are used separately from the general themes. Search for "Icons" or "Icons" and download the package you like and apply it, which will save your current theme but update the graphic elements of the applications.
- 🎨 Open the Topics app and go to the search section.
- 📥 Enter the name of the application or the word “Icons” to search for packages.
- ⚙️ Press the download button and select Apply to activate changes.
It is worth noting that the application of themes may require a Mi Account account and a region different from some countries where services are limited. If the theme store is not working or downloading content, try changing the region in the phone settings to India or Singapore, applying the theme, return the settings back.
⚠️ Note: When changing region in your phone settings, some system applications may temporarily change language or functionality.
Replacement of icons through third-party launchers
If the built-in MIUI shell features don't suit you, the ideal solution is to install an alternative launcher, which completely replaces the desktop, application menus and control panel, and the most popular and stable options are Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher and Smart Launcher, which provide maximum freedom of action, allowing you to change the icons for each application individually.
After installing the launcher from Google Play, the system will ask you to select the default app for the home screen. Select the launcher installed. Now, to change the shortcut, you need to pinch your finger on the icon of the desired application and select Edit (often indicated by a pencil or a gear). In the menu that opens, click on the icon image, and the system will suggest selecting a new picture from the gallery or from the built-in character set.
The main advantage of this method is that you can use any image you want. PNG-Transparent background files, brand logos or own photos and set them as shortcuts. Launchers retain these changes even after rebooting the device, unlike some temporary solutions.
However, third-party launchers have their own nuances: some features, such as system gestures or widgets, may not work properly or require additional customization, and on newer versions of Android and HyperOS, the system can periodically reset the launcher by default, requiring re-confirmation of selection.
☑️ Preparation for launcher installation
Use of shortcut editor applications
For those who don't want to completely change the desktop but need to flexibly configure individual elements, there are specialized utilities. Applications like Shortcut Maker or X Icon Changer allow you to create new shortcuts on top of existing applications, and the principle of their work is to create a shell that, when you click, opens the desired program, but looks like the picture you choose.
The process of replacing it is simple: you open the editor, select the target app from the list, then specify the source of the image for the new icon, it can be a file from the phone's memory, an image from the Internet, or even an empty icon, after you set up the name and appearance, a new shortcut is created on the desktop, and the old shortcut can be removed or moved to the folder.
It’s important to understand the technicality of these programs: they create new shortcuts, not edit the system files of the original application, which means that if you update the application through the Play Market, its original icon on the menu of all applications may remain the same, but the shortcut you created will continue to work, and such shortcuts may disappear when you clear the cache of the application that created them.
- 📲 Download the Shortcut Maker app or analog from the app store.
- 🖼️ Select the Application and find a program to replace the icon.
- 🎭 Upload the desired image and confirm the creation of a new shortcut.
Why can icons be reset after a reboot?
Comparison of methods of customization of the interface
The right method depends on your goals and your technical background, and if you want to get a quick look at your phone and you like the designs, built-in themes are the best choice, optimized by the developers and ensure that the system is stable without unnecessary adjustments.
For advanced users who want to be unique and willing to spend time customizing each element, third-party launchers offer limitless possibilities. They allow you to create complex design scenarios, change the desktop grid, animations and menu behavior. Shortcut editors take an intermediate position, offering a balance between simplicity and flexibility.
The table below compares the main characteristics of each method, which will help you decide on the choice:
| Characteristics | Built-in themes | Third-party launchers | Editors of labels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty setting up | Low. | Tall. | Medium |
| Impact on the battery | Minimum | Medium/High | Low. |
| Design flexibility | Limited to catalogue | Maximum | Tall. |
| Stability of work | Tall. | Depends on the launcher. | Medium |
⚠️ Warning: Installing a large number of widgets and heavy launchers on devices with low RAM (less than 4 GB) can lead to noticeable delays in the operation of the interface.
Technical limitations and features of HyperOS
With the release of the HyperOS operating system, which replaces MIUI, Xiaomi has strengthened the protection of system partitions, which means that methods that worked several years ago (for example, direct replacement of icons in the system folder without root rights) are no longer relevant.
Modern customization methods rely on application developers’ APIs rather than modifying system files, which is why third-party launchers and shortcut editors remain the only safe way to customize, and using outdated instructions from the Internet to change files at the root of the system can be dangerous for your device.
Also, some applications, especially banking and enterprise applications, may block work on devices with installed third-party launchers or changed system parameters, considering this a sign of hacking, in which case you have to temporarily return a standard launcher.
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To create the perfect visual style, download the wallpaper in the same color scheme as the new icons. The contrast between background and shortcuts affects the readability and overall perception of the interface.
Solving Common Problems When Replacing Icons
Often users are faced with a situation where after applying a theme or installing a launcher, the icons look stretched, fuzzy or appear as standard gray squares. This is due to a mismatch in the resolution of the original image and the requirements of the system. For high-quality display, it is recommended to use PNG images with a resolution of at least 512x512 pixels.
Another common problem is that you can't apply a theme because of a region or account error. As mentioned earlier, changing the region in settings (Settings → Settings → Region) often helps bypass this limitation. Once you apply the theme, you can return the region to the original one.
If shortcuts created through the editor stop opening applications, check to see if the target application has been removed. Since the shortcut is only a link, removing the main program makes it useless. Also make sure the editor application has permission to "Master on top of other applications."
- 🔍 Use high quality images of the format PNG alpha-channel.
- 🌐 Change region to India or Singapore if topics don't load.
- 🔄 Restart the device after installing a new launcher for proper operation.
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Safe customization is possible only through the regular mechanisms of Android and MIUI/HyperOS (topics, launchers, shortcuts, without the need to obtain root rights.