How to change the language on the phone Xiaomi: 5 ways to MIUI 12-14

Changing the interface language on Xiaomi smartphones seems like an easy task, but many users face unexpected difficulties, especially for those who have purchased a device with foreign firmware (Global ROM, EEA or China ROM), where Russian may not be on the list of available ones.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to change the language on Xiaomi in 2026 – from the standard method through settings to workarounds for the “Chinese” versions of MIUI. We will pay special attention to typical errors that do not change the language, and give a checklist to check the system before setting up.

If you just bought a Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi smartphone with an unfamiliar interface language, don't panic. Most problems are solved without flashing. The main thing is to correctly identify the MIUI version and the firmware type. For example, on Xiaomi 13 Ultra with China ROM, Russian is added through regional settings, and on POCO X5 Pro with Global ROM, a standard menu is enough.

Important: Some methods require an internet connection (to download language packets) or a Mi Account, and if you have a locked bootloader, some methods may not work, as we will discuss below.

1. Standard method: via the MIUI settings menu

This is the simplest method that works on 90% of Xiaomi devices with official firmware (Global, EEA, Russia) and is suitable for models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 on MIUI 12-14.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Scroll down and select Additional Settings (on some versions System and Device).
3. Tapping on Language and Input (or Language and Region)
4. At the top of the screen, click Language (the first item in the list).
5. In the list of available languages, find Russian (Russia) and select it.
6. Confirm the change by clicking Ready or OK.

If Russian is not on the list, you have firmware for another region. Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. For example, MIUI Global 14.0.5 stands for global firmware, and MIUI 14.0.5 CN stands for Chinese.

Check out the MIUI version in About the Phone

Make sure your phone is connected to the internet (to download language packets)

Try updating the firmware through Settings → System Update

Restart the device and try again.-->

Attention! Some models (e.g. Xiaomi 12T) may need to reboot after changing the language. If the interface is still in the same language, perform a forced reboot by holding the power button for 10 seconds.

2. Change of region to add Russian language

If your firmware doesn’t have Russian initially but supports other languages (e.g. English and Chinese), you can try changing the region of the device, which works on Global ROM and EEA ROM, but won’t work on pure Chinese firmware (China ROM).

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Additional settings → Language and input → Region.
2. In the list of countries, find Russia (Russia) or Belarus (Belarus).
3. Confirm the region's change.
4. Go back to the language menu and check if Russian has appeared.

After changing the region, the phone may suggest updating some settings (for example, the format of the date and time), agree — this will not affect the performance.

If the Russian language has not appeared after the change of the region, check:

• 📶 Internet connection – without it, language packets will not load.
• 🔄 Version MIUI — Older versions (below 12.5) may lack localizations.
• 📦 Free space – you need at least 50 MB to load the language.

3. Installation of the language package via Mi Community

For firmware where Russian is not available (e.g., on the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with China ROM), you can try installing the language package manually, which requires a Mi Account account and a stable Internet connection.

How to install a language package:

1. Open the Mi Community app (if not, download from Google Play).
2. Sign in to your Mi Account account.
3. Go to the topic section (Themes).
4. In the search box, enter the Russian language pack or the Russian language package.
5. Download and install the package you find (usually a file with the.mtz extension).
6. After installation, restart the phone.

Attention! Not all Mi Community language packs are official. Install only high-rated (4.5+ stars) and high downloads (10,000+) packs, otherwise you risk incomplete localization or system errors.

Standard settings

Change of region

Language Package from Mi Community

Reflashing on Global ROM

Nothing helped.-->

If you have left a part of the interface in English/Chinese after installing the package, try:

• 🔍 Check if old language islands are left in system applications (e.g. Camera or Calls).
• 📲 Remove the Settings app cache through Settings → Annexes → Application management → Settings → Memory. → Clear the cache.
• 🔄 Update. MIUI up to the latest version – sometimes language packages work only on fresh firmware.

4.Flashing on Global ROM for full Russification

If none of the above methods worked, the radical solution is to flash it to Global ROM or EEA ROM, which is suitable for advanced users, as it requires unlocking the bootloader and can lead to data loss.

Warning: Flashing will void the warranty and may lock the device if it is not done correctly.

• 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 60%.
• 📱 Make a backup of the data through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• 🔑 Make sure you have a Mi Account with a linked phone number.

Step-by-step instructions for flashing:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Mi Unlock Tool (requires a wait of 7-15 days after the account is linked).
2. Download the appropriate Global ROM firmware for your model from en.miui.com/download.html.
3. Install the Mi Flash Tool on your PC.
4. Transfer the phone to Fastboot mode (clip Power + Volume down when the device is off).
5. Connect your phone to your PC and run the downloaded firmware through the Mi Flash Tool (select the Clean All option).
6. Once completed, the phone will automatically restart with a new firmware.

Critical! The firmware is not compatible for different regions, for example, you can't flash Xiaomi 13 Pro firmware from Xiaomi 13, this will lead to a "brick" (breakdown) of the device.

💡

Before you run the firmware, check the phone model through the command ##4636## in the phone app. The phone information section will show the exact model name (e.g., 2210132G for Xiaomi 12T Pro).

5. Solving problems after changing language

Even after a successful language change to Xiaomi, there may be problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

Problem 1: Part of the interface is in English/Chinese.

⚠️ Attention! This is typical for system applications (Camera, Gallery, Calls). Solution: Update apps via Google Play. Clear the cache of the problem application in Settings → Install alternative apps (e.g. Google Camera instead of the standard camera).

Problem 2: After resetting, the tongue is reset.

Cause: MiuiSystemUI service failure.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find MiuiSystemUI and clear its cache.
3. Perform reset language settings: Settings → Additional → Resetting settings → Resetting language and keyboard settings.

Problem 3: Voice input or text prediction doesn’t work.

This is due to a lack of language data for Google Services.

• Open any text field (for example, in Messages).
• Click on the microphone icon or gear next to the keyboard.
• Select Keyboard Settings → Languages and input → Add Russian.
• Download additional language packs for voice input.

💡

If the language is still unchanged after all the manipulations, check if the phone has a forced localization application (for example, MoreLocale 2), which can block system settings.

6. Features of changing the language to POCO and Black Shark

The POCO and Black Shark devices (e.g., the POCO F5 or Black Shark 5 Pro) run on modified versions of MIUI, where the language change process may differ.

For POCO:

• 📱 Language and input may not be available in the menu Region, replaced by Additional local settings.
• 🔄 In some models (for example, POCO X3 Pro) manual reboot required after language change.
• 📦 Language packages for POCO Often comes out later than for the main line of Xiaomi.

For Black Shark:

⚠️ Attention! On Black Shark gaming smartphones, changing the language can affect gaming performance.This is due to the JoyUI firmware optimizations (modified). MIUI). After Russification, it is recommended: Reset the graphics settings in Shark Space. Update the drivers GPU through settings → Special facilities → Game Turbo.

For both lines, the rule is: if the standard language change doesn’t work, first update the firmware through Settings → System Update. The manufacturer often adds new localizations in minor updates.

7.Alternative methods: ADB and third-party applications

If none of the official methods worked, you can try changing the language through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or third-party utilities, which are suitable for advanced users.

Method 1: Through ADB

It will require:

• A computer with Xiaomi and ADB Tools drivers installed.
• USB Debugging enabled on your phone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers → Debugging over USB).

Language change commands:

adb shell


settings put system system_locales ru-RU




settings put system system_locale ru-RU




reboot

Method 2: Appendix MoreLocale 2

The utility allows you to force any language, even if it is not supported by firmware.

1. Download MoreLocale 2 from Google Play.
2. Open the app and select Custom Locale.
3. Enter ru-RU (for Russian language).
4. Press Set and restart the phone.

Apps like MoreLocale 2 can conflict with MIUI system services, and once they are used, notifications or themes may fail.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing the language to Xiaomi