How to change the icons on the phone Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Standard app icons on Xiaomi smartphones become boring over time – not everyone likes bright MIUI colors, and the unified design makes the desktop boring. Fortunately, the manufacturer and third-party developers offer many ways to customize, from built-in themes to deep customization through alternative launchers. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of changing icons to Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi flagship models (including Xiaomi 14, Redmi Note 13 and other devices on MIUI 14/15).

It is important to understand that not all methods are equally safe: some require unlocking the bootloader or installing unofficial software, which can affect the warranty. We will mark risky methods with special warnings. In the article, you will find a comparative table of all methods in complexity and result, and at the end, answers to frequent questions (for example, why new icons are reset after an update or how to return the standard look).

1. Changing icons through built-in MIUI themes

The easiest and most official way is to use themes from the MIUI Themes store.This method does not require root rights, does not affect performance and is supported by all current Xiaomi models (from Redmi A2 to Xiaomi 13 Ultra).

• 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
• 🔍 In the search bar, enter the query: icons, icon pack or style name (for example, minimal).
• 🎨 Choose your favorite theme and click Apply. The system will automatically replace the icons on all screens.
• ⚙️ For fine-tuning, go to Settings. → Registration → Icons and select a style separately for folders or widgets.

Note that free themes often have a limited set of icons, for example, for lesser-known applications (like Revolt or IVI), a standard icon may remain, in which case manual replacement through third-party launchers will help (more about this in the next section).

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If some icons haven’t changed after applying the theme, try restarting your phone or clearing the theme app’s cache in settings (Settings → Apps → Application Management → Themes → Storage → Clear the cache).

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Does not require technical skills.
• ✅ Retained after updates MIUI.
• ✅ You can return standard icons in one click.

⚠️ Attention: Some topics from the store MIUI Themes contain ads or collect user data. Check the reviews and the rating of the topic before installing (optimum: 4.5).+ stars and 1,000+ loading).

2. Use of third-party launchers (Nova, Apex, Hyperion)

If built-in themes aren't enough, install an alternative launcher, which completely replaces the standard MIUI interface, allowing you to flexibly customize icons, animations, and even gestures.

• 🌟 Nova Launcher is the most flexible, with support for icon packs from Google Play.
• 🔄 Apex Launcher – lightweight and energy efficient, suitable for weak devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A).
• 🎭 Hyperion Launcher – Imitates iOS or Pixel Launcher.

Instructions for Nova Launcher (similar to others):

1. Download the launcher from Google Play and install it as the default launcher (the system will offer this when you first start).
2. Download icon packs (such as Whicons, CandyCons, or Minimal O) – there are hundreds of them in the Play Market.
3. Press the free space on the desktop → Settings → Style of icons → select the downloaded pack.
4. For individual applications: Press the icon → Change → Edit → Select a new icon from the pack.

Download APK launcher from the official website|Check compatibility with the Android version|Make a backup copy of the desktop|Disable battery optimization for launcher-->

The main advantage of launchers is the ability to mix icons from different packs, for example, for Telegram you can put an icon from Whicons, and for Google Maps – from Lines.

⚠️ Note: if after installing the launcher, access to Quick Settings (notification curtain) is lost, return the standard launcher to Settings → Home screen → Default launcher.

3. Manually modifying icons through the "Icon Changer" app

For those who want to replace only individual icons (for example, make a unique icon for WhatsApp or the Banking application), Icon Changer from XDA Developers is suitable. It allows you to assign any image from the gallery as an icon, bypassing the limitations of MIUI.

Step-by-step:

1. Download Icon Changer (there is a free version with ads).
2. Select the application you want to change (e.g. SberBank).
3. Click Select an image and upload the picture from the gallery (optimum size is 192×192 px or 256×256 px).
4. Confirm the changes – a new icon will appear on the desktop (the original will remain in the application menu).

Important: The icons that are modified in this way will disappear after resetting or reinstalling the launcher. To save them, export the configuration to Settings → Export / Import within Icon Changer.

Examples of use:

• 📸 Replace the Camera icon with your photo.
• 🎮 Impact for Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail.
• 🔒 Hide standard icons of banking applications under “masking” pictures (for example, make a SberBank icon in the form of a calculator).

4. Installation of custom firmware (for advanced users)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, you can install custom firmware like LineageOS, Pixel Experience or crDroid, and these builds offer:

• 🎛 Full freedom of customization of icons, fonts and animations.
• 🔄 Regular security updates (unlike older versions) MIUI budgetary).
• 🚀 Improved performance due to the lack of “extra” services Xiaomi.

However, the process requires:

1. Unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock).
2. Installations of custom recavery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
3. Backup data (firmware erases internal memory!).

Detailed instructions for your model can be found on the XDA Developers forum (see the section by device name, for example, Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+).Please note: informal firmware may contain bugs (for example, a broken NFC or camera).

⚠️ Warning: Unlocking the bootloader resets all data on the phone, including photos in internal memory).

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5. Hidden MIUI settings: how to enable alternative icons

MIUI 14/15 has hidden options for changing the style of icons without installing additional apps, which are not documented, but work on most devices:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect the phone to the PC and execute the command to ADB: adb shell settings put secure icon_style 2 where 2 — ID style (available values: 0 — standard, 1 — round, 2 — square-angled).
4. Reset the device.

This method works for Xiaomi. 13/14, Redmi Note 12 and other models with MIUI 14+. For reset to the standard view, use the command with icon_style 0.

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For most users, the best solution is to combine the built-in MIUI and Nova Launcher themes with a free icon pack, which allows maximum customization without risk to the system.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you change your icons to Xiaomi, users are faced with common mistakes.

• 🔄 Icons are reset after the update MIUI: The solution is to use a launcher (like Nova) that saves settings regardless of updates.
• ⚠️ Not all icons have changed in the theme: Theme developers often don't cover rare apps. Add missing icons manually via Icon Changer.
• 🔋 Launcher severely drains the battery: disable animations in the launcher settings and add it to the battery optimization exception list (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery).
• 📱 Icons look blurry: use images with a resolution of at least 192×192 To create icons suitable Canva with the template "App Icon".

If after changing the icons, the phone began to brake, clear the cache in Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache. Also check if the installed launcher conflicts with the MIUI Optimization (disabled through the ADB-Adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.personalassistant).

7. Top.-5 Applications for customization of icons on Xiaomi

If you don’t want to mess with manual settings, here are proven apps for auto-change icons:

1. Hex Installer (for Substratum): allows you to change the icons at the system level (requires root or Magisk). Supports Xiaomi on Android 10-14.
2. iThemes: more 1000 Free icon packs with weekly updates. Compatible with Nova Launcher and Apex.
3. Icon Pack Studio: create your icons from scratch or edit existing ones. There are templates for MIUI.
4. KWGT Kustom Widget Maker: for those who want to not only change the icons, but also create unique widgets (for example, iOS-style weather).
5. XIcon Changer: analogue of Icon Changer, but with support for animation icons (.gif format).

Check compatibility with your version of MIUI before installing, for example, Substratum does not work on MIUI 15 without additional patches.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions