How to put an avatar on a Xiaomi phone: 5 proven ways

Personalization of a smartphone starts with little things — one of them is a user avatar, which is displayed in the device menu, apps and on the lock screen. On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with a MIUI branded shell, the process of installing a profile photo can vary depending on the firmware version and account type. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways, from standard settings to circumventing restrictions for users without a Mi Account.

It’s important to understand that the MIUI avatar can be displayed in different places: on the lock screen (if the corresponding widget is enabled), in the top notification bar, in the phone settings and in Xiaomi applications (for example, Theme or Security).We’ll look at not only how to replace the profile photo, but also how to make it appear everywhere correctly. If you encounter a problem when the avatar does not change or resets after rebooting, there is a section with solutions at the end of the article.

1. Standard method: through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in shell tools. It works on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, including the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 (HyperOS).

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings app (cog icon on the desktop).
• 👤 Go to the About Phone section. → Mi Profile (or Xiaomi Account in older versions).
• 🖼️ Click on the current avatar (or the person’s silhouette if the photo is not installed).
• 📸 Choose one of the options: Take a photo, activate the camera for instant photography, select from the gallery, allow you to download any image from your phone. MIUI — Collection of standard images from Xiaomi.
• ✅ Confirm the choice by cropping the photo in a circle (if necessary).

Once saved, the avatar will automatically sync with Xiaomi servers and will be displayed on all devices associated with this account. If the changes do not apply, check your Internet connection or restart your phone.

Is Mi Account Linked to Phone?|Is there access to the Internet (Wi-Fi/mobile)|Is the firmware updated to the latest version?|Is there enough free space in your memory?-->

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If the gallery does not have a button "Select from the gallery", try to open the photo through the Photos app, click "Share" → "Install as an avatar".

2.Install an avatar without a Mi Account

Not all users want to register a Xiaomi account or experience login errors, in which case the avatar can be installed locally, it will only appear on the current device and can be reset once the settings are reset. MIUI 13-15 (older versions may require root access).

Algorithm of action:

1. Prepare the image: 📏 Size: not less 512×512 px (optimum) 1024×1024 px). 🎨 Format: JPG, PNG or WEBP (transparently). 🔄 File name: must contain only Latin letters (e.g. avatar.jpg).

/sdcard/MIUI/extra/avatar/

If you don’t have an extra or avatar folder, create it manually through any file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).

avatar.jpg

Restart the phone – a new avatar will appear in the user profile.

Critical detail: this method does not work on memory-encrypted devices (the "Encrypt Phone" option in the security settings) in which case you will need to disable encryption or use root access.

3. via the Contacts app (for lock screen)

If you only need to change the avatar on the lock screen, you can use the Contacts bypass. This method does not require Mi Account, but has a limitation: the photo will only be visible when you unlock the phone (not in the settings or notifications).

Step-by-step:

• 📇 Open the Contacts app (phone book icon).
• 🔍 Find your contact card (usually called “I” or the same as your name) if it’s not available, make a new contact with your phone number.
• ✏️ Press "Edit" → camera icon next to the current avatar.
• 📷 Select the source: take a new photo or upload from the gallery.
• 💾 Save the changes.
• 🔄 Back to Settings → Lock screen and enable the option to Show Owner Information (or Contact Widget in older versions) MIUI).

Now, when unlocking your phone, your photo from the contact will be displayed under the date/time, and the avatar does not sync with other Xiaomi services and can be duplicated with a photo from Mi Account if it is tied.

Through Mi Account| Local file in folder | Contacts app | Third-party launchers | I do not install-->

4.Use of third-party launchers

If the standard methods don't work, you can go a radical way - install an alternative launcher (desktop shell).

• 🌈 Nova Launcher – supports customization of icons and widgets, including a user avatar.
• 🎨 Lawnchair is a lightweight open source launcher with flexible profile settings.
• ⚡ Hyperion Launcher – Optimized for devices with MIUI, Maintains corporate identity, but adds personalization features.

Example of settings in Nova Launcher:

1. Install the launcher from Google Play and select it as the main one.
2. Press the finger free space on the desktop → Settings.
3. Go to the Appearance. → Profile icon.
4. Select the source of the image (galleries or standard icons).
5. Adjust the size and position of the avatar on the screen.

The advantage of this method is that the avatar will appear on the desktop independently of the Mi Account, and the disadvantage is that it will disappear if you go back to the standard MIUI launcher.

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Third-party launchers can bypass MIUI limitations, but can conflict with system updates. Check compatibility with your version of Android before installing.

5. Avatar for specific applications

Some Xiaomi apps (such as Theme, Security, or Mi Community) have their own profile settings that are not associated with the overall system avatar.

If you want the avatar to be the same across all apps, the easiest way to do this is to tie it to Mi Account, otherwise you have to configure each app separately.

6. Solving problems with the avatar

Sometimes users find that the avatar does not change, resets or displays incorrectly. Let's consider the typical errors and how to fix them:

⚠️ Note: If changes are not applied after changing the avatar via Mi Account, check if the traffic saving mode is included in the Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic savings: This mode can block data synchronization.

• 🔄 The avatar dropped after the update MIUI: Update the Xiaomi Account app on Google Play and re-upload the photo. If it doesn't work, clear the app's cache (Settings) → Annexes → Xiaomi account → Memory. → Clear the cache).
• 🚫 No Change Avatar button: Your region may not support this feature. Try changing your Mi Account region to Russia or India (via account.xiaomi.com).
• 📱 The avatar does not appear on the lock screen: Activate the profile widget in Settings → Lock screen → Widgets. Some versions. MIUI You need to turn on the option to show information about the owner.
• 🔒 Failed to upload photos: The problem may be related to Xiaomi server limitations. VPN Try again in 10-15 minutes, and check if the file is larger than 5MB.

⚠️ Note: On devices with HyperOS (new shell from Xiaomi, which has replaced the new model) MIUI in 2026) the path to avatar settings may be different.Look for Profile section → Account. → Photo or use search by settings (magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner).

7. Alternative methods for advanced users

If standard methods don't work, you can use advanced tools, which require technical skills and can affect system stability.

Method 1: Editing system files (root required)

With Root Explorer or MiXplorer (with superuser rights), you can manually replace the system avatar:

1. Open a file manager with root access.
2. Go to /data/system/users/0/
3. Find the avatar.png file or profile_pic.jpg Replace it with your image (pre-return it!).
4. Set the license 644 (rw-r-----).
5. Reset the device.

Method 2: ADB-teams (without root)

For devices without root rights, you can try changing the avatar through ADB:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and activate Debugging via USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock Developer Mode, then Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB).
2. Open the command line on the PC and type: adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.ATTACH_DATA -t image/* -d file:///sdcard/Download/avatar.jpg --ez exit-on-save true (replace the path) /sdcard/Download/avatar.jpg topical).
3. On your phone, select Contacts or Settings for image processing.

Important: Using ADB and root access can result in loss of warranty or unstable device performance. Before experimenting, back up your data via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

FAQ: Frequent questions about avatars on Xiaomi