How to put your photo on the keyboard in the smartphone Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Smartphone personalization is not just about wallpaper and themes, but also the little things that make it unique. A keyboard with your photo in the background or as a sticker can be a nice accent, especially if you often text in instant messengers. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the question: how to add your own image to the MIUI system keyboard or third-party applications like Gboard?

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to install a photo on a keyboard, from standard MIUI 14/15 tools to bypassing restrictions through additional apps, and you’ll also learn what image formats are supported, how to avoid stretching the picture and why the background is sometimes not applied, and at the end, answers to frequent questions and life hacks for perfect results.

If you want your keyboard to be part of your style, but don’t know where to start, you’re right here. Even if you have a Xiaomi 12T, Redmi Note 11 or POCO F5 model, the instructions below will work for most MIUI devices.

1. Can I put a photo on a standard MIUI keyboard?

Xiaomi’s standard keyboard (MIUI Keyboard app) has limited customization options; by default, it doesn’t support setting custom photos as backgrounds or themes.

  • 📱 Use built-in themes - in MIUI There are pre-loaded wallpapers for the keyboard, but they are not personalized.
  • 🔧 Install a third-party keyboard – Gboard, SwiftKey or Fleksy offer more customization options.
  • 🛠️ Manual editing of system files is a risky method that requires root rights (not recommended for beginners).

If you don't want to install third-party apps, you can try to get around the restrictions through theme settings. For example, some users have successfully used gallery wallpaper by cutting it to the size of the keyboard, but this method does not work on all versions of MIUI.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 15 and later, trying to change the system files of the keyboard without root rights can cause the application to fail. Only resetting the settings or reinstalling the firmware will help restore the functionality.

2. Method 1: Install photo via Gboard (Google Keyboard)

Gboard is the most popular alternative to Xiaomi's standard keyboard, which allows you to set any image from the gallery as a background.

  1. Download and install Gboard from Google Play.
  2. Activate the keyboard in settings: Settings → System → Language and input → Virtual Keyboard → Keyboard Management Turn on the switch next to Gboard.
  3. Open any text input application (such as Messages), swipe down the keyboard toolbar and click on the icon ⚙️ (Settings).
  4. Go to Topics. → Create your own theme.
  5. Select a background and upload a photo from the gallery. Adjust the scale and position.
  6. Save the topic and apply it.

If the keyboard is slow after applying the background, try reducing the image resolution to 1080×1920 pixels.

Image format: JPG or PNG

Resolution not exceeding 2000×2000 pixels

The background does not contain important details around the edges (they may be cropped)

Free space on the device (minimum 50 MB)-->

3. Method 2: Using SwiftKey for personalization

Microsoft's SwiftKey is another powerful keyboard that supports user backgrounds, and unlike Gboard, you can set the transparency of the keys to make the photo more visible.

  • 📲 Install SwiftKey and activate it in your system settings.
  • 🎨 Open SwiftKey, click on the icon ⚙️ and select Topics.
  • 🖼️ Tap on Creating Your Theme → von → gallery.
  • 🔍 Select a photo, cut it and set up the Transparency keys (recommended). 60-70% legible).
  • 💾 Save the topic and apply it.

SwiftKey's advantage is that it automatically adjusts the color of text to the background, so if your photo is dark, the keys will become light, and vice versa, and this eliminates the problem of unreadable characters.

💡

If the keyboard starts to slow down after applying the theme, clear the cache of the SwiftKey app in the phone settings. This often solves the problem without losing the settings.

Method 3: Manually create a theme for the MIUI Keyboard (without root)

If you don’t want to install third-party keyboards, you can try to trick the system with standard MIUI tools. This method doesn’t work on all devices, but it’s worth trying:

  1. Download the MIUI Theme Editor app from Google Play (if it’s available for your model).
  2. Create a new topic or edit an existing one.
  3. In the Keyboard section, upload your photo as a background. The app will automatically crop it to the desired size.
  4. Save the theme and apply it through Settings → Themes.

If MIUI Theme Editor is not available, try the alternative, Xiaomi EU Theme Editor (requires registration with Mi Community).Importantly, some users report that after the MIUI 15 update, this method stopped working on Redmi Note 12 and later models.

⚠️ Note: Using informal themes can cause the system keyboard to crash.Before experimenting, back up your data via Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

5. Method 4: Using stickers with your photo

If setting the background seems complicated, you can go the other way, you can create a sticker with your image and paste it directly into your messages.

  • 📸 Open the photo in the Gallery, click Edit and trim it to a square format (for example, 512×512 pixel).
  • 🤖 Install an app to create stickers, such as Sticker Maker.
  • 🎨 Import cropped photo to the app and save as a stickerpack.
  • 📲 Now your photo will be available in the keyboard in the sticker tab (emoticon icon).

This method is versatile and works on any keyboard, including the standard MIUI. minus - the photo will be inserted as a picture, not a background.

How to make a sticker with a transparent background?
To remove the background from a photo before creating a sticker, use applications like Background Eraser or Remove.bg. After removing the background, save the image in PNG format and import it to Sticker Maker.

6. Method 5: Installing backgrounds through ADB (for advanced)

If you're ready to experiment, you can try changing the system keyboard files via ADB. This method requires a PC connection and basic command line knowledge. On devices with MIUI 14 and later, this method can lead to keyboard locking if not taken care.

Instructions:

  1. Enable USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
  2. Connect your phone to your PC and open Command Prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
  3. Check the connection: Adb devices should show the name of your device.
  4. Download the archive with a modified keyboard theme (can be found on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums).
  5. Install the theme with ADB: adb push path to file/theme.apk /sdcard/ adb shell pm install -r /sdcard/theme.apk

After the reboot, the new theme should appear in the keyboard settings. Risks: Incorrect actions may cause the system application to crash. If the keyboard stops working, return the standard theme or reset the settings.

MethodDifficultyRoot is required.It's working on MIUI 15.Supports animation
Gboard⭐❌ No.✅ Yes.❌ No.
SwiftKey⭐⭐❌ No.✅ Yes.❌ No.
MIUI Theme Editor⭐⭐⭐❌ No.⚠️ Partially.✅ Yes.
Stickers.⭐❌ No.✅ Yes.✅ Yes.
ADB⭐⭐⭐⭐⚠️ Sometimes.❌ No.✅ Yes.

Standard MIUI

Gboard (Google Keyboard)

SwiftKey

Another (I will write in the comments)-->

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after successfully installing the background on the keyboard, Xiaomi users face typical problems.

  • 🖼️ Photo stretched or cropped → Use images with aspect ratio 9:16 (for example, 1080×1920). Gboard and SwiftKey have a pruning tool.
  • 🐢 Keyboard brakes → Reduce background resolution to 1200×2000 Or turn off animation in the theme settings.
  • 🔄 Background resets after update → Before the update MIUI Backup the theme in SwiftKey or Gboard.
  • 🚫 Impossible to apply the topic → Check if there is enough space in your phone’s memory (at least 100MB of free space is required).

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the keyboard settings to factory:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → MIUI (or Gboard) Keyboard → Storage → Clear Data

💡

On devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi) K60) Dark backgrounds on the keyboard reduce battery consumption. Use black or dark gray images to save power.

Can I put a GIF instead of a photo on the Xiaomi keyboard?
Yes, but only in Gboard and SwiftKey. To do this: Download the GIF and convert it to MP4 (maximum 5 seconds). In the keyboard theme settings, select the Moving Background option (Gboard - Animated Theme). Download the video. Note that the animation will only play when you type. On the standard MIUI keyboard, animated background images are not supported.
Why did the background of the keyboard disappear after the MIUI update?
Updates MIUI They often reset user settings to return background: Open keyboard settings (Gboard/SwiftKey). Go to the Topics section and check if your custom theme has dropped. If the theme has disappeared, download it again from backup (if you have) or create a new one, POCO X5) After major updates, you need to reinstall the keyboard.
How to make sure that the keys do not block the photo?
SwiftKey and Fleksy can set the key transparency: Open the theme settings. Find the key transparency slider (usually in the Additional section). Set a value of 30-50% for better background visibility. There is no such option on Gboard, but you can choose a theme with semi-transparent buttons (for example, "Transparent" in the theme collection).
Can I put a different photo on portrait and album mode?
Yes, but only in SwiftKey. When creating a custom theme, there's an option called Adaptive Background, which allows you to upload individual images for vertical and horizontal orientation, and there's no such feature in Gboard and the standard MIUI keyboard.
Is it safe to install keyboards from third-party developers?
Keyboards from trusted developers (Google, Microsoft) are safe because they: They don't have access to your passwords (entered via a secure buffer); they are checked by Google Play Protect; they don't pass data to third parties (privacy policy is public); however, avoid obscure keyboards with suspicious permissions (such as contact access or SMS); always check reviews and ratings before installation.