How to put a standard theme on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

You've installed a custom theme on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, but it's too bright, is it slowing down or just not like it? You can get the factory-like appearance of the MIUI shell back in a few minutes, without resetting or losing data. In this article, we'll break down all the working methods from standard features in the theme menu to manual removal through the file manager.

It’s important to understand that “standard theme” on Xiaomi can mean two things: the basic MIUI theme (which is set by default when you first turn on) and the Android system theme (pure Material You on new HyperOS models). We’ll look at both options, and you’ll learn how to avoid common mistakes, such as when app icons disappear after changing the the theme or changing the font.

The instructions in this article are relevant for all Xiaomi devices based on MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T and older devices like Redmi 9A or Mi A3. If your smartphone runs on Android One (for example, the Mi A series), some methods may not work – we will warn about this separately.

1. Method: Reset theme through MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to return a standard theme through the built-in menu, which works on 90% of Xiaomi devices and does not require superuser rights or a PC connection.

Open the Themes app (Brush Icon) and follow the following steps:

• 📱 Go to the My Themes tab (bottom of the screen).
• 🔍 Scroll through the list to System or Standard.
• 🎨 Find a topic called Default, MIUI or basic (name depends on the firmware version).
• 📥 Click Apply and Confirm the Action.

If there is no standard theme on the list, try updating the Themes app via Google Play or App Store (for Chinese firmware). On some devices, the standard theme is hidden - to see it, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System.

⚠️ Note: On smartphones with HyperOS (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Redmi) K70) The standard theme may be called HyperOS Default. If the interface is unchanged after application, restart the device.

Update the "Themes" app to the latest version

Reboot your smartphone

Clear the cache of the "Themes" application in the settings

Check for updates MIUI/HyperOS-->

2. Method: Removing custom theme through file manager

If a standard theme doesn’t appear on the menu or if it doesn’t work, the problem may be in conflict with the custom theme set, in which case manually deleting the theme files through the file manager with or without root permissions will help.

For this:

1. Open any file manager (e.g., Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/ This is where all downloaded themes are stored.
3. Find a folder with the name of your current theme (usually a set of letters and numbers, such as com.theme.id12345).
4. Delete this folder or rename it (e.g. add at the end of old).
5. Reboot your smartphone.

After the reboot, the system will automatically apply a standard theme, and if theme folder is missing, then the theme is set as a system one, in which case only resetting (more on this below) will help.

3. Method: Resetting launcher settings

Sometimes the problem isn't with the theme itself, but with the MIUI launcher, which is the program that displays the desktop and app menus, and if you lose icons, change the font, or have artifacts, try resetting the launcher.

This can be done in two ways:

• 🔄 Through Settings: Open Settings → Annexes → Application management. Find Louncher. MIUI (Or Lawnchair on some firmware. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.

Through gestures:

1. Close all applications.
2. Hold your finger on the free space on the desktop.
3. In the menu that appears, select Desktop Settings → Reset settings.

After resetting, the launcher will reboot and you will see standard wallpaper and icons. Note: this method does not remove the installed themes, but only resets the display settings. If the problem was in the theme itself, it will have to be removed separately (see Method 2).

Standard MIUI/HyperOS

Custom from the theme store

Dark theme from Xiaomi

His own (created in the editor)

I don't care.-->

4. Method: Complete resetting of settings (if nothing helps)

If none of the previous methods worked, the radical solution is to reset to factory settings, which will return the smartphone to its original state, including the standard theme, but delete all data (photos, messages, apps).

Resetting instructions:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset All Settings (not to be confused with Network Resettings!).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

On new HyperOS devices, the path may be different: Settings → Additional → Recover and Reset. Once reset, the smartphone will turn on with a factory theme, but you will have to reset accounts and install apps.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (especially Chinese) may require a link to your Mi Account after a reset. If you forget your password, it will be difficult to unlock the device – make sure you remember the login details before resetting.

5. Method: Using ADB to reset theme (for advanced)

If you're familiar with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can reset the theme through the command line, which is useful when the standard methods don't work and you don't want to reset.

For this:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).
2. Activate. USB-debugging → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute commands: adb shell pm clear com.android.themes adb shell pm clear com.miui.home These commands will clear the themes and launcher settings.
4. Reset the device.

If the theme does not reset after executing the commands, try an additional command to remove the cache:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.thememanager

This method works on most firmware, but HyperOS may require another command (e.g. com.xiaomi.hyperos.theme).

💡

Before using ADB, check if the drivers for your Xiaomi model are installed on the PC. Without them, commands will not work. You can download the drivers on the official Xiaomi website in the support section.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When returning a standard theme, users often encounter problems.

• 🔄 The theme is reset, but the wallpaper remains: Desktop wallpaper and lock wallpaper are set separately. To return the standard, go to Settings → Wallpaper and select Standard.
• 📱 App icons missing: This is due to launcher conflict and theme. Try resetting the launcher settings (see Method 3) or installing a third-party launcher (such as Nova Launcher).
• 🔍 Menu Search Not Working: Clear the App Cache Search MIUI customized.
• 🎨 Font becomes too large or small: Return the standard font to Settings → Screen. → Type size.

If after resetting the theme, artifacts (blurred icons, incorrect colors) appeared, try:

1. Reboot the smartphone.
2. Clear the cache in Settings → Storage → Cleanup.
3. Update MIUI/HyperOS to the latest version.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions

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If the standard theme doesn’t apply, try clearing the theme app cache and restarting your smartphone first, and 80% of the time, this solves the problem without drastic measures.