How to Put Your Wallpaper on Xiaomi: A Detailed Guide

Personalizing the smartphone interface is the first thing that many users start with after buying a new device. Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO offer ample opportunities to change the appearance of the system, but standard procedures can sometimes be not obvious to beginners. Device owners often wonder how to replace a standard picture with a personal photo or downloaded image to make the gadget truly unique.

The process of changing the screen background depends on the version of the MIUI shell installed or the new HyperOS, as well as the region for which the smartphone is released. In some cases, the menu may be called “Themes”, in others – “Wallpaper”, but the essence remains the same: you want to see on the screen exactly what you like. System restrictions in some regions can hide the installation button of the local image, requiring the use of workarounds.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to replace static and dynamic images. We will look at the standard system tools, work with the gallery and specific settings for models of different years of release. You will learn to bypass restrictions and install any graphics files without root rights and complex programming.

Standard way through the settings menu

The most obvious and safest way to change the design is through the system menu, and first you need to unlock the screen and find the Settings icon, which usually looks like a gear, and in the list you open, you should scroll down to Wallpaper or Wallpaper and personalization, where the system will offer several categories of images.

Here, you'll see suggestions from the manufacturer, including static landscapes and abstractions. But we're interested in downloading your own file. At the top of the screen or in the side menu (depending on the Android version), you'll find a + button or the words "My Wallpaper" and you'll click on it and you'll be taken to a file manager or gallery where you can select the photo you want.

Once you select the image, the system will offer several applications: install only on the lock screen, only on the desktop or on both screens at once. It is important to choose the right zoom so that the face in the photo does not crop or important details do not go over the edge of the screen.

⚠️ Note: When selecting very large images (e.g., 20 MP or higher), the system can automatically compress the file to optimize the interface, sometimes resulting in compression artifacts.

If the standard menu doesn’t work or offers too few options, alternative methods are worth looking at. Often, the built-in MIUI Themes directory requires a network connection and a Mi Account, which is not always convenient.

Installation of wallpaper through the Gallery

The fastest way experienced Xiaomi owners use is to install directly from the Gallery app, which allows you to pre-process photos: crop, apply filters or change the brightness before installing. Open the Gallery app and select the album that stores the desired image.

Open the photo to the full screen. In the bottom toolbar or in the "More" menu (three dots), find the "Set as wallpaper" item. The system immediately prompts you to select the framing area, which is especially convenient for vertical shots that need to be adapted to the wide screen of the smartphone.

• 📸 Select a photo with good resolution to avoid “graininess».
• ✂️ Use the built-in cropper to highlight the central part of the image.
• 🖼️ Check how the image looks in preview mode before the final confirmation.

The advantage of this method is that it works even without the Internet and does not require you to sign in to your Mi Account. In addition, the gallery will automatically offer you to optimize the image for the display size of your particular model, whether it is a Redmi Note or a flagship Xiaomi 14.

It is worth noting that in newer versions of the HyperOS shell, compression algorithms can work more aggressively. If the image quality has decreased after installation, try pre-saving a copy of the image in a format other than HEIC, for example, in classic JPG or PNG.

Working with the topic app

The official Themes app is the central hub for customization in the Xiaomi ecosystem, where you can find not just pictures, but entire design packages that change icons and fonts. However, to install your photo, you need to go to the Profile section (the person icon in the corner) and select Wallpaper.

This section often hides the Local Wallpaper feature, which allows you to scan the device's memory for images. If you downloaded beautiful art from the Internet, but it does not appear in the gallery as a photo, it is through the Themes app that it is easiest to activate as a background desktop.

⚠️ Note: In some regional versions of firmware (for example, for Russia or Europe), the catalog of online wallpapers in the Themes app may be limited or unavailable without changing the region.

The app also allows you to create a slideshow. You can select a folder in your phone's memory, and the system will automatically change the images on the lock screen at a given interval, a great way to diversify the visual experience without manually replacing files every morning.

For users who want to delve deeper into the topic, third-party themes can be downloaded. It is important to download files only from trusted sources, as modified themes may contain advertising modules or unstable code.

Live wallpaper and video background

Owners of AMOLED devices often want to use live wallpapers to showcase deep black and rich hues. MIUI and HyperOS have a built-in section for video wallpapers, but it often only contains advertising content. To put your video, you will need a third-party app or a special file format.

One way is to use the Xiaomi Video Wallpaper app (often available in GetApps) or third-party analogues like Video Live Wallpaper, and after installing the software, a new type of wallpaper appears in the system, and by choosing it, you can point the path to the video file in the memory of your smartphone.

• 🎞️ Supported formats MP4 and WebM with codec H.264.
• 🔋 Video wallpaper can increase battery consumption 5-10% day-to-day.
• 📱 It is not recommended to put heavy 4K Videos for Redmi budget models.

There's also a method of converting video to a special format called.mi wallpaper, which the system perceives as native, and for that, there are online converters and desktop utilities, and after you convert, you put the file in the root of internal memory or in the MIUI/theme folder.

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The use of video wallpaper is justified only on devices with a capacious battery and AMOLED-screen, otherwise it is better to choose a high-quality static image.

Setting up a slideshow on the lock screen

The Wallpaper Carousel (or Glance in some regions) feature allows you to automatically change images on the lock screen. It's not exactly the same as changing the background of the desktop, but it gives you a sense of novelty every time you pick up the phone. You can customize this feature through Settings → Wallpaper → Wallpaper Carousel.

From the carousel settings menu, you can choose the sources of images, whether it's news, nature, art or your personal albums. It's critical to adjust the frame rate correctly so that the image doesn't flash too quickly, distracting from using your smartphone.

If you are annoyed by the ads in the carousel tape, which are often implemented by Xiaomi partners, this feature can be completely disabled or limited to showing only images from the selected folder. To do this, find the “Use images from” item in the carousel settings and select “Select an album”.

⚠️ Warning: Turning on wallpaper carousel requires constant internet access to download new content, which can consume mobile traffic.

For those who appreciate minimalism, it's best to use a static background and turn off the carousel, but for those who like variety, it's a great way to turn the lock screen into a news feed or an art gallery without unnecessary action.

Problem Solving and FAQ

Often, users find that after installation, the image looks stretched, too dark or simply does not want to change, this may be due to the features of the screen calibration, the dark theme of the system, or bugs of a particular version of MIUI. If the image is cropped, try clicking the preview button on the “More” menu and select “Full screen” or “In the center”.

Another common problem is darkening the wallpaper in a dark theme, which artificially darkens the background to make the text of the widget or watch read better, and you can remove this by turning off the dark theme or selecting the "No dimming" option in the wallpaper settings, if this option is available in your version of the software.

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If you use a dark theme, choose wallpaper with deep black tones - it not only looks stylish, but also really saves battery power on the wallpaper. AMOLED-screens, as the black pixels are turned off.