How to put wallpaper on Xiaomi: 5 ways to change the background on any Xiaomi, Redmi or smartphone POCO

Change wallpaper on smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO It seems like a simple task -- until you get nuanced. Why do new wallpapers get stretched or cut? How do you set up live wallpaper without lags? Why do some images not show up in the gallery when you select the background? These questions are raised by users. MIUI regardless of the device model – whether it is the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra or the budget Redmi Note 12.

In this article, we will analyze not only the basic ways of changing wallpaper through standard settings, but also advanced methods: installation of animated backgrounds, use of third-party applications for accurate adjustment to the screen resolution, as well as solving typical problems (for example, when the wallpaper “moves” when scrolling or does not support a dark theme). MIUI, which allow you to adjust paired wallpaper for locking and the main screen or create dynamic backgrounds based on the time of day.

If you want your Xiaomi to look unique – without the standard backgrounds from the collection MIUI — This guide will help you avoid common mistakes and achieve the perfect result.

1. Standard method: changing wallpaper through MIUI settings

The most obvious method is to use built-in tools. MIUI. It's good for most users and doesn't require you to install any additional apps:

1. Open Settings and go to Wallpaper (or tap and hold the blank space on the home screen, then select Wallpaper).
2. At the top of the screen you will see three tabs: 🖼️ My wallpaper - here are stored the images you uploaded. 🌄 Live wallpaper – animated background pictures from Xiaomi (consume more battery). 🎨 Topics - a collection of wallpaper and icons from the official theme store MIUI.

Main screen.

Lock screen

Important nuance: MIUI It automatically trims the wallpaper to the screen resolution, but sometimes it causes the proportions to be distorted. If the picture doesn't look as intended, try manually zooming before saving (to do this, move or zoom the image with your fingers in preview mode).

⚠️ Note: Themes wallpapers may contain ads or paid content. To avoid accidental purchases, turn off the “Show Paid Themes” option in the theme store settings (Settings) → Topics → Theme store settings).

If you want to use your own image but it doesn’t show up in the gallery when choosing wallpaper, check:

• 📁 Location of the file: it should be in the folder DCIM or pictures (internal memory or SD-map).
• 📏 Permission: MIUI It works better with images that have an aspect ratio close to your screen resolution (e.g., with a high resolution, 1080×2400 For most of today’s Xiaomi).
• 🔄 Format:.jpg,.png, and.gif are supported (but without animation).

2. How to install live wallpaper (including third-party)

Live wallpaper (or animated background images) add speakers to the interface, but have two drawbacks: they increase battery consumption by 5-15% (according to tests). XDA Developers on Xiaomi 13 Pro and can brake on weak devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A). However, their installation is no more difficult than static wallpapers.

Here's how to do it:

Method 1: Integrated live MIUI wallpaper

1. Go to the settings → Wallpaper → Live wallpaper.
2. Select one of the animations offered (e.g., “Weather”, “Ocean” or “Clock”).
3. Click Apply and select where to display the animation (on the home screen, lock screen, or both).

Method 2: Third-party live wallpaper (via apps)

MIUI Supports live wallpaper in.apk format (installed as normal applications) or.kwl (format for.apk) KLWP). Popular sources:

• 📱 Wallpapers Craft – customized animations with speed and color settings.
• 🌊 3D Parallax Background – wallpaper with paralax effect (respond to the tilt of the phone).
• ⏳ Muzei – automatically changes background images from selected sources (such as Unsplash or your gallery).

To set the wallpaper from a third-party source:

1. Download a.apk or.kwl file (for example, from Google Play or Google Play). XDA Developers).
2. If it's.apk, install it as a regular app. If it's.kwl, you'll need to KLWP Live Wallpaper Maker (available on Google Play).
3. After installation, go to Settings → Wallpaper. → Live wallpaper and select a new background from the list.

⚠️ Warning: Some live wallpapers require permission to access Special Features (e.g., to display on top of other applications).Do not grant such permissions to unknown sources - this could be a potential security vulnerability.

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If animation is slowing down, try reducing frame rates in live wallpaper settings or disabling effects in Settings → Additionally. → System animation (set the value "Without animation»).

3. Optimal wallpaper resolution for Xiaomi: table by model

One of the biggest problems with wallpaper change is that the resolution of the screen and the image is not the same: if the picture is too small, it stretches and loses clarity; if it is too large, it is cut off. Below is a table with the resolution of the screen for popular models Xiaomi, Redmi and other models. POCO (It is important for devices released after 2020):

If your model is not in the table, you can find out the screen resolution as follows:

1. Install the app AIDA64 or CPU-Z Google Play.
2. Open the Display section, where the exact resolution will be specified.

To make wallpaper easier, use services like Wallhaven or Unsplash Wallpapers, where you can filter images at resolution. For example, for the Redmi Note 12 Pro.+ search 1080x2400.

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For devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) choose wallpaper with dark colors – this will reduce battery consumption and prolong the life of the matrix.

4.Wallpaper problems on Xiaomi and their solutions

Even after the correct installation of the wallpaper on MIUI They can behave incorrectly. These are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

Problem 1: Wallpaper “moves” when scrolling the screen

This is due to the paralax effect function (when the background shifts slightly when scrolling to create a scroll). 3D-To turn off the effect:

1. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Animation effects.
2. Turn off the option "Paralax effect wallpaper".

Problem 2: Wallpaper doesn’t change automatically

If you have set up automatic background changes (for example, through Muzei or standard settings) MIUI), But nothing's happening, check it out:

• 🔄 Permissions: Wallpaper app must be given access to Warehouse and Auto Run (Settings) → Annexes → Permit management → Auto-start).
• 🔋 Battery Optimization: Add the App to the Exclusion List (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery).
• ⏰ Shift interval: in the application settings, check if the interval is too large (for example, 1 time per day instead of 1 time per hour).

Problem 3: Wallpapers appear blurred or pixelated

This happens if the resolution of the original image is lower than that of the screen.

• 🔍 Use services like Let’s Enhance to increase picture resolution without losing quality.
• 🖼️ Choose a wallpaper with permission at least in 1.5 more than your screen (for example, for 1080×2400 take 1620×3600).
• 🎨 Manually trim the image in the editor (for example, Photoshop Express or Snapseed) to the exact screen sizes.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi devices (e.g, POCO X3 Pro after update MIUI To avoid this, back up the themes in Settings before updating. → Topics → Backup and reset.

5. Third-party Wallpaper Apps: Top-5 decision-making

If built-in capabilities MIUI Not enough, use specialized applications. They offer more customization options, including:

• 🎭 Dynamic wallpaper (changes depending on the time of day or weather).
• 🖌️ Accurate fit to screen resolution.
• 🔄 Automatic shift on schedule.

The best apps for Xiaomi:

When choosing an application, pay attention to:

• 📥 Size APK: Some apps (such as Zedge) weigh more than 50MB.
• 🔒 Permissions: if the application requests access to contacts or SMS — It's suspicious.
• ⭐ Rating: Avoid apps with a score below 4.0.

Check compatibility with MIUI|Download APK Official sources only|Disable battery optimization for the application|Check the permits before installation|Make a backup copy of the current wallpaper-->

6. Hidden functions MIUI wallpaper-work

MIUI It hides a few useful options that are not obvious at first glance:

Function 1: Paired wallpaper for locking and main screen

You can set different wallpapers for the home screen and the lock screen, but you can link them thematically, like by day you can display a light background and by night you can display a dark background.

1. Select wallpaper for the main screen.
2. In the application menu, click “Main screen only”.
3. Go back and select another image, then apply it to “Lock screen only.”

Function 2: Dynamic wallpaper by time of day

MIUI It supports automatic wallpaper change as time goes on:

1. Go to the Settings → Wallpaper → My wallpaper →
2. Select an image and click “Settings”.
3. Activate the Autoshift option and set the schedule (for example, light wallpaper from 7:00 to 19:00, dark wallpaper from 19:00 to 7:00).

Function 3: The blur effect on the lock screen

If you want the wallpaper on the lock screen to look more aesthetically pleasing, you can turn on blur:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen.
2. Select "Style of the Lock Screen» → «Blurring background».
3. Set the intensity of the effect.

These features are available on most devices with MIUI 12 and later, on older versions (e.g, MIUI (11) some of the options may not be available.

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Hidden settings MIUI After a major system update, check the Wallpaper section, where new features may appear (for example, support for video wallpaper in the system). MIUI 14).

7. How to make wallpaper from video or GIF

Want to install on the screen Xiaomi animated background from your favorite video or GIF? It is possible, but with reservations:

• 🎬 Video wallpaper is not officially supported in MIUI, But you can emulate them through apps like Video Wallpaper or VLC.
• 🔄 GIF You can convert to live wallpaper with the help of GIF Live Wallpaper Maker.

Instructions for video wallpapers:

1. Download and install Video Wallpaper from Google Play.
2. Open the app and select the video (up to 30 seconds, otherwise it will slow down).
3. Cut the video to the desired fragment and adjust the playback speed.
4. Apply as a live wallpaper through Settings → Wallpaper. → Live wallpaper.

Important:

• 🔋 Video wallpapers severely drain the battery (up to 20% per hour with active use).
• 📱 On weak devices (e.g. Redmi 9) video will slow down.
• 🔊 The sound in the video wallpaper is automatically turned off.

For GIF:

1. Use it. GIF Live Wallpaper Maker.
2. Download. GIF-file and adjust the animation speed.
3. Save as a live wallpaper and apply through settings MIUI.

⚠️ Note: Some video wallpaper apps require root rights to work properly. If your Xiaomi isn't rooted, choose apps marked "No root" (e.g., outofthebox's Video Live Wallpaper).

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper on Xiaomi