Are you tired of the flashy colors of custom theme on your Xiaomi or Redmi and want to return to the usual minimalist design of the system? Or after the MIUI update, the interface has become different and buttons and icons are uncomfortable? You can restore the standard theme on Xiaomi devices in several ways, from basic settings to manual editing of configuration files.
In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of returning a factory theme, including hidden functions. MIUI, work MTZ-files and even reset through ADB. We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions of firmware - from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14, as well as problems that may occur when changing themes on devices with unlocked bootloader.
⚠️ Important: Some of these methods require a superuser or a PC connection, and if you're a beginner, start with the first three, they're safe and they won't damage the system.
1. Restore the standard theme through MIUI settings
The easiest way is to use the built-in tools, which works on all Xiaomi devices without any additional software and does not require root rights.
Open the Topics app (Brush icon) and go to My Topics → Installed. Here you will see a list of all activated themes. The standard MIUI theme is usually called:
- 📱 «MIUI» (global firmware)
- 🇨🇳 «» (Chinese versions)
- 🔄 «Default (on some models) POCO)
If the standard theme is not on the list, try:
- Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Reset the theme settings.
- Reboot the phone (sometimes changes are only applied after the reboot).
- Update the Themes app via Google Play or App Store.
⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 13.5 for Xiaomi 12T) Resetting themes may not return the original factory theme, but the last one installed from the store.
2. Establishing a standard theme through MTZ-file
If the built-in reset doesn’t work, you can manually download the original theme in.mtz format. These files contain all the interface elements: icons, fonts, animations and sounds.
Where to find it. MTZ-standard-theme file:
- 🔍 Search the forums 4PDA XDA-Developers (Search for the phone model) + «stock theme»).
- 📁 Extract from the official firmware through the tool MIUI Theme Editor (requires PC).
- 🤝 Ask the owner of the same device (themes are linked to the version) MIUI!).
How to determine:
- Download the theme file (for example, miui_default_v14.mtz).
- Place it in the Download folder on your phone.
- Open the Topics Application → My Themes → click on the “+” in the upper right corner.
- Select the downloaded file and apply the theme.
| Xiaomi model | Name of name MTZ-standard-theme file | File size |
|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 11 | miui_default_global_v13.5.mtz | ~12MB |
| Xiaomi 12 Pro | miui_14_default_cn.mtz | ~15MB |
| POCO X5 | poco_default_theme_v14.mtz | ~10MB |
⚠️ Note: Installation of themes from unverified sources may contain malicious code. Before using, check the file through VirusTotal or similar services.
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If, after application, MTZ-file some interface elements remained unchanged (for example, application icons), try to clear the application cache Themes in the phone settings.
3. Reset themes via MIUI Theme Editor (for advanced)
The MIUI Theme Editor tool allows you to edit and restore themes at the system file level, which is suitable if the standard theme is corrupted or missing from the list.
What you need:
- 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux.
- 🔌 USB-cable.
- 🛠️ Utility. MIUI Theme Editor (downloaded on GitHub).
- 🔓 Unlocked loader (for some operations).
Step-by-step:
- Connect your phone to your PC in USB Debugging mode (includes in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version → 7 times click on version → return to Additional settings → For developers).
- Start MIUI Theme Editor and select Connect Device.
- In System Themes, find a standard theme (usually marked as default or system).
- Press Restore and confirm the action.
Enable debugging on USB|Install drivers ADB|Download MIUI Theme Editor|Make a backup copy of the data|Connect the phone to the PC-->
If the utility does not see the device:
- 🔄 Reinstall the drivers ADB.
- 🔌 Try another one. USB-cable (preferably original).
- 📱 Enable the Developer Settings option to Allow debugging ADB.
4. Resetting phone settings to factory
If none of the previous methods worked, there's a radical solution: a complete reset, which will bring all system settings back to factory settings, including the theme, but delete user data. Use it only as a last resort!
How to reset:
- Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
- Choose to Erase All Data (not to be confused with Settings Reset – these are different options!).
- Enter your Mi Account password if required.
- Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).
⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and newer after reset, you may need to re-assign your Xiaomi account to unlock.Make sure you remember your login and password!
What will be removed:
- 📱 All installed applications and their data.
- 📷 Photos, videos and music (if not saved) SD-map).
- 📞 Contacts, SMS Call log (unless synced with Google or Mi Cloud).
- 🎨 All custom themes, wallpaper and interface settings.
What if the topic has not recovered after the reset?
5 Manual editing of system files (root only)
This method is suitable for advanced root users, and allows you to manually replace the theme files in the system folders.
What needs to be done:
- Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
- Go to /data/system/theme/.
- Delete all files and folders associated with custom themes (usually titled com.android.theme.custom).
- Copy files of a standard theme into this folder (they can be extracted from the file). MTZ-archive or take from another device).
- Change the access rights to 755 for folders and 644 for files.
- Reboot the phone.
Commands to change rights (executed via ADB Shell or terminal):
su
chmod 755 /data/system/theme/
chmod 644 /data/system/theme/*.apk
chmod 644 /data/system/theme/*.mtz
reboot⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped boot). /data/system/theme/!
Frequent problems and their solutions
Even after a successful return of a standard theme, bugs can occur, and here are the most common ways to fix them:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| App icons haven't changed | Launcher cache not updated | Clear the Launcher app cache in the settings |
| The system menu colors are different | Not all elements of the topic are applied | Reboot your phone or re-apply the topic |
| After resetting, the topic is strayed back. | Conflict with the MIUI update | Remove the firmware to the previous version |
| No notification sounds. | The sound files are not recovered. | Set standard sounds through Settings → Sounds |
If after all the manipulations the topic is still non-standard, check:
- 🔄 Are there any third-party launchers installed (for example, Nova Launcher or HyperOS Launcher).
- 📱 Are not the Color Scheme or Dark Mode settings activated in Settings? → Screen.
- 🔧 Have system fonts changed through Settings? → Additionally. → Fonts.
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If the problem persists, the firmware is likely damaged, in which case only flashing through Fastboot or contacting a service center will help.