Creating your own theme for Xiaomi: from idea to installation MIUI

You're tired of standard themes. MIUI And you want to make your Xiaomi look unique? Creating a custom theme is not only a way to stand out, but also an opportunity to tailor the interface to your needs, from color palettes to animations. → Online, a custom theme allows you to control every element – icons, fonts, notification sounds and even screen lock style.

In this article, we will analyze the entire process: from preparing design layouts to final assembly and installing the theme on Redmi devices, POCO Xiaomi 13/14. You will learn what tools you will need (including free ones) and how to get around the restrictions. MIUI It's important that the process requires care, especially when working with system files, an error can lead to interface failure.

If you’ve never done design or programming, don’t worry: we’ll give you alternatives (like modifying existing themes) and for experienced users, we’ll give you advanced settings, including editing.mtz archives and working with the software. ADB.

1. What you need to create a Xiaomi theme: tools and requirements

Before you start designing, prepare everything you need. Without the right tools, you won't even be able to open the theme files, let alone edit them.

• 📱 Xiaomi's device on MIUI 12/13/14 (or Xiaomi emulator EU ROM HyperOS may have different processes — check compatibility.
• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux. For editing graphics, even a laptop with 4 GB RAM, but for rendering animations better 8+ GB.
• 🎨 Graphic editors: Adobe Photoshop or GIMP (free of charge) – to create icons and backgrounds. Figma/Adobe XD — For interface prototyping. After Effects for custom animations.
• 🔧 Specialized software: MIUI Theme Editor (official tool from Xiaomi, but with limitations). + Java – for decompilation of system systems APK (for advanced users). 7-Zip WinRAR – for working with.mtz archives.

You will also need a Xiaomi developer account (free to dev.mi.com) if you plan to publish a theme in an official store.

⚠️ Note: On devices with a bootloader, unofficial themes may need to be unlocked via the Mi Unlock Tool, which will result in a reset of all data!

2. Analysis of the structure of the topics MIUI: changeable

Subject in MIUI — This is a set of files that are packaged in an archive with the.mtz extension. To understand what elements can be modified, we'll look at the structure of the archive:

Key nuance: Not all elements can be changed without root rights, such as modification of system animations (/anim/) require access /system/framework/, This is only possible on unlocked devices with Magisk.

For beginners, we recommend focusing on three basic components:

1. Icons (/icons/) — highlight.
2. Wallpaper (/wallpaper/) — influence overall perception.
3. Color scheme (/colors/) — smacks the interface.

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Download any favorite theme from the store. MIUI, Rename.mtz to.zip and learn its structure. This is the best way to understand how files are organized.

3. Theme design: from sketch to digital layouts

Before you start the technical part, define the concept.

• What color scheme will be the main one? (for example, a dark theme with a focus on neon green is the most popular trend of 2026 among custom themes for Xiaomi)
• Will the icons be minimalistic or detailed?
• Do you need animations (for example, when unlocking the screen)?

Make sketches on paper or in Figma, and here are the key elements to work through:

• 📱 Main screen: location of icons, view of dock panel, folder style.
• 🔒 Lock screen: clock position, notification style, background.
• ⚙️ Settings: header color, switch icons.
• 📞 Call interface: buttons, background during a conversation.

For icons, use templates from MIUI Theme Editor or create your own in a vector (.svg format scales without loss of quality — 192×192 px, but for MIUI 14 It is also recommended to prepare versions 144×144 px (for folders) and 256×256 px (for adaptive icons).

⚠️ Note: If you use images from the internet (for example, for wallpaper), make sure they are distributed under a Creative Commons license or you have the rights to use them.

Practice: editing an existing topic

The easiest way to create your theme is to modify the one you've got ready for you. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Download any topic from the topic → Online (for example, "Pure Black" or "Minimal") UI").
2. Connect your phone to your PC and copy the.mtz file from your folder /MIUI/theme/.data/ (Use File Manager+ root-rights ADB pull).
3. Rename.mtz →.zip and unpack the archive.
4. Edit the necessary files: Icons: replace files in /icons/ (Keep the original names!... Colors: edit /colors/colors.xml (Use hexadecimal codes, for example #FF00FF Wallpaper: add your images to the /wallpaper/ (permit 1080×2340 px for modern smartphones).

Pack the files back to.zip, rename them to.mtz.

Transfer the file back to the phone /MIUI/theme/ and apply through the Themes → Local.

Download the original theme.mtz|Create a backup copy of original files|Install a graphic editor|Check the compatibility of the version MIUI|Connect the debugging to USB (for ADB)-->

Advanced changes (e.g., system modifications) APK) need:

apktool d framework-miui-res.apk

Edit files in the res/ folder



apktool b framework-miui-res.apk



Sign and install through Magisk

5. Creating a theme from scratch: working with MIUI Theme Editor

Official MIUI Theme Editor (available at dev.mi.com) allows you to create themes without deep technical knowledge.The interface of the program is intuitive, but has limitations:

• ✅ Support for drag-and-drop icons and wallpaper.
• ✅ Built-in templates for MIUI 12-14.
• ❌ No possibility to edit system animations.
• ❌ Limited font set (manual download.ttf required).

Step-by-step process:

1. Download and install. MIUI Theme Editor (Developer Account Required).
2. Choose Create New Theme → Blank Template.
3. Import your icons (.png or.svg format) to the Icons section.
4. Set up a color scheme in Colors → Primary/Secondary.
5. Add Wallpapers (Static and Live Wallpapers supported.mp4).
6. Export the project to.mtz and upload it to your phone.

If you need more freedom, use the combination of Theme Editor. + manual editing of the.mtz archive, for example, to add custom notification sounds:

1. Create a folder. /notification/sounds/ archived.
2. Put.ogg files in there or.mp3 (maximum 5 seconds).
3. Edit it. description.xml, adding: <sounds> <sound name="custom_notification" path="notification/sounds/alert.ogg"/> </sounds>

6. Installation and testing of the theme on Xiaomi

The finished.mtz file can be installed in several ways, and choose the method depending on your goals:

Instructions for installation via ADB:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and turn on Debugging USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).
2. Open the command line in the folder with platform-tools (from Android) SDK) and do: adb push your theme.mtz /sdcard/MIUI/theme/ adb shell am broadcast -a miui.intent.action.THEME_CHANGED
3. Reboot your phone and apply the theme through Topics → Local.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.eu) after installing the theme through ADB protection may work MIUI Optimization, which will reset settings. To avoid this, disable optimization via the command: adb shell settings put global miui_optimization_disabled 1

For testing, use the Xiaomi emulator EU ROM Or a secondary device:

• 🔍 Correctness of displaying icons on a dark / light background.
• 📱 Compatible with different screen resolutions (test on the screen) FHD+ and QHD+).
• 🔊 The operation of notification sounds (some models) POCO ignore custom sounds).

7.Publishing the topic in the official store MIUI

If you want to share your topic with other users, post it in the official store.

1. Register as a developer on dev.mi.com (free of charge).
2. Upload the.mtz file to the Theme Submission section.
3. Fill in metadata: Title (maximum) 20 symbols, such as "Neon Dark" V2"). Description (up to) 200 Symbols, key features. Screenshots (resolution) 1080×1920 px, not less 3 Tags (e.g. #dark #minimal #icons).

Send to moderation (check period — 3-7 days).

Requirements for topics for publication:

• 📌 All graphic elements must be in high resolution (at least) 1080p).
• 📌 No watermarks or logos of other brands.
• 📌 The subject must support at least 2 languages (English) + one-on-one).
• 📌 No content 18+ or political symbolism.

After approval, the topic will be available in the Topics section. → Online, you can track downloads and ratings in the developer's personal account, for popular topics (10,000).+ Xiaomi can offer a partner program with a cash reward.

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Even if your topic is not moderated, you can distribute it through third-party resources (for example, through the Internet, XDA Developers or 4PDA). The main thing is to indicate in the description that this is an unofficial build and users use it at their own risk.

8 Common errors and their solution

When creating and installing themes, users often face typical problems, and here are how to avoid or fix them:

If the problem is not solved, check the logs of the system through ADB Logcat:

adb logcat | grep -i "theme"

Look for the lines with errors like ThemeManager: failed to load – they will indicate a specific failure.

Advice for diagnosis: Install MIUI Theme Debug APK (available XDA). This app shows detailed information about downloaded topics and conflicts.

FAQ: Frequent questions about creating themes for Xiaomi