How to Create and Install Your Theme on Xiaomi Redmi Smartphones: The Complete Guide

Why you should create your theme for Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones based on MIUI Not only do they offer powerful hardware, they also offer deep customization, and one of the most popular features is the ability to set up custom themes that change the way you look from icons to animations. MIUI Themes can be created by yourself without root rights and complex manipulations.

In this article, we'll take you through the whole process, from design preparation to final installation, and you'll learn what tools you'll need, how to get around the constraints. MIUI, And if you've never done a design, that's no problem: we'll tell you where to get the templates and how to adapt them to your Redmi Note 12, Redmi. 13C or.

What to do with creating your theme on Xiaomi Redmi

Before you start designing, prepare everything you need. Without the right tools, you'll waste time or get a theme that won't work on your device.

Here's the minimum set:

• 📱 Smartphone Xiaomi Redmi on the MIUI 12 and above (older versions may have limitations).
• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux for working with graphics (you can do with the phone, but it is less convenient).
• 🎨 Graphic Editors: Adobe Photoshop, GIMP (Free, Figma or even Canva for simple elements.
• 📂 Templates. MIUI: formal PSD-templates from Xiaomi (you can download themes.mi.com in the developer section).
• 🔧 Tools for packaging theme: MIUI Theme Editor (a utility from Xiaomi) or MTZ Theme Tool (alternative from the community).

If you are planning to test the theme on your Redmi, make sure that:

• 🔓 On the device, the installation of themes from third-party sources is allowed (configure in Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI, Tap 7 times to unlock).
• 📥 You have a Mi Account (some thematic features require authorization).
• 🔄 Backup of important data is made - when testing themes, settings may be confused.

Step-by-step: Creating a theme design

The most creative step is designing the look, and there are no hard rules, but there are guidelines that can help you avoid mistakes.

1. Choosing a color palette

Start by choosing the primary colors. MIUI used:

• 🎨 Primary Color – the main color of the interface (buttons, highlights).
• 🖌️ Secondary Color – Additional accent (notification background, headers).
• ⚪ Background Color – background color (must be neutral to avoid fatigue of eyes).

Use tools like Coolors or Adobe Color to generate harmonious combinations. Avoid overly bright colors, which can impair readability.

2. Icon design

Icons are the face of your subject.

• 🖼️ Download the finished pack from sites like Flaticon or Icons8 (Make sure that the license allows the use of).
• ✏️ Draw your own in Figma or Illustrator (size — 192×192 pixels, format PNG transparently).
• 🔄 Modify standard icons MIUI (Change the color or add a stain).

Important: all icons should be in the same style (flat, voluminous, with shadows, etc.) Otherwise, the theme will look inconsistent.

Wallpaper and background elements

MIUI It supports dynamic wallpaper, but it's easier to use static images for custom themes:

• 📏 Permission: minimum 2160×1920 pixels (for Redmi with pixels) AMOLED-better-screen 2880×2560).
• 🎭 Styles: abstraction, gradients or minimalist drawings (avoid photos – they don’t go well with the interface).
• 🔍 Testing: Check how the wallpaper looks when the screen brightness changes.

Theme assembly: from design to MTZ-file

When all graphic elements are ready, they must be packaged in.mtz format, the only one that recognizes the graphics. MIUI. Use it for that. MIUI Theme Editor (official tool) or MTZ Theme Tool (more flexible but requires skills).

Instructions for assembly in MIUI Theme Editor

1. Download and install MIUI Theme Editor from the official website.
2. Create a new project and choose the theme type: Full Theme (full theme) or Partial Theme (partial, icons/wallpaper only).
3. Import your files to the appropriate folders: icon – application icons. wallpaper – wallpaper. style — CSS-font-modification.

Specify metadata of the topic: title, version, author (this is necessary for correct installation).

Build

.mtz

If MIUI Theme Editor doesn’t run or gives you bugs, try it:

• 🔄 Reinstall the program with administrator rights.
• 📂 Place the program folder in the root of the disk C:\ (Sometimes it helps with problems with the paths).
• 🐍 Use Python scripts for manual build (for advanced users).

Install custom theme on Xiaomi Redmi

The finished.mtz file needs to be transferred to the phone and applied. There are two ways: through the standard Theme app or manually through the file manager.

Method 1: Installation through MIUI Themes (official method)

1. Copy the.mtz file into a folder MIUI/theme internal.
2. Open the Topics app and go to My Topics → Local.
3. Select your theme and click Apply.

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 10A or Redmi 9C) Local themes may not be displayed. In this case, use the second method.

Method 2: Manual installation through ADB (skilled)

If the standard method does not work, you can apply the topic through ADB-For this, for this:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging in Settings → For Developers.
2. Open the command line and type: adb push your theme.mtz /sdcard/MIUI/theme/ adb shell am broadcast -a miui.intent.action.CHANGE_THEME --es theme_pkg_name yours
3. Reset the device.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB It can lead to disruptions in work. MIUI. If after applying the theme, the phone began to brake, reset themes to Settings → Additionally. → Resetting the topics.

Solving common problems

Even if you do everything according to the instructions, you can make mistakes, and here are the most common ways to correct them:

1. The subject does not apply or is dropped

Causes and solutions:

• 🔄 Incompatibility with the version MIUI: Make sure your theme is put together under the same version. MIUI, on the phone (for example, the topic for the MIUI 13 will not work properly on the MIUI 14).
• 📁 Damaged. MTZ-File: Reassemble the theme or download it again.
• 🔒 Manufacturer restrictions: Some Redmis have blocked local themes for global firmware. EU-firmware ADB.

2.The icons don't change.

If after applying the theme icons remained standard:

• 🔍 Check that the icon file names match the application packages (e.g. com.android.chrome.png for Chrome).
• 📦 Make sure the icons are packed in the correct folder (icon) inside MTZ-archive.
• 🔄 Reboot the launcher: pinch on the main screen → Launcher settings → Reset.

3.Theme is not working properly after the update MIUI

After the system update, custom themes often fly out.

• 📥 Save a backup of the.mtz file on your PC.
• 🔄 After the update, reinstall the theme again.
• 🚫 Avoid beta versions MIUI — They often break the theme.

💡

If the theme does not apply on Redmi with global firmware, try changing the device region to India in Settings → Additionally. → Region. Sometimes it takes away the constraints.

Advanced Features: Animations and Sounds

The basic theme changes only the visual, but MIUI It also allows customization of other elements:

1. Transition animations

You can replace the standard animations with your own.

1. Download the animation template from GitHub (for example, for window_animation or activity_open).
2. Edit files in After Effects or Blender (format.zip with sequence) PNG).
3. Add anim to your theme project and reassemble.mtz.

2. Notification sounds and system melodies

To replace the sounds:

• 🎵 Prepare audio files in.ogg format (maximum 5 seconds, bitrate 128 kbit / s).
• 📂 Put them in a folder. media/audio topic.
• 🔊 Specify the paths to the files in description.xml (case: <ringtone path="media/audio/notification.ogg"/>).

⚠️ Note: Not all Redmi models support replacing system sounds through themes. On the Redmi Note 10 Pro and later, this works consistently, and on budget models like Redmi. A2 may not work.

3 Fonts

MIUI It allows you to change fonts through themes, but with reservations:

• 🔤 The font format is.ttf or.otf.
• 📌 File size - no more than 2 MB.
• 📝 The file name must be the same as the one in description.xml (For example, font.ttf).

To test fonts, use the iFont app (available on Google Play), and then integrate your favorite option into your theme.

💡

Animations and sounds are the most resource-intensive elements of the theme. If the phone starts to warm up or discharge quickly after applying the theme, remove these components or optimize them (reduce the resolution of animations, compress the audio).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions