How to return a standard theme to Xiaomi: 3 working ways

Xiaomi’s smartphone design theme is not just a background image, but a whole range of visual elements: icons, fonts, animations, and even system notification sounds. Over time, users install dozens of custom themes from the Mi Theme Store, but not all of them are convenient. A logical question arises: how to return the factory theme that was originally? Especially true after unsuccessful design experiments, when the interface becomes too motley or unreadable.

In this article, we will discuss three proven ways to reset a theme to a standard: through the settings menu, using the built-in theme editor, and the radical method of completely resetting to factory settings. Each option is suitable for different situations: from a quick return to default to deep cleaning of the system from traces of custom themes. It is important to understand that the procedure may differ depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13, 14 or HyperOS) and the model of the smartphone – for example, on the Redmi Note 12 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, the paths in the menu can vary slightly.

If you encounter a bug where the theme resets itself after a reboot, or if the icons are displayed curved, there is a section at the end of the article with solutions to typical problems, and we have collected answers to frequent questions in the FAQ block, where you can break down the nuances for specific models, such as the POCO F5 or Black Shark 5.

Method 1: Reset theme through MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to return a standard theme through the settings menu, which works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with current firmware versions (from MIUI 11 and later), the main advantage of this method is that it does not affect user data and does not require superuser rights (root).

Step instructions:

1. Open the Themes app (an icon with a brush and palette). If it is not on the home screen, search the system (Conductor → Search → Themes).
2. In the bottom panel, click on the tab “My” (or “My themes” in older versions).
3. Scroll down the list of installed themes and find the item “Standard” (or “Default”). On some firmware, it may be called MIUI Default.
4. Tap on a standard topic and click "Apply" button. The system will request confirmation, agree.
5. Wait until the process is complete (usually takes 10 to 30 seconds). A smartphone can briefly "suppress" - this is normal.

If a standard theme is not listed, try updating the Themes app via Google Play or Mi App Store. In rare cases, cleaning the app's cache helps:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Topics.
• 🧹 Click on Clear Cache and Clear Data (Warning: This Will Delete All Downloaded Themes!).
• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone and try again.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global for the European region, the standard theme may be called Mi Fan Festival or Minimalism. It's not a bug, that's how the manufacturer designates "basic" design for a specific localization.

Method 2: Using Mi Theme Editor (for power users)

If a standard theme doesn’t appear on the list or you want to completely remove traces of custom themes, you can use the built-in Mi Theme Editor.This tool allows you not only to create your own themes, but also manage installed design packages.

Important: The theme editor is hidden by default in MIUI. To activate it, you need to run a special command through ADB or use third-party utilities like Activity Launcher.

Option A: Through Activity Launcher (without root)

• 📲 Install Activity Launcher from Google Play.
• 🔍 Open it and enter ThemeEditor in the search bar.
• 🎨 In the results, search for theactivity called com.android.themes.editor.ThemeEditorActivity and run it.
• 🗑️ In the editor, go to the “Theme Management” tab, select all custom themes and click “Delete».
• 🔄 Restart the smartphone – the system will automatically apply the standard design.

Option B: Through ADB (for advanced)

If you have access to ADB (for example, via a computer), follow the command:

adb shell am start -n com.android.themes/.editor.ThemeEditorActivity

This will open the theme editor directly, and the next steps are similar to the Activity Launcher.

Install Activity Launcher or Configure it ADB

Make a backup copy of important data

Battery charge of at least 50%

Disable the ad blocker (may interfere with the work of the editor)-->

⚠️ Attention: Removing themes through the editor is irreversible - you can only restore deleted packages by re-downloading from the Mi Theme Store. If you used paid themes, you will have to buy them again!

Method 3: Complete reset (radical reset)

If the first two methods didn’t work, or you encountered system glitches after installing custom themes (e.g., missing icons, no animations, crashing apps), the radical way is to reset to factory settings, which will return the smartphone to the “out of the box” state, including the standard theme, but delete all user data.

Before discharge, it is mandatory:

• 📱 Make a backup copy through Settings → The phone. → Backup.
• 🔐 Make sure you know the username and password from your Mi Account – after reset, you will need authorization.
• 🔋 Battery charge of at least 70%.

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Erase all data” (or “Factory settings”).
3. Confirm the action by entering a pattern lock or PIN-code.
4. Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-15 minutes).

Once reset, you'll be asked to set the device up as new. At the theme selection stage, just skip this step, and the system will automatically apply the standard design.

Solving typical problems after resetting the topic

Even after successfully returning to the standard theme, users sometimes encounter bugs, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

1. app icons left behind from an old theme

It's because of the icon caching in the launcher.

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone.
• 🧹 Clear the launcher's cache: Settings → Annexes → Launcher (MIUI Launcher) → Clear the cache.
• 📥 If it doesn’t work, install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher) and go back to the standard launcher.

2.Theme resets after rebooting

It's the fault of the service to those.

• 🛠️ Resetting the settings of the “Themes” application: Settings → Annexes → Topics → Warehouse → Reset.
• 📋 Access rights verification: Settings → Permits → Auto-start → Include for “Themes».

3. Animations or fonts are not working

If you lose the animations or change the font after resetting the theme, you can optimise MIUI to save power.

• ⚡ Turn off the battery mode: Settings → Battery → Battery mode → Standard.
• 🔤 Reset the fonts: Settings → Screen. → font → Standard.

💡

If you lose your lock and home screen wallpaper after resetting the theme, go to Settings → Wallpaper and select the standard wallpaper manually. The system sometimes doesn’t restore it automatically.

Features for different Xiaomi models

The process of resetting the theme may vary slightly depending on the model of the smartphone and the version of MIUI. Consider the nuances for popular devices:

Redmi Note 11/12, POCO X4/X5

On these models, the standard theme is often called Minimalism or Fresh. If it's not on the list, try:

• Update the Mi Theme Store to the latest version.
• Change the region in your Mi Account to India (there are more options for standard themes).

Xiaomi 12/13/14, Mix 4

Flagship models have advanced theme settings to return default:

1. Open “Themes” → “My” → “Settings” (cog in the upper right corner).
2. Select "Reset to Standard".

Black Shark 5/6

On Black Shark gaming smartphones, the themes are managed through JoyUI's proprietary software. To reset the design:

• 🎮 Go to Settings. → Personalization → Topics.
• 🔙 Click on "Restore by default».

💡

On HyperOS devices (such as Xiaomi 14), the standard theme is integrated deeper into the system, and may require a firmware update to the latest version to reset it.

How to create a backup of the current theme

Before you reset the theme to standard, it is recommended to keep the current design - especially if you have spent time setting it up. MIUI has a built-in tool for exporting themes:

1. Open the “Themes” app and go to the “Mys” tab.
2. Find an active topic and tap on it.
3. In the upper right corner, press three dots («⋮») and select "Export».
4. The theme will be saved as a file with the.mtz extension in the Downloads/Themes folder.

To recap the theme:

• Copy the.mtz file back to your smartphone.
• Open it through “Themes” → “Import”.

⚠️ Note: Exported themes may not display correctly after update MIUI, Because newer firmware versions sometimes change the structure of the theme packages!

FAQ: Frequent questions about resetting themes on Xiaomi