Round icons on Xiaomi: how to turn on in 2 minutes (all ways)

Are you tired of the square angular icons on your Xiaomi and want to give your desktop a modern look with smooth round icons? This feature is available in MIUI firmware, but not everyone knows how to activate it. Depending on the smartphone model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11 Lite, etc.) and the version of MIUI (13/14/15), the ways to include round icons can vary from standard theme settings to hidden developer settings.

In this article, we'll discuss 5 working methods, including little-known tricks for older versions of MIUI, where the option of round icons is hidden deeper, you'll learn how to change the shape of icons without root rights, what themes support this feature, and what to do if after updating the system icons became square again, and how to return everything back if you didn't like round icons.

1. Standard method through theme settings (MIUI 12–15)

The simplest method that works on most modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI 12 firmware and later, is where round icons are enabled through the built-in personalization settings:

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to My profile → Settings → Shape of icons.
3. Choose the Round (or Squircle – rounded squares) option.
4. Confirm the changes – the icons on the desktop and in the application menu will become round.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) This item may not be available, in which case, try updating the Themes app via Google Play or using alternative methods from the following sections.

If after changing the shape of the icons look careless (for example, cut edges or artifacts appear), try:

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone – sometimes the system applies changes only after a reboot.
• 🎨 Replace the topic with a standard (e.g, MIUI Default and back.
• 📱 Clear the cache of the “Themes” application in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

2. Hidden configuration in the Functions Lab (for MIUI 11 and older)

On smartphones with MIUI 11-12.5 (e.g. Mi 9T, Redmi Note 8 Pro), the round icon option can be hidden in the experimental section to find it:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5-7 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and select a new section Additional → Functions Lab.
4. Find the icon form or Icon Shape option and select Circle.

On some firmware, this item is called “Adaptive icons” – its inclusion will automatically apply rounded shapes to all icons.

3. Use of third-party launchers (for any version of MIUI)

If the built-in methods don’t work, the most reliable way is to install an alternative launcher from Google Play.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Press and hold the empty space on the desktop → Settings.
3. Go to the Appearance. → Icon style.
4. Select Adaptive and set the Circle form.
5. Apply the changes and restart the launcher.

Remove unnecessary widgets from the desktop |

Backup of current MIUI settings |

Check the compatibility of the launcher with your version of Android|

Disable battery optimization for launcher (in application settings)-->

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g, POCO F3 or Redmi K40) launcher MIUI If you have a lag after installing a new launcher, try turning off animations in the developer settings (Settings) → Additionally. → For developers → Animation. = Off.).

4. Manual modification via ADB (for power users)

If your smartphone does not support round icons at the software level, but runs on Android 10+, you can force the adaptive icons to activate via ADB. This method requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Platform Tools (includes adb).
2. Activate USB Debugging in the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 taps → Developer Mode → Debugging by USB).
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and perform at the terminal:

adb shell settings put secure icon_shape 1

Where:

• 1 - round icons (Squircle).
• 0 - square (standard)
• 2 - rounded squares (on some firmware).

Once you have completed the command, restart the device. If the icons have not changed, try to enter:

adb shell pm grant com.miui.home android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

💡

If the team does not work, check if access to the WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS in your version MIUI. In this case, only the root or change of the launcher will help.

5. Installation of custom theme with round icons

The Xiaomi theme store has hundreds of free and paid themes with round icons.

1. Open the Topic app.
2. Go to the Topics section and search for “round icons” or “round icons.”
3. Choose your favorite theme (e.g. RoundUI, CircleOS, iOS Style) and apply it.

Please note:

• 🎨 Some themes only change icons, not the entire interface.
• 🔒 Paid themes often offer more rounding options (e.g., adjusting radius).
• ⚙️ After applying the theme, check the icons’ shape settings – sometimes they are reset.

⚠️ Attention: Custom themes may contain ads or collect data. Before installing, read the reviews and ratings of the theme. If after applying the theme, the smartphone starts to slow down, return the standard theme and clear the cache of the Themes app».

💡

Round icon themes are often updated – if icons have become square again after the MIUI update, check for updates for your theme in the store.

6.What to do if round icons are not used?

If none of the methods worked, the problem may lie in the following:

If you use Xiaomi with Global ROM, some personalization features may be trimmed compared to China ROM.

• 🔄 Transition to China ROM (requires unlocking the loader).
• 📱 Install custom firmware (for example, xiaomi.eu), where all settings are unlocked.

FAQ: Frequent questions about round icons on Xiaomi