How to change the clock on the lock screen Xiaomi: all the ways and hidden settings

Xiaomi’s lock screen is not just about protecting your smartphone, but it’s also an important interface element that you see dozens of times a day, displaying not only the time, but also the style of your device, from a minimalist digital format to animated analog dials. However, many users of Redmi, POCO or Mi face a problem: standard MIUI settings do not always allow you to flexibly adjust the display of time, and some options are hidden in the depths of the system.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can change your clock on your lock screen, from basic settings in the Themes menu to hidden settings through ADB and third-party launchers, learn how to change format (12/24 hours), style (digital/analog), color, and even add seconds or date, and also uncover customization secrets for unlocked bootloaders, where advanced themes from developers are available.

Important: instructions are current for MIUI 12-14 (including global and Chinese versions). If your smartphone is running on older firmware, some items may be missing - update the system through Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI.

1. Basic settings of the clock through the menu "Themes"

The easiest way to change the look of the watch is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which work on all Xiaomi smartphones without root rights and additional programs.

Go to Settings → Lock screen (or Settings → Themes → Lock screen in some versions of MIUI). Here you will see a few tabs:

• 🎨 Watch style: choice between digital and analog formats, POCO F4) Animated dials with effects are available.
• ⏰ Time format: switching between 12-clockwork (AM/PM) and 24-clockwork.
• 📅 Date: Displaying the day of the week or full date under the clock.
• 🎨 Color: Color settings for numbers (not available on all topics).

Please note that some options may be blocked if you use a standard MIUI theme. To unlock additional styles, download an alternative theme from the official store (Themes → Online). For example, the Pure or Dark Mode theme offers advanced watch settings.

⚠️ Attention: After changing the theme, the lock screen may temporarily slow down, which is normal. The system caches new elements for 5-10 minutes. If the lag persists longer, restart the device.

Backup your current theme (Settings → Themes → My themes → Save)

Check the version of MIUI (Settings → About the phone)

Connect to Wi-Fi to download new themes

Close background applications (to avoid failures when applying themes)-->

2. Hidden settings through the “Function Lab”

MIUI hides some of the options in the Experimental Function Lab, where you can turn on the second display on your watch or change the time font.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5-7 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You are a developer!” appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and find a new item Advanced Settings → Functions Lab.
4. Activate the option to Show seconds on the lock screen (if available).

On some devices (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+) in the lab, a clock animation setting is also available, which adds a smooth change in numbers as time changes.

3.Chronicle modifications with third-party launchers

If the built-in MIUI capabilities aren't enough, use third-party launchers, which allow you to customize the lock screen without root rights, but require the installation of additional modules.

Best options:

• 📱 Nova Launcher + Sesame Lockscreen: supports watch widgets with seconds, custom fonts and animations. POCO X3 newer.
• 🎨 Action Launcher: Offers built-in watch styles with the ability to change color and size.
• 🔧 KWGT Kustom Widget: for advanced users, allows you to create a unique design of the watch from scratch (requires skills to work with an editor).

Example of settings through Nova Launcher:

1. Install Nova Launcher and Sesame Lockscreen from Google Play.
2. In Nova settings, select Lock Screen → Sesame.
3. From the Sesame menu, go to Widgets → Watch and choose your favorite style.
4. Customize the color, size and additional elements (date, weather).

⚠️ Warning: Third-party launchers may conflict with system updates MIUI. After the firmware update, the lock screen may reset to a standard view. To avoid this, before upgrading, turn off battery optimization for the launcher in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Nova Launcher → Battery → No restrictions.

4. Manual editing of system files (for advanced)

If you’re willing to take risks, you can change the clock by editing system files, a method that requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights (or temporary access via Magisk).

The main files responsible for the clock on the lock screen:

Example of editing via Magisk:

1. Install Magisk and MT Manager (root file manager).
2. Move to the /system/vendor/overlay and find the file. lock_clock.overlay.
3. Open it in the text editor and change the settings: bool config_24hour = true // for 24-color-format lockscreen_time_color = #FFFFFFFF // white-coloured
4. Save the file, restart the device.

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Before editing system files, backup via TWRP or OrangeFox Recovery, which will restore the smartphone to work in case of an error.

5.Using ADB for Hidden Settings

If you don't have root rights, but you have a computer, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to change some of the clock settings, which works on most Xiaomi devices with USB debugging enabled.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (tap 7 times) → Additional settings → Developer settings.
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global lock_screen_clock_style 1 where 1 — digital, 2 — analog.
3. To change the color of the watch (only on some firmware): adb shell settings put global lock_screen_clock_color "#FF0000" // red

The full list of available commands for the watch:

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB Xiaomi’s Chinese firmware (e.g. Mi Pilot) may not work due to restrictions MIUI. Try to perform adb shell pm grant com.android.settings first. android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

6.Castomization through the Xposed Framework (for enthusiasts)

If you use the Xposed Framework (requires an unlocked bootloader), modules are available to deep-tuning the clock, a method suitable for power users, as improper installation can lead to bootloop (locked device on).

Popular modules:

• ⚙️ MiuiLockscreen: allows you to change the font, add shade, configure time change animation.
• 🎨 Lockscreen Customizer: Supports custom dials, seconds, date and even weather on the lock screen.
• 🔧 GravityBox [MM]: versatile module for fine tuning MIUI, including the transparency of the clock and its position.

Installation instructions:

1. Install Xposed Installer and activate it in Magisk.
2. Download a module (such as MiuiLockscreen) and install it via Xposed.
3. Restart the device and open the module settings.
4. In the Clock Settings section, set up: Time format (24h/12h), Color and font (Font Style), Position (Position Offset).

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Xposed Framework may conflict with MIUI updates. Before a firmware update, disable all modules via Magisk to avoid crashes.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

When changing the clock on the lock screen, Xiaomi users often encounter typical errors.

• ❌ Watches not updated: Check time settings in Settings → System system → Date and time. If Autodetermination is enabled but the clock is standing, try manually selecting a time zone.
• ❌ Reset settings after the update: MIUI Sometimes it drops custom themes. To avoid this, export the theme to Topics before updating. → My subjects. → Exports.
• ❌ No Seconds option in settings: On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A) This is a feature that's disabled at the firmware level. ADB Xposed.
• ❌ Watches not displayed in full: This is due to conflict of topics. Set a standard theme MIUI, Then re-apply the custom.

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the lock screen settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find System Settings (or Settings) and select Storage → Clear Data.
3. Confirm action. Attention: This will reset all the display settings, including wallpaper and brightness.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions