How to Change Icons to Xiaomi: A Complete Customization Guide

Changing the visual design of the smartphone is the first step to personalize the device, which makes interaction with the gadget more pleasant and personal. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face the desire to move away from the standard, boring kind of interface offered by the shells of MIUI or the new HyperOS. Fortunately, the Android system provides ample opportunities for changing the appearance, and the Chinese manufacturer’s branded shell has built-in tools for fine-tuning graphics.

The process of replacing graphics elements can range from simply selecting a theme in the official store to installing third-party launchers that completely change the logic of the desktop. It is important to understand that each method has its own characteristics, advantages and potential risks to system stability. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods in detail so that you can choose the best option for your model.

Before we get into action, deep customization sometimes requires additional permissions or ancillary software, but basic techniques are available to everyone immediately after unpacking the device. Let's look at the tools the system itself offers to change the visual style.

Built-in Themization Options in MIUI and HyperOS

The easiest and safest way to change the look of the interface is to use the regular Themes app, which is an official tool that is pre-installed on all devices of the brand and has access to system resources to replace graphical shells. Unlike third-party solutions, the application of themes here does not require the installation of additional software and guarantees compatibility with all elements of the system.

To access the directory, you need to open the Topic app on your desktop or find it in the Tools folder. At the bottom of the screen is a navigation bar where you need to select the Profile tab (a human icon), which hides advanced settings that allow you to manage the design components separately from the whole themes.

• 🎨 Click on the “Themes” section in your profile to see a list of all the designs you’ve ever uploaded, including the standard ones.
• ⚙️ Select “Set up theme” to access detailed editing of individual interface elements.
• 📱 In the settings menu, you can separately replace icons, wallpaper, lock screen, notification sounds and system fonts.
• 🔄 After selecting the desired set of icons, click “Apply” to make the changes effective immediately.

It's important to understand that depending on the firmware region (China, Global, EEA), the theme directory may differ. If your region has a limited theme store, you can change the region in your phone settings to India or Nepal, which often opens up more free content, but after applying the theme, it's better to bring the region back to work properly for some local services.

Using third-party launchers for complete freedom

If you don't have the built-in capabilities, or if you want to get an interface that's as close to pure Android as possible, third-party launchers will come to the rescue. These are desktop replacement apps that take full control of the home screen, taskbar, and app menu, and installing this software is a radical but effective way to change icons to Xiaomi.

The most popular and stable solutions on the market are Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher and Smart Launcher. Once you install such an application from Google Play, the system will prompt you to choose it by default, and then you can install icon packs separately without being attached to single themes.

The main advantage of using third-party launchers is independence from system updates. Even if Xiaomi changes its security policy in the future, your launcher will continue to work. In addition, many launchers allow you to create complex gestures, customize the animation of folding applications and resize icons, which is not available in the stock shell.

⚠️ Note: Some launcher features, such as swipes at the edges of the screen or double taps to wake up, may conflict with system gestures MIUI/HyperOS. In this case, it is recommended to disable the “Advanced gestures” in the settings of the launcher itself or use classic navigation with three buttons.

For users who value performance, Niagara Launcher is a great choice. It offers a minimalist list of apps instead of a grid of icons, which greatly speeds up the search for contacts and programs. However, if your goal is visual beauty and a lot of widgets, you better stop at Nova Launcher Prime.

Manual installation of icon packages through settings

Often users download beautiful APK icon sets but don’t know how to activate them unless they use a third-party launcher. There is a hidden mechanism for using them in the MIUI and HyperOS shells through the system’s theme menu, which allows you to save your native launcher but use graphics from third-party developers.

First, download your favorite icon package (for example, from 4PDA or APKPure) and install it. After installation, do not open the application, it only needs to be stored as a graphics store. Next, go to the Themes application → Profile → Set up theme → Icons.

In the list you will see not only system sets, but also installed APK-These are usually displayed with an Android logo or a specific package icon. Choose the right option and click "Apply." The system will automatically replace the standard icons with new ones throughout the interface, including the settings menu and system notifications.

Not all apps have their own icons in third-party packages. If the developer of the package has not drawn an icon for a particular program, the system will leave a standard icon of this application. To fix this, you can use the icon editor function in the same theme menu, replacing the image manually with any photo from the gallery.

Setting up the size and font of icons

Visual desktop experience depends not only on the icon but also on its size and signature font, and in MIUI and HyperOS, these parameters are put into a separate menu that allows you to adapt the interface to any style of vision and preferences.

To change settings, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock (or simply Screen) → Text size and display. Here you will find the slider “UI Element Size.” As you move it, you will notice how not only icons change, but widgets and system menus as well.

Special attention should be paid to the typeface customization. Large, bold under the icons can make the interface more readable, but visually "weights" it. In the Topics menu → Profile → Fonts you can download and apply various types of fonts. Some fonts automatically adjust the size of the letters to the size of the icons, creating a harmonious composition.

If you use widgets, remember that changing the size of the icons can disrupt the widget grid, which requires re-placing elements on the desktop. For perfect symmetry, it is recommended to use a 5x6 or 6x6 grid, which allows you to place more elements without losing readability.

Compatibility issues and lack of icons

With active customization, users often find that after updating the system or installing a new application, the icon is not displayed correctly, this can be a standard Android grey square or a robot logo, a problem that occurs when the system cannot find a match between the application shortcut and the selected icon package.

To solve this problem, you don't have to delete the entire icon package. Just use the built-in editor. Go to Topics → Profile → Customize → Icons. In the upper right corner, there's often a search button or a list of apps. Find the problematic application and select an icon for it from the current set or upload your image.

⚠️ Note: When you update the HyperOS shell, some older icon packages may stop working properly due to changes in the structure of system files. If after updating the firmware icons “tracked”, try to reinstall the icon package or temporarily switch to a standard set, and then return the customized version.

There may also be problems with apps installed outside the official Google Play Store, which often don't have a standard icon manifesto, in which case manually replacing themes through the theme editor is the only solution. Just take a screenshot of the program's logo, crop it and install it as an icon.

Another common problem is the “duplication” of icons, when two shortcuts of the same application with different design appear on the desktop, this often happens when using app clones (Second Space or App Cloning). To remove the extra, pinch the icon and select “Delete”, but make sure that it is the shortcut, not the application itself.

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Expert advice: Before replacing icons, take a screenshot of the current location of the applications. If the widgets or shortcuts are lost after changing the icon package, you can quickly restore the structure of the desktop from the memory of the image.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The most stable way to change icons to Xiaomi is through the built-in Themes app and official packages. Third-party launchers give more freedom, but require careful setting of access rights and can conflict with system gestures.