How to change the picture on the lock screen Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

The lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone. Standard wallpaper from the manufacturer quickly squanders, and a personalized image makes the device unique. However, not everyone knows that MIUI has several ways to change the background, from basic settings to hidden features for advanced users.

In this article, we’ll break down all the current techniques for changing the image on the lock screen, including little-known tricks for older firmware and devices with limited settings. You’ll learn how to bypass standard MIUI restrictions, use live wallpaper, apply different images to lock and main screen, and what to do if the system does not retain the selected background.

Before you start, make sure your device has the latest version of MIUI installed (relevance checked in Settings → About → About → MIUI version). Some features may not be available on custom firmware or regional versions of the software (for example, for India or China).

1. Standard method through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use built-in personalization tools, which works on all Xiaomi devices with official firmware and does not require additional applications.

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on the home screen or in the app menu).
2. Go to the wallpaper section (in the lower menu).
3. Select the Lock Screen category (may be called Lockscreen in English).
4. Scroll through the list of available wallpapers or click My wallpaper to upload your own image.
5. After selecting, click Apply and confirm the change for the lock screen.

⚠️ Note: On certain devices (e.g, POCO F4 or Redmi K50) The option of using wallpaper only for the lock screen can be hidden, in which case the system will suggest using the background simultaneously for locking and the main screen.

Download the image to the DCIM or Downloads folder

Make sure the file has a resolution of at least 1080×1920 pixels.

Battery charge not less than 20% (to avoid failures)

Close all background applications (especially "Themes" and "Gallery")

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If there is no option for the lock screen in the Wallpaper section, try updating the Themes app via Google Play or MIUI App Store. On older versions. MIUI 11 and below may require manual installation APK-Application file from APKCombo.

2.Use of the gallery for rapid background change

A lesser known, but no less effective, way is to install wallpaper directly from the Gallery app, a method that is suitable for users who want to quickly apply a photo without having to click through the menu.

1. Open the gallery and find the image you want.
2. Slip through the photo to open it in full screen mode.
3. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Set as.
4. In the menu that appears, select Lock Screen Wallpaper.
5. Adjust the image’s scale and position, then click Ready.

💡 Useful tip: If the lock screen wallpaper option is not in the menu, first set the image as wallpaper for the main screen, and then go back to Settings → Wallpaper and change the lock background separately. This is a workaround for devices with limited settings.

On some models (such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro), when selecting wallpaper through the gallery, the system automatically crops the image to the screen resolution. To avoid distortion, use photos with an aspect ratio of 9:19 (for example, 1080×2280 for Full HD+ displays).

3. Different wallpaper for locking and the main screen

By default, MIUI synchronizes the lock screen wallpaper and the main screen, but since MIUI 12, it has been possible to set different images.

1. Click the empty space on the main screen and select Wallpaper.
2. At the bottom of the screen, tap the miniature of the lock screen (usually located on the right).
3. Select an image to lock, then go back and set a different background for the home screen.
4. Confirm the changes by clicking Apply.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 13/14 Android 13+ After updating the wallpaper settings system, you may reset. To avoid this, make a backup of the themes through Settings before updating. → Topics → My subjects. → Backup.

If the screen thumbnail partition is missing, your model doesn’t support this feature, and an alternative is to use third-party launchers like Nova Launcher or Hyperion Launcher, which allow you to customize wallpaper regardless of system limitations.

4. Live wallpaper and animations on the lock screen

MIUI supports dynamic wallpapers that respond to touch or change over time, to set up live wallpapers:

1. Open the Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Choose the category Live Wallpapers.
3. View the available options (e.g. Earth, Clock, Weather).
4. Slip on your favorite option and click Apply on the lock screen.

For devices with Always-On Display (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra or POCO F5 Pro), additional animations are available that display even when turned off.

1. Go to Settings → Always-On Display and lock style.
2. Choose a style with animation (e.g. Digital Watch with Effect).
3. Customize the color, font and additional elements.

🔧 Technical detail: Live wallpaper consumes additional energy. AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) Battery consumption increases by 5-10%, LCD (For example, Redmi Note 11, up to 15%. To save power, turn off animations in lock screen settings.

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If the wallpaper is slowing down, try to reduce the animation frame rate through the engineering menu. To do this, type in the Phone app code ##4636##, then go to Battery Information and select Limit Background Processes.

5. Change of wallpaper via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work (e.g., custom firmware or limited-function devices), you can use wallpaper via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge.

📌 Preparation:

• 🖥️ Install. ADB Tools on PC.
• 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 Connect the device to the computer and confirm trust in the PC.

📝 Instructions:

1. Place the desired image (e.g. wallpaper.jpg) in the platform-tools folder on your PC.
2. Open the command line in this folder and execute: adb push wallpaper.jpg /sdcard/Pictures/ adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.SET_WALLPAPER
3. On the smartphone screen, select the uploaded image and apply it to the lock screen.

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi Mi) A3 Android One: The path to lock wallpaper is different. In this case, use the command:

adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper /sdcard/Pictures/wallpaper.jpg

Critical detail: After applying wallpaper through ADB, the setting "Different wallpaper for lock screen and home screen" may be reset. To avoid this, turn off the wallpaper sync in the MIUI settings before executing commands.

Third-party applications for customization

If the built-in MIUI tools don't suit you, you can use third-party apps that offer advanced features like animations, widgets, dynamic wallpapers, and even interactive elements.

📌 Top.-3 wallpaper-box:

• 🎨 WallpapersCraft - more than 100,000 HD-scattering by subject matter.
• 🌌 Zedge – live wallpaper, sounds and icons with support for Always-On Display.
• 🖼️ Backdrops – minimalist wallpaper with manual blur and color palette setting.

🔧 How to install wallpaper through third-party applications:

1. Download and install the app from Google Play.
2. Select the image you like and click Install.
3. In the application menu, select Lock Screen (or Lock Screen) only.
4. Confirm the change and adjust the scale if necessary.

⚠️ Attention: Some applications (e.g, KWGT Kustom Widget Maker requires permission to overlay other applications. MIUI. To avoid problems, add the app to battery exclusions (Settings) → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start).

📊 Comparison of wallpaper applications:

7. Solving wallpaper change problems

Sometimes users are faced with the fact that the wallpaper on the lock screen does not change or reset after rebooting.

🔍 Problem 1: Wallpaper does not apply.

• 📂 Check that the image is in the folder DCIM or Pictures.
• 🔄 Restart the device and try again.
• 🗑️ Clear the app cache Themes (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Topics → Clear the cache).

🔍 Problem 2: Wallpaper is reset after the update.

• 📥 Before updating, back up the themes (Settings) → Topics → My subjects. → Backup).
• 🔧 Turn off automatic theme updates in Settings → Topics → Settings → Auto-update.
• 📲 Use third-party apps (such as Wallpaper Changer) that save settings regardless of system updates.

🔍 Problem 3: It is impossible to install different wallpapers for locking and the main screen.

• 📋 Check the version. MIUI — function is available starting with MIUI 12.
• 🔄 Update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🛠️ Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher) that supports separate wallpapers.

💡 Useful tip: If after changing the wallpaper, artifacts (blurring, pixelation) appear on the lock screen, try converting the image to.webp using Squoosh. MIUI takes up less space.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing wallpaper to Xiaomi

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If none of these methods worked, check if your device has a corporate policy set (for example, through Microsoft Intune or Knox), in which case the wallpaper change can be blocked by the administrator.