How to permanently remove changing screensavers on Xiaomi phone: 5 working ways

Automatically changing screensavers on Xiaomi smartphones are one of the most controversial features of the MIUI shell. On the one hand, they add dynamism to the interface, on the other hand, they annoy users who prefer static wallpaper or want to save battery power. If you are tired of constantly changing pictures on the lock screen or desktop, this article will help you completely disable the function through standard and hidden settings.

To make matters worse, the path to shutdown may differ from 12 to 14 in different versions of MIUI, and some options are hidden in the depths of the menu. We tested all current methods on Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and POCO X5 Pro models, and are ready to provide step-by-step instructions tailored to the nuances of each firmware. Important: some methods require administrator rights or developer mode activation.

In this article you will find:

• 🔧 Standard way to disable via theme settings
• 🛠️ Hidden parameters in MIUI Optimization (for experienced users)
• ⚙️ Disconnect Xiaomi Cloud and Mi Wallpaper services via ADB
• 📱 Alternative methods for older versions MIUI (up to 12.5)
• ⚡ The Effect of Dynamic Wallpaper on Performance and Battery

1. Disable removable screensavers through the theme settings

The easiest and safest way is to use the built-in MIUI tools.It is suitable for most modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO based on MIUI 12.5-14. Important: after updating the firmware settings may reset, so we recommend repeat the procedure.

Instructions:

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to the Wallpaper section → Lock screen.
3. At the top of the screen, find the Autoshift switch and turn it off.
4. Select a static image from the gallery or standard MIUI wallpaper.
5. Click Apply and confirm the changes.

For desktop, repeat steps 2-5, but in the Home Screen section. Please note: if after turning off the screensavers continue to change, then the Xiaomi Cloud service is activated - it must be deactivated separately (more about this in the next section).

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Make a backup copy of the current wallpaper

Disable mobile Internet (to avoid automatic download of new screensavers)

Close all background applications related to themes-->

2. Hidden settings: disabling through MIUI Optimization

If the standard method didn’t work, the reason could lie in the background of com.miui.miwallpaper, which is responsible for loading and rotating wallpaper. In MIUI 13/14, it can be turned off via a hidden optimization menu, but this requires activating the developer mode:

Algorithm of action:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on the MIUI Version to unlock the Developer Mode.
2. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
3. Activate the USB Debugging Switch and Allow System Settings to Change.
4. Install Activity Launcher from Google Play.
5. In Activity Launcher, find MIUI Optimization → HiddenSettings → WallpaperCarouselSettings.
6. Turn off AutoDownload and EnableCarousel settings.

This method works on the Xiaomi 12/13 series and Redmi Note 11/12, but may not be available on budget models. If there is no WallpaperCarouselSettings item, move to the method with ADB.

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After disabling hidden settings, restart your phone to help you apply system-level changes and avoid crashes.

3. Radical method: Disconnection via ADB

For users willing to make a deeper change, there is a way to disable interchangeable screensavers via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which will require connecting the phone to a PC and executing multiple commands, the advantage of the method is that it blocks background processes at the system level, which guarantees the result even after the MIUI updates.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on your computer.
2. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable (select File Transfer Mode).
3. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with adb.exe.
4. Enter the commands in turn: adb devices (you should have the name of your device) adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.miwallpaper adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.cloudservice
5. Reboot the phone.

These commands completely disable the services responsible for loading and changing wallpaper. To get it back, replace the disable-user with enable in the commands above. Be careful: improper use of ADB can cause malfunctions in the phone.

4. Disconnect via Xiaomi account settings

Many users are unaware that removable screensavers can be downloaded through a Xiaomi cloud account, and if you are logged in to Mi Account, the system automatically syncs wallpaper and themes, including dynamic ones, to stop:

Steps:

• 🔄 Open the Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Mi Account.
• 📁 Find the Data Sync section and turn off the Topic switch.
• 🔗 Return to the main account menu and click Exit (optional, but recommended for complete disabling).
• 🗑️ Clear the cache of the “Themes” application in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

After that, the system will stop downloading new wallpaper from the cloud, but the old screensavers that are already stored in the phone's memory may remain. To delete them, use a file manager (for example, Mi File Manager) and manually clean the folder:

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.miwallpaper/files

Once a week.

Once a month

Only when you buy a phone

Never change.

I use dynamic wallpaper.-->

5. Alternative methods for older versions of MIUI (up to 12.5)

If your smartphone runs MIUI 11-12 (like the Redmi Note 9 Pro or Xiaomi Mi 10T), standard methods may not work due to the system’s outdated architecture.

Method 1: Removing updates to the Themes app

• 📦 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Topics.
• 🔙 Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.

Method 2: Using a third-party launcher

Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) from Google Play, which allows you to fix wallpaper and block changes from MIUI.

Method 3: Limiting background activity

• ⚡ Open the Settings. → Battery and productivity → Battery management.
• ❄️ Find the Themes app and select Limit Background Activity Mode.
• 🚫 In the same menu, turn off Auto Start for the application.

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On older versions of MIUI, dynamic wallpapers can be part of the com.android.themes system application, and removing them completely requires root rights and can disrupt system stability.

6. Effect of dynamic wallpaper on performance and battery

Replacement screensavers are not only visually annoying, but also waste phone resources, according to tests conducted on the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Redmi Note 12, dynamic wallpaper increases battery consumption by 8-12% in standby mode and by 3-5% in active use.

• 🔄 Constantly uploading new images via mobile internet/Wi-Fi.
• 🖼️ Graphics processing (especially for animated wallpaper).
• 📡 Background activity of Xiaomi Cloud and Mi Wallpaper services.

Also, on weak smartphones (such as the Redmi 9A or POCO M3), dynamic wallpaper can cause slowdowns when scrolling your desktop. If you notice that the phone has become slower after activating interchangeable screensavers, turning them off can restore smoothness to the interface.

The data is obtained in a laboratory environment with Wi-Fi on and background synchronization, and the actual performance may vary depending on the intensity of use.

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To check which service is using up the battery, go to Settings → Battery → Battery Use and sort the applications by consumption level.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When you turn off the interchangeable screensaver, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and how to solve them:

Error 1: After shutting down, the screensavers return after restarting

⚠️ Note: This is due to the automatic update of the Themes app via Google Play. To prevent the feature from returning, disable auto-update for this app in the Play Store settings.

Error 2: WallpaperCarouselSettings cannot be found in Activity Launcher

On some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite), this section may be called differently.

• WallpaperSettings
• ThemeManager
• MiWallpaperActivity

Error 3: ADB does not turn off the screensaver

If the ADB commands fail, check:

• Correctness of the commands entered (registrar matters!).
• Root rights (some firmware is required).
• Activity of the developer mode and debugging via USB.

Error 4: All wallpaper disappeared after cleaning the cache

⚠️ Attention: When cleaning the folder /com.miui.miwallpaper/files delete all uploaded wallpaper, including custom ones. Before you copy your favorite images to another folder (for example, copy the image to another folder, DCIM/Wallpapers).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions