Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the desire to change the standard visual style of the device. The MIUI shell or the new HyperOS offers a lot of themes, but sometimes users want to just leave a clean background or return the original image by removing the downloaded image. The deletion process depends on how the wallpaper was installed: through system settings, a third-party app or theme.
In this article, we will take a look at all the possible scenarios you may encounter, learn how to force reset your lock screen settings if standard methods don’t work, and how to get rid of the intrusive wallpaper carousel ads. Complete removal of custom wallpaper often requires cleaning the cache of the Themes system app. Be prepared for some steps to require careful attention, as the interfaces of different versions of Android may differ.
Before you start, it’s important to understand the difference between installing wallpaper on the home screen and lock screen. Often users change one thing, forgetting the other, which creates a feeling of incompleteness. Below we’ll look at the methods that will help you return the device to a tidy look or prepare it for sale.
Standard removal through system settings
The easiest and safest way to get back a standard image is to use the built-in operating system tools, which is suitable for most users who just installed the image from the gallery and now want to get rid of it, you don't need root access or a computer connection.
To start, you need to go to the settings menu of your device. Find the section responsible for the appearance, which, depending on the firmware version, can be called “Wallpaper” or located inside the “lock screen and wallpaper” item.
Choose any system option you like, or a standard black/grey background if your goal is minimalism. Once you confirm your choice, the system will automatically replace the current image on all desktops and lock screens. If you used live wallpaper, you can also turn them off by selecting a static image.
- 🖼️ Go to Settings. → Wallpaper for quick access to the image library.
- 🔄 Click on the preview of any standard background to activate its replacement.
- ✅ Confirm the action with the button “Apply” or “Install wallpaper».
⚠️ Note: If after selecting a new background on the home screen, the image on the lock screen has not changed, repeat the procedure separately for each screen type. The wallpaper selection menu often has a switch between the Home screen and the Lock screen».
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System replacement of wallpaper does not delete the image file from the memory of the phone, but only changes the link on which the system refers to the background pattern.
Deletion through the Gallery app
Often users install wallpaper directly from the Gallery app by opening a photo they like, in which case the image file remains in the device's memory, and deleting it through settings may not be obvious. To completely remove such wallpaper, you need to find the original file.
Open the Gallery app and go to the album where your images are stored. Find the photo that is currently being used as a background. If you don't remember which picture is worth, try to remember the approximate installation time or visual features of the image.
Select the photo and press the delete button, the system will warn you that the image will be moved to the cart or deleted permanently, after which the background can turn black or automatically switch to the standard system, as the original file will be destroyed.
In some cases, especially on older versions of MIUI, deleting a file from the gallery doesn't change the wallpaper instantly if they're cached.You'll then need to reboot the device or re-set the standard background through the settings as described in the previous section.
- 📂 Open the Gallery and find the album Camera or Download».
- 🗑️ Select an image and click the basket icon to delete.
- 🔍 Check the folder “Recently deleted” to make room for the final time.
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Before removing a photo from the gallery, make a copy of it on your computer or in the cloud if you doubt that this file will no longer be needed.
How to turn off the wallpaper carousel
One of the most annoying features for many users is Lock Screen Magazine, a service that automatically changes images on the lock screen and often contains ad integrations, which cannot be removed by replacing the background as it is a separate service.
To disable this feature, you need to go to the lock screen settings. The path may differ: Settings → Lock screen or Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. Find a item called “Wallpaper Carousel” or “Wallpaper Rotation”.
Inside this menu, you'll see a service activation switch. Turn it to "Off." The system may try to convince you to leave the feature by offering to adjust the shift frequency or theme, but you have to insist on yours and choose to turn off.
Once the service is turned off, the lock screen will stop changing pictures, and you can set a static image of your choice, which will also help save battery power, since the background service will no longer consume resources to download new images.
⚠️ Note: Some global firmware versions may have the carousel shutdown item hidden or otherwise named, such as "Recommendations on lock screen.
Reset theme settings to return the standard
If you installed a third-party theme from the Themes app, it could change not only the wallpaper, but also icons, fonts and sounds, and simply removing the picture in this case will not return the phone to its original appearance, since the theme continues to be active in the system.
To remove all the changes that the theme has made, you need to go back to the classic style. Open the Theme app (an icon with a brush or flower) Go to the user profile by clicking on the person icon in the lower right corner.
Select the "Themes" section. Here you will see a list of installed designs. Find a theme called "Classic", "Default" or "Standard" (usually marked with the default icon). Click on it and select "Apply" button.
This operation will force all visual changes to factory settings. All custom wallpaper set by the theme will be replaced with stock images provided by Xiaomi developers for your model.
- 🎨 Launch the Themes app on the desktop.
- 👤 Go to the profile and select the tab “Themes».
- ⬅️ Find a standard theme and click “Apply».
What to do if there is no standard theme?
Removal of live wallpaper and video backgrounds
Live Wallpapers are dynamic images that can move when you touch or tilt a device, and they consume more CPU and battery than static images, and you can delete them by replacing them with a normal photo.
The process is similar to setting a static background, but with an important nuance: When you go to the wallpaper selection menu, flip through the categories to the end or select the "Live Wallpaper" section, there will be a choice of "No" or "Photo" that will allow you to switch to static mode.
If the live wallpaper was installed through a third-party app from Google Play, one switch may not be enough.You need to find this application in the list of installed programs and remove it to free up space and remove the process from memory.
It is also worth checking the power saving settings. Once the live wallpaper is removed, the system can continue showing it in preview or cache, and it is recommended that the Wallpaper app cache be cleared through the application management menu.
| Wallpaper type | Battery consumption | Difficulty in removal | Where to find out. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static | Low. | Easy. | Gallery/Settings |
| Live (systemic) | Medium. | Middle-Average | Settings → Wallpaper |
| Live (third-party) | High-pitched | Hardly. | Google Play / Apps / Google Play / Apps |
| carousel | Medium. | Middle-Average | Lock screen |
⚠️ Warning: After removing the live wallpaper app, remember to re-select a static background in the screen settings, otherwise a black square or error message may appear on the display.
☑️ Checklist for full wallpaper cleaning
Solving problems: if the wallpaper is not removed
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the wallpaper is not deletionable or constantly returns, this can be caused by errors in the launcher, damage to system files or application conflict.
The first step in this situation is to clean up the Topic and Wallpaper app data. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Themes and Wallpaper on the list. Click on each and select Clear → Clear Everything.
After this procedure, the phone may restart or the interface will blink, the standard settings will be reset, and if the problem persists, check if you have an antivirus application or an optimizer that blocks changes to system files.
In extreme cases, if nothing works, you can reset all settings to factory settings. Importantly, before you do this, make sure to back up all important data, as this operation will delete all your files, contacts and applications.
- 🔧 Go to application management and find the system components of the interface.
- 🧹 Perform a complete data cleanup for the “Themes” and “Wallpaper” applications».
- 🔄 Reboot your smartphone to apply changes.
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Cleaning up the system interface applications data is a secure procedure that doesn’t delete your personal photos or contacts, but resets visual settings.