How to remove wallpaper on Xiaomi phone: all working ways of 2026

Replacing wallpaper on Xiaomi smartphones is usually easy — just clamp your finger on your desktop and select a new background. But what if the standard wallpaper is not removed, the system forgets them after rebooting, or you want to return the original MIUI wallpaper without third-party traces? This problem most often occurs after firmware updates, reset settings or using custom launchers.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways to remove wallpaper on Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO and Black Shark – from basic settings to technical methods with ADB. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances for different versions of MIUI (12-14) and models with HyperOS. If you tried to change the background, but the phone “does not listen” – here you will find a solution.

1. Standard wallpaper reset via MIUI settings

The easiest method is to return the wallpaper to factory settings through the personalization menu.It works on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS, but may vary depending on the version of the shell.

Open Settings → Wallpaper (or Themes → Wallpaper in older versions) Here you will see three tabs:

• 📱 My wallpaper is saved user backgrounds.
• 🌄 Standard – wallpaper from Xiaomi (including dynamic and live).
• 🔍 Online - Themes from the store MIUI (Internet).

To remove the current wallpaper:

1. Slap the Standards tab.
2. Choose any factory background (e.g. MIUI Default or Abstract Blue).
3. Click Apply and confirm for Lock Screen and Main Screen.

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If the Standards tab is missing, update the Themes app in Google Play or clear its cache in Settings → Apps → Application Management → Themes → Storage.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) After the wallpaper is reset, the lock screen blur may be lost. To return the effect, go to Settings → Lock screen → Locking style → Blurring background.

2. Wallpaper removal via MIUI Launcher (for power users)

If a standard reset doesn’t work, the problem may lie in the launcher’s cache, which is suitable for devices with a MIUI Launcher (standard shell) and requires access to hidden settings.

Instructions:

1. Click on the empty space on the home screen and select Home Screen Settings (or Launcher Settings).
2. Scroll down and tap Additional (or Advanced Settings).
3. Find the item Reset wallpaper (in English firmware – Reset wallpaper) and confirm the action.

Clear the cache of the MIUI Launcher | Disable third-party launchers (Nova, Apex) | Make a backup of the widgets |Reboot the phone after reset-->

🔧 Technical nuance: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 13.5 for Xiaomi 12T) The wallpaper drop point is hidden. To activate it, execute a command through ADB:

adb shell pm grant com.miui.home android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Then restart the phone and repeat the steps.

3. Reset via the Themes app (if wallpaper is "stuck")

Xiaomi’s Themes app is not only responsible for design, but also for managing wallpaper. If the screen background doesn’t change or is displayed incorrectly (e.g. stretched or cropped), the problem may be that the app fails.

How to eliminate:

1. Open the topics and go to the My section. → Wallpaper.
2. Hold your finger against the current background and choose Remove (or Reset).
3. If there is no button, tap the three dots in the upper right corner and select Reset to the factory.

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Redmi) K70) Themes can be called Styles, and the functionality is the same, but the interface is simplified.

4 Manual deletion of wallpaper files (for advanced)

If the wallpaper is not removed through the interface, it can be manually erased through the file manager, a method that requires root rights or access to system folders via ADB.

Where are the wallpapers stored on Xiaomi:

To remove the wallpaper:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and activate Debugging via USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times, then Additional → For Developers → Debugging via USB).
2. Use an ADB or root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer).
3. Remove files from the folders listed in the table (especially wallpaper_info.xml).
4. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Removing files from /system/ If you don't have root rights, you can crash the launcher. If you've manipulated the phone, you can reset the launcher through the phone. ADB:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

5.Disposal of wallpaper through ADB (Universal Method)

If previous methods didn’t work, use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the POCO F5 and Black Shark 5, where standard settings are locked.

Step-by-step:

1. Install Platform Tools on your PC.
2. Connect your phone to your computer and allow debugging (Always allow from this computer).
3. Open the command line in the adb.exe folder and do:

adb shell settings put global wallpaper_path""


adb shell settings put global lockscreen_wallpaper_path""

These commands will reset paths to the wallpaper for the home screen and lock screen.

For a complete reset, also do:

adb shell pm clear com.android.wallpaper


adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

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ADB commands work even on locked bootloaders, but require USB debugging enabled. If the wallpaper does not reset after execution, check if there is a third-party launcher (for example, Nova Launcher) installed that override the MIUI settings.

6. Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

If none of the methods worked, then hard reset will delete all user data, including wallpaper, but return the phone to a "clean" state.

How to reset:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Erase all data.
2. Enter a password (if required) and confirm the action.
3. Wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Note: HyperOS devices (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra) may require re-assignment of your Mi Account after reset. If you forget your password, use the official website to recover your Mi Account.

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Before reset, save important data (photos, contacts) through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup. This will allow you to recover information after the reset without loss.

Frequent problems and solutions

In this section, we have collected typical errors that occur when trying to remove wallpaper on Xiaomi, and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Wallpaper is reset, but after the reset comes back.

• 🔄 Cause: Failure of the Themes or Launcher application.
• 🛠 Solution: Clear cache and application data Topics and MIUI Launcher in settings.

Problem 2: You can't remove the live wallpaper.

• 🔄 Reason: Live wallpaper is protected by the system and not removed by standard methods.
• 🛠 Solution: Set static wallpaper on top of living, then perform reset through ADB (section).

Problem 3: After the wallpaper was dropped, the widgets disappeared.

• 🔄 Reason: Launcher reset (MIUI Home) removes user screen settings.
• 🛠 Solution: Restore widgets manually or use backup (if you have backups).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions