How to permanently remove the wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi: disable advertising and background slides

The wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most controversial features of the MIUI shell. On the one hand, it offers beautiful dynamic background images that automatically update. On the other, many users consider it an intrusive advertisement that distracts from the main content on the home screen. It is especially annoying that the carousel not only shows wallpaper, but also consumes traffic, battery power, and sometimes even loads banner ads.

If you're tired of constantly changing backgrounds, too, and want to get back to your static desktop, this article is for you. We'll take a look at all the current ways to turn off the carousel on different versions of MIUI (12 to 14), including hidden settings and radical techniques for advanced users. Importantly, some options require super-user rights (root), but most work without them.

Why is the wallpaper carousel appearing on Xiaomi and can it be removed?

The Wallpaper Carousel feature was introduced into MIUI as part of Xiaomi’s ecosystem of services, which uploads images from the company’s cloud storage, offering users:

• 🌄 Daily change of background images (landscapes, cities, abstractions)
• 📅 Topics for holidays and events (New Year, March 8, etc.)
• 🎨 Collections from partners (for example, wallpaper from National Geographic)
• 📢 Banners (in some regions)

The problem is that the default feature is on and it is hidden in the depth of the settings. Moreover, after the MIUI updates, the carousel can be activated again automatically. Depending on the smartphone model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13, etc.) and the firmware version, the ways to turn off may vary.

Can you take the carousel away forever? Yeah, but there's a nuance:

• ✅ On most devices, it is enough to turn off the function in wallpaper settings.
• ⚠️ In some models (especially with MIUI Global option may be blocked.
• 🔧 For complete removal, root rights or ADB-team.

Method 1: Disabling the carousel through wallpaper settings (without root)

The simplest and most secure method, which works on 90% of Xiaomi devices, is suitable for models Redmi 10/11/12, POCO F4/X4, Xiaomi 12T/13 Lite and others with MIUI 12-14.

Instructions:

1. Press and hold the empty space on the home screen until the menu appears.
2. Select Wallpaper (or Wallpapers in English firmware).
3. At the bottom of the screen, tap the icon. ⚙️ Settings (or Settings).
4. Find the Wallpaper Carousel option and move the slider to the off position.
5. Confirm the action if a warning appears.

If the item Carousel wallpaper is not on the menu, try:

• 🔍 Scroll down the settings list – sometimes the option is hidden.
• 🔄 Reboot your phone and repeat the steps.
• 📱 Update the firmware to the latest version (in new versions) MIUI settings may change).

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global for the European region) the option to disable the carousel may be blocked.

Method 2: Remove the carousel via ADB (without root but with PC)

If the standard method does not work, you can turn off the carousel using ADB-It doesn't require superuser rights, but it does require a computer and USB-cable.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap according to the version → return to → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB Tools (download from the official website).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and allow debugging (the phone will have a request).
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with adb.exe.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Run the command to disable the carousel: adb shell pm hide com.miui.miwallpaper If it doesn't work, try: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.miwallpaper
5. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI The carousel can come back. In this case, repeat the procedure. Also, some commands can reset when the phone is reset to factory settings.

💡

If ADB Does not recognize the device, try reinstalling Xiaomi drivers or using another USB-Port. macOS/Linux You may need to add rules for udev.

Method 3: Disable via Mi Account settings (for Chinese firmware)

On devices with Chinese firmware (MIUI China), the wallpaper carousel is often tied to the Mi Account. You can turn it off through synchronization settings.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Go to Account Settings → Synchronization.
3. Find Wallpaper and turn off synchronization.
4. Return to the wallpaper menu (as in Method 1) and check if the carousel has disappeared.

If there is no option:

• 🔄 Try to log out of your Mi Account and log in again.
• 📵 Turn off mobile internet and Wi-Fi for 10-15 minutes – sometimes it resets the carousel settings.
• 🌐 Check the region in your phone settings (Settings) → Additionally. → For some regions (e.g. India), the carousel is more easily turned off.

Method 4: Remove the carousel with root rights (for advanced)

If you're willing to take drastic measures and you have root access, you can completely delete the system files that are responsible for the carousel. This method is irreversible, so back up the data.

What you need:

• 📱 Smartphone with unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk or SuperSU.
• 🛠️ Root-access file manager (e.g., Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
• 🔄 Backup of the system (in case of errors).

Instructions:

1. Open the file manager and go to /system/priv-app/MiuiWallpaperCarousel.
2. Remove or rename the folder (for example, in the MiuiWallpaperCarousel_bak).
3. Go to /system/app/Themes and delete files associated with the carousel (usually MiuiWallpaper.apk or WallpaperCarousel.apk).
4. Clear the cache and application data Themes and Wallpaper in Settings → Apps.
5. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrectly deleting system files can lead to bootloop or loss of functionality. If you are not sure, use Method 2 (ADB), It's safer.

Alternative option for users with Magisk:

• 📦 Install the Disable Wallpaper Carousel module from the Magisk repository.
• 🔄 Reset the device.

Method 5: Using third-party launchers (a bypass)

If none of these things worked, you can just replace the standard launcher with a third-party one, and it won't remove the carousel completely, but it will hide it from view.

Popular launchers for Xiaomi:

• 🏠 Nova Launcher – flexible settings, gesture support, no advertising.
• 🎨 Lawnchair is an open source lightweight launcher.
• ⚡ Hyperion Launcher – Optimized for Performance.
• 📱 POCO Launcher - Official Launcher from POCO carouselless.

How to determine:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play or APKMirror.
2. Install and open the application.
3. Click Set as default launcher in the welcome window.
4. In the launcher settings, disable all widgets and animations associated with wallpaper.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Does not require rooting or ADB.
• ✅ You can return the standard launcher at any time.
• ✅ Additional functions (gestures, themes, icons).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ The carousel stays in the system and consumes resources in the background.
• ❌ Some widgets MIUI may not work.

💡

The launcher side is the safest way to get rid of the carousel without any interference, but they don't remove it completely, they just hide it.

What if the carousel is coming back anyway?

If after all the manipulations the wallpaper carousel continues to appear, check the following points:

If nothing helps, radical measures remain:

• 🔄 Reset to factory settings (before doing this, make a backup copy!).
• 📥 Flip-on MIUI EU Or custom firmware (such as Pixel Experience).
• 🛡️ Using the Xposed Framework with a module to lock the carousel (power users only).

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi