How to remove the dark mode on the phone Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Dark mode on Xiaomi smartphones has become an integral part of the MIUI interface, but not everyone likes it. Some prefer a classic light design, some people find a dark theme uncomfortable for the eyes during the day, and some people turn it on automatically for no apparent reason. If you are among those who want to return the usual look of the screen, this article will help to understand all the nuances.

We will look not only at standard ways to disable dark mode through settings, but also at less obvious methods, such as how to remove it for individual applications or why modes may conflict with each other. When the off button is inactive, the settings are reset after the reset or the dark mode turns on on itself. MIUI 14/15 and models from the Redmi Note 12 Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Why is the dark mode automatically activated?

Before you go to shutdown, it’s important to understand what triggers the dark theme on your device, and there are several mechanisms at MIUI that are responsible for this:

• 🌙 Time schedule – the mode is included in the specified hours (for example, from 22:00 to 7:00).
• 🌅 Adaptive mode – works at low light level (data from the light sensor).
• 🔄 Synchronization with the system – if the theme synchronization is enabled in the Xiaomi account settings.
• 📱 Add-ons – some programs (such as Google or Twitter) force the subject to be switched.

Most often, users are faced with a situation where the dark mode appears “on its own” after the update. MIUI or installing a new application, such as in MIUI 15 adds Super Dark Mode, which can conflict with a normal dark theme, and it's also a problem that often occurs on devices with a dark theme. AMOLED-screens where the system aggressively optimizes the color palette to save charge.

If you notice that the mode is turned on at a certain time of day, check the schedule settings. If the switch is chaotic, it is likely that the light sensor or third-party software is to blame. In the next section, we will discuss how to diagnose the cause and turn off automatic switching.

Method 1: Standard shutdown via MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in tools of the system, and the instructions are suitable for all modern versions of MIUI (from 12 to 15):

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the Screen section.
3. Slip on Dark Mode (or Theme → Dark Mode in older versions).
4. Move the slider to the off position. or select the option Light theme.

On some models (e.g. POCO F5 or Redmi K60) the path may be slightly different:

Settings → Display → Display Style → Dark Mode

Dark Mode slider turned off

Schedule disabled (if any)

Resetting the binding to the light sensor

Reboot the phone to apply changes-->

If after these actions the mode is still turned on, check the additional parameters:

• 🔄 Automatic Switching: The same menu may have Auto or Scheduled Options – Turn it off.
• 🌓 Adaptive lighting: in Settings → Screen. → Adaptive backlighting disable the function if it is active.
• 🔗 Synchronization of topics: in the Xiaomi account (Mi Account section) → Synchronization) check if the screen settings are synchronized.

💡

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI EU), dark mode may be called Night Mode or Dark Theme. If you can't find an item in the Russian menu, try switching the interface language to English temporarily.

Method 2: Disconnect for individual applications

MIUI has a feature that allows you to set a theme for each system and for each application, which is convenient if you like dark mode in messengers, but not in the main interface.

1. Press your finger on your desktop and select Theme Settings (or open the Themes app).
2. Go to Dark Mode Settings (may be called Dark Mode Personalization).
3. Choose Forced to apply a light theme for the right applications.
4. Or vice versa, add programs to the exclusion list if you want to leave them a dark mode.

The list of supported applications depends on the version of MIUI. In new firmware (for example, MIUI 15 on Xiaomi 13T), you can customize the theme even for the Google Play Store or YouTube, whereas in older versions the choice is limited to system programs.

If the app is not on the list, try updating it through Google Play or installing an alternative firmware (e.g. MIUI Pro). Some programs (e.g. Telegram or VK) have their own theme settings that are independent of system settings.

Method 3: Reset theme settings to factory

If dark mode is unstable (unwittingly switches on, does not save settings), resetting the theme settings can help, it does not affect personal data, but will return all visual settings to the “out of the box” state.

Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap the MIUI version several times until you become a developer! (unless the developer mode is activated).
3. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
4. Find the Reset theme settings option (or Reset theme settings) and confirm the action.

Once reset, the phone will reboot and all the themes will return to standard values, which helps in 80% of cases when the dark mode is stuck or does not respond to changes.

• 🎨 Customized wallpaper and color schemes.
• 📱 Icons and interface styles.
• 🔊 Sound schemes (if they were tied to the topic).

💡

Resetting theme settings does not delete photos, posts or installed apps; it only affects the visual settings of the interface.

If the reset didn’t work, the problem could go deeper, such as in corrupted firmware files or conflict with the HyperOS shell (in Xiaomi’s new models), in which case more radical measures are worth considering, which will be discussed later.

Method 4: Disconnect via Developer Mode (for power users)

In some cases, dark mode is controlled by hidden options that are not available in the standard menu, and to change them, you will need to activate the developer mode and use the ADB tool.

Warning: this method requires caution, wrong commands can cause interface failures, and if you're not sure what you're doing, skip this section.

⚠️ Note: Change of system parameters through ADB It can disrupt the stability of the work MIUI. Before you execute the commands, back up your data and make sure your phone is charged at least 50 times%.

Instructions for turning off forced dark mode:

1. Activate the developer mode (as described in the previous method).
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and install it. ADB-drivers (e.g. via Mi) PC Suite).
4. Open the command line on PC and type: adb shell settings put secure ui_night_mode 1 (where 1 — bright-themed, 2 — dark, 0 — automatic).
5. Reset the device.

If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:

adb shell cmd uimode night no

HyperOS models (such as Xiaomi 14) may require a different command:

adb shell settings put global dark_theme 0

If dark mode still appears after executing commands, check if third-party applications (such as Nova Launcher or Substratum) override it. Some firmware (such as custom LineageOS) may also require additional manipulation of overlay files.

Method 5: Removing updates that cause dark mode

Sometimes dark mode comes after you update MIUI or install security patches, and if you've had a recent problem, you can try rolling back to the previous version, which is a radical method, but it often helps when other methods are powerless.

Here's how to do it:

1. Download the full firmware package for your model from the official Xiaomi website (Download section).
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the phone’s root directory.
3. Open the Update app (Updater).
4. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Select Service Pack.
5. Please specify the path to update.zip and confirm the installation.

If the rollback doesn't help or you don't want to go back to the old version, the alternative is to install custom firmware without forced dark mode.

• 📱 MIUI EU — European Firmware without Excessive Limitations.
• 🛠️ LineageOS – pure Android without shell MIUI.
• 🔧 Pixel Experience – firmware with an interface, like on Google Pixel.

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware voids warranty and can lead to unstable device operation.Be sure to unlock Bootloader through the official Mi Unlock tool before firmware and make a full data backup.

Forums XDA Developers and 4PDA There are detailed firmware guides for each Xiaomi model, for example, for the Redmi Note 11 will suit MIUI 14.0.4.0 and for POCO X5 — MIUI 15.1.2.0. The main thing is to choose the firmware that corresponds to your region and device version (Global, Chinese China or European). EU).

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after the dark mode is turned off, Xiaomi users face a number of typical problems, and we have collected the most common cases and ways to solve them:

If none of these methods worked, the last thing you can try is factory resets, which is a radical solution, but it is guaranteed to delete all temporary files and reset the screen settings. Before resetting, remember to save important data (photos, contacts, messages) to the cloud or PC.

Important: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Xiaomi 13 Ultra), dark mode can be controlled by a separate DarkModeService module. If standard methods don't work, try disabling this service via ADB with the adb shell pm disable-user com.miui.darkmode command.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions