How to remove or change the theme on the lock screen Xiaomi: all the ways of 2026

The lock screen on Xiaomi smartphones is the first thing you see when you turn on the device. The manufacturer offers dozens of themes through the proprietary Themes app, but sometimes users face a problem: the installed theme does not like, is not removed by standard methods or is completely “stuck” after the MIUI update. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of removing the theme from the lock screen on Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi devices, including hidden settings and workarounds for MIUI 12, 13 and 14.

It's important to understand that the process of removing a theme depends on the type of the theme, stock themes (built into the system) just change to others, and store-bought themes sometimes require additional manipulation — especially if they were installed through APK or third-party sources, we will consider solutions for both cases, and also tell you what to do if the the theme "hangs" after resetting or updating the firmware.

Why the theme on the lock screen is not removed in the standard way

Before you start taking action, you need to understand the causes of the problem, and most often users are faced with the following scenarios:

• 🔄 Themes cache is the most common reason that changes are not applied.
• 📦 Incomplete removal of theme – some elements (wallpaper, fonts, icons) can remain in the device’s memory even after the theme has changed.
• 🔧 Mistakes. MIUI — after major updates (e.g., with the MIUI 12 on MIUI 14) personalization settings are sometimes confused.
• 📱 Third-party launchers – if you use an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher), it may conflict with system themes.

In most cases, the problem is solved without drastic measures such as factory reset, but if the theme was installed via APK or a modified.mtz file, additional steps will be required.

Method 1: Change theme through a standard menu (for most users)

If the theme was installed through the official Topic app, try changing it in the standard way:

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to the My Themes tab (or the profile in new MIUI versions).
3. Click on the active theme and choose Remove or Reset.
4. Go back to the Online section and apply any other topic (e.g. standard MIUI Default).

If the old theme is left on the lock screen after this action, then its files have not been completely deleted, in which case cleaning the cache will help.

Method 2: Cleaning the cache of the Themes application and system services

Cache data often causes an old topic to stick to it, to delete it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Themes app (or com.android.themes in the list of all apps).
3. Open Warehouse and click Clear Cache, then Clear Data.
4. Repeat steps 2–3 for applications: 📱 Launcher (or com.miui.home) 🔒 Lock screen and password (com.android.keyguard) ⚙️ Settings (com.android.settings)

Reset the device.

Once the cache is cleared, the lock screen can temporarily display as a standard (black background with a clock). This is normal - after the reboot, a new theme will apply.

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If the theme hasn't changed after cleaning the cache, try applying any other theme from the store, and then return the standard one. This often resets the hung settings.

Method 3: Reset personalization settings (without data loss)

If previous methods didn’t work, try resetting your personalization settings, which doesn’t affect user data (photos, contacts, messages), but will return all visuals to factory settings:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Find Reset (or additionally → Reset in MIUI 14).
3. Choose Reset Personalization Settings (not to be confused with a full reset!).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

Once reset, all the themes, fonts and wallpapers will go back to the standard, and if the problem was the setting conflict, this method will help.

⚠️ Note: On some models POCO (for example, POCO X3 Pro) Reset personalization settings may not be available. In this case, use method 4.

Method 4: Delete theme through file manager (for power users)

If the theme was manually installed (via a.mtz file), its files could be left in the system folders to be deleted:

1. Install a file manager with access to root folders (such as MiXplorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Cross the path: /data/system/theme/ or MIUI 14) /data/user_de/0/com.android.themes/files/
3. Delete all files and folders related to the topic (names usually contain the topic name or the topic name). custom_).
4. Reset the device.

This method requires caution – do not delete files with default or miui names, so as not to break the system design.

Method 5: Using ADB for forced reset (advanced method)

If none of these methods worked, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to force the themes to be reset, a method that is suitable for users familiar with the command line:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute commands: adb shell pm clear com.android.themes pm clear com.miui.home reboot

If the topic remains after all manipulations, check the device for viruses (for example, through Malwarebytes) - some malware blocks changes to system files.

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Before using third-party themes, always check reviews in the Temas store.Themes rated below 4.0 often contain errors or ads.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions