How to remove the wallpaper icon from the lock screen on Xiaomi Redmi 9T: all working methods

The lock screen on Xiaomi Redmi 9T is not just a protection against accidental clicks, but also a business card of your smartphone. However, many users are faced with an annoying detail: the wallpaper icon (the icon in the form of mountains or landscape) in the lower corner, which spoils the minimalist view. This label appears if you use standard MIUI wallpaper or downloaded it through the gallery. Unlike flagship models, where the option to turn off is available in two clicks, on the budget Redmi 9T, the path to the solution is not always obvious.

Complicating the problem is that the wallpaper icon is not a widget or notification, it is a system element hard-stitched into the shell of MIUI 12/13. There is no official setting for its removal from the menu, but there are several workarounds: from changing wallpaper through third-party applications to editing system files (for advanced users). In this article, we will discuss all the current methods for firmware from 2021 to 2026, including those that work without root rights.

Why does the wallpaper icon appear on the lock screen?

The wallpaper icon is not a bug, it's a MIUI feature, which signals that the background image is uploaded through the standard Wallpaper app or gallery, and here are the key reasons why it appears:

• 📱 Use of standard wallpaper from the collection MIUI (mountains, abstractions, gradients).
• 🖼️ Installation of wallpaper through the Gallery app → Set up how → Lock screen wallpaper.
• 🔄 Automatic wallpaper change through the function Live wallpaper or Super wallpaper.
• 📲 Update firmware, after which reset personalization settings.

Interestingly, some versions of MIUI 14 can even display an icon when using wallpaper from third-party applications (such as Zedge or Wallcraft), because the system automatically stores a copy of the wallpaper in its database, assigning them a “standard” label.

⚠️ Note: If you have recently updated your firmware to MIUI 14+, The icon can return even after manual removal, due to Xiaomi’s policy of unifying the interface on all devices.

Method 1: Change wallpaper through third-party applications

The easiest and safest method is to install wallpaper not through standard MIUI tools, but through third-party applications, which will trick the system and it will not display the icon.

• 🎨 Zedge – a huge base of wallpaper with the possibility of a separate setting for the lock screen.
• 🖌️ Wallcraft - Supports 4K-wallpaper and allows you to crop the image under Redmi permission 9T (1600×720).
• 📱 Muzei Live Wallpaper – automatically changes wallpaper, but leaves no system tags.

Step-by-step:

1. Download one of the apps (such as Zedge) from Google Play.
2. Select the image you like and click Set wallpaper.
3. In the window that appears, select Only the lock screen (not "Home and lock").
4. Confirm the change. The badge should disappear after unlocking.

If the icon is still there, try restarting your phone — sometimes MIUI caches the old settings. Also make sure that the wallpaper settings (Settings → Wallpaper) do not activate the Autoshift option.

Method 2: Manual removal through MIUI settings (hidden method)

MIUI 12.5-14 has a hidden option that allows you to disable the icon without third-party applications, which is undocumented, but works on most Redmi devices.

1. Open the Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Choose any standard background (for example, black or white).
3. Set it on the lock screen.
4. Return to the main settings menu and go to Settings → Display → Additional → Status bar.
5. Scroll down and find the item Show the wallpaper icon (may be called Wallpaper Mark).
6. Turn off the slider. The badge will disappear the next time you unlock it.

If the item Show wallpaper icon is not in your firmware version, try an alternative way:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Wallpaper → Storage → Clear data

⚠️ Attention: Data clearing of the Wallpaper app will reset all your current background images.Pre-save them to the gallery!

Method 3: Use ADB-Teams (for advanced teams)

If previous methods have failed, you can delete the icon through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the PC, but you don't need root rights.

1. Activate Developer Mode on Redmi 9T: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line (Windows) or terminal (Mac/Linux).
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices (the name of your device should appear).
5. Use the command to disable the icon: adb shell settings put global hide_lockscreen_wallpaper_icon 1
6. Reboot the phone.

If the icon returns after the MIUI update, repeat the command. Use:

adb shell settings put global hide_lockscreen_wallpaper_icon 0

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Before using ADB, install official Xiaomi drivers from MIUI Download.This will prevent connection errors.

Method 4: Install custom wallpaper via TWRP (for root)

If you have custom Recovery (like TWRP) installed or root access, you can manually replace the system wallpaper files, which is risky, but it gives you 100% results.

Steps:

1. Download the archive with "clean" wallpaper (no icon) for Redmi 9T (look for the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums).
2. Reboot your phone to TWRP (clip Power + Volume up).
3. Make a backup copy of the section /system/media/theme/default_wallpaper.
4. Replace the files in this directory with the downloaded ones (via File Manager in TWRP).
5. Clear the Dalvik cache and restart.

⚠️ Note: Incorrect editing of system files through TWRP This can lead to bootloop.Be sure you have a full backup before you act).

Method 5: Firmware rollback (extreme case)

If the icon appeared after the update MIUI (for example, MIUI 12 on MIUI 13), and previous methods have not helped, you can return the old firmware version, where this problem was not. 9T best-selling:

• 📌 MIUI 12.0.8 (stable, without wallpaper icon).
• 📌 MIUI 12.5.3 (last with working disconnection option).

How to roll back:

1. Download the desired firmware version from the official Xiaomi website (Archive section).
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root of the phone’s memory.
3. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Dots → Select a firmware file.
4. Select update.zip and confirm the installation.

After rollback, don't update your firmware through OTA -- wait for Xiaomi to fix the problem in new builds. Check the relevance of bugs on forums like MI Community.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you try to remove the wallpaper icon, users often face typical problems. Here's how to solve them:

• 🔄 The badge returns after the reboot → That means that MIUI It overwrites the settings. Try the method with ADB Or turn off automatic optimization in Settings → Battery → Optimization.
• 🚫 No item "Show the wallpaper icon" → Update your firmware to the latest stable version or use it ADB.
• 📵 ADB can't see the device → Install Xiaomi drivers, turn on Debugging by USB and select Transfer Files mode when connecting.
• 🔧 After replacing the files, TWRP phone doesn't load → Restore backup or run the firmware through Fastboot.

If none of these methods worked, check if your Redmi 9T has regional restrictions, for example, some customization settings are blocked on China ROM, and the solution is to change region to Global or EEA via MIUI bootloader.

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On MIUI 14+ firmware, the wallpaper icon can be part of the Secure Display. To remove it, turn it off in Settings → Display → Screen Lock → Secure Display.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions