Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where the pre-installed visual style of the system ceases to please the eye or just want to return the standard look of the interface. The classic theme that comes with firmware can seem boring or, conversely, too intrusive in its simplicity, especially after installing bright third-party skins. The process of changing or removing the design in the shell of MIUI and HyperOS has its own features that must be taken into account so as not to disrupt the work of system components.
An important technical nuance is that you can't completely remove the default system theme, like a regular application, from standard settings, because it's part of the operating system. But you can easily turn it off, reset it to factory settings, or replace it with a "Standard" theme, which is visually and functionally equivalent to removing customization. In this article, we'll go through all the ways you can get back to the original state of the interface.
Mishandling theme system files can cause icons to appear or text to disappear from the menu. So before you start any manipulation, we strongly advise you to read the entire manual. We will look at both the standard methods through the Themes app and more advanced ways for experienced users who want to achieve the perfect result.
Why a classic theme can get in the way and when a reset is required
Often users install third-party themes from GetThemes or MIUI Themes to change the look of a smartphone. Over time, such design can get bored, start working incorrectly after updating the system or simply stop conforming to the current mood of the owner. In such cases, it becomes necessary to go back to the roots. The classic theme on Xiaomi is the basic layer of graphics that ensures the readability of text and the correct operation of controls.
⚠️ Attention: Installing themes from unverified sources can lead to unstable launcher operation. If after removing the theme the interface "floats", reset the launcher settings.
Problems can manifest as black squares instead of icons, incorrect display of notification curtains or changing fonts in system dialogues. Sometimes even after trying to select a "Standard" theme in the store, visual artifacts are saved, this is due to the fact that the cache of the old theme may conflict with the new settings, in which case a deeper cleaning or forced reset of the design settings is required.
Also, the need to remove a classic or any other theme may arise when selling the device: the new owner should get a phone with a factory look, without your personal settings and downloaded skins, which is not only a matter of aesthetics, but also security, since some themes may contain hidden scripts or redirects.
Preparation of the device before changing the system design
Before you start active actions to change or reset the topic, you need to perform a number of preparatory activities, which will help to avoid loss of important data and will quickly restore the health of the smartphone in the event of unforeseen errors. First of all, make sure that your device has sufficient battery power, as the process of applying system changes can consume the resources of the processor.
The second important step is to back up your data, and while changing the theme itself shouldn't affect your photos or contacts, resetting your launcher or system settings can bring the icons back to factory status on your desktop, and you'd better back up your widgets and folders before you spend hours afresh.
☑️ Preparation for the topic reset
Also worth checking for updates to the Themes app and the system itself. Older versions of the software may contain bugs that prevent you from switching between the design styles correctly. Go to the settings and check for the relevance of the MIUI or HyperOS version. If updates are available, installing them can automatically solve the problem with the stuck theme.
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Take a screenshot of the current location of the icons on the main screen before resetting – this will help to quickly restore the usual navigation.
Basic method: disabling through the application Topics
The easiest and safest way to return the standard interface is to use the built-in Themes app, which is suitable for 95% of users and does not require root rights or a computer connection. The algorithm of actions is the same for most Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco models, regardless of the shell version.
To start, open the Themes app on your desktop. If you've deleted it, download it again through GetApps. At the bottom of the screen, find and click on the profile icon (usually a person icon). In the menu that opens, select My Pages or My Themes. This shows a list of all the designs ever downloaded or preinstalled.
In the list, find a topic called Standard, Classic, or Default, which is usually marked with a gear or asterisk icon. Click on it and then select Apply. The system automatically reboots the GUI, and any changes made by third-party themes will be reset.
| Action. | Expected output | Implementation time |
|---|---|---|
| Opening of the Annex Topic | Transition to the decor store | 5 seconds |
| Tab Profile | List of uploaded topics | 2 seconds |
| Selection of Standard | Activation of the base skin | 10 seconds. |
| Application | Full resetting of schedules | 15-30 seconds. |
If the icons still look weird after applying a standard theme, try clearing the theme app cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Memory → and click Clear Cache. This action is safe and won’t delete your personal data, but can fix visual glitches.
Forced reset via system settings
In some cases, especially on older versions of MIUI, simply switching theme is not enough. The interface can partially retain elements of the old design, and here comes the function of a complete reset of the system settings, which will affect not only the themes, but also other personalization options.
Go to the Settings menu and scroll to About Phone or Advanced Settings. Find the backup and reset section. We're interested in the Reset option (not to be confused with a full factory reset that deletes all data!).
⚠️ Note: When using Reset, Wi-Fi passwords, Bluetooth settings and the location of icons on the desktop will be deleted. Personal files (photos, contacts) will remain intact.
Once confirmed, the phone will restart, and when you turn on, you'll see a standard welcome screen and classic design, like when you first start the device, a guaranteed way to remove any traces of third-party themes that may have penetrated deep into the system.
What if the reset didn't help?
Deletion of cache and application data Topics
Sometimes the problem is not the topic itself, but the accumulated errors of the application that manages the design. Garbage files can block the use of the standard style.
Open Settings → Apps → All apps. In the list, find the Themes app. Click on it and select Memory. Here you will have two buttons: Clear cache and Clear everything (or Reset). Try cleaning the cache first. If that doesn't work, use the full application data reset.
Once the data is cleared, the Themes app will return to the post-installation state, you will have to re-accept the user agreement. When you re-enter the profile, your previously downloaded themes may disappear from the Downloaded list, but they can be found again in the directory or in the Mi Account cloud.
- 📱 Go to the smartphone settings and open the application section.
- 🔍 Find the list of the system application "Themes».
- 🗑️ Choose data cleanup and confirm the action.
- 🔄 Restart the device to apply changes.
This method is especially effective if after removing the theme, artifacts remain on the screen: stripes, distorted colors or missing icon signatures.
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Cleaning the data of the Themes app is the most effective way to combat visual bugs, without requiring flashing your smartphone.
Using third-party launchers as an alternative
If you don’t get the classic theme removed or the look you want back, or if you don’t like the classic theme, you can use an alternative route: installing a third-party launcher, which completely replaces the desktop, the app menu, and often the notification bar, ignoring Xiaomi’s system themes.
Popular launchers like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher allow you to customize the look of your smartphone beyond recognition. You can change the grid of icons, transition animations, fonts and colors, completely abstracting from the limitations of the MIUI and HyperOS shells.
To install a third-party launcher, download it from Google Play. Once installed, the system can request default permission to use it. Confirm the selection of a new launcher. Now, even if some strange theme is active, you won't see it, since the interface is completely controlled by the new application.
- 🚀 Allows you to completely ignore the system limitations of topics.
- 🎨 Gives access to thousands of animation and appearance settings.
- ⚡ Can speed up the work of an old smartphone by optimizing.
- 🛡️ Does not require superuser rights for basic configuration.
However, it’s worth remembering that third-party launchers can consume more RAM than a standard MIUI launcher. On devices with low RAM (3-4 GB), this can lead to more frequent downloads of applications from memory.