How to remove wallpaper on the lock screen Xiaomi: 5 working ways

The lock screen on Xiaomi smartphones is the first thing you see when you turn on the device, but not always standard or randomly installed wallpapers are pleasing to the eye. Perhaps you want to return the factory background, remove the intrusive image after the MIUI update, or simply clean the screen of unnecessary elements before selling the phone. Unlike desktop wallpapers, which change in two clicks, the background of the lock screen often raises questions: where to look for settings, why some methods do not work, and what to do if the system does not allow you to change the image.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of removing wallpaper from the lock screen for Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices on different versions of MIUI 12/13/14 firmware. From simple actions in the settings menu to advanced solutions through ADB, you will find an option even for locked or capricious smartphones. And if the standard methods do not work, we will show you how to reset the settings without losing data.

We warn you beforehand: some methods require administrator rights or USB debugging. If you're a beginner, start with the first two ways, they're safe and work 90% of the time. For power users, we've prepared advanced instructions with commands and process screenshots.

1. Standard method: through the theme settings

The most obvious and safe method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It is suitable for most modern devices (Redmi Note 11, POCO X4 Pro, Xiaomi 13 and later) and does not require additional rights.

Open the Themes app (a brush icon on your desktop). If it's not available, search all apps or search the system (Search → Themes). At the top of the screen, select the Wallpaper tab, then scroll down to the Lock Screen section.

Here you will see three options:

• 🖼️ Gallery - select your image (you can set a black background or monochromatic color).
• 🌄 Dynamic wallpaper – animated backgrounds (not always available on budget models).
• 🔄 Return by default – reset to the factory background (usually an abstract pattern or logo) MIUI).

If the default Return button is inactive, you have a custom theme installed on your device, in which case, first reset the theme to the standard: go to Topics → Mine → Current Theme → Delete (or Reset).

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On some models (Redmi 9A, POCO M3), the wallpaper section may be hidden in Settings → Screen → Wallpaper. If you don't find it, search by settings (the magnifier in the upper right corner).

2. Resetting wallpaper through "Screen settings"

If the previous method didn’t work (for example, due to an interface glitch or lack of the Theme app), try an alternative path through system settings, which is especially relevant for devices with MIUI 14, where the wallpaper section sometimes “hidden” in unexpected places.

Open Settings → Screen. Scroll down to Wallpaper (or Lock Screen Style on some firmware) and you'll see two sections here:

• 📱 Desktop - background of the main screen.
• 🔒 The lock screen is what we need.

Click on the Lock screen and select one of the options offered:

• 🖤 Black background - a minimalist solution, saves battery power on AMOLED-screen.
• 🎨 Color background - monochromatic color (blue, green, etc.).
• 🔙 Reset to standard - returns factory image.

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Close all background applications (especially launchers)

Connect to Wi-Fi (to download standard wallpaper)

Reboot your phone after the changes-->

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (MIUI Global for the European market, there may be no reset option, in which case you can try to set the black background manually, which visually hides the previous image.

3. Wallpaper removal through the theme editor (for experienced)

If standard methods don't work, and the lock screen wallpaper came after you installed the custom theme, you'll have to edit the files manually, which requires access to a root file manager or ADB.

First, check which topic is active:

1. Open Topics → Mine. → Current theme.
2. Remember the title of the topic (for example, DarkMode_v12.mtz).
3. Download this theme again (if it is custom) or reset to standard.

If the theme is not reset, use ADB:

adb shell pm clear com.android.themes

This command clears the theme app cache, which often helps to return standard wallpaper.

For the complete removal of custom wallpaper:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
2. Enter the command adb shell rm -rf /data/system/theme/*
3. Reset the device.

4.Resetting launcher settings (without data loss)

Sometimes the wallpaper on the lock screen gets stuck due to a failure in the standard MIUI launcher. In this case, resetting its settings will help - this will not delete your files or applications, but will return factory interface parameters.

Follow the following steps:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show All Apps.
3. Find the MIUI Launcher (or Lawnchair if you use custom).
4. Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.

Once you reboot your phone, the wallpaper on the lock screen will reset to standard. Importantly, this method will also reset the layout of the desktop icons and folders — take a picture of the current view of the screen in advance.

⚠️ Note: On some devices (POCO F3, Xiaomi 11T) After the launcher is reset, the search bar on the desktop may disappear. To return it, select Widgets with a long tap on the free space of the screen. → Search.

5. Complete resetting of settings (extreme case)

If none of these things work, the radical solution is factory reset, which is guaranteed to remove all custom wallpaper, but also erase all the data on the device, and only use it if:

• 🔧 The phone is being prepared for sale or transfer.
• 🐞 Wallpaper appeared after a virus or suspicious software.
• 🔄 Other methods do not work due to a serious system failure.

Resetting instructions:

1. Back up your important data (Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset).
2. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose Reset all settings (or Delete all data for complete cleanup).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

After reset, the phone will turn on with factory settings, including standard wallpaper on the lock screen. If the problem was in the firmware, update MIUI to the latest version through Settings → System Update.

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Always back up before using ADB or resetting your settings. Even "safe" commands can have unexpected consequences if the firmware is modified.

6. Features for different versions of MIUI

MIUI firmware is regularly updated, and the location of wallpaper settings can change, and we've collected key differences for popular versions:

MIUI 12:

• 📱 The lock wallpaper is edited in Settings → Screen. → Wallpaper. → Lock screen.
• 🎨 Dynamic wallpaper is supported only on flagships (Xiaomi 10, Mi 11).
• ⚠️ When resetting themes, unlock animation sometimes disappears - it is restored after restarting.

MIUI 13/14:

• 🔍 The "Wallpaper" section moved to Settings → Personalization.
• 🖼️ There is an option of wallpaper (change depending on the time of day).
• 🔧 Resetting custom themes requires confirmation through Password MI-account.

MIUI for POCO:

• 📲 The Appendix Topic may be called POCO Launcher Themes.
• 🔄 Resetting lock wallpaper sometimes requires reinstalling the launcher.
• 🎯 Nana POCO F4 GT and POCO X5 Pro is available exclusive wallpaper from the community.

On devices with MIUI 14 Global Stable (released after March 2023), the ADB lock wallpaper reset function is disabled by default, requiring you to unlock the bootloader and obtain root rights to activate it.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even with simple instructions, users are faced with typical problems, and we've collected the most common and ways to fix them:

Problem: The "Discard Wallpaper" button is inactive.

Decision:

• 🔄 Install another theme from the official store, then go back to the standard one.
• 📱 Restart your phone – sometimes the interface glitch disappears after a reboot.
• 🔧 Update. MIUI up to the latest version (in old firmware bugs with wallpaper are more common).

Problem: After the reset, the wallpaper remained the same.

Decision:

• 🧹 Clear the app cache Themes and Launcher MIUI.
• 🖥️ Check if a third-party launcher is installed (like Nova Launcher or Hyperion).
• 🔍 Remove the Wallpaper Package manually through Settings → Annexes → Application management → Wallpaper.

Problem: The lock screen displays ads instead of wallpaper.

Decision:

• 🚫 Turn off personalized advertising in Settings → Additionally. → Confidentiality → Advertising.
• 🔄 Install the European Union region in your phone settings (this removes ads on some firmware).
• 🛡️ Use the patch. MIUI Optimizations (requires Magisk).

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If the wallpaper on the lock screen appeared after the MIUI update, wait for the next patch - often bugs with the background are corrected within 1-2 weeks.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions