Xiaomi's lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on a smartphone, and personalizing it can dramatically change the way you experience a device. MIUI They face a problem: the system offers a limited set of standard wallpapers, and attempts to set your own photo often end in an error or reset to a default background. MIUI, where the lock screen and main screen settings are separated by different menus.
In this article, we will discuss three working methods for installing a personalized background on the lock screen for all modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones (including models on MIUI 12/13/14). You will learn how to get around the system limitations, what image formats are supported, and why sometimes a photo is cropped or loses quality.
Why can’t I put a photo on the lock screen?
The problem with installing custom wallpaper on the lock screen in Xiaomi is related to the MIUI architecture. Unlike “pure” Android, where the wallpaper for the home screen and lock is synchronized, here they are customized separately.
- 🔄 Different Settings Menu: Home screen wallpaper changes through Themes, and Lock screen changes through Settings → Lock screen.
- 📏 Inappropriate image format: MIUI Automatically crops the photo to screen resolution, which leads to distortions.
- 🔒 Limitations MIUI: On some firmware, the system blocks the installation of wallpaper from third-party applications (for example, Google Wallpaper).
- 🛠️ Cache failures: After update MIUI Wallpaper cache can be reset, returning a standard background.
Another trap is animation wallpaper, where if you're trying to install live wallpapers (like Themes), they might not show up on the lock screen because of optimizing power consumption, and only a static image will help.
⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for POCO (for example, POCO F5 or X6 Pro) the path to lock screen settings may be different. If you don't find the lock screen option in the Settings menu, try searching through the search bar in the settings for "both lock wallpapers".
Method 1: Standard installation via MIUI settings
This is the easiest method that works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later.It does not require third-party apps and is suitable for installing both gallery photos and standard wallpaper from Xiaomi.
Instructions:
- Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
- Go to Lock Screen (or Lock and Protect → Lock screen on some models).
- Slip on the lock screen wallpaper.
- Select the source: 🖼️ Gallery – to upload your photo. 🌄 Themes – to choose from standard wallpaper MIUI. 🎨 Color - for setting a monochromatic background.
If you choose a photo from the gallery, cut it by guides (the system will automatically select the optimal aspect ratio).
Apply
Install
Once you use the wallpaper, it will immediately appear on the lock screen, and if the image looks blurry or cropped, try repeating the process with another photo — perhaps its resolution is too low.
Selected image with a resolution of at least 1080p
Photo saved in the gallery (not in the cloud)
Wallpaper disabled from the "Themes" app
Smartphone is not in energy saving mode
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⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI 14 after installing custom wallpaper, animation may disappear when unlocked (for example, the “breathing” effect on Xiaomi 13).To return the animation, restart the device or reset the wallpaper to standard through Settings → Topics.
Method 2: Using the "Themes" app for wallpaper
Xiaomi’s Themes app allows you to install not only full-fledged themes, but also individual wallpapers – including the background of the lock screen – which is useful if the standard method didn’t work or you want to use dynamic wallpaper.
How to install wallpaper through the Topics:
- Open the Themes app (a brush and palette icon).
- Go to the Wallpaper tab in the lower menu.
- Select a category: 📱 Lock screen – here are collected wallpaper optimized specifically for lockscreen. 🌌 Dynamic - animated wallpaper (does not work on all models). 🖼️ My wallpaper - to upload my image.
Add wallpaper
Apply
Lock screen
The advantage of this method is access to thousands of free wallpapers from the MIUI community. However, be careful: some themes may contain ads or change system fonts. If unwanted changes occur after installing the wallpaper, return the standard theme through Settings → Themes → Standard.
How to remove unnecessary wallpaper from "Tem"?
Method 3: Third-party applications for custom wallpaper
If the first two methods didn’t work (for example, due to firmware limitations or MIUI bugs), you can use third-party apps.
- 📱 Wallpapers Craft – allows you to accurately adjust the image to the resolution of the lock screen.
- 🎨 Zedge – a large base of wallpaper with the ability to filter by resolution.
- 🖼️ Google Wallpaper – the official application from Google with adaptive wallpaper (does not work on all Xiaomi models).
Instructions for Wallpapers Craft:
- Install the app from Google Play.
- Open it and select the Lock screen in the wallpaper type menu.
- Upload your photo or select from the app collection.
- Adjust the scale and position of the image with sliders.
- Click Set and confirm the selection for the lock screen.
Important: Some devices (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro with MIUI 13) may have a watermark “MIUI” on their wallpapers after installing them via third-party apps. To remove them, restart your smartphone or temporarily disable the theme in the settings.
| Annex | Pluses | Cons | Support for MIUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallpapers Craft | Accurate fit for permission, no advertising | Paid functions (such as animation) | ✅ It works on 90% of devices |
| Zedge | Large base of wallpaper, 4K support | Advertising, some wallpaper paid | ✅ It works, but it can be in conflict with theme" |
| Google Wallpaper | Official Appendix, Adaptive Wallpaper | It does not work on POCO with custom firmware | ⚠️ Partial support |
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If they don’t show up after installing wallpaper through a third-party app, try disabling battery optimization for that app in the App’s settings → Permissions → Battery Optimization.
How to avoid trimming and blurring photos?
One of the most common problems with installing wallpaper on Xiaomi is automatic cropping or blurring, which is because MIUI adjusts the photo to the standard lock screen aspect ratio (usually 1080×2340 for Full HD+ displays).
To avoid distortion:
- 📐 Use the right aspect ratio: For most smartphones Xiaomi is suitable format 1080×2340 pixels (for devices with a camera cutout) or 1080×2400 (cut-out).
- 🖼️ Cut in advance: Before installing, crop the photo in any graphics editor (such as Photoshop Express or Snapseed), leaving the main object in the center.
- 🔍 Check the resolution: The image must be at least 1080p. If you upload a photo with permission 720p, It will be stretched and will lose clarity.
- 🎨 Avoid complex patterns: Small details (such as text or grids) may become illegible after compression MIUI.
If you want to set a photo with a person or object that should not be cut, place it in the central part of the image – this is the area that remains visible after automatic pruning.
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Optimal resolution for Xiaomi lockscreen wallpapers is 1080×2340 pixels. Use this template in Photoshop or Canva to avoid cropping important elements.
What to do if the wallpaper is reset after rebooting?
Some Xiaomi users are faced with a problem: after rebooting or updating MIUI, the lock screen wallpaper is reset to the standard, which is due to the peculiarities of the system cache.
- Clear the Themes app cache: Go to Settings → Apps → App Management. Find Themes and select Storage. Click Clear Cache (do not clear the data!).
- Turn off auto optimization: Go to Settings → Battery & Performance → Battery Optimization. Find the app you installed wallpapers through (like Wallpapers Craft) and turn off optimization for it.
- Install Wallpaper Re-Install: Sometimes it helps to just repeat the wallpaper installation process through the same app.
Check out MIUI updates
- Some versions of MIUI 13 had a wallpaper reset bug. Update the firmware through Settings → About Phone → System Update.