How to install a photo on the screensaver of the Xiaomi phone: a step-by-step guide

Personalizing the look of a smartphone is the first step that makes a new gadget truly yours. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices have the widest possibilities to customize the MIUI or HyperOS interface. Standard wallpaper is often boring or just not in tune with the mood, so installing your own photo becomes a priority immediately after purchase.

The process of replacing a static image or setting up a dynamic saver does not require root rights or complex code manipulation. Shell system tools allow you to flexibly manage visual content, separating the settings for the lock screen and desktop. In this article, we will discuss all available methods, including hidden functions and working with third-party launchers.

It's worth noting that the image algorithms vary slightly between firmware versions, but the basic principles have remained the same over the last few years of the Chinese manufacturer's ecosystem, and you'll learn not just to change the image, but also to do it professionally, given the screen resolution and color rendering features of the AMOLED or IPS display.

Image Preparation: Quality and Format Requirements

Before you start the technical part of the process, you need to make sure that the source file meets the specifications of your display.Modern Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with screens with high resolution, often exceeding the standard Full HD+. If you download a picture of low quality, on the large screen it will look blurry, with noticeable compression artifacts.

The optimal format for static images is JPG with minimal compression or uncompressed PNG. These formats support millions of colors and provide better detail. For dynamic screensavers (live wallpaper), the system requires special.mp4 files or proprietary theme packages, which we will talk about in the corresponding section.

An important aspect is aspect ratio. Most modern models are elongated format, for example, 20:9 or 19.5:9. Horizontal photos will have to be framed, losing part of the image on the sides, or put up with black fields. Vertical pictures taken on the main camera of the smartphone, lie on the screen perfectly, filling the entire space without distortion.

⚠️ Warning: Avoid using images with small details at the top of the frame (where the clock and widgets are located) and at the bottom (where the navigation bar or swipe bar is located.

To check the image quality before installation, open it in a standard gallery and try zooming. If you see porridge from pixels when zooming in, you'd better find the source in higher resolution. The optimal resolution for modern flagships is from 2,400 pixels on the short side and above.

Basic method: installation through a standard gallery

The fastest and most obvious way to install a photo on the screensaver is to use the built-in Gallery app, which does not require searching for complex settings in the menu and works the same on all current versions of MIUI and HyperOS.

First, open the Gallery app and find the image you want in the album. Click on the picture to open it up on the full screen. At the bottom of the interface, you'll see a toolbar; among the many icons, you'll need to find the "More" button (usually indicated by three dots or the word "Menu"). From the dropdown list, select Set as wallpaper.

The system will offer several uses for the image: you can choose to install only on the lock screen, only on the desktop or on both screens at the same time, and there is also a preview function that allows you to evaluate how the picture will look with overlaid widgets and clocks.

Once you select the target screen, the system can suggest editing the image. The built-in editor allows you to crop the image, shifting the view area up or down to leave only the most important thing in the frame.

• 📸 Open the photo in the app "Gallery».
• 🖱️ Click on the menu button (three dots) in the lower right corner.
• 🖼️ Select the option “Install as wallpaper».
• ✅ Confirm screen selection (lock, desktop, or both).

Setting up through the wallpaper and theme menu

An alternative route is through the Themes system app, which is the central hub for customization in Xiaomi devices, which includes not only third-party designs, but also an integrated collection of high-quality images, as well as tools for working with local files, which gives access to additional features that are not available through the gallery.

Go to the Topics app and find the Wallpaper tab at the bottom menu, and the top of the screen often features categories like Superstorms, Videos, and Locals. Locals allows you to select any photo you have stored in your smartphone memory, which is convenient if you want to set up a series of photos for a slideshow.

Unlike a gallery, the Themes menu allows you to create wallpaper carousels, so you can pick a few dozen photos, and they will automatically change every time you turn on the screen, which creates the effect of constantly updating the interface without you, and even offer a smart sorting system to avoid repeating the same images in a row.

When you use the Themes app, you should look at the Superslash feature, which is a special class of dynamic screensavers that respond to touch, time of day, or user action, and although they consume a little more power, the visual effect is worth it, especially on high-frequency 120Hz screens.

Working with live wallpaper and video backgrounds

Xiaomi devices are famous for their multimedia component, and installing video on a screensaver is one of the most popular features. Dynamic wallpaper brings the interface to life, making it more interactive. However, it is worth remembering that constant animation can increase battery consumption, although optimizing MIUI minimizes this effect.

The best way to install video wallpapers is to use the built-in functionality of the Themes app. The Video section presents ready-made videos that are optimized for the background. They are looped and compressed to minimize the load on the processor. You can also upload your short video (up to 15-30 seconds) through the Local section.

If standard functionality is not enough, you can use third-party applications such as Video Live Wallpaper. Once you install such an application and select a video file, the system will suggest assigning it as wallpaper, at which point you may request permission to access the storage and display on top of other windows.

It's important to note the difference between Xiaomi's Superwallpaper and conventional video wallpaper. Superwallpaper is a complex code that responds to a gyroscope and touchscreen, whereas video wallpaper is just a playback of a video stream. The former looks spectacular, the latter is more versatile for user-generated content.

• 🎥 Open the “Themes” app and go to the “Video” section».
• 📂 For your video, select the Local tab and specify the file.
• ⚙️ Set up playback parameters (sound, loop).
• 💾 Click “Apply” and select the lock screen or desktop.

Using third-party launchers for advanced users

The standard MIUI/HyperOS shell is good, but sometimes you want to radically change the logic of the interface, installing a third-party launcher like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher, opens up access to deep grid settings, icons and, of course, wallpaper, a choice for those who want complete control of each pixel.

Once you install the launcher from Google Play and assign it to the default, the process of installing the wallpaper can change. Many advanced launchers have their own image processing engines, allowing you to apply filters, blur (blur) or darken over the photo to make the icons read better.

One of the key features of third-party launchers is that they can independently customize wallpapers for different desktops or folders, you can set a dark theme for night mode and bright for the day by switching between them automatically or manually, and some launchers even support integration with services like Unsplash for daily background changes.

⚠️ Note: When installing a third-party launcher on Android 12, 13 and 14, conflicts may arise with the system animation of the swipe from the bottom. This is a well-known feature of the interaction of custom shells with pure Android.

Remember that third-party launchers consume more RAM than the Poco Launcher or MIUI Home system. On low-end models with a small amount of RAM, this can lead to more frequent unloading of background applications.

Solving common problems and errors

Sometimes the wallpaper installation process goes wrong. Users may find themselves in a situation where the photo is stretched, cropped in the wrong place, or not used at all. Often the reason lies in the cache of the system or conflict of topics. If the standard photo does not stand up, try to apply any standard picture from the settings first, and then replace it with your own.

Another common problem is low brightness or dim colors on the AMOLED-This may be due to the "Vision Protection" mode enabled or the automatic color temperature adjustment. Check the display settings in the Settings section → Screen and make sure you select a color profile Saturated or Standard, not Paper».

If you use a dark theme, light photos may look unnaturally inverted in some menus. MIUI tries to tailor content to the theme, but not always successfully, in which case using dark versions of photos or including a forced dark theme only for system applications, excluding the gallery, helps.

💡

Tip: If the wallpaper floats when you scroll through your desktop, go to the Wallpaper settings and turn off Screen Rotation or Parallax Effect, which will fix the image statically.

In rare cases, the problem may be in file format. If you downloaded an image from Telegram or WhatsApp, it could be compressed or recoded into a format that the system perceives as incompatible with wallpaper (for example, WebP with transparency), Converting to a classic JPG solves this problem in 99% of cases.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

💡

Main conclusion: For the best quality and stability, use the built-in Themes app to install local photos, which ensures proper framing and no bugs showing up on screens with cutouts.