How to install your wallpaper on the lock screen Xiaomi: all working ways

Xiaomi’s lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on your smartphone, but standard MIUI wallpaper quickly gets boring. Many users want to personalize the device by setting their own photos, arts or even animated pictures, but face system limitations. In this article, we will examine all the current ways to change wallpaper on the lock screen, from standard functions to bypassing locks through hidden settings and third-party applications.

It’s important to understand that customization options depend on the MIUI version (12, 13 or 14) and the smartphone model. For example, flagships like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro+ have more options than the Redmi A series of budget devices. We’ll take these nuances into account and provide solutions for different scenarios, from simply changing the background to installing dynamic wallpaper with the paralax effect.

Why Xiaomi is restricting wallpaper change on the lock screen?

The manufacturer has a reason to impose restrictions, and here are the key reasons:

• 🔒 Security: The background lock may contain personal information (such as a document photo) that an attacker will see when a phone is stolen.
• 🎨 Uniformity of design: MIUI strives for visual integrity of the interface, where the wallpaper locks in harmony with the system themes.
• 📱 Performance optimization: Animated or highly detailed wallpaper can increase battery consumption on the market AMOLED-screen.
• 💰 Monetization: Themes offer paid wallpaper, and restrictions push users to buy.

However, these limitations can be circumvented by legal methods (through hidden settings) or by third-party tools.

Method 1: Standard Replacement with “Themes” (works on MIUI 14)

The easiest method is to use the built-in Themes app, which is suitable for most modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI 13/14:

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to the Wallpaper tab → Lock screen.
3. Select My Wallpaper category or click + to upload a new image.
4. Cut the photo to the screen size (the system will offer a template).
5. Save the changes – the wallpaper will be applied automatically.

⚠️ Attention: on certain devices (e.g, POCO X5 Pro) the Lock screen option may be hidden, in which case try updating the Topics app via Google Play or use alternative methods from this article.

Resolution of at least 1080×2340 pixels (for Full HD+)

JPEG/PNG format (WEBP not supported)

- No important details around the edges (to be cut)

- Contrast colors (on AMOLED-The dark screens save the charge)

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Method 2: Using Google’s Wallpapers app

If the standard method didn’t work, try Google’s official Wallpapers app, which allows you to set wallpapers on both screens (desktop and lock) even where MIUI blocks it:

1. Install Wallpapers from Google from Play Market.
2. Open the app and select My Photos category.
3. Download the desired image and click Set Wallpaper.
4. In the window that appears, select the Lock Screen (or both screens).

🔹 Advantages of the method:

• 🌐 It works on all versions. MIUI (including).
• 🎨 Supports automatic change of wallpaper on schedule.
• 🔄 Allows you to use live wallpaper (e.g. Earth & Weather).

⚠️ Note: on some devices (e.g. Redmi) 10C) After installation, the wallpaper may reset after restarting.In this case, use Method 4 s ADB.

Method 3: Manually copy files through file manager

For advanced users, there is a method of replacing wallpaper through direct access to system folders, which requires root or activated ADB, but gives full control over the background of the lock.

Instructions:

1. Download the wallpaper in format JPG/PNG and rename the file to lockscreen_wallpaper.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and activate USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).
3. Use it. ADB To copy the file to the system folder: adb push lockscreen_wallpaper /data/system/users/0/wallpaper_locked
4. Reset the device.

📌 Important nuances:

• 📁 folder /data/system/users/0/ It may differ on different versions. MIUI.
• 🔄 After the system update, the wallpaper may be reset.
• 🛠️ For MIUI 14 Additional command: adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper "/data/system/users/0/wallpaper_locked"

Method 4: Third-party applications for customization

If the previous methods didn't work, we'll have specialized tools to help, and we've tested a few and selected the most reliable ones.

⚠️ Warning: Turn off third-party applications before installing MIUI Optimization in the Developer Settings (Settings) → Additionally. → For developers, this will prevent conflicts with system processes.

💡

If the wallpaper looks blurry after installation, check their resolution. For Xiaomi with a 2400×1080 screen resolution (for example, Xiaomi 12T), the optimal wallpaper size is 2560×1440 pixels.

Method 5: Install live wallpapers on the lock screen

Live Wallpapers add dynamics to the lock screen, but installing them on MIUI has nuances.

1. Download the app with live wallpapers (for example, 4D Wallpapers).
2. Choose the option you like and click Install.
3. In the window that appears, select Only the lock screen (if the option is available).
4. If you don’t have an option, use ADB to force installation: adb shell cmd wallpaper set-lock --live-preview com.package.name/.LiveWallpaperService (replace com.package.name with application ID).

🔹 The Best Sources of Live Wallpaper for Xiaomi:

• 🌊 Weather & Clock Widget – weather and time.
• 🖼️ Muzei – Automatically Updated Art from Galleries.
• 🎮 Earth View – High-resolution satellite images of the Earth.

⚠️ Warning: Live wallpaper increases battery consumption by 10 to 15 percent. AMOLED-The screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) are less critical than the screens. IPS-matrices (Redmi) 9A).

Solving problems: Wallpaper is not applied or reset

If after all the manipulations the wallpaper has not changed or return to the standard, check the following points:

If the problem persists, try resetting the Topics app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find themes and click Warehouse → Clear the data.
3. Restart the device and re-install the wallpaper.

💡

On devices with MIUI 14 and HyperOS (such as Xiaomi 14), lock wallpapers are tied to the Mi Account account, and can be restored through the cloud after changing the device.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing wallpaper to Xiaomi