How to return wallpaper on Xiaomi smartphone: from standard to living themes

Have you accidentally deleted your favorite wallpaper on Xiaomi, or did the screen become empty and boring after resetting? Perhaps the system automatically replaced the background with black to save charge, and you want to return bright standard images from MIUI. In this article, we will analyze all the working methods of wallpaper restoration, from official methods to hidden firmware functions.

The problem with the disappeared wallpaper is typic for Xiaomi, Redmi and devices POCO post-refresh MIUI, Reset to factory settings or manually delete theme files. Sometimes users delete the folder themselves /MIUI/theme/ And we try to free up memory without knowing that the system wallpaper is disappearing with it, and fortunately, you can get it back without any complicated manipulations, so you know where to look.

We tested all methods on current versions of MIUI 14/15 (including HyperOS) and collected only working solutions. If you are using a device older than 2020, some items may differ - for such cases, we added alternative instructions.

1. Restoration of standard wallpaper through "Themes"

The easiest way to return the original wallpaper is to use the built-in Themes app. Even if you manually removed the wallpaper, the system stores copies of them in the Xiaomi cloud and allows you to download them again.

Open the Topics app** and go to Wallpaper. Here you will see categories:

• 🌄 Nature - Standard landscapes from MIUI (mountains, lakes, sunsets)
• 🖼️ Abstraction – geometric patterns and gradients
• 📱 Minimalism – monotonous backgrounds (including black for AMOLED)
• 🎨 Live Wallpaper – Animated Themes (not available on all models)

To return the original wallpaper that was on the phone when you bought:

1. In the wallpaper section, tap the magnifying glass icon (search).
2. Enter Default or Standard (in English or Russian) request.
3. Among the results, find wallpaper marked MIUI Official - these are factory backgrounds.
4. Click Apply and select where to install: Lock Screen, Desktop or both.

💡

If you find nothing in the search, try changing the region in the settings of the “Themes” app to India or Global – there are more free options.

On some models (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12), standard wallpaper can be hidden in the Recommended → Official section. Scroll down the list - often they are located at the very end.

2. Resetting wallpaper through system settings

If the wallpaper is gone after a MIUI update or reset, it can be returned through a hidden theme reset feature, which works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with a firmware version at least MIUI 12.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Slip on the three points in the upper right corner and select Reset wallpaper.
3. Confirm the action – the system will return the standard wallpaper for the lock screen and desktop.

Make sure your phone is at least 30% charged |Close all apps in the background |Connect to Wi-Fi (if the wallpaper is downloaded) |Click on the current wallpaper (in case you want to come back)

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Some devices (e.g. POCO F5) may not have a wallpaper reset point.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Themes app** and click Warehouse.
3. Tap Clear Data (this will reset all downloaded themes, but return standard wallpaper).

⚠️ Attention: Cleaning the Themes app data** will remove all the themes and wallpaper you have uploaded. If you want to save custom backgrounds, pre-export them to the gallery (long-term wallpaper press). → Save).

3. Manual recovery via MIUI files

If standard methods fail, you can manually copy wallpaper from MIUI system files, which is suitable for advanced users and requires access to a file manager with root rights or through ADB.

The wallpaper is stored in a folder:

/system/media/theme/default_wallpaper/

(On the new MIUI 14+ versions):

/product/media/theme/default_wallpaper/

To extract them:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and use it. ADB Pull: adb pull /system/media/theme/default_wallpaper/ C:\Xiaomi_Wallpapers\
2. If there is no ADB, use a root-access file manager (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
3. Copy wallpaper files (usually in.jpg or.png format) to the DCIM/Wallpapers folder.
4. Install them through the gallery: open the image → Set as → Wallpaper.

⚠️ Warning: Changing system files without root rights may cause the Themes app to crash.** If the wallpaper doesn't show after copying, restart your phone or reset your app settings.

4. Restoration of live wallpapers (Super Wallpapers)

Xiaomi’s Super Wallpapers are animated backgrounds that respond to a phone’s tilt (like Earth or Mars in 3D) and can’t be downloaded from the internet, they’re tied to firmware and require a special way to recover.

If the wallpaper is gone after the update, do the following:

1. Make sure the phone has the latest version of MIUI installed (live wallpaper available starting with MIUI 12.5).
2. Open the settings → Wallpaper → Live wallpaper.
3. If the section is empty, click Download - the system will offer to download the official animations (weight ~50-100 MB).
4. After downloading, apply the wallpaper through Install.

On HyperOS devices (such as Xiaomi 14 or Redmi K70), the live wallpapers may be called Dynamic Wallpapers.

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📥 Update the Themes app** via Google Play or App Store.
• 🛠️ Clear the cache of the “Themes” application** in the settings.

Standard static|Live (Super Wallpapers)|Your pictures|The Dark Ones (for AMOLED)|Others-->

On the POCO F4 GT and Black Shark 5, live wallpaper can conflict with game mode. If the animation slows down after installation, turn off Game Turbo in the settings.

5. Download original MIUI wallpapers from official sources

If you don't want to dig through the system files, you can download the original Xiaomi wallpaper from official resources. The company regularly posts archives with backgrounds for different models.

Where to look:

• 🌐 Official website MIUI: [https://themes.mi.com](https://themes.mi.com) (wallpaper).
• 📱 Topics app: at the bottom of the screen there is a tab Online with free wallpaper.
• 💾 Xiaomi Forum: [https://c.mi.com](https://c.mi.com) (Search for Default Wallpapers [your model]).
• 📦 Archives on 4PDA: Firmware themes often put folders with wallpaper (for example, [link](https://4pda.to/forum/index.php?showtopic=123456)).

How to install the downloaded wallpaper:

1. Download the archive with wallpaper (usually in.zip or.mtz format).
2. Unpack it and transfer the files to the DCIM/Wallpapers folder.
3. Open the gallery, find the image and click Set as wallpaper.

💡

Wallpapers in.mtz format are installed through the Themes → Import theme. Not all.mtz files contain wallpaper – some can only change icons or fonts.

For Xiaomi 13T and newer models, wallpaper can be in.awg format (animated). These can only be installed through Themes** → Live wallpaper → Import.

6. Alternative methods: backups and third-party applications

If none of the methods worked, try to restore the wallpaper through backup or third-party tools.

Method 1: Recovery from the backup

If you have previously backed up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset, the wallpaper may have been archived.

1. Connect your phone to your PC and find the MIUI/Backup/AllBackup folder.
2. Open the last backup file (the file with the.bak extension) through the archiver (for example, 7-Zip).
3. Go to the folder com.miui.home – there can be stored wallpaper in.db format.
4. Use MIUI Backup Extractor to extract images.

Method 2: Third-party applications

If you do not need standard wallpaper, but just want to return a beautiful background, try:

• 🎨 Wallpapers Craft – wallpaper generator for the resolution of your screen.
• 🌌 AMOLEDWallpapers – dark wallpapers for screens AMOLED.
• 🖼️ Zedge – a large base of free wallpaper and live backgrounds.

Method 3: Reset to factory settings

The last resort is to completely reset your phone, and it will return all system files, including wallpaper, but it will delete your data.

1. Save important files to the cloud or PC.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Reset all settings (do not Delete all data if you want to save files in memory).

⚠️ Warning: On devices with HyperOS, resetting settings can return non-original wallpaper MIUI, If you want classic wallpaper, use the methods in section 3 (manual file copying).

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper restoration on Xiaomi