How to return the native font to Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Have you installed a custom theme or updated your firmware, and instead of the usual native MIUI font, you have unreadable characters on the Xiaomi screen or too bold / thin text? The problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones - especially after experimenting with the design of the system. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to return the standard font, including hidden settings and recovery through ADB.

It's important to understand that changing fonts in MIUI doesn't always go smoothly. Sometimes the system doesn't completely replace the font, leaving artifacts in menus or apps. We tested the methods on the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 (including HyperOS) and highlighted those that work without the risk of "bricking" the device. If you're not sure about what you're doing, start with the safest options (sections 1-2).

1. Reset font through theme settings

The easiest way to return the original font is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which is suitable if you installed the font through the official theme menu and did not manually modify the system files.

Open the Themes app (icon with brush) and follow the steps:

• 📱 Go to the section My → Fonts.
• 🔍 Find System (or Mi Sans for new versions).
• 💾 Click Apply and confirm the change.
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes the font is not updated immediately.

If there is no system font in the list, try:

1. Download the official theme "Default" from the theme store.
2. Install it and apply it — it often restores the default font.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU) may not have a font section.

Recovery through the Theme Lab

MIUI hides some of the settings in developer mode or special menus, one of which is the Lab Theme, where you can reset all the design changes to the factory.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode.
3. Go back to Settings → Additional → Theme Lab.
4. Select Reset all the themes settings and confirm.

After you reboot, check the font in the Messages and Contacts apps, which are the first to display changes. If the problem persists, the cause may be:

• 📦 Damaged firmware (especially after root rights).
• 🔧 Conflict with installed Magisk modules.
• 🖥️ Rendering error in HyperOS (relevant to Xiaomi 14 and newer).

💡

If the font becomes "teared" after reset (some characters are missing), try changing the system's language to English and back again. This sometimes reloads the font cache.

3. Manual removal of custom fonts through the file manager

If you have manually installed the fonts (through MTZ-files or Magisk, their residues may conflict with system files:

You will need a file manager with root permissions (such as MiXplorer or Solid Explorer).

1. Go to /system/fonts/ or /product/fonts/


2. Delete all files with the.ttf or.otf extension except:




- DroidSansFallback.ttf




MiSans-Regular.ttf (for MIUI 12+)




3. Reset the device.

If you don’t have root rights, try removing fonts through ADB:

adb shell


su




rm -f /data/system/theme/fonts/*




reboot

⚠️ Attention: Removing system fonts without backup can result in bootloop (locked on). TWRP Or Mi Flash Tool.

4. Recovery through ADB (for power users)

If previous methods failed, you can force the fonts to be reset via Android Debug Bridge, which requires a PC connection and USB Debugging mode enabled.

Steps:

1. Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm access via ADB.
2. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Linux/macOS).
3. Enter the commands in turn: adb shell cmd overlay list | grep -i font cmd overlay disable --user 0 [name overlay font] reboot

To find out the exact name of the overlay, run the first command, which will display a list of all active topics, including fonts. Look for lines from com.android.theme.font.

On devices with MIUI 13+ and HyperOS, you may need to disable MIUI Optimization protection in Magisk before executing ADB commands.

5. Flashing through Fastboot (extreme case)

If the font has changed after a failed update or corruption of system files, the only reliable way is to completely reflash the firmware, which will return all system files to factory status, but delete all data from the device.

Procedure:

Download the official firmware for your model from [en.miui.com](https://en.miui.com)

Install the Mi Flash Tool and ADB drivers

Create a backup copy of data (photos, contacts, SMS)

Charge your phone at least 50 times%-->

1. Download Fastboot firmware for your model (e.g. Redmi Note) 12 Pro+ — toco_global_images...).
2. Unpack the archive in a folder without Cyrillic characters.
3. Launch the Mi Flash Tool, connect your phone in Fastboot mode.
4. Select the firmware folder and click Flash (select clean all).

It takes 5-10 minutes, and when you reboot, you'll have to restore the font, but you'll have to set up the device from scratch.

⚠️ Note: Fastboot firmware with clean all option deletes all data, including files in internal memory.If you don't have a backup, try the method first with the ADB.

💡

Flashing is the most reliable way, but only use it if other methods have not worked. On devices with a locked bootloader (such as the POCO X6 Pro), first unlock it through [unlock.bootloader.xiaomi.com](https://unlock.bootloader.xiaomi.com).

Additional Advice and Frequent Mistakes

Even after a successful type restoration, nuances can occur.

• 🔤 System language: Some fonts are only correctly displayed in English. Try changing region to Settings → Additionally. → Language and input.
• 📱 App Updates: After resetting the font, update Google Play Services and MIUI System UI via Play Market.
• 🔄 App cache: Clear cache for Theme and Launcher in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

Common user errors:

• ❌ Removal of all fonts from /system/fonts/ — This leads to bootloop.
• ❌ Using Magisk-modules for fonts without checking compatibility with the version MIUI.
• ❌ Resetting settings through Recovery without prior backup – it doesn’t always restore fonts.

If the font remains distorted after all the manipulations, the problem may be hardware acceleration. Try to turn it off in the developer settings (Settings → Additional → Developer → Disable hardware overlays).

FAQ: Frequent questions about fonts on Xiaomi