How to return standard icons on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones: 5 proven methods

Have you installed a new theme on your Xiaomi Redmi, but the standard app icons have disappeared or changed beyond recognition? Or after the MIUI update, the icons began to look different and return their previous appearance does not work? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi smartphones – from the budget Redmi 9A to the flagship Redmi K60 Pro. Unlike iOS, where the design of the icons is tightly controlled by Apple, the MIUI shell allows you to deeply customize the interface, but sometimes these changes lead to unexpected consequences.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to return original icons to Xiaomi Redmi, including methods through system settings, reset themes, use ADB and even manual restoration through firmware files. We will focus on the nuances for different versions of MIUI (12 to 14) and Redmi models released after 2018. If you do not want to waste time trying all the options, use the table at the end of the first section to choose the best method for your situation.

Before you start, make sure that the problem is not related to the system glitch. Reboot your smartphone (press the power button for 10 seconds) - sometimes this helps to return the icons to their original state. If not, read on.

Why did the standard icons on Xiaomi Redmi disappear?

The reasons for changing or disappearing standard icons on Redmi can be divided into three categories:

• 🎨 Setting up a custom theme. MIUI You can download themes from the official Mi Theme Store, but many of them replace not only wallpaper and fonts, but also app icons, while the original icons are not removed, but simply hidden under a layer of a new theme.
• 🔄 Update MIUI. After major updates (for example, with the MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) the system can automatically apply a new standard theme that includes updated icons.
• 🛠️ Manual changes to system files. ADB, Magisk or third-party launchers (such as Nova Launcher) may have been affected by files /system/media/theme/default, standard-icon.

The most common situation is when a user installs a theme and then deletes it, but the icons remain changed, because MIUI caches the themes and doesn't always roll back the changes correctly, and in such cases, it helps to reset themes or clear the cache.

⚠️ Note: If you use Redmi with an unlocked bootloader and custom firmware (such as Pixel Experience or LineageOS), standard icons MIUI They may not be available in principle, and in this case, they can only be returned by flashing them back to the official version.

If your situation doesn't fit into any of these cases, try the methods in order, from the simplest to the most complex, starting with basic solutions that don't require root rights or technical skills.

Method 1: Resetting theme to factory settings

The fastest way to get back standard icons is to reset the current theme to factory-based icons, which works 90% of the time if the problem occurs after installing a custom theme from the Mi Theme Store.

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to My Themes (or Theme Management in older versions of MIUI).
3. Find an active topic and tap on it.
4. At the bottom of the screen, select Reset to Standard or Remove theme.
5. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

If the option to Reset to Standard is missing, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings → Design → Themes.
2. Select the default theme (usually it is first on the list).
3. Apply it and wait for the process to be completed.

On some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro+), after resetting the theme, the icons may remain changed due to cache.

Clear the Themes app cache (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Themes → Storage → Clear the cache)

Reboot your smartphone

Check if a third-party launcher is installed (e.g., Nova Launcher)

Update MIUI Up to the latest version, if available)-->

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 and later resetting the theme may not return icons for system applications (e.g. Settings or Phone).In this case, use Method 4.

If the reset didn't work, move on to the next method, and maybe the problem lies deeper in the launcher settings or system files.

Method 2: Recovery through launcher settings

On Xiaomi Redmi smartphones, the Mi Launcher system launcher (or POCO Launcher on some models) is responsible for displaying icons, sometimes its settings get confused, leading to incorrect display of icons, to return standard icons:

1. Hold your finger on the empty space on the desktop.
2. In the menu that appears, select Desktop Settings (or Launcher Settings).
3. Go to the section Icon Style or App icons.
4. Select the default or standard option.
5. Save the changes and restart the smartphone.

The MIUI 13/14 may be different:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Desktop.
• 🔍 Find the Style of Badges section.
• 🎯 Select the Standard Icons MIUI.

If the launcher settings do not have an option to reset icons, try clearing the launcher data:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Launcher (or POCO Launcher)
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Confirm the action. After that, all the shortcuts on the desktop will reset, but the app icons will return to the standard view.

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Before cleaning the launcher data, take screenshots of the location of the icons on the desktop - this will help to quickly restore them after resetting.

If this method didn't work, it might be the system files that are corrupted, and then a deeper intervention would help.

Method 3: Using ADB to Reset Icons

If the standard methods didn’t work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a tool for debugging Android through a computer, which is suitable for advanced users and requires the activation of the developer mode.

Before you start, make sure that:

• 💻 The computer has Xiaomi drivers installed and ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 📱 On the smartphone included debugging on USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 Used by the original USB-cable (not all cables support data transmission).

Instructions for resetting icons through ADB:

1. Connect Redmi to your computer and allow debugging over USB on your phone.
2. Open the command prompt (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux).
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Run the command to reset the launcher settings: adb shell pm clear com.miui.home This will clear the system launcher data, including the icon cache.
5. Reboot your smartphone: adb reboot

If the icons did not return after the reboot, try an additional command to reset themes:

adb shell pm clear com.android.themes

⚠️ Note: pm clear commands delete all data from these applications, which can result in resetting wallpaper, widgets, and other personal desktop settings.

If ADB doesn’t help, the last software method is manually restoring system files.

Method 4: Manual recovery of system icon files

This is the most difficult method, but it's effective if the previous methods didn't work. It involves replacing the icon files in the system partition, so it requires root rights or an unlocked bootloader. Without root, you can't edit files in /system.

If you don’t have root, skip this section and go to Method 5 (reset to factory settings).

Instructions for users with root:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/media/theme/default This is where the standard MIUI icons are stored.
3. Find a folder with icons (usually called icons or drawable).
4. Download the original icon files for your version of MIUI (can be found on the 4PDA or XDA Developers forums).
5. Replace current files with downloaded ones, retaining access rights (644 or rw-r)--r--).
6. Reboot your smartphone.

For different versions of MIUI, the paths to icons may differ:

If you are not sure about your actions, it is better not to edit system files manually - this can lead to a bootloop ( looped reboot), in which case only the firmware will help.

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Manual icon restoration is an extreme method. If you don't have experience with root or ADB, use factory reset (Method 5).

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If none of these methods work, the last option is a hard reset, which will bring the smartphone back to the box, including all the standard icons, but will delete all the data from the internal memory. Before reset, make sure to back up important files!

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Enter a password (if required) and confirm the action.
4. Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

If the smartphone does not respond to touch or does not turn on, reset through recovery mode:

1. Turn off Redmi.
2. Press the Power + Volume buttons up for 10 seconds.
3. From the recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (manage volume and power buttons).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi) K40) Resetting through recovery may require you to enter a password from your Mi Account. If you forget it, it will be difficult to unlock the phone - you will need to contact the service center.

Once reset, all icons will return to the standard view, but you will have to reconfigure your smartphone. To avoid this problem in the future, follow the tips from the next section.

How to avoid problems with icons in the future?

To ensure that the standard icons on your Xiaomi Redmi don’t disappear after updates or changes to themes, follow these guidelines:

• 🔒 Do not install themes from unverified sources. use only the official Mi Theme Store.
• 📥 Before the update MIUI Back up. Go to Settings for that. → The phone. → Backup.
• 🛡️ Turn off automatic theme application. In the theme settings, disable Auto Update theme option.
• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly. Clean the cache of the Themes and Mi Launcher apps once a month.
• 📦 Do not delete system applications. Even if you are not using Mi Video or Mi Music, removing them can disrupt the work of the system.

If you like customizing the interface but are afraid of losing standard icons, use third-party launchers (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) that allow you to change icons without tampering with MIUI system files.

It’s also helpful to know that on MIUI 14 and later, Xiaomi has started blocking some customization features to improve stability.If you’re upgrading from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14, be prepared for some of the look and feel settings to reset.

FAQ: Frequent questions about icon restoration on Redmi