How to bring back standard themes to Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Did you accidentally delete the standard MIUI theme or did it disappear from the list of available ones after the system update? This problem is familiar to many owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. The manufacturer often hides factory themes in new versions of the firmware, and custom modifications can conflict with system files. You can restore the original wallpaper and interface styles without resetting to factory settings - the main thing is to know where to look for hidden options and how to properly manipulate theme files.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven methods for returning standard themes, including working with system folders, using the system folders. ADB-and alternative methods through MIUI Theme Editor. We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions MIUI (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14) and smartphone models. If you've tried to install custom themes through.mtz files before and have encountered errors, here's a solution to restore the system to work.

Why Xiaomi’s Standard Themes Are Losing

Factory themes are rarely lost due to hardware failures, and 90% of the time, the problem is software failures or user actions.

• 🔄 Update MIUI: Newer firmware versions often “nullify” the list of themes, especially if the update was error-prone or through Fastboot.
• 🗑️ Manual Deletion: Users often clean folders /MIUI/theme/ In an attempt to free up space, unaware that system files are stored there.
• 📦 Custom topics conflict: Installing modified.mtz files can overwrite original resources.
• 🔧 Resetting: Even a partial reset (for example, through Settings) → Additionally. → Resetting settings) sometimes removes themes.
• 🛠️ Work with ADB: Incorrect commands like pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.theme.icon can damage system packages.

Interestingly, on some models (such as the Xiaomi Mi 11 or Redmi Note 10 Pro), standard themes are not completely lost, but simply hidden from the selection menu. They can be returned through the theme editor or manipulation of configuration files. POCO F3 and other devices with “clean” Android (for example, POCO X3 NFC on MIUI for POCO), you may need to reinstall the com.android.theme.icon package.

Method 1: Recovery through “Themes” (without root)

The easiest method is to use a built-in theme menu, which works on most MIUI 12.5+ devices, but requires a stable Internet connection.

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to the section My topics → Standard.
3. If the section is empty, tap the update icon (round arrow in the upper right corner).
4. Select Restore Standard Themes (the option may be called Reset to Factory).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the download (it may take up to 5 minutes).

Some firmware (e.g. MIUI 13 Global) have hidden the recovery option.

1. Return to the main screen of the Themes app.
2. In the search box, enter default or stock.
3. Find a theme called Default or MIUI Standard and apply it.

💡

If the themes are not displayed correctly after recovery (blurred icons, curved fonts), reboot your smartphone. This will reset the cache of graphic resources.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for POCO (for example, POCO X3 Pro) standard topics may be referred to POCO Default.Don't confuse them with custom themes from the community!

Method 2: Reinstall theme package through ADB

If standard themes are lost after manual removal or reset, they can be returned via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that requires a computer and enabled debugging over USB.

Preparation:

• 🖥️ Install Platform Tools on PC.
• 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times according to version, then return to additional → For developers).
• 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm access to debugging.

Instructions:

adb shell


pm install-existing com.android.theme.icon.pack.v5




pm install-existing com.android.theme.icon.pack.v6

For MIUI 14, an additional command may be required:

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.miui.tsmclient

If the commands don’t work, try an alternative:

adb shell am start -n com.android.theme.icon/.ThemeStoreActivity

Installed Platform Tools|Debugging is on. USB|Smartphone connected to PC|Superuser rights are allowed (if there is root)-->

⚠️ Note: If, after completing the commands, ADB Failure error appears [DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR], This means that the theme packet is corrupted, and in this case, only a complete flashing through Fastboot will help. 5).

Method 3: Manual copying of theme files (root required)

For power users with unlocked bootloader and root rights, a method of direct copying system files is available, which is suitable if standard themes have been physically removed from the device memory.

Steps:

1. Download the archive with original themes for your model (see the 4PDA or XDA Developers forums for "MIUI [version] stock themes").
2. Use Root Explorer or Mixplorer (with root access enabled) to navigate to /system/priv-app/ThemeManager/.
3. Copy files from the archive into this folder by replacing existing ones (if any).
4. Set 644 (r-w r--- r----) for files and 755 (r-wx r-x r-x) for folders.
5. Reset the device.

Redmi Note 8 Pro and Mi 9T models may require additional copying to:

• /data/system/theme/ (Create a folder if it is not available)
• /system/media/theme/default/

After the reboot, standard themes should appear in the selection menu. If this does not happen, check the error log through ADB Logcat:

adb logcat | grep -i "theme"

Method 4: Use of MIUI Theme Editor

The official MIUI Theme Editor app (available from MIUI Lab) allows you to restore and edit themes, including standard ones.This method works without root, but requires a connection to Xiaomi's Chinese servers.

Instructions:

1. Download MIUI Theme Editor from MIUI App Store (you will need a VPN to access from Russia).
2. Open the app and resolve all access requests.
3. Go to the Recovery section → Standard topics.
4. Select your MIUI version and device model from the list.
5. Click Restore and wait until the process is complete (may take up to 10 minutes).

If the app doesn’t find standard themes, try:

• 🔄 Reset the cache to Settings → Annexes → MIUI Theme Editor → Warehouse.
• 🌐 Use it. VPN With access to Hong Kong or Singapore (Xiaomi servers there are more stable).
• 📥 Download backup of themes from forums and download it via Import → Local file.

💡

MIUI Theme Editor is the only official way to recover themes without losing data, but it requires an active Xiaomi account and a stable internet connection.

Method 5: Complete Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot FastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFastFast

If all previous methods failed, the radical solution is to completely reflash through Fastboot, which is guaranteed to bring back all standard themes, but reset all data on the device.

Preparation:

• 📥 Download the official firmware for your model (choose the Fastboot version, not Recovery).
• 🖥️ Install the Mi Flash Tool on PC.
• 🔌 Connect your smartphone in Fastboot mode (clip the power supply) + Loudness down when the phone is off).

Firmware process:

1. Unpack the downloaded archive with firmware in a folder without Cyrillic symbols.
2. Open the Mi Flash Tool, press Select and point the path to the firmware folder.
3. Select Clean All (complete reset) mode.
4. Press Flash and wait until it is completed (usually 5-10 minutes).

Once firmware is installed, the device automatically restarts with factory settings, and all standard themes, fonts, and wallpapers are restored, and this method also fixes errors like "Theme Not Supported" or "Resource Download Error" that occur after incorrect updates.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 7, Mi) A2) After the firmware through Fastboot, the bootloader may be blocked. To avoid this, before the firmware, unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When you restore standard themes, users often encounter typical problems, and here's how to solve them:

If you notice that the animations are slower or the interface slows down after restoring the theme, this is due to the reassembly of the resource cache. Give the system 10-15 minutes to optimize (you can speed up the process by restarting the device 2-3 times in a row).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions