How to bring back an old theme on Xiaomi phone: rollback through settings and ADB

Have you updated your Xiaomi theme and realized that the new version looks worse than the old one? Or did the system automatically reset the design after the MIUI update? You can bring back the previous interface appearance in several ways, from standard tools in settings to manual restoration through ADB and backups. In this article, we will discuss all working methods, including hidden features and circumvention of restrictions for models on MIUI 12-14.

It is important to understand that the process of returning a theme depends on whether it was system (defaulted) or custom (downloaded from the Tema Store). For the former, resetting is often enough, for the latter, you may need to re-install the.mtz file. Also note that after major MIUI updates, some themes become incompatible - you will have to search for them in archives or adapt them manually.

If you are not sure which theme was installed earlier, start by checking the history of changes in Settings → Making. There may be a log of the latest themes used. To speed up the process, use our interactive flowchart:

1.Recovery through the history of topics in MIUI

The easiest way to bring back the previous theme is to use the built-in rollback feature in the design menu, which is available on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI 12 and later. Here's how it works:

1. Open the settings → registration.
2. Scroll down to My Themes and click History.
3. In the list, find the theme you want and tap it, and the system will suggest you reuse it.

⚠️ Warning: History only stores the last 5-7 themes you've used. If you've changed your design a long time or reset your settings, the old theme may not appear on the list.

If the story is empty but you remember the title of the topic, try to find it manually:

• 🔍 Enter the name in the search bar Tema Store (theme store).
• 📥 If the theme is not available, check the Archive section in the store profile – sometimes older versions stay there.
• 🌐 For global themes (such as Dark Mode or Classic), try changing your Mi Account region to India or China, where there are often more options.

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If a theme has been purchased but disappeared from history, check the My Shopping section of the Tema Store. Even deleted themes can be re-downloaded without paying.

2. Resetting the design settings to the factory

If the story doesn't work, the next step is to reset the theme to factory settings, which will return the standard MIUI theme (usually Default or Classic, depending on the model), your wallpaper, fonts and icons will reset, but your personal data (photos, contacts) will remain intact.

Instructions:

1. Go to the settings → Design → Additional (or More).
2. Select Resetting the design settings.
3. Confirm the action. The phone will reboot, and the standard theme will be applied.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 14 for POCO F5) This item may not be available. In this case, use a partial reset via Settings. → Memory. → Cleanup → Clear data for the Topic app (com.android.themes).

3. Manual recovery from backup

If you’ve previously created backup themes through Mi Cloud or locally, you can restore an old theme from the archive, which is suitable for custom themes downloaded from the Tema Store or installed through.mtz files.

How to restore:

1. Local Backup: Connect your phone to your PC and find /MIUI/theme/.backup. Copy files with the.mtz extension to /MIUI/theme. Reboot your device and apply the theme through Settings → Design → Local.
2. Cloud Backup: Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Data Recovery. Select a backup date and select Topics. Confirm Recovery. The theme will appear in My Topics.

⚠️ Warning: Recovery from Mi Cloud can overwrite the current wallpaper and font settings. Before the procedure, take screenshots of the current design or export the wallpaper manually from the folder /DCIM/Screenshots.

Create a backup copy of the current wallpaper|Check the vacant space (needs to be checked) ≥500MB)|Disable automatic update of themes|Write down the title of an old topic-->

4. Install theme via.mtz file (for power users)

If the theme was removed from the system, but you still have a.mtz file (for example, downloaded from the 4PDA forum or XDA Developers), it can be installed manually. This method works on all Xiaomi devices, but requires debugging over USB for some models.

Step-by-step:

1. Download the.mtz theme file to your phone (for example, via Telegram or Google Drive).
2. Move the file to /MIUI/theme (create it if it doesn’t exist).
3. Open Settings → Design → Local and select the added file.
4. Confirm the installation. The phone will reboot.

If the theme doesn’t appear in the list, try renaming the file by removing special characters from the title (for example, replace the file). SuperTheme_v2.1.mtz SuperTheme.mtz, check compatibility:

• 📱 Theme for MIUI 12 may not work on the MIUI 14.
• 🔒 Some topics require an unlocked bootloader.
• 🛠️ For those with animations, you may need a patch through Magisk.

Critical information: On devices with MIUI 14 and later, the system blocks the installation of third-party themes without a Xiaomi signature. To get around this, run the command via ADB before installing.mtz:

adb shell settings put global miui_optimize_theme_install 1

5. Recovery through ADB (for Advanced)

If standard methods don’t work, you can return an old theme via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable for restoring system themes that were deleted after a MIUI update or reset.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-Drivers and Platform Tools.
• 📱 Phone with debugging enabled USB.
• 📄 Backup copy of the theme files (or their names).

Recovery teams:

1. Check the list of installed themes: adb shell ls /data/system/theme
2. If you have a theme on the list, activate it: adb shell cmd overlay enable --user 0 com.android.theme.icon.pack.
3. For a full reset to a standard theme: adb shell cmd overlay disable-user --all

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB It can cause interface failures. Create a backup with an adb backup or before executing commands. TWRP (if established).

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ADB-Teams allow you to restore even those topics that are not displayed in the menu MIUI. However, this method requires knowing the exact name of the theme package (e.g. com.android.theme.icon.pack.dark for dark theme).

6. Alternative methods: patches and Magisk modules

If none of the above methods worked, there are still radical solutions – using Magisk modules or patches to force the installation of themes, which is true for devices with MIUI 13/14, where Xiaomi has tightened control over custom themes.

Popular tools:

• 🔧 MIUI Theme Manager (module for Magisk) – allows you to install any.mtz files without restrictions.
• 🎨 Substratum + Andromeda – an alternative theme system that works on top of MIUI.
• 📦 MTZ Patcher – utility for modifying themes for the new version MIUI.

Instructions for MIUI Theme Manager:

1. Install Magisk and unlock Bootloader (if not done before).
2. Download the MIUI Theme Manager module and install it through Magisk Manager.
3. Reboot your phone and copy the.mtz file to /sdcard/MIUI/theme.
4. Apply the theme through the standard Settings menu → Design.

⚠️ Note: Magisk modules can cause Mi Account ban (especially on HyperOS devices) and some modules conflict with security updates. Check compatibility on the forum before installing. XDA or 4PDA.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When you restore themes, users often encounter typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If the problem is not solved, check the system logs through ADB:

adb logcat | grep -i "theme"

In the output, look for lines with errors such as ThemeManager: failed to apply - they will indicate the specific cause of the failure.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions