How to remove the dark mode on Xiaomi: 5 working ways for MIUI

Dark mode on Xiaomi smartphones has become a standard feature with the release of MIUI 10, but not all users like it.Some prefer the classic light interface because of better readability in daylight, some face display bugs in individual applications, and some are just tired of the monotonous black range. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to disable dark theme on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices – from basic system settings to hidden settings for power users.

It's important to understand that dark mode in MIUI works on two levels: system (shell) and application level. Sometimes, turning it off in settings does not give the expected result, because some programs (for example, YouTube or Telegram) have their own theme parameters, we will look at both scenarios and give recommendations for a full return to light design without traces of black background.

1. Standard dark mode shutdown in MIUI settings

The easiest way to bring back a bright theme is to use the built-in shell settings, which works on all Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later, including the latest versions of HyperOS (if it is already available for your model).

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Screen section (or Additional settings → Screen on some models).
3. Select Dark Mode (older versions may be called Night Mode or Dark Theme).
4. Transfer the slider to the off position. or uncheck next to the option.

Screen settings open|Item "Dark Mode" found|The slider is moved to the "Off" position."|Changes applied (OK button or automatic saving)-->

If the interface is dark after these actions, check:

• 🔄 Reboot the device – sometimes changes are only applied after restart.
• 📱 Version MIUI — on certain firmware (for example, MIUI 11 for older models) the path may be different: Settings → Display. → Brightness → Dark subject matter.
• 🌓 Automatic switching – if schedule mode is enabled, it must be turned off separately (more on this below).

💡

On some POCO models (e.g., the POCO X3 Pro), the Dark Mode option is hidden behind an optional menu. To find it, tap three dots in the upper right corner of the Screen section and select Additional Settings.

2. Disable automatic switching on schedule

Many users are faced with a situation where the dark mode turns on on itself in the evening or at low battery level.This is due to the Auto Switch function, which is activated by default in MIUI.

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Dark Mode.
2. Slip on the Schedule (or Automatic Enablement).
3. Choose Never or Off option.
4. Turn off the Adaptive Dark Mode option (if any) – it analyzes lighting through sensors and turns on the dark theme automatically.

If your MIUI version doesn’t have an explicit Schedule item, but dark mode still turns on automatically, check the Battery settings and performance. In some firmware, the option is hidden there under the name Energy Saving → Dark Theme.

Never.|Rarely (once a week)|Frequently (daily)|Constantly (a few times a day)-->

3. Resetting a dark theme for individual applications

Even after you turn off dark mode in your system settings, some apps may still be black, which is because many programs (like Google Chrome, VK, WhatsApp) have their own theme settings that are independent of MIUI.

Method 1: Manual switching in each application

• 📱 YouTube: Profile → Settings → General. → Appearance → Bright topic.
• 💬 Telegram: Settings → Appearance → Light (or System default if you have a MIUI brightly-faced).
• 🌐 Google Chrome: ⋮ → Settings → Topics → Light.
• 📘 VK: Profile → Settings → Interface. → Bright topic.

Method 2: Forced shutdown through developer settings

If the application ignores the system settings, you can try to forcefully forbid it to use a dark theme:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional settings → For developers.
3. Find the option to Forced Enable Light Theme (or Override Force-Dark) and activate it.

Important: Forced disabling of a dark theme through the developer settings can lead to incorrect display of some interface elements in applications. If after activating this option, the text becomes unreadable (for example, black font on a black background), return the setting to its original state.

4.Dark Mode Problems After MIUI Update

After installing a new firmware version (especially when switching to MIUI 14 or HyperOS), users often encounter bugs related to a dark topic.

• 🔄 Dark mode turns on itself after rebooting: Reason: failure in secure settings. Solution: perform reset via Settings → Annexes → Application management → ⋮ → Resetting application settings.
• 📱 Theme switching does not work in some applications: Reason: Cache conflict. Solution: Clear the cache for the problem application in Settings → Annexes → [Name of the annex] → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🖥️ Interface. MIUI remains dark despite disabling mode: Reason: corrupt theme files. Solution: change the theme to standard in Settings → Topics → My subjects. → Standard.

💡

If you have a dark mode problem after you upgraded to MIUI, check the firmware version first. Unstable betas often contain design bugs. A rollback to a stable version usually solves the problem.

For devices with HyperOS (new shell from Xiaomi), the path to dark mode settings has changed:

Settings → Display → Display Style → Dark theme

If you have HyperOS but no Dark Theme, then your model has not yet received full support for the new shell – use methods for MIUI 14.

5. Reset all theme settings to factory

If none of these things worked, you might have had a system configuration failure, and then you might want to reset themes to factory settings, and it won't delete your data, but it will bring all the visual settings back out of the box.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Themes.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select Reset (or Restore Default Values).
3. Confirm the action.
4. Reset the device.

After discharge:

• 🎨 All user themes will be disabled.
• 📱 System fonts, icons and wallpaper will return to standard.
• 🔄 Dark Mode will turn off (if it was turned on at the theme level).

💡

Before resetting themes, take screenshots of your current settings in Settings → Topics → My Themes. This will help you quickly restore your favorite design after the procedure.

If the reset didn’t help, the last option is a full reset (hard reset). However, you should resort to it only as a last resort, as this will delete all data from the device. Before the procedure, be sure to back up through Settings → About phone → Backup.

6. Alternative methods for experienced users

If standard methods don't work, you can try more radical methods, they require technical knowledge and can affect the stability of the system, so use them at your own risk.

Method 1: Change of parameters through ADB

You will need a computer with installed ADB-Drivers and Included Debugging USB smartphone.

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line in the adb folder.
2. Execute the command to check the connection: adb devices
3. Turn off dark mode with command: adb shell settings put secure ui_night_mode 1 (where 1 — bright-themed, 2 — dark).
4. Reboot the device: adb reboot

Method 2: Editing the build.prop file

This is root-rights, and it's designed for advanced users, and it allows you to turn off the dark mode at the system level, but if you edit it incorrectly, it can lead to a bootloop.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer).
2. Open the file /system/build.prop.
3. Add a line to the end of the file: qmuiflag_darkmode=0
4. Save the changes, set the rights 644 and restart the device.

These methods should only be used if you know exactly what you are doing, and for most users, the standard methods described in the first sections are sufficient.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When trying to turn off dark mode, many users make common mistakes that only complicate the situation, and here are the most common ones and ways to prevent them:

• ❌ Ignoring updates: On older versions MIUI (for example, MIUI 11 for Redmi Note 8) dark mode settings may not work properly.Solution: Update your firmware to the latest stable version via Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• ❌ Use of third-party “optimizers”: applications like Clean Master or DU Speed Booster often interferes with system settings, which can cause a crash in the display of the theme. Solution: delete such programs and reset settings.
• ❌ Incomplete cache reset: Clearing the cache for individual applications only may not work.Solution: perform a full cache clean through Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache (button at the bottom of the screen).

💡

If the dark mode turns off but reappears after a while, check for viruses. Some malware changes system settings to display ads on a black background.

Another common problem is the conflict of topics, and if you installed custom themes from the Mi Theme Store, they could override system settings to fix it:

1. Go to Settings → Topics → My themes.
2. Choose a standard theme (usually called Default or Standard theme).
3. Apply it and restart the device.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions