Wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi: how to turn on and configure in MIUI in 5 minutes

The wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi smartphones is a hidden MIUI feature that allows you to automatically change background images on the lock screen or desktop on a schedule. Although the option is not always available in the basic settings, it can be activated in several ways, from standard menus to hidden commands through ADB. In this article, we will discuss all working methods for turning on the carousel, including nuances for different versions of the firmware (from MIUI 12 to HyperOS).

Many users are unaware of the feature, although it will make a lot of difference in the look and feel of the device, such as changing the wallpaper every 10 minutes, tying it to the time of day, or using collections from Xiaomi Themes, knowing where to look for the switches and how to get around the system's limitations, and then you'll find step-by-step instructions with screenshots, a compatibility table, and answers to frequent questions.

If you've tried to turn on the carousel before using Settings → Wallpaper but didn't find the right option, don't get upset. 80 percent of the time, the problem is solved by activating the hidden mode or updating the Theme app. And for advanced users, we've developed a method using ADB that works even on locked downloaders.

What is a wallpaper carousel in MIUI and why you need it

Wallpaper carousel (or dynamic wallpaper) is a MIUI function that cyclically changes background images on a lock screen or desktop according to given rules. Unlike static wallpaper, it allows:

• 🔄 Automatically update the background every 5–60 minutes (configurable interval).
• 🌄 The day is the day of the day, the day, the day, the day).
• 📁 Use your own collections of images or ready-made packages from Xiaomi Themes.
• 🎨 Combine animations with live wallpaper (on supported devices).

This feature is especially useful for those who are quickly tired of the same design, for example, you can adjust the wallpaper every 30 minutes to make the screen always look fresh, and the system will pick up the images from your chosen collection — whether it is landscapes, abstractions or photos from the gallery.

It's important to understand that the wallpaper carousel works regardless of the MIUI theme, so you can use dynamic backgrounds even with a standard theme. However, on some devices (especially budget ones), the function may be limited due to hardware features.

Compatibility of wallpaper carousel with Xiaomi models

Not all Xiaomi smartphones support a wallpaper carousel out of the box.The function depends on the firmware version, device model and regional build of MIUI. Below is a compatibility table for popular lines:

If your model is not listed in the table, check the support for the wallpaper carousel experimentally.

1. Open the Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Try to select any collection from the Dynamic Wallpaper section.
3. If you don’t have an option, go to manual activation methods (described below).

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices, the path to settings for the carousel may be different.Look for Personalization → Wallpaper. → Dynamic.

Method 1: Enabling the carousel through standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to activate the feature via the wallpaper menu, which works on most devices with MIUI 14 and HyperOS, but may not be available on older versions of firmware.

1. Open the settings of your smartphone.
2. Go to Wallpaper (or Personalization → Wallpaper in HyperOS).
3. Select Lock Screen or Desktop (depending on where you want to turn on the carousel).
4. Scroll down to Dynamic Wallpaper or Wallpaper Carousel section.
5. Activate the switch and select a collection of images.
6. Set the shift interval (from 5 minutes to 24 hours).

If there is no Dynamic Wallpaper section, try updating the Topics app:

1. Open Google Play or the MIUI App Store.
2. Find the Themes app and update it to the latest version.
3. Restart the device and repeat the steps above.

Update the "Themes" app to the latest version

Reboot your smartphone

Check the presence of the section "Dynamic wallpaper" in the settings

Download the collection of wallpaper (if required)-->

On some devices (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro), the option is hidden behind an optional menu to reveal it:

1. In the Wallpaper section, click on three dots (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Wallpaper Settings.
3. Activate the automatic change option.

⚠️ Note: If the carousel is not working after activation, check if the battery optimization for the Theme app is disabled. → Annexes → Application management → Topics → Battery and select No Limitations.

Method 2: Activate via hidden settings (ADB)

If the standard method didn't work, you can turn on the wallpaper carousel via the ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for devices with MIUI 12-14 and requires a connection to a computer.

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 📱 Smartphone with enabled debugging USB.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on MIUI until you become a developer!
2. Activate USB Debugging: Return to Settings → Additional → Developer. Turn on the USB Debugging Switch.

Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.

CMD

Terminal

adb shell settings put global wallpaper_carousel_enabled 1

Once you've done the command, restart the device. Now the Carousel section should appear in the wallpaper settings.

If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:

adb shell am start -n com.android.themes/.activities.WallpaperCarouselActivity

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Before using ADB, make sure that your PC has the latest version of Google’s platform-tools installed, and you can download them from the official Android Developers website.

⚠️ Note: On certain devices (e.g, POCO X3 Pro) after activation through ADB The carousel only works until the first reboot. To fix the changes, repeat the command or use Tasker to automatically apply the settings.

Method 3: Using Third-Party Applications

If none of the previous methods worked, you can use third-party applications to change the wallpaper.

• 🌈 Wallpaper Changer — allows you to automatically change wallpapers on a schedule or when you unlock the screen. Supports local collections and online galleries.
• ⏱️ Tapet – generates unique wallpapers based on your preferences and changes them automatically.
• 📱 Kappboom – a specialized application for Xiaomi devices with support for themes MIUI.

To set up the carousel through Wallpaper Changer:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Grant permissions to access the storage and customize the wallpaper.
3. Select an image folder or connect an online source (such as Unsplash).
4. Set the shift interval (from 1 minute to 24 hours).
5. Activate the option to Apply when unlocking.

Third-party apps have the advantage of flexibility in settings, such as Tapet, where you can create rules for changing wallpaper depending on:

• 🕒 Time of day (morning/day/evening/night).
• 📍 Geolocations (home/work/travel).
• 🔋 Battery level of charge.

The main disadvantage of third-party solutions is increased battery consumption, and to minimize it, turn off the background activity of the application in the battery settings.

Setting up the wallpaper carousel: hidden chips

Even after the successful activation of the carousel, many users are unaware of the additional features of the feature.

• 🔄 Weather-related: B MIUI 14 and HyperOS can be customized to change wallpaper depending on weather conditions. To do this, select the collection Weather wallpaper in the carousel settings.
• 🎨 Own collections: Create a folder with images in the gallery, then in the carousel settings, select Add folder and specify the path to it.
• 🕒 Weekly schedule: In some versions MIUI You can set different wallpapers on weekdays and weekends.

For advanced users, settings through XML-For example, to change the speed of animation when changing wallpaper:

1. Download any theme from Xiaomi Themes with carousel support.
2. Unpack. APK-Theme file (rename the extension to.zip).
3. Open the file. wallpaper_carousel_config.xml in the asset folder.
4. Find the parameter. <animation_duration>500</animation_duration> and change the value (in milliseconds).
5. Collect the APK back and set the theme.

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On HyperOS devices, the wallpaper carousel may conflict with Super Wallpaper. If the animations are not working properly, turn off the super wallpaper in the personalization settings.

Another life hack is using live wallpaper in combination with a carousel.

1. Install live wallpaper (e.g. Earth & Moon 3D from Google Play).
2. In the carousel settings, select the option Mixed Mode.
3. Add live wallpaper to the collection and set a shift interval (at least 30 minutes is recommended).

⚠️ Note: Redmi with MediaTek processors (e.g. Helio) G95) If you have live wallpaper in the carousel, you can slow down, in which case you can reduce the frequency of the shift or turn off the animations.

Solving wallpaper carousel problems

If the wallpaper carousel does not work or does not work correctly, check the following points:

If the problem is not solved, try resetting the wallpaper settings to standard:

1. Go to Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Select Reset to Factory (or Restore Standard)
3. Reboot the device and reset the carousel.

For HyperOS devices, additional configuration via ADB may be required:

adb shell cmd overlay enable-exclusive com.android.themes.wallpaper.carousel

If none of these methods worked, please contact Xiaomi for support:

• Models of the device.
• The firmware version (Settings → About the phone → MIUI version).
• Screenshot of the error (if any).

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi