Why Xiaomi is not changing: a full analysis of the causes and solutions

You're trying to update the look of your Xiaomi or Redmi, but the system stubbornly ignores your attempts to change the theme? This problem is familiar to many users of smartphones based on MIUI, the branded shell from Xiaomi. Sometimes the theme simply does not apply after selection, in other cases the changes are reset after rebooting, and sometimes the theme menu does not respond to clicks at all.

In this article, we’ll look at 7 main reasons why the topic hasn’t changed on Xiaomi devices, from trivial cache crashes to deep system conflicts. You’ll learn how to diagnose a problem, which settings to check first, and what to do if standard methods don’t work. And for owners of older models (such as the Redmi Note 4X or Mi A1), we’ve prepared separate recommendations, taking into account the limitations of their firmware.

Before you go to radical measures like resetting, make sure you don’t miss the obvious. For example, some themes in MIUI Themes require additional plugins or are simply incompatible with your shell version. Next, a detailed guide with step-by-step instructions, compatibility tables, and answers to frequent questions.

1. Problems with the cache of the "Themes" application

The most common reason why a theme is not applied or reset is a clogged cache of the Themes system application, which accumulates temporary files of downloaded themes, and when it is overflowed, display failures can occur.

How to clean the cache correctly:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In the search bar, enter “Themes” and select the application MIUI Themes.
• 🧹 Click Clear cache (not data!) If the button is inactive, the cache is already empty.
• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone and try to reuse the theme.

If the topic doesn't change after cleaning the cache, try forcing the app to stop (Stop button in the same menu) and it will reset all active processes related to the themes, and in 60% of cases, this is the way to solve the problem.

⚠️ Warning: Do not unnecessarily clean the Topic app data, it will delete all the themes you have uploaded and you will have to download them again.

2. Incompatibility of theme with the MIUI version

Not all the themes from the official MIUI Themes store are universal. Many designs are created for specific versions of the shell (for example, MIUI 12.5 or 14) and may not work on others, especially for those with custom icons or animations.

How to check compatibility:

1. Open the Themes app and find your favorite theme.
2. Scroll down to the Details block, where the minimum version of MIUI is specified.
3. Compare with your version: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.

If your version of MIUI is outdated, update it via Settings → System Update. For models older than 2019 (such as the Redmi 5 Plus), official updates may not be available, in which case manual firmware via Fastboot or Recovery will help.

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Before updating MIUI, back up to Settings → Additional → Backup. This will save your themes and settings after reset.

3. Errors of downloading or installing the theme

Sometimes the topic doesn't swing completely or gets installed with errors, and this can be because of:

• 🌐 Unstable Internet connection (especially on mobile data).
• 🔒 Blocking downloads with antivirus or firewall.
• 📥 Download interruptions due to traffic savings.

How to check the integrity of the downloaded theme:

1. Go to Topics. → My subjects. → Loaded.
2. Find a problem topic and click on it.
3. If an error does not apply the theme, delete it and download it again.

To resolve loading problems:

Connect to a stable Wi-Fi

Turn off VPN or proxy

Temporarily disable the antivirus

Close background apps that consume traffic-->

If the theme is loaded but not applied, try installing it through APK-- For that, file:

1. Download the theme in.mtz format from a reliable source (e.g. miuier.com).
2. Move the file to the MIUI/theme folder in the internal storage.
3. Open the Themes → Import application and select the downloaded file.

⚠️ Note: Installing themes from unverified sources may contain malicious code. Use only trusted platforms like Xiaomi Themes Store or MIUIer.

4. Conflicts with other system settings

Sometimes the topic is not applied due to conflicts with:

• 🎨 Wallpaper: If you manually installed a Super Wallpaper, it can block the theme from changing.
• 🔍 Energy saving mode: in this mode MIUI Limits background processes, including the application of topics.
• 🔒 Administrator rights: Some applications (such as Greenify) may block system changes.

What to do:

1. Remove custom wallpaper: go to Settings → Wallpaper and select standard.
2. Turn off the power saving mode in Settings → Battery.
3. Check the list of applications with administrator rights in Settings → Passwords and Security → Privileged Applications.

If you use custom Recovery (like TWRP), the problem may be in modified system files, in which case only a complete reset or firmware reflash will help.

5. Restrictions on some Xiaomi models

Not all Xiaomi smartphones support the theme change in the same way.

• 📱 POCO F1 and POCO X2: stripped-down MIUI non-theme-shop.
• 📱 Redmi Go and Redmi 7A: Work on Android Go, where theme is disabled by default.
• 📱 Mi A1/A2/A3: Devices on pure Android without MIUI — Themes are changed through standard Android settings.

For Android One models (Mi A series), the only way to change the theme is to use launchers like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher that support theme design. Install them from Google Play and manually configure them.

Owners. POCO-Devices should be upgraded to the latest version MIUI for POCO, where support for themes is extended. Check for updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

6. Resetting settings as a last resort

If none of these methods work, you have to reset, and it's a radical solution, but it's guaranteed to eliminate software conflicts.

Create a backup in Mi Cloud

Copy photos/videos on PC

Write down logins and passwords from accounts

Make sure your phone is at least 50 times charged%-->

How to perform the reset:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset all settings (does not delete files) or Delete all data (complete cleanup).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

• 🔄 Update immediately. MIUI last-minute.
• 📥 Reinstall the theme from the official store.
• 🔧 Do not restore settings from backup – this can return the problem.

⚠️ Warning: On devices with the bootloader unlocked, the reset may result in a bootloop.Before the procedure, make sure you have access to the Fastboot for recovery.

7. Alternative ways to change the topic

If standard methods don’t work, try workarounds:

Method 1: Use of ADB

For experienced users, there is an opportunity to apply the theme through ADB:

adb shell am start -n com.android.themes/.activity.ThemePreviewActivity

This command runs a hidden preview menu to those where you can manually activate the design.

Method 2: Third-party launchers

Install an alternative launcher (like Hyperion Launcher or Before Launcher) and customize the theme through it. This won't replace the MIUI system theme, but will visually transform the interface.

Method 3: Castom firmware

On the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums, you can find modified firmware with advanced theme support. For example, MIUI EU or Xiaomi.eu offer more customization options. Note that installing custom firmware requires unlocking the bootloader and may be unwarranted.

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Before installing custom firmware, check its compatibility with your model on the official developer forum. Incompatible firmware can "brick" the device.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing themes to Xiaomi