Have you ever noticed that on your Xiaomi Mi TV or Redmi/POCO smartphone, the thumbnails of apps, videos or photos have become blurred? As if someone deliberately blurred the picture, even though everything looks normal when you open the file. It's not a matrix glitch or a technology marriage - you've probably encountered thumbnail blur, a typical feature of MIUI and PatchWall firmware.
In this article, we'll explore why this happens, how it's related to the system, and the key is what to do to get the thumbnails back to their original clarity. No complicated technical terms, just the case. Spoiler: 90% of the time, the problem is solved in 2 minutes!
What is a blur of miniatures and what it looks like
Blurring thumbnails is a visual effect where previews (small copies) of photos, videos, app covers or folders are displayed on a screen with reduced detail.
- 🖼️ App icons look “soapy”, especially on the home screen of the smartphone.
- 🎬 Video previews in a gallery or player lose clarity, although the video itself is played normally.
- 📁 Folder covers in the file manager become vague.
- 📺 Movie posters in PatchWall (on Xiaomi) TV) They look like they're low resolution.
It's important to understand that the files themselves are not corrupted. It only blurs out the smaller copy that the system generates to speed up the interface load, and it's not a screen defect or a virus, just a feature of MIUI and PatchWall optimization.
Why Xiaomi is blurring thumbnails: 3 main reasons
The manufacturer doesn't do this on purpose to annoy you, but blurring is a side effect of the three mechanisms.
- Caching thumbnails: The system saves smaller copies of images to a special folder (.thumbnails) so that the originals are not loaded every time, and if the cache fails, it can be updated with reduced quality.
- Performance optimization: On weak devices (or when memory is congested), MIUI automatically reduces the quality of previews to make the interface work smoother.
- PatchWall shell errors (for TV): On Xiaomi TVs, thumbnails of content are downloaded from the company's servers, and sometimes the server delivers images in low resolution.
Another thing: once you update the firmware, the system can reset the thumbnails to the factory ones, where the default is "resource saving." It's not a bug, it's a feature, but you can turn it off.
Technical details for curious
How to check if thumbnails on your device are blurred
Before you fix something, make sure the problem really exists.
☑️ Diagnostics of blurring miniatures
If you see blurry with the naked eye, move on to solutions. If the thumbnails look normal but you think something is wrong, it may be because of the screen settings (e.g., you have "vision protection" on or the color temperature is not set correctly).
⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse thumbnail blur with matrix artifacts (permanent spots or stripes on the screen) or broken pixels (colored dots). These are hardware defects and they require repair, not software settings.
5 working ways to eliminate the blur of thumbnails
The solutions are different for Xiaomi smartphones and TVs, starting with smartphones (Redmi, POCO, Mi):
For Xiaomi smartphones
- Clear thumbnail cache: Go to File Manager → Device Memory →.thumbnails (folder can be hidden – turn on hidden files in the manager settings) Delete all the contents of the folder and restart the phone. The system will generate new thumbnails with original quality.
- Disable performance savings: In the developer settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times to unlock) find the option Background Process Limitation and set the Standard Limit value.
- Reset launcher settings: Click the empty space on the home screen → Home screen settings → More → Reset settings. This will return the standard quality of the icons.
Xiaomi TVs (Mi TV, Mi Box)
- PatchWall cache regeneration: Go to Settings → Apps → PatchWall → Clear the cache. Then disconnect the TV from the network for 1 minute (pull the plug out of the socket). Once the thumbnail is turned on, the thumbnails will be rebooted.
- Change server region: In the same PatchWall settings, find the Content Region option and choose India or the United States over Russia.
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If the thumbnails are still blurred after cleaning the cache, try temporarily turning off Adaptive Brightness in the screen settings. Sometimes the automatic brightness adjustment algorithm conflicts with preview rendering.
Table: Comparison of methods for eliminating blur
| Method | For smartphones. | For TVs. | Implementation time | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. | 1-2 minutes | 90% |
| Launcher reset | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | 30 seconds | 70% |
| Change of region | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | 1 minute | 80% |
| Developer settings | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. | 5 minutes. | 60% |
A critical nuance for Xiaomi TVs: if after all the manipulations, the thumbnails remain blurry, check the PatchWall firmware version. In versions below 3.0.127, there was an error with loading the preview in 4K - updating to the latest version solves the problem.
What to do if nothing helps
If you’ve tried all the ways but the thumbnails are still blurry, it may be one of the following:
- 🔄 Outdated firmware on devices older than 2019 (e.g. Mi) TV 4A or Redmi Note 7) may not have enough resources to properly render previews. → On telephone/TV → Updating the system.
- 🛠️ In rare cases, a factory reset helps (be sure to back up your files!).
- 🔌 Hardware limitations. On TVs with a matrix resolution below Full. HD (Like Mi. TV 4C 32") thumbnails cannot physically be displayed clearly due to low pixel density.
⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi TVs (e.g. Mi) TV Q1 2020 series) blur thumbnails may be due to the Dolby Vision mode enabled. Try turning it off in image settings or switching to mode HDR10.
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On Xiaomi smartphones with Snapdragon 4xx series processors (like Redmi 9A), thumbnail blur often appears when more than 85% of the memory is filled. Free up 2-3 GB of space - this can solve the problem without additional settings.
Prevention: How to avoid blurring miniatures in the future
To prevent the problem from returning, follow simple rules:
- 📱 For smartphones: Regularly clean the cache of the gallery and launcher (once in a week) 1-2 Do not install themes from third-party sources, they may conflict with the rendering of icons.
- 📺 For TVs: Turn off PatchWall automatic update in settings (renew manually once in a while) 3-4 Use a wired Internet connection - with weak Wi-Fi, servers can give thumbnails in low quality.
If you often work with a lot of photos or videos, consider using alternative galleries (like Google Photos or Simple Gallery) that generate thumbnail cache over their algorithms, regardless of MIUI.