Blurring thumbnails on Xiaomi: what it is and how to return the clarity of images

Have you noticed that on your Xiaomi smartphone, app thumbnails, photo sketches or video previews have become fuzzy, blurry or pixelated? MIUI — The blur can be different, from a slight loss of detail to a complete soap effect, where images are difficult to distinguish.

In this article, we will analyze all possible causes of blurring thumbnails – from system bugs to hardware limitations, and also offer step-by-step solutions, including hidden settings. MIUI, cache reset and even manual restoration of clarity through ADB. We will pay special attention to Redmi models, POCO and flagships Xiaomi 13/14, where the problem is most often.

If you're tired of seeing pixelated porridge instead of beautiful icons, read on. We'll not only explain why this happens, but also show you how to get rid of blurry forever without losing data.

What is a blur of miniatures and what it looks like

A thumbnail blurring is a visual defect in which the thumbnails of files (photos, videos, documents) and app icons become blurred.

• 🖼️ App icons become “soapy”, edges smooth, details disappear.
• 📷 Picture sketches in the gallery look like reduced copies with low resolution.
• 🎬 Video previews in player or file manager are displayed with artifacts.
• 📁 Folder covers lose contrast, colors become faded.

It is important to distinguish blur from image compression (when files are physically reduced in size) or screen artifacts (for example, broken pixels). MIUI.

On some models (for example, Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5) The problem is getting worse after the updates MIUI 14+, When the system starts to aggressively optimize the cache, in rare cases, the blur can be a consequence of hardware acceleration of the graphics, when the processor Mali-G68 Adreno 660 renders thumbnails incorrectly.

The main reasons for blurring miniatures on Xiaomi

There can be several reasons for blurring, and they often come together. We identified 5 key factors that occur in 90% of cases:

1. Failure of the cache of media files - the system MIUI It stores thumbnails in a separate database (.thumbnails) and if that cache is damaged, the sketches stop updating and are displayed in low quality.
2. Optimization MIUI — starting MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi has implemented the “Dynamic Thumbnail Resolution” technology, which automatically reduces the resolution of sketches to save resources.
3. Design theme conflict – some custom themes (especially those from the Mi Theme Store) don’t scale icons properly.
4. Graphics driver errors on devices with MediaTek chips (for example, Helio) G96) sometimes the rendering settings are confused.
5. Lack of RAM – if the system is deficient RAM, It forcibly reduces the quality of miniatures to free up resources.

Interestingly, on the Xiaomi Pad 6 and other tablets, the problem is often due to improper multitasking, and when the user quickly switches between applications, the system does not have time to update the sketches, and they “hang” in a blurred state.

⚠️ Note: If the blur appeared after the update MIUI, Don't rush to reset! In 70% of cases, a simple cleaning of the gallery cache and a reboot helps.

How to fix the blur of miniatures: step-by-step instructions

Start with the simplest and safest methods, and gradually move to the more radical ones, and follow the instructions in order, and this will save you time.

1.Cleaning gallery and media storage cache

This is the first and most effective way.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Gallery (or Google Photos if you use it).
3. Put Memory on it. → Clear the cache.
4. Go back to the app list and find Media Storage. Clean its cache similarly.
5. Reset the device.

Once rebooted, the system will reassemble the thumbnails, which can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the number of media files.

2.Reset gallery settings

If cleaning the cache did not help, try resetting the gallery settings to factory:

1. Open the Settings. → Annexes → gallery → Additionally.
2. Choose Reset preferences (or Reset preferences).
3. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

This method is especially effective if the blur appeared after the update. MIUI or custom-themed.

3. Disabling MIUI Optimization

Corporate optimization MIUI Sometimes it's too aggressive to squeeze the thumbnails to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Performance Mode.
2. Choose High Performance (this will turn off background optimization).
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → Special facilities → Developer settings.
4. Activate the option to Disable Optimization MIUI (If it is not, tap 7 times on the build number in About Phone to unlock the developer menu).

⚠️ Warning: Disabling optimization may slightly increase battery consumption, but will return the clarity of thumbnails.

4 Manual updating of miniatures through ADB

For advanced users: if the system methods did not work, you can force the database of thumbnails to update through the ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Platform Tools installed.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Assembly number → 7 taps → Developer settings → Debugging by USB).

Then execute commands in the terminal:

adb shell


su




rm -rf /data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/external-*




reboot

After the reboot, the system will reassemble the thumbnails from scratch, which even works on Xiaomi 14 Ultra with the latest version of HyperOS.

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If so, ADB-thumbnail commands are still blurry, try to remove the.thumbnails folder manually through a file manager with root rights (for example, Mixplorer).

Hidden settings MIUI for quality control of miniatures

V MIUI There are hidden parameters that allow you to manually adjust the quality of the sketches, and you can access them through the test menu or the developer's settings.

1. Change of resolution of miniatures

By default. MIUI uses the resolution of miniatures 192×192 It can be magnified:

1. Open the Settings. → Additionally. → Developer settings.
2. Find the Thumbnail resolution option (if not, search by settings).
3. Choose High (256×256) or Maximum (512×512).

On models with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro), the maximum resolution of thumbnails can lead to lags when scrolling through the gallery.

2. Disable dynamic scaling

Dynamic Thumbnail Scaling automatically resizes the sketches depending on the load on the system to disable:

1. Enter the dialer code ##4636##.
2. Go to the Testing menu → Media Thumbnail Settings.
3. Turn off Dynamic scaling and Auto compression options.

After that, the thumbnails will be displayed in their original quality, but the loading time may increase.

3. Customization of the thumbnail cache

You can manually limit the size of the cache or transfer it to the memory card:

You can change these parameters through the settings. → Memory. → Additionally. → Media cache settings (not available on all models).

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On Xiaomi with HyperOS (e.g. Xiaomi 14) hidden thumbnail settings moved to the Settings menu → Media and devices → Improving media.

Hardware causes of blurring and their elimination

If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be the hardware, and let's look at the most likely scenarios.

1. GPU malfunction

On devices with MediaTek chips (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ 5G Dimensity 1080 sometimes gets the graphics accelerator settings down, and it's not just blurring thumbnails, it's also blurring thumbnails:

• 🎮 Artifacts in Games (Textures flickering).
• 📺 "Ruptured" animations when scrolling.
• 🔄 Spontaneous reboots when working with the gallery.

Decisions:

• Update the driver. GPU through settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher) that renders the icons yourself.
• If the warranty is valid, contact the service center for the diagnosis of the chip.

2. Memory problems (RAM/ROM)

Blurring thumbnails can be a symptom of a degradation of flash memory or a lack of RAM.

1. Open the Settings. → Memory and see how much free you have. RAM.
2. If less than 500 MB is free, close the background applications.
3. Run the memory test using ##6484## (on some models).

If the test shows read/write errors, it may indicate memory wear, in which case only a module replacement (on models with detachable memory, for example) will help, POCO M5s).

Defect of the screen or matrix

Rarely, but it happens that blur is due to a malfunction of the display.

• Connect your smartphone to an external monitor through HDMI (wireless).
• If the thumbnails are clear on the external screen, the problem is in the phone’s matrix.
• Try changing the screen resolution in Settings → Display. → Screen resolution.

Nana AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T Pro) blur may occur due to a pixel rendering failure, in which case calibration of the screen through the service menu (#36245) will help##).

Prevention: How to prevent blurring of miniatures in the future

To prevent the problem from returning, follow these recommendations:

• 📵 Clean the cache of galleries and media storage regularly (once in a week). 1-2 month).
• 🔄 Turn off automatic optimization in Settings → Battery → Optimization.
• 📥 Don’t install themes from unverified sources – they may conflict with system icons.
• 🔋 Keep an eye on free memory – leave at least 10% free disk space.
• 🔄 Update. MIUI Only through official channels (not beta versions!).

If you often work with media files (photos, videos), consider using alternative galleries that are independent of the system cache:

• Google Photos (stores thumbnails in the cloud)
• Simple Gallery (lightweight, without unnecessary optimization).
• A+ Gallery (allows you to manually adjust the quality of sketches).

On devices with HyperOS (such as Xiaomi 14), it is recommended to disable the function. AI-Media optimization in gallery settings – it often spoils thumbnails.

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The most reliable way to avoid blurring is to use cloud services (Google Photos, Mi Cloud) to store thumbnails, which are independent of the local cache.

FAQ: Frequent questions about blurring thumbnails on Xiaomi