How to remove wallpaper from the lock screen on Xiaomi: all working methods

The lock screen on Xiaomi smartphones is not just a protection against accidental clicks, but also a business card of the device. However, standard wallpaper or automatically installed background images can be annoying: too bright colors, an unsuccessful frame from the gallery or a banner from MIUI. Unlike desktop wallpaper, changing the background of the lock is not always intuitive — especially if we are talking about models with MIUI 14/15, where the manufacturer has limited some functions.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to remove wallpaper from the lock screen, including hidden settings, bypass system constraints and solutions for cases where standard methods do not work. We will focus on the problems after firmware updates and nuances for Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi devices of different generations. If you want to return a minimalistic black background or install your own image, read on.

Why you can’t clean the wallpaper in the standard way

Many users find that when they try to change the wallpaper through Settings → Lock screen, the system either ignores the changes or returns the previous background after rebooting.

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization of topics: B MIUI Theme of the Day feature is enabled, which enforces wallpaper from Xiaomi's collection, and is active even if you manually select a different background.
• 📱 Firmware limitations: On budget models (e.g. Redmi) 10A or POCO M4 Pro) the manufacturer blocks the change in the background lock to “optimize performance".
• 🔒 Security Policy: Devices with corporate profiles (e.g., those released for the Chinese market) may not be allowed to edit the lock screen.
• 🐞 Firmware bugs: In versions MIUI 14.0.2–14.0.6 an error is detected that causes wallpaper settings to be reset after system update.

Before you go to radical methods (like resetting), check out the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone. If your device is running MIUI 12 or older, most of the methods in this article will apply. Earlier versions (like MIUI 11) may require manual upgrades.

Method 1: Disabling theme synchronization (the simplest method)

If your smartphone is changing the wallpaper on the lock screen, the Topic of the Day feature is to blame. It uploads new background images from the Xiaomi cloud, overwriting your settings. To fix this:

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to the Profile section → Settings → Theme of the day.
3. Turn off the automatic loading slider.
4. Go back to the main menu of Topics and select My Topics → Wallpaper.
5. Click on the current lock screen wallpaper and select Set a black background or upload your image.

After these actions, the background lock will cease to change automatically. If the Topic of the day option is not in the settings, then your firmware does not support cloud synchronization - move to the next method.

💡

Black background of the lock screen reduces battery consumption AMOLED-screens (for example, on Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F4) up to 15% by shutting down the pixels.

Method 2: Manually modifying through screen settings

The standard way to change lock wallpaper is to set the Settings menu → Lock screen. However, on some devices, this section is hidden or does not allow you to install custom images. Instructions for MIUI 14/15:

1. Clutch the empty space on the desktop and select Wallpaper.
2. At the bottom of the screen, tap the lock screen thumbnail (if not, see method 3).
3. Choose one of the proposed options: 🖼️ Gallery - upload your photo. ⚫ Black – minimalist background without images. 🌄 Dynamic wallpaper - animated background pictures (not available on all models).

Apply

If the background has not changed after these actions, try restarting the device. On some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro) the changes apply only after the reboot.

Method 3: Using the "Themes" app to reset wallpaper

Xiaomi’s Themes app allows you not only to download new designs, but also to reset your current settings to factory ones, which is useful if the background lock is stuck on one image and does not change through standard settings.

Instructions:

1. Open the Topic app.
2. Go to the My Subjects section.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Reset to a standard theme.
4. Confirm the action. After that, the background lock will be dropped to the factory (usually black or gradient).

If the standard theme doesn’t suit you, install a new one right after you reset through the same My Themes → Wallpaper section. Note: Resetting themes also removes custom icons and fonts on some devices.

Take a screenshot of the current desktop wallpaper

Remember the font used (Settings → Display → Font)

Turn off the themes sync in Mi Account (if enabled)

Make sure important files are not stored in the folder /MIUI/theme-->

Method 4: Change wallpapers through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use ADB commands to force the lock background to change, which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and enabling USB Debugging, but is guaranteed to work on all Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12-15.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Activate USB Debugging.

File transfer

ADB Tools

Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.

adb devices

(The name of your device should appear)

adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper_path "/path/to/your/image.jpg"

Replace.

/path/to/your/image.jpg

/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera/photo.jpg

Reset the device.

Important: If the path to the image contains spaces or Cyrillic, wrap it in quote marks and shield the characters (for example, "/storage/emulated/0/downloads/background.jpg").

💡

ADB-commands allow you to set any image as a background lock, even if MIUI It blocks this option in the interface, but after updating the firmware, the settings may reset.

Method 5: Delete wallpaper through the system file editor (root)

If your device has root access, you can manually delete wallpaper files from your system folders, a method that is suitable for advanced users because it requires working with the Android file system.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /data/system/users/0/ This is where the current user’s settings files are stored.
3. Find and delete files: lockscreen_wallpaper wallpaper_lockscreen (They can have.jpg,.png extensions or be without extension).
4. Reset the device. After that, the background lock will reset to the standard black.

⚠️ Note: Deleting system files without root access or through unverified applications can lead to a cyclic bootloop. /data/system/users/0/.

If the background has not changed after deleting the files, check for duplicates in the folder:

/data/data/com.android.systemui/files/

Cached copies of wallpaper can be stored here.

Problem Solving: The background does not change or comes back

If none of these methods worked, the problem may lie in the deeper constraints of the system, and let's look at the typical scenarios and their solutions.

If your device is locked by an operator (such as models for T-Mobile or Verizon), some settings may be blocked at the firmware level, in which case only unlocking the bootloader and installing custom firmware (such as Pixel Experience or LineageOS) will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi lock screen wallpaper