Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive personalization of the interface, which offers the shell MIUI or the new HyperOS. The standard mechanism of the system is configured so that after installing any third-party theme from the Themes store, it is applied automatically, changing icons, fonts and system sounds. For many device owners, this becomes a surprise, as the usual look of the desktop disappears, giving way to bright, but not always convenient visual elements.
The need to disable the theme arises not only from the desire to return the classic style, but also because of the optimization of the gadget. Heavy graphics shells can consume additional CPU and RAM resources, which negatively affects the autonomy and speed of the sensor response. In addition, some free themes contain built-in advertising or require a constant connection to the Internet to display widgets correctly, which annoys users who value privacy and minimalism.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available ways to return to factory design. You will learn how to forcibly reset through settings, how to remove problematic files through the file manager and what to do if the phone went into a cyclical reboot due to incompatibility of the theme. We will look at the nuances of working with Mi Account and explain why standard removal of the application does not always help to completely clean the system of traces of modification.
Standard method of disabling through system settings
The easiest and safest way to get the interface back to its original look is to use a built-in settings menu, which is suitable for 95% of the time when the phone is functioning properly and you can get into the menu. To get started, open the Settings app on your desktop and find the Themes or Wallpaper and personalization section, depending on your firmware version.
Inside the personalization section, you'll need to find the tab that's responsible for the user profile, usually marked by the person icon or your avatar in the upper right corner of the screen, and clicking on it, you'll be taken to the My Resources menu, which stores the entire history of downloads and activated designs, and that's where the key to managing your current style is.
In your list of themes, find one that is labeled Active or Default. Depending on the version of the MIUI shell, the algorithm of actions may vary slightly. On new versions of HyperOS, the reset button can be hidden in an additional menu called by a long press. Select the standard Classic or Default theme and click Apply.
☑️ Checking after resetting the topic
After applying a standard theme, the system may require a reboot to fully update the graphics shell cache. Don't ignore this request, as some interface elements, such as the control panel or the multitasking menu, may remain changed until the restart. If after the reboot you see that the desktop wallpaper remains the same, they should be replaced separately through the gallery or screen settings.
⚠️ Note: If after applying a standard theme, some icons remain changed, perhaps a separate icon package is activated in the system. Go to the theme settings, select the Icons section and force the default package to be installed».
Removing theme through the Theme Store app
If you can't find the right option through general settings, you can use the native Themes app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi devices, which is a deeper way to manage not only the activation, but also the presence of theme files in the device's memory. Open the application, which usually has an icon in the form of a brush or palette.
Go to the user profile by clicking on the avatar in the top right corner. In the menu that opens, select My Themes. This shows a list of all the designs ever downloaded. Find the one that is currently active, and it will be marked with the appropriate status. Click on it to open the details page.
On the theme page, you'll see the Remove button or the shopping cart icon. Once you delete the theme files, the system will automatically switch to standard design, as the active file will no longer exist. This is a reliable way to ensure that a specific theme cache is cleared, freeing up space in internal memory.
Why does the topic return after deletion?
It is worth noting that deleting the theme does not always mean completely clearing its traces. Residual files can be stored in hidden folders of the system. To completely clean up, after removing the theme through the application, it is recommended to restart the device and clear the cache of the Themes application through the application management menu, this will prevent possible conflicts when installing new designs in the future.
Resetting Personalization Settings Through Security
In the MIUI and HyperOS shells, there is a system application Security that manages deep optimization settings. Sometimes theme problems are solved by resetting the parameters in this section. Open the Security app and scroll down to Clean up or Accelerate.
But what we're interested in is not cleaning up the garbage, but settings. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the Security app. In the settings menu, look for a section related to Personalization or Advertising Services. There's often a switch that hides that allows or forbids third-party themes and system fonts.
Turn off the Receive Recommendations or Personalized Themes option, which will prevent the system from automatically loading designs from the cloud or imposing new themes when unlocking the screen, and is especially effective for users who are annoyed by the constant change of wallpaper on the lock screen (Wallpaper Carousel).
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Before resetting your personalization settings, take a screenshot of important parameters if you have previously configured specific features so that you can quickly restore them.
After making changes to the Security app, it is recommended to perform a complete cleaning of the system cache. To do this, select the Cleanup tool and start the scan on the same menu. The system will find temporary files left by the themes and prompt them to be deleted. Accept cleaning to complete the process of returning to the factory look.
Forced reset via file manager
There are situations where the phone interface is blocked by a theme, buttons don't respond or menus are not available. In such cases, the manual method of removing the theme files through the file manager helps. You will need the Explorer application or any other file manager, for example, MI File Manager.
Go to the root folder of internal memory and find the MIUI directory, which is where you're interested in the theme folder, and this is where all the downloaded and active themes are stored, and the path to the folder is /MIUI/theme/. Inside, you'll see files with the.mtz extension or hash title folders.
For forced reset, you need to delete or rename the file of the current active theme, and if you don't know which file is active, you can rename the entire data folder inside the theme directory to data_old. The next time the system restarts, it will not find these themes and will force the standard theme to be applied.
Manual removal path:
/MIUI/theme/data/
/MIUI/theme/cache/This method requires caution. Delete only files related to themes. Do not touch system files in other folders, as this can lead to unstable Android. After manipulating the files, be sure to restart the device. If the phone is switched on with a standard interface, the problem is solved.
⚠️ Note: Deleting the theme system files may cause some widgets to stop showing correctly. In this case, remove the problem widgets from the desktop manually after restarting.
What to do if the phone is stuck on the theme screensaver
The most critical situation is a so-called bootloop, where the phone is endlessly rebooted or hangs on the theme logo without letting it into the system, which often happens when you install corrupted or incompatible themes, in which case the usual methods through the menu will not work, because you can not use them.
The first thing to try is to boot into Safe Mode. To do this, press the power button, and when the turn off menu appears, press and hold your finger on the Turn off (or Reboot) item until the prompt to go to Safe Mode appears. In this mode, third-party themes do not load, and you can safely delete the problem file through the file manager or settings.
If Safe Mode doesn't help or start, you'll have to use Recovery mode. Press the power button and volume button at the same time. From the Recovery menu, select a language (if available) and find Wipe Data. Be careful: Erase All Data will delete all your photos and contacts, so use the Wipe Cache or Wipe Theme Data option if you have one on your version of Recovery.
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If the phone is getting stuck on the theme screensaver, safe mode is the only way to remove the theme without losing personal data and completely resetting the device.
In the extreme case, when nothing works, only a full reset to factory settings (Hard Reset) is guaranteed to remove any theme, as it will return the phone to the state of "out of the box". Before you make sure that you have a backup of the data in the Mi Cloud or on your computer, as all the information from the internal memory will be destroyed.
Disabling Advertising and Recommendations in Topics
Even after disabling the theme or returning to the standard, users often continue to see banner ads in the Themes app or on the lock screen. MSA (MIUI System Ads: To completely clear the experience, you need to disable these services.
Go to Settings → Password and Security → Access to Personal Data. Find the msa service in the list and turn off the switch. The system will try to dissuade you several times (usually 10 seconds) by showing the timer. Wait for the timer to end and press Cancel. This will turn off most of the advertising mechanisms of the shell.
Also worth checking the settings of the theme app itself. Open Themes, go to profile and click Settings. Find Show Ads, Autoplay Videos and Personalized Recommendations. Uncheck all the ticks. This will make the application interface clean and devoid of intrusive content.
For advanced users, you can disable ads via DNS. In the connection settings (Wi-Fi or Mobile Network), find Private DNS (Private DNS). Enter dns.adguard.com. This will block advertising requests at the system level, including the theme store.
| Method of disconnection | Efficiency | Risk of data loss | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through Settings. | Tall. | No. | Low. |
| Through the Themes app | Tall. | No. | Low. |
| File manager | Medium | Minimum | Medium |
| Safe regime | Tall. | No. | Medium |
| Hard Reset (Dumping) | 100% | Total loss. | Tall. |