How to turn off the wallpaper carousel on the lock screen Xiaomi: all ways

The lock screen on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often turns into a real gallery: the system automatically changes the wallpaper by uploading images from the MIUI theme store or your personal collection. For some users, it is a convenient feature, for others, an annoying element that prevents you from focusing on notifications or just looks unaesthetic. Especially unpleasant when the carousel is triggered at the most inappropriate moment, for example, when you show your phone to colleagues or during an important call.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to turn off the wallpaper carousel on the lock screen, including hidden MIUI settings that aren’t obvious at first glance. You’ll learn how to block automatic background changes for both standard themes and user images, and what to do if the “disable” option suddenly disappears after the update. Instructions are checked on the latest firmware versions (including MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS) and are suitable for most models, from budget Redmi Notes to Xiaomi 14 flagships.

Why does Xiaomi automatically change the wallpaper on the lock?

The Wallpaper Carousel feature was introduced in MIUI back in 2018, but has been actively promoted since the release of MIUI 12.

• 🎨 Marketing ploy: Xiaomi works with designers and photographers to offer users fresh themes from the official store. The more you see new wallpaper, the higher the chance that you will go to Themes and buy a paid theme.
• 🔄 Personalization: The algorithm picks up wallpaper based on your preferences (for example, if you frequently put up nature photos, the system will offer similar images).
• ☁️ Cloud sync: If you use Mi Account, wallpaper can be downloaded from your cloud storage or service recommendations.
• 📱 Resource savings: In some cases, the carousel is turned on automatically when Charge Saving mode is activated to “diversify” the visual experience with limited functionality.

It's important to understand that wallpaper carousel and live wallpapers are different functions. The first one just switches static images, and the second one uses animation or video, and turning off one doesn't affect the other.

Method 1: Disabling the carousel through the theme settings

The most obvious and quickest method is to use built-in MIUI options. It works on most devices, but the path to settings may vary slightly depending on the firmware version.

Instructions:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush and palette).
2. Go to My Wallpaper or Lock Screen (in some versions – Wallpaper → Lock).
3. Click on the current wallpaper, then select Settings (cog in the upper right corner).
4. Look for the option Automatic wallpaper change, Wallpaper carousel or Dynamic wallpaper. Switch the slider to off-site.
5. Confirm the changes by clicking Save or Apply.

If your MIUI version doesn’t have an explicit switch, try an alternative path:

Settings → Screen → Wallpaper → Lock screen → Additional → Disable the carousel

Make sure you have the latest version of the Themes app installed |

Check your internet connection (some settings require synchronization)|

Take a screenshot of the current wallpaper if you want to save it |

Close all background applications (especially Gallery and Topics")-->

What if you don't have an option? In some regional firmware (e.g. Europe or India), the item may be hidden, in which case you can change the region in your phone settings to China or Global, but note that this may affect the performance of some services (e.g. Google Pay).

Method 2: Manual task of static wallpaper

If you can't turn off the carousel through the settings, you can go around the way of forcing static wallpapers that the system can't change, even on devices with stripped-down versions of MIUI (for example, on smartphones for the Russian market).

Step-by-step:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Wallpaper (or Themes) → My wallpaper).
• 🖼️ Select the section of the Lock screen.
• 🔍 Scroll down and click Other Wallpaper or My Images.
• 📂 Select any static image from the gallery (preferably with a resolution that matches your screen, for example, 1080×2400 full HD+).
• ✅ Click Apply and confirm that wallpaper is set for the lock screen only (not for the home screen!).

The critical nuance: if you select wallpaper from the Recommended or Topics section, the system can activate the carousel again. Use only images from your gallery or downloaded manually.

If after manual installation of wallpaper carousel still works, check whether the function of Adaptive wallpaper in the settings of the account Mi.

1. Open the Settings. → Accounts. → Mi Account.
2. Go to Synchronization.
3. Turn off the wallpaper and themes option.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting your phone to your computer and basic command line knowledge, but is guaranteed to shut down the carousel at the system level.

Warning: improper use of ADB can cause phone malfunctions. Follow the instructions carefully!

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Before working with ADB, activate backup of important data. Also make sure that the phone is debugging over USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode, then Additional → For developers → Debugging over USB).

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on your computer.
2. Connect your phone to your PC via USB and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with adb.exe.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
5. Execute the command to disable the carousel: adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper_carousel_enabled 0
6. Reboot the phone.

If the carousel is still active after the reboot, try an alternative command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.themes.wallpaper.carousel

Attention! Disabling system components via ADB may disrupt other themes-related functions. If the lock wallpaper is gone after completing commands, return the settings with the command:

adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper_carousel_enabled 1

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ADB-The method is the most reliable, but it requires caution. If you are not sure about your actions, use standard settings or contact Xiaomi support.

What if the carousel returned after resetting?

After a hard reset or firmware update, many users find the wallpaper carousel activated again, which is because MIUI restores factory customization settings. To avoid re-enabled, follow these tips:

• 🔧 Turn off automatic sync in Mi Account (see method 2).
• 📥 Do not update the Themes app through the Play Market – only use updates from the system store. MIUI.
• 🛡️ Create a backup of settings through Settings → Additionally. → Backup, but delete the “Subjects” section from it».
• 🔄 Check the settings after each update – sometimes Xiaomi returns “recommended” features after updates.

If the problem is repeated systemically, it may indicate that the system files are damaged, and this may help:

1. Flashing your phone via Fastboot (saving data).
2. Install custom recavator (TWRP) and clear the cache of /data and /system partitions.
3. Contact the service center (if the phone is guaranteed).

Alternative solutions: third-party launchers and wallpaper

If none of the above methods worked, you can go to radical measures to replace the standard launcher and wallpaper with third-party ones, which not only turns off the carousel, but also adds new personalization capabilities.

The best replacement apps:

• 🌈 Nova Launcher + Muzei Live Wallpaper: allows you to set static wallpaper and disable any animations.
• 🖼️ Wallpaper Engine (requires root): supports static wallpaper with change locking.
• 🔒 Lock Screen & App Lock: Some screen lock apps let you fix wallpaper.

Important! Using third-party launchers can:

• Increase battery consumption (due to additional processes)
• Disrupt MIUI gestures (e.g. swipe down for notification panel).
• Lead to conflicts with system updates.

If you decide to do this, first:

1. Create a restore point with TWRP (if there is root).
2. Turn off battery optimization for the new launcher (Settings → Battery → Optimization).
3. Check the compatibility of the app with your version of Android.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you turn off the wallpaper carousel, you often have typical problems, and here are the most common ones and the ways you can solve them:

Attention! If you use MIUI on devices with an unlocked bootloader, some of the theme settings may not work properly, in which case the only reliable way is to firmware custom ROM (like Pixel Experience or LineageOS), where the wallpaper carousel is not by default.

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Before you firmware custom ROM, check compatibility with your model on the XDA Developers forum. Wrong firmware can turn your phone into a "brick."

FAQ: Answers to popular questions