Where in MIUI 14 you store themes: a full folder guide and backup

Why it’s important to know the location of topics in MIUI 14

Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 shell offers one of the most flexible customization systems among Android smartphones. Users can install themes from the official Mi Themes store, download third-party.mtz files or create their own unique styles. However, after resetting, updating firmware or reflashing through Fastboot, all installed themes disappear — and here’s where knowing their exact location becomes critical.

Unlike previous versions (e.g. MIUI 12 or MIUI 13), MIUI 14 has changed its theme storage structure, and now files are distributed across multiple directories, and some data is stored in encrypted SQLite databases, which makes manual backups more difficult, but makes the system more secure from damage.

• 📁 Exact paths to the themes folders in internal memory and system partition
• 🔍 How to Access Hidden Files Without Root Rights
• 📱 Ways to Back Up Before Updating or Resetting
• ⚠️ Risks of removing system themes and how to avoid them

Special attention will be paid to the differences between the global (Global), Chinese (China) and European (EEA) version MIUI 14 - the location of some files in them may differ. Also consider the nuances for flagship models (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi). K60 Pro) and budget lines (Poco) X5, Redmi Note 12).

Mi Themes: Where to store files

All themes downloaded through the standard Mi Themes app (desktop brush icon) are stored in two main locations:

1. Internal memory of the user - here are files of installed themes in.mtz format (archives with resources). Path: /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/.data/ In this folder you will find subdirectories with unique theme identifiers (for example, com.android.theme.default for a standard theme).
2. Systems section, here. MIUI 14 It places decompiled resources (wallpaper, icons, fonts) for quick download: /data/system/theme/ ⚠️ Attention: folder /data/ available only with root rights or through ADB. Trying to change files here without a backup can lead to a cyclical device reboot.

It is important to understand that MIUI 14 uses a caching mechanism: the first time a theme loads, its resources are decompressed into /data/system/theme/, and the original.mtz file remains in user memory. If you delete the theme through Mi Themes, the files from /data/ will remain until the next reboot, this is normal system behavior.

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If you want to free up space, first delete the theme through the Mi Themes app, and then manually check the /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/.data/ folder for any remaining files.

Third-party themes (.mtz): where to install and how to find them

Manually installed themes (such as those downloaded from sites like Miui-Themes.com or Zedge) are kept separate from official ones, and MIUI 14 has a dedicated directory for them:

/storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/.customize/

Features of working with third-party topics:

• 🔄 After installing the.mtz file, the system creates a folder with a hash name (for example, a1b2c3d4e5) And it puts unpacked resources there.
• 📌 If the theme does not apply, check the integrity of the file — MIUI 14 blocks installation of damaged archives.
• 🔒 Starting with the version MIUI 14.0.5, third-party themes require you to enable Installation from unknown sources in Mi Themes settings.

For models with dynamic memory (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) The part of the theme cache can be stored in a virtual partition /data_mirror. This is not critical for backup, but it is worth considering when cleaning up memory through Recover Mode.

How to Access Hidden Folders Without Root Rights

By default, MIUI Explorer doesn't show system directories like /data/ or hidden files. Here are working ways to get around this limitation:

Method 1: through ADB (without root)

Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands:

adb shell


ls /data/system/theme/

To copy files to your computer:

adb pull /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/.data/ C:\Backup\MIUI_Themes

Method 2: Using a root-access file manager

Applications like FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer allow you to enable the display of hidden folders:

1. Open the manager's settings.
2. Activate the option to show hidden files.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/.

Method 3: TWRP Recovery

If you have custom Recovery installed on your device (such as TWRP), you can:

1. Download to Recovery Mode (Power buttons + Volume up).
2. Select Mount → System.
3. Connect the phone to your PC and copy folders via MTP.

Backing up topics before updating or resetting

When you upgrade through OTA or reset to factory settings, all custom themes are deleted. To save them, follow this algorithm:

For a full backup, it is recommended to use ADB:

adb backup -f miui_themes.ab -apk -obb -shared com.android.theme.iconpack.android


adb backup -f miui_themes_data.ab -shared /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/

Restore themes after updating can:

1. Copy the saved folders back to /MIUI/theme/.
2. Install backup with adb restore miui_themes.ab.
3. Import themes through Mi Themes → Profile → Import (requires authorization in Mi Account).

⚠️ Note: If you are updating with MIUI 13 on MIUI 14, some topics may not recover due to changes in the database structure. XDA Developers or 4PDA.

Table: Comparison of paths to topics in different versions of MIUI

Note that in the Chinese version of MIUI 14 paths start with /data/media/0/ instead of /storage/emulated/0/. This is due to the features of mounting memory in firmware for the Chinese market. China ROM may also lack the.customize folder, instead of which third-party themes are stored in /data/system/theme/thirdparty/.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When working with themes in MIUI 14, users experience common mistakes, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

• 🚫 Theme is damaged: The reason: the discrepancy of the theme version and MIUI. Solution: Download the theme version specifically for MIUI 14 (check compatibility on the developer website).
• 🔄 Theme resets after rebooting: Cause: Cache damage in /data/system/theme/. Solution: Clear the Mi Themes app cache in the settings (Applications) → Application management → Mi Themes → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 📱 No Wallpaper or Icons: Reason: Conflict with running optimizations Solution: Turn off Adaptive Brightness and Super Wallpaper in screen settings.
• 🔒 You can't install a theme from a file: Reason: no resolution for unknown sources. Solution: Enable the option in Mi Themes → Settings → Installation from unknown sources.

If all the themes you have installed are missing after upgrading to MIUI 14, try:

1. Reinstall the Mi Themes app via APKMirror (the version must match the firmware region).
2. Reset the theme settings to standard (Mi Themes → Mine → Reset).
3. Delete /data/system/theme/ via ADB (requires root) and restart the device.

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Before any manipulation of the theme system folders, backup through adb backup or manually copy files to your PC. Recovering deleted themes without backup is often impossible!

FAQ: Answers to popular questions