Where Xiaomi Stores Live Wallpaper: A Complete Guide to Finding and Managing Files

The live wallpaper on Xiaomi smartphones transforms the lock screen and the home screen, adding dynamics and personality. But when you download new animations from MIUI themes or third-party apps, the files disappear in the bowels of the system — they are not visible in the gallery, and the standard file manager does not show the way to save. This article will help you understand exactly where live wallpapers are downloaded on Xiaomi, how to find them, reserve them or transfer them to another phone.

The problem is complicated by the fact that MIUI It uses non-standard storage paths for different types of wallpaper, some in restricted system folders, others in the user memory partition. MIUI 12–14 (including the Redmi Note 10/11/12, Xiaomi 12/13/14, POCO F4/F5) And you'll find all the possible locations, and you'll also learn how to extract wallpaper from the wallpaper. APK Next articleThird-party apps and why some files may “disappear” after a system update.

Standard ways of storing live wallpaper in MIUI

In MIUI, live wallpaper is divided into two types: system (preinstalled in firmware) and custom (downloaded from thematic or third-party sources), their storage paths are fundamentally different:

• 📁 System Wallpaper: Stored in a Protected Section /system/media/theme/default_wallpaper or /system/priv-app/WallpaperPicker. Access is only possible with root rights.
• 📱 Custom wallpaper: Of Them MIUI: /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/.data/[topic]/wallpaper From Google Wallpaper: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.google.android.apps.wallpaper/files From third-party applications: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/[package]/files/wallpapers

Important: paths can vary depending on the version of MIUI. For example, on MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 13 Pro, wallpaper of themes is stored in /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.home/files/wallpaper, and on Redmi Note 10 with MIUI 12.5 in /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/wallpaper.

How to find downloaded live wallpaper through the file manager

To detect wallpaper files without root, follow the following steps:

1. Open a file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden folders in the manager settings (usually under View or Settings).
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.home/files/wallpaper or (for those): /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/theme/.data
4. Look for files with.mp4,.gif, or.apk extensions (for animated themes).

If there is no folder, check the alternative paths:

• 🔍 For wallpaper from Google Wallpaper: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.google.android.apps.wallpaper/files/Wallpapers
• 🔍 For Zedge wallpaper: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/net.zdge.android/files/wallpapers
• 🔍 For Walli wallpaper: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.sagarsure.walli/files

Tip: If the file manager doesn't show the Android/data folder, it's due to the limitations of Android 11+. Use Solid Explorer or connect the phone to your PC via MTP - so you'll get access to all directories.

Why live wallpaper can disappear after MIUI update

Many users are faced with a problem: after updating the MIUI firmware, the installed live wallpaper was lost.

1. Reset theme cache: When you update, the system clears the theme app cache, which leads to the removal of temporary wallpaper files.
2. Change Storage Paths: In newer versions of MIUI (e.g., when switching from MIUI 12 to MIUI 13), folder paths may change.
3. Access Rights Error: After updating, the Themes app may lack permissions to read old files.

Critical information: If the wallpaper was installed from APK-a third-party application file (e.g., Zedge) after updating MIUI They will disappear forever – the system deletes all files from the system. /Android/data/[application package when resetting the cache. To avoid loss, save copies of the files manually (for example, in the /Download).

How to Remove Live Wallpaper from APK-file

Some live wallpapers in MIUI are unpacked from.mtz files (theme archives) or.apk application files to extract them:

1. Download a theme file (.mtz) or an APK of a wallpaper app (e.g., Live Wallpaper Picker).
2. Rename the file extension from.mtz to.zip (or use an archiver like 7-Zip).
3. Open the archive and find the folder wallpaper or assets – there will be wallpaper files in.mp4,.gif or.jpg formats.

Example of.mtz file structure:

To extract from.apk, use APK Extractor or JADX (for decompilation). Wallpaper is usually in res/drawable or assets.

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If the wallpaper is.mp4, it can be converted to GIF using online services (e.g. ezgif.com) for use in other applications.

How to transfer live wallpaper to another Xiaomi phone

To move the wallpaper from one Xiaomi device to another:

1. Find wallpaper files (see section 2) and copy them to /Download or PC.
2. Connect the second phone and move the files to the same directory from where they were taken (e.g. /Android/data/com.miui.home/files/wallpaper).
3. Reboot the device and set the wallpaper through Settings → Wallpaper.

Important: If the wallpaper was part of the theme (.mtz), move the entire archive of the theme.

1. Copy the.mtz file to your new phone.
2. Open the Topics → Local → select a copied file.
3. Apply the theme – the wallpaper will be installed automatically.

1. Both devices run on MIUI (on pure Android storage path the others).

2. Wallpaper files are not linked to a specific version of MIUI (otherwise they will not appear).

3.There is enough space in the system partition on the new phone to install themes.-->

How to keep your wallpaper alive forever: backup

To avoid losing your favorite wallpaper when resetting or updating, create a backup copy of:

• 📌 Manual method: Find wallpaper files (see section 2). Copy them to the cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Drive) or to a PC. Save the path from where the files were taken (for example, take a screenshot).

Automatic method

1. Use Titanium Backup (requires root) to back up the Topic application data.
2. Enable themes synchronization in Mi Account (Settings → Xiaomi Account → Synchronization → Themes).

⚠️ Note: Backups via Mi Cloud may not save live wallpaper from third-party sources (such as Zedge or Walli.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When working with live wallpaper on Xiaomi, users face typical problems:

⚠️ Warning: If after installing live wallpaper, the phone begins to overheat or discharge quickly, turn them off in Settings → Battery → Optimizing energy consumption: Some animations (especially with 3D-effects) load the processor by 15-20% even in standby mode.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions