How to change the icons of applications on Xiaomi: from standard themes to ADB-team

App icons on Xiaomi smartphones are the first thing that catches your eye when you unlock the screen. The standard design of MIUI or HyperOS is not popular: someone wants originality, someone wants minimalism, and someone just gets tired of the monotonous palette. Fortunately, you can change icons to Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi 13/14 in several ways, from simple themes from the store to deep customization through ADB.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods based on the latest updates MIUI 14 and HyperOS (2026).

🎨 Install ready-made themes from the official Xiaomi store (without root rights)
📱 Use third-party launchers for flexible customization of icons
🔧 Change the icons manually through ADB (power-user)
🖼️ Create your own icon packs and apply them
⚙️ Bypassing restrictions MIUI, if the standard methods do not work

Importantly, not all methods are universal. For example, on a POCO F5 with HyperOS, the way that works perfectly on the Redmi Note 12 with MIUI 13 may not work.

📊 What is the way to customize icons closer to you?

Ready-made themes from the store

Third-party launchers (Nova, Apex)

Manual editing through ADB

Creating your icons

I like standard icons.

1. Official themes from Xiaomi store: easy way without risks

The safest and fastest method is to use the built-in theme store.It is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI 12+ or HyperOS.

🔄 Does not require root rights or complex manipulations
🆓 Most themes are free (there are also paid premium options)
🔒 Does not violate the device warranty
🎨 Changes not only icons, but also wallpaper, fonts, animations

To change icons through themes:

Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
Go to the “Icons” tab in the lower menu.
Select your favorite icon pack and click "Apply".
Confirm the changes – the icons will be updated automatically.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (e.g. HyperOS 1.0 on Xiaomi 14) after applying the theme, the icons may reset after rebooting.This is a bug that Xiaomi promises to fix in upcoming updates. To avoid the problem, do not reboot your phone unnecessarily or use alternative methods from this article.

If there is no suitable option in the theme store, try searching for icon packs on third-party resources (for example, XDA Developers).

Download the theme file to your phone.
Open “Subjects” → “Profile” → “Import”.
Select the downloaded file and apply it.

💡

If after applying the theme, some icons have not changed, try to manually update them: press your finger on the icon → “Change” → select a new icon from the pack.

2. Third-party launchers: Nova Launcher, Apex, Microsoft Launcher

If Xiaomi’s built-in themes don’t suit you, third-party launchers will give you a lot more freedom.

🎯 Install any icon packs (in.apk or.zip format)
🔧 Customize the size, shape and shadows of icons
📂 Group applications into folders with custom icons
🖥️ Change the style of the desktop (for example, simulate iOS or Windows)

The most popular launchers for Xiaomi:

Launcher	Support for icon packs	Additional chips	Cons
Nova Launcher	✅ Full (including adaptive icons)	Gestures, backup settings, animation setup	Free version with restrictions
Apex Launcher	✅ Complete.	Support for plugins, hiding applications	The interface is outdated, rare updates
Microsoft Launcher	⚠️ Partial (only through plugins)	Integration with Windows, synchronization with PC	Limited customization
Lawnchair	✅ Full (with support for Android 12)+)	Lightweight, open source code	Could be bugging HyperOS.

To change the icons through Nova Launcher:

Install a launcher from Google Play.
Download the icon pack (such as Whicons, Delta or Fluid).
Press your finger on your desktop → “Settings” → “Icon Style”.
Select the installed pack of icons.
Apply changes – the icons will be updated immediately.

🔹 Important: On Xiaomi with HyperOS, some launchers may conflict with system gestures. If swipes stop working after installing Nova Launcher to return, turn off gestures in the launcher settings or return to the standard launcher.

Make a backup of the desktop (photo or list of applications)

Check the compatibility of the launcher with the Android version

Disable battery optimization for launcher (in phone settings)

Download the icons of Zaranee (some launchers do not install them on the fly")-->

Manual icon replacement via ADB: for power users

If you're ready to experiment, you can swap system application icons through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works on MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS, but requires:

🖥️ Computers with installed ADB-driver
🔌 Included debugging by USB phone-on
📂.png icons with the correct file names
⚠️ Understanding that the wrong commands can disrupt the system

🔹 Warning: This method irreversibly changes system files. If you get the icons resolution wrong or their names wrong, apps may stop opening. TWRP Or Mi Backup before the start.

Step-by-step:

Enable USB debugging: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.
Download a pack of icons (such as XDA) and unpack it into a folder on your PC. File names should match the application names (such as com.android.contacts.png for contacts).
Open the Command Prompt (CMD) in the ADB folder and execute: adb devices adb shell su mount -o rw, remount /system
Copy icons into the system folder (example for icons) MIUI): adb push icon_pack_folder/* /system/media/theme/default/icon_pack/
Reboot your phone: adb reboot

⚠️ Attention: On HyperOS, the path to icons may be different! Before copying, check the current path through the command:

adb shell ls /system/media/theme/

If the folders icon_pack No, make it by hand.

What if the icons are not replaced?

If you're wrong with the resolution or the format of the icons, system applications (like Settings or Phone) can get dyed: 1. Through ADB: Remove copied icons with adb shell rm -r /system/media/theme/default/icon_pack/* and reboot the phone. 2. Through Reset: If the first method didn't help, do a reset settings (Settings) → Additionally. → Resetting settings), but it will remove all data from the phone.

4. Creating your own icon packs: from idea to installation

If you didn't find the right icon pack, why not create your own?

🎨 Basic skills in graphic editors (Photoshop, GIMP, Figma)
📌 Icon template for MIUI/HyperOS (You can download it from DeviantArt)
📦 Theme packing programme (e.g, MIUI Theme Editor)

Creation process:

Download the icon template (resolution 192×192 px or 256×256 px in PNG format with transparent background).
Draw icons for each application, keeping a single style (color gamut, shape, shadows).
Name the files by the rule: com.title.application.png Examples: com.android.contacts.png (Contacts) com.miui.calculator.png (Calculator) com.miui.gallery.png (Gallery)
Pack icons into the.zip archive or use MIUI Theme Editor to create a theme file (.mtz).
Import the theme to the theme store (as described in the first section).

💡 Tip: In order not to draw icons for all applications, you can create a pack only for frequently used (for example, Phone, Messages, Camera), and leave the rest as standard. MIUI Select the Theme Editor option “Partial Theme».

If you do not want to mess with graphics, you can use icon generators:

🌐 Flaticon – Free Icons in the Format PNG/SVG
🎨 Canva – Templates for Quick Design
🖌️ IconKit – an icon generator for Android

5. circumvention of MIUI restrictions: if nothing works

Sometimes MIUI or HyperOS block icon changes, especially on new firmware. If the standard methods don't work, try:

Method 1: Disabling MIUI Optimization

Some launchers (like Nova Launcher) may conflict with MIUI optimization to fix this:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Find your launcher and open its settings.
Turn off the options “Battery Optimization” and “Autostart”.
Reboot the phone.

Method 2: Using Magisk modules

If you have root rights and installed Magisk, you can use the modules for customization:

🔧 MiuiHome Mod – Expands the capabilities of the standard launcher
🎨 Iconify – allows you to change icons without launchers
📱 Lawnchair + Magisk – Optimized for Xiaomi

🔹 Important: Modules for Magisk may not work on HyperOS, as this firmware actively blocks system changes. XDA.

Method 3: Resetting the launcher settings

If the icons are reset or displayed incorrectly, try resetting the launcher settings:

Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
Find the Louncher (or Nova Launcher if you use it).
Click on “Storage” → “Clear Data”.
Restart the phone and reset the launcher.

💡

If none of these works, check if the changes are blocked by antivirus or built-in MIUI protection. Try temporarily disabling System Protection in the security settings.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you change your icons to Xiaomi, users experience common mistakes, and we have collected the most common ways to fix them:

Problem.	Possible cause	Decision
Icons don’t change after the topic is applied	Launcher cache not updated	Clear the launcher cache in Settings → Apps or reboot the phone
Some icons remain standard.	There is no replacement for these apps in the icon pack	Add the missing icons manually or use a different pack
After the reboot, the icons dropped	HyperOS bug or optimization conflict	Turn off optimization for launcher or use Nova Launcher
Icons are displayed blurry	Incorrect resolution of source files	Recreate icons in 192×192 px or 256×256 px resolution
You can not change the icons of system applications	Restriction of MIUI without root rights	Use ADB or Magisk modules

⚠️ Attention: POCO firmware-global ROM If the store is not available, download.mtz files manually and import them through the file manager.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

Can I change the icons without the launcher and ADB?

Yes, but the choice will be limited. Use the official Xiaomi theme store (Icons section) However, system applications (like Settings or Phone) remain unchanged in most themes.

Why did my icons drop after upgrading to HyperOS?

HyperOS resets some customization settings when you first update. To return the icons: Reinstall the launcher (like Nova Launcher). Re-apply the icon pack. If the icons are gone from the pack, download it again — some files may have been damaged when you upgrade.

How to return standard icons if something goes wrong?

The methods depend on the method of change: 🔄 If you used themes: go to the theme store and select a standard theme. 📱 If you used a launcher: reset its settings or delete it. 💻 If you've changed through ADB: Delete the copied files with the adb shell rm command -r /system/media/theme/default/icon_pack/*.

Can I change my icons to Xiaomi without a computer?

Yes, the computer is only for ADB methods. Other methods are enough for the phone itself: Install a launcher from Google Play. Download a pack of icons directly to your phone. Import themes through the file manager.

Which launchers work best on HyperOS?

On HyperOS work steadily: Nova Launcher (best balance of customization and stability), Lawnchair (lightweight, but can glittle with gestures) Microsoft Launcher (minimalistic, but with limited icon settings) Avoid heavy launchers like Apex - they can slow down on new firmware.