How to Make Your Icons for Xiaomi: From Design to Installation

UI personalization is one of the most popular ways to express the personality of the smartphone owner. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face the desire to change the standard appearance of a MIUI or HyperOS system. Standard themes available in the store offer many options, but they are rarely perfect, which is why the question of how to make your icons for Xiaomi becomes relevant for advanced users.

Creating a unique visual style doesn’t require the skills of a professional programmer, but it does require perseverance and understanding of the structure of graphic files. You can go two ways: use built-in theme editing tools or create a full-fledged one. APK-The first option is simpler and safer, the second one gives you complete control over every pixel.

In this article, we'll take a look at both methods in detail, and you'll learn which graphics editors are best used, how to prepare the original images, and how to implement them without getting root permissions.

Preparation of the workplace and necessary tools

Before you start drawing or editing, you need to prepare software. Creating quality icons requires working with vector or raster graphics in high resolution. For Android devices, the best choice will be applications that support layering and transparent backgrounds.

One of the most popular programs is PicsArt or Ibis Paint X. They allow you to create complex compositions, use masks and export the result in PNG format with alpha channel. If you plan to work on a computer, Adobe Photoshop or free GIMP will be indispensable assistants.

⚠️ Warning: When using third-party editors, always keep the source files as high as possible. compression of the image before export can lead to artifacts and "ladders" on the edges of the icon after installing the image.

You'll also need a theme management app. In the Xiaomi ecosystem, it's the standard Theme app. MT Manager that allows you to edit resources inside APK-This is a powerful tool that requires caution when handling system files.

• 🎨 Graphic editor with support for layers (PicsArt, Photoshop, GIMP).
• 📂 File Manager with access to system folders (MT Manager, Solid Explorer).
• 📱 Theme testing app (standard Topics application).
• 💾 Backup copy of the original theme in case of error.

Technical requirements for graphic elements

Android and MIUI impose strict requirements on the size and format of graphics files. The app icon is not just a picture, it is an interface element that must be displayed correctly on screens with different pixel density. The main format remains PNG-24 with support for transparency.

The canvas size for modern screens should be at least 192x192 pixels, but it is recommended to work in a resolution of 512x512 or even 1024x1024 pixels.

The MIUI system automatically applies color correction to icons depending on the chosen wallpaper and accent color of the system. If you want your icons to look exactly as they are intended, use rich, but not acidic colors, and check the result under different theme settings.

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Use the guides in the graphics editor to place the app logo strictly in the center of the canvas. A displacement of even 2-3 pixels will be noticeable on a high-density dot screen.

There is also the concept of "adaptive icons" introduced in Android 8.0. They consist of two layers: foreground (front with a logo) and background (background). When creating a pack for Xiaomi, it is better to focus on a round or square shape with a margin around the edges.

Method One: Editing an Existing Theme with MT Manager

The most affordable way to make your icons is to take a finished theme that you like in structure and replace it with graphics. To do that, we'll need a file manager with APK editing features, like MT Manager, which doesn't require you to create a theme from scratch.

First, download any theme that you like to have in a folder structure. Usually, those are files with the.mtz extension. Rename the file extension to.zip and unpack it, or open it directly through MT Manager. Inside the archive, you're interested in the icons folder where the images are stored for the applications, and the description.xml file that describes the theme structure.

The path to icons inside the theme archive:


/themes/name themes/icons/

You need to find the original image of the icon you want to replace. File names often match the batch name of the application (e.g. com.android.settings.png). Replace this file with your own, keeping the original name and format. If you add an icon for an app that wasn’t in the original theme, you’ll have to manually prescribe it in the app. XML-configuration file.

⚠️ Note: When editing a file description.xml follow the syntax XML. An extra space or an unclosed tag will cause the system to refuse to install the theme, giving an error "File is corrupted".

Once you have replaced all the necessary graphics, collect the theme back to.mtz (or leave it as it is if MT Manager allows you to work with the archive directly) and try installing it through the Themes app. If the installation is successful, apply the theme and check the result on the desktop.

Method Two: Creating your own icon pack from scratch

For those who want to create a full-fledged product for publishing or personal use, the method of creating a pack from scratch is a more complex way, requiring an understanding of the structure of Android applications, you need to create a project that will contain only icon resources.

You'll need a theme project template. You can get it by unpacking a standard Classic theme or any other basic theme from Xiaomi. The folder structure must be strictly followed. The main directories you're interested in are icons, icons, and previews.

The key step is mapping, which is to link your images to specific applications. description.xml file-by-file icons.xml Conformity: item component="ComponentInfo{com.app.name/com.app.name.Activity}" img="name_of_your_image"/>. Without this recording, the system will not know which image to show for which application.

After all the resources and configuration files are ready, the project must be packaged in the.mtz archive. When signing a topic, it can be difficult if you plan to publish it in the official store. For personal use, you just need to rename the archive and open it through the Themes app.

Using third-party launchers to install icons

If you're snooping. XML-You find it too complicated with files and archives, and there's an alternative way to do that, and you can use third-party launchers like Nova Launcher, Smart Launcher, or Microsoft Launcher. These apps allow you to use icon packs from the Google Play Market without having to modify system files.

In this case, “make your icons” means creating a set of images formatted to the requirements of a particular launcher, and packing them into APK. There are special project templates for Android Studio that automate the process of creating such an APK. You only need to upload your images to the appropriate cells of the template.

The advantage of this method is that if you don't like the icons, you just delete the app pack or change the theme in the launcher settings. /data system partition remains unaffected, eliminating the risk of "bricking" the device.

However, this method has a disadvantage: icons may not apply to all applications at once, some programs ignore third-party launchers or use their own widgets, which cannot be changed without root rights, in which case you have to change the icon manually through long-term shortcut clicking.

Solving problems and eliminating mistakes

In customization, users often face typical problems, and one of the most common is that icons are displayed in a white square or a standard Android logo. XML-The configuration does not match the actual location of the image or file name.

Another common mistake is poor image quality after installation, which happens if the source is small and the system stretches it over the entire screen. Always use high-resolution source code. Also, the problem can be in file format: use PNG-24, avoid PNG-8 with a limited palette.

⚠️ Attention: Once you have a custom theme installed, the interface may blink or reboot, which is a normal system response to a change of resources. If the phone goes into an endless bootloop, boot into Safe Mode and remove the problem theme.

If you have changed system icons (such as the settings icon or phone icon) and they are gone, check the file permissions. In some versions of MIUI with enhanced protection, direct replacement of system resources without unlocking the bootloader can be blocked by the system itself.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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Creating your own icons is a creative process that allows you to completely transform the Xiaomi interface. Start by editing one ready-made theme to understand how it works before creating your own projects from scratch.