How to remove the picture from the lock screen on Xiaomi Redmi 9: all ways of 2026

The lock screen on Xiaomi Redmi 9 is not just a protection against accidental clicks, but also a business card of your smartphone. However, not all users like it when it displays an old photo, a randomly installed picture or a standard wallpaper from MIUI. Especially annoying is the situation when the image can not be changed through the usual settings – the system stubbornly returns the previous background or completely ignores the changes.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to remove the picture from the lock screen on Redmi. 9 (including Redmi models 9A/9C/9T), labor-powered MIUI 12, 13 and 14. You will learn how to reset the background through the phone menu, bypass the system limitations with the help of MIUI Launcher, and what to do if the smartphone "forgets" new wallpaper after rebooting. Particular attention will be paid to the problem of "sticking" the old background is a common firmware bug 2020–2023 Years for budget Xiaomi.

Why is the image on the lock screen not deleted?

Before you start resetting the background, it is important to understand the cause of the problem. On Redmi 9, the following scenarios are most common:

• 🔄 Wallpaper cache: The system stores thumbnails of background images in cache and uploads them even after the original is deleted.
• 📱 Mistake. MIUI Launcher: Launcher (shell) MIUI) You may “forget” wallpaper changes due to work failures.
• 🔒 Firmware limitations: In some versions MIUI Redmi 9 artificially blocked the change of the background lock without binding to the wallpaper of the desktop.
• 📁 Damaged files: If the original image has been deleted or moved, the system can substitute the last working background.

Interestingly, the problem is more common on smartphones with low RAM (2-3 GB), where MIUI aggressively optimizes background processes, resulting in wallpaper settings that can be reset after a reboot or prolonged device downtime.

Method 1: Remove via standard MIUI settings

So let's start with the most obvious method, which is to reset the background through the wallpaper menu, and this works 70 percent of the time, but only if the problem isn't caused by deep system failures.

1. Open Settings → Wallpaper (or Lock Screen depending on the version of MIUI).
2. Select the Lock Screen section (not to be confused with the Home Screen!).
3. Scroll down and click on more wallpaper or other wallpaper.
4. At the bottom of the screen, tap the Cart icon (or Remove) next to the current background.
5. Confirm the removal and select a new background (e.g., standard gradient from MIUI).

If after these actions the old picture still appears, try to force the lock screen to update:

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone.
• 📱 Lock and unlock the screen 2-3 times in a row.
• 🗑️ Clear the Wallpaper app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI 12.5 for Redmi 9, the option to remove the lock background can be hidden, in which case try to set any other background (even the standard one), and then return the desired image - this sometimes "resets" the suspended picture.

Method 2: Reset via MIUI Launcher (without ROOT)

If the standard method didn't work, the problem lies in the MIUI Launcher, the wallpaper sheath, in which case resetting the launcher settings will help:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the MIUI Launcher (or just Launcher) list.
3. Open Warehouse → Clear the data and Clear the cache.
4. Confirm the action. Attention: this will reset the location of the icons on the desktop!
5. After the reboot, try changing the lock wallpaper again through the standard menu.

This method is effective when:

• 🖼️ New wallpaper applies, but after the reboot the old background returns.
• 🔄 Changes in wallpaper settings are not retained.
• 📱 The lock screen displays a black background or artifacts instead of a picture.

💡

If the wallpaper still doesn’t change after the launcher is reset, try installing a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher) and changing the background through it. MIUI.

Method 3: Delete through the file manager (for experienced)

If the two previous methods didn't work, the problem could lie in the physical wallpaper files that MIUI stores in hidden folders to delete:

1. Install a file manager with access to system folders (e.g. Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Cross the path: /data/system/users/0/wallpaper_info.xml /data/system/users/0/wallpaper
4. Delete the files wallpaper_info.xml, wallpaper wallpaper_lock (if).
5. Reboot your smartphone.

After that, the system will create new default wallpaper files. ROOT-rights or at least unlocked bootloader, without them access to the folder /data/system limited.

⚠️ Note: Deleting the system wallpaper files can result in resetting all personal screen settings (including live wallpaper and animations).If after this procedure the lock screen turns black, set any background through the standard menu - this will restore the files by default.

Method 4: Complete resetting of settings (extreme case)

If none of the methods worked, and the old picture persists on the lock screen, you'll have to reset the phone to factory settings, which is a radical solution, but it's guaranteed to remove all the custom wallpaper and return the standard ones.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Create a backup of data through Settings → About Phone → Backup.
2. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset.
3. Select Reset and confirm the action.
4. After the reboot, set the phone up as new, but don’t restore data from the backup — first check if the wallpaper problem has gone away.

If the problem disappeared after the reset, it was associated with the damaged user settings, in which case you can return data from the backup, but selectively (for example, without restoring the MIUI Launcher settings).

💡

Resetting to factory settings is the last chance to get rid of the "stuck" wallpaper. 95% of the time, this is the method that solves the problem, but remember: it erases all data from the phone!

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you try to remove the background from the lock screen, users often make the same mistakes.

• 🚫 Remove the original image from the gallery before changing the wallpaper, which can lead to a black screen or artifacts.
• 🚫 Use third-party applications to change wallpaper without first cleaning the cache. MIUI.
• 🚫 Reset the launcher settings without backup.This will remove all widgets and icon locations.
• 🚫 Ignore system updates in new versions MIUI often corrected wallpaper bugs.

Also, many users don't know that Redmi 9's lock background and desktop background can be linked. If you change wallpaper through the Main Screen menu, the lock screen automatically updates (and vice versa) To break this link:

1. In the wallpaper menu, select the Lock screen.
2. Slip on the Settings icon (cog) in the upper right corner.
3. Turn off the option to sync with the main screen.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions