How to replace system sounds on Xiaomi smartphones: 5 proven ways

Why users change their sounds to Xiaomi

System sounds on Xiaomi are the first thing a user hears when unlocking a screen, receiving notifications or connecting a charge. Standard tunes in MIUI are often criticized for being monotonous: after months of use, they become annoying. According to a 2023 survey, 68% of Xiaomi owners have tried to change the sound circuit of their device at least once.

Fortunately, MIUI provides several ways of customization - from basic settings to deep modification through themes and ADB-In this article, we will discuss all current methods, including those that work on the latest versions of firmware (MIUI 14 and HyperOS. We will pay special attention to the nuances for popular models: Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13 and others.

Before you start making changes, consider that some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights. We will mark such cases with warnings so you can assess the risks. For most users, standard tools will suffice, and we will consider them first.

Method 1: Replace sounds with standard MIUI settings

The simplest method, which does not require additional applications, is suitable for replacing the notification sound, alarm, call and system signals (unlock, charge, etc.) Works on all devices with MIUI 12 and later, including HyperOS.

To change the sound circuit:

1. Open the Settings. → Sound and vibration.
2. Select a category (such as Notification Sound or Call Melody).
3. Click on the current sound and a list of available options will open.
4. Scroll down and tap Add a tune (or Local tunes in older versions).
5. Select an audio file from the device memory (.mp3,.wav,.ogg formats are supported).

Limitations of the method:

• 🔊 You can’t replace system sounds (such as the sound of a photo or screenshot) – only notifications, calls and alarms.
• 📁 Files must be in the Ringtones, Notifications, or Alarms folder on the internal drive.
• ⏱️ The sound length is limited to 30 seconds (for alarm clock - up to 1 minute).

💡

If the desired sound is not in the list, copy it to the MIUI/ringtone folder through the file manager.

Method 2: Use of MIUI Themer Themes

MIUI Themer is a built-in tool for deep customization of the interface, including sounds, which allows you to replace all system sounds at once (including keyboard signals, lock screen and even charging sound), but requires the installation of a full theme.

Instructions:

1. Download a theme with alternative sounds from the official catalog of themes or third-party sources (for example, Xiaomi Themes on Telegram).
2. Open the settings → design → My themes.
3. Click Import and select the downloaded file with the.mtz extension.
4. Apply the theme and restart the device.

Advantages of the method:

• 🎵 Replace all sounds at once (including those not available in standard settings).
• 🔄 Ability to return standard sounds through the reset theme.
• 🎨 Additional customization of the interface (icons, fonts, animations).

⚠️ Attention: Using themes from third-party developers can lead to malfunctions MIUI. Before installing, check for reviews about the theme and back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.

Method 3: Third-party applications for sound replacement

If you don't have enough built-in tools, you can use specialized applications, and we tested 5 popular solutions and selected two of the most reliable ones:

To set sounds through Zedge:

1. Download and install the app.
2. In the Ringtones section, select the sound you like.
3. Press Set as and specify the type (call, notification, alarm).
4. Confirm the replacement in the system dialogue.

For advanced users, MIUI Sound Changer is suitable, but it requires pre-configuration via ADB:

adb shell pm grant com.miui.soundchanger android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

⚠️ Attention: Apps like MIUI Sound Changer may cause conflicts with updates MIUI. After each update, the firmware will have to reissue permissions through ADB.

Method 4: Manual editing of system files (for advanced ones)

This method is suitable for users with unlocked bootloader and root rights.It allows you to replace any system sounds, including those that are not available through standard settings (for example, the sound of a screenshot or a screenshot). NFC-warning).

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer).
2. Go to /system/media/audio. This is where all system sounds are stored, broken down into categories: alarms – alarms – notifications – ringtones – ui calls – interface sounds (unlock, charge, etc.)

Copy your audio files into the appropriate folders (require to save the originals!).

644

Reset the device.

Example of replacement of the unlock sound:

• 📁 Source file: /system/media/audio/ui/unlock.ogg
• 🔄 Replace it with your.ogg file (recommended bitrate is 128 kbps).
• 🔧 License: chmod 644 /system/media/audio/ui/unlock.ogg

Create a backup of the folder /system/media/audio|

Install a file manager with root access |

Download sounds in.ogg format or.mp3 (Max. 5 seconds for UI-sound)|

Check the free space in the section /system (minimum 10 MB)-->

⚠️ Note: Incorrectly changing files in /system If the device does not start after replacing the sounds, use Fastboot mode and the command: fastboot flash system system.img (You need an original firmware for your model).

Method 5: Replace sounds with ADB (no root)

If you don't have root rights, but you have access to ADB, you can replace some system sounds through commands. This method works on MIUI 13/14 and HyperOS, but requires a PC connection.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: Adb devices (you should display your device).
3. Download the archive with alternative sounds (e.g. here).
4. Upload the sounds to the device: adb push local_sound.mp3 /sdcard/MIUI/ringtone/
5. Set them through standard settings (see Method 1).

To replace system sounds (such as lock.ogg or charge.ogg), you will need an additional command:

adb shell"su -c'mount -o rw,remount /system && cp /sdcard/custom_sound.ogg /system/media/audio/ui/lock.ogg && chmod 644 /system/media/audio/ui/lock.ogg'"

adb shell"su -c'mount -o rw,remount /system && rm /system/media/audio/ui/custom_sound.ogg && reboot'"

Problem Solving: Sounds don’t change or are reset

Even, after successful replacement, sounds may or may not be reset.

If the sounds continue to drop, check:

• 🔄 Availability of updates MIUI (Sometimes bugs are fixed in new versions).
• 🛡️ Antivirus or SEO (e.g., Xiaomi Security can block changes).
• 📱 Model of the device: on some POCO Redmi with dynamic memory sounds can be reset due to firmware features.

FAQ: Frequent questions about replacing sounds with Xiaomi