Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones provide users with ample opportunities to personalize their desktop. Widgets are one of the most convenient tools for quick access to information, whether it is weather forecast, currency rate or music management. However, after upgrading the operating system to versions of MIUI 13/14 or the new HyperOS, users often face a situation where the familiar interface changes, and finding the right items becomes more difficult.
This problem arises from a change in the logic of the shell: developers have combined or divided some menus, which confuses even experienced owners. Widgets can be searched in several ways, depending on the firmware version and interface settings. In this article, we will detail all methods of accessing widgets, explain where they may have disappeared, and provide solutions for common display problems.
You don't have to be a technical person to understand navigation, but we'll look at standard paths through desktop menus, hidden system settings, and even ways to add widgets through third-party launchers. A customized approach to setting up your smartphone will allow you to make your device as user-friendly as possible for daily use.
Basic methods of access through the desktop menu
The most obvious and common way to find widgets on Xiaomi devices is to use the standard desktop menu. In most cases, just clamping an empty area of the screen or pinching with two fingers will open the editing menu, where the tabs “Wallpaper”, “Widgets” and “Settings” are usually located at the bottom of the screen.
However, newer versions of the HyperOS shell and recent MIUI updates may have different algorithms. If you only see wallpaper settings when you press the screen, try swiping left or right on the desktop itself. Often widgets are placed in a separate panel of Mini Apps or Widgets, which is on the left of the first screen (called Google Discover or Glance), which is often where the system widgets that the user is looking for are hidden.
You should also pay attention to the editing mode. In some configurations, if you press the app icon long enough, you will see a pop-up menu where you have an option called "Add to desktop" or "Widgets." When you click on it, you will see a list of available sizes and formats for a particular application. This is especially useful if you want to place a widget of a particular service, such as Spotify or Yandex.
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If the standard menu doesn’t open, try to zoom in on the screen settings – sometimes large fonts block access to hidden interface buttons.
Search widgets through the menu of all applications
If swipes and pinches don't work, you should go to the menu of all apps. On Xiaomi smartphones with the "Application Menu" option enabled (when all programs are on a separate list, not on the desktop), widgets are often integrated directly into the app card. Open the menu of all applications and find the desired program.
Make a long click on the app icon in this list. In the context menu that appears, select About or immediately look for the Widget button. The list that opens will show all available widget formats for this application. You can drag them directly to the desktop by holding the widget icon in the list.
This method is particularly effective for finding third-party app widgets that don’t appear in the system menu of Xiaomi widgets. For example, bank app widgets or specific utilities are often only available through the context menu of the app.
☑️ Checking the display settings
Solving the problem of the lack of widgets in MIUI and HyperOS
Often users are faced with a situation where widgets are physically on the system, but the interface does not allow them to access. This may be due to activated mode "Simple mode" or specific theme settings. In Simple mode, the interface is simplified for older people, and many elements, including widgets, are hidden. To return them, go to Settings → Simple mode and turn it off.
⚠️ Note: If you use a third-party design theme, it may block the display of standard widgets MIUI. Try temporarily switching to the standard Classic or Basic theme to see if widgets will appear.
Another reason could be overcrowded RAM or launcher cache. Android on Xiaomi devices can force the background processes that are responsible for rendering widgets to close, in which case it helps to clean the memory or restart the device, and it is also worth checking whether the widget function is disabled in the settings of the system itself.
To access the deep settings, go to Settings → Desktop. You can find the Show widgets in the app menu switch or similar options that depend on the firmware version. Make sure all sliders are activated. Sometimes after a major system update, the settings are reset by default, and the function has to be turned on again.
Hidden widgets of the engineering menu
Use of Google Discover and Widget Bar
Special attention should be paid to the widget bar, which in the Xiaomi ecosystem is often intertwined with Google services. Swipe to the right of the first desktop screen opens the Google Discover bar (or Yandex, if installed by default). At the top of this panel is often the “+” or “Add widget” button, which opens a full catalog of available items.
Not only are there app widgets, but you can also find news, weather, sports, and currency widgets, and it's a centralized widget repository that updates independently of the launcher. If you can't find the widget through the screen clamping, a search through the Google dashboard is often a lifesaver.
In addition, you can configure the Widget Tape with the most commonly used elements, which allows you to quickly access information without having to unlock your phone and search for icons, and for owners of NFC devices, you can also display quick access widgets to payment cards or passes.
Comparison of the location of widgets in different versions of the shell
Understanding the differences between MIUI and HyperOS versions is critical to finding widgets. Xiaomi is constantly changing the interface logic, and what worked a year ago may be elsewhere today. Below is a table comparing the paths to access widgets across different versions of systems.
| Shell version | Access method 1 | Access method 2 | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI 12 / 12.5 | Screen clipping → Widgets | Swipe left (Mi Share) | Classic menu, lots of free space |
| MIUI 13 / 14 | Screen clipping → Widgets | Apps menu → Long pressing | Widgets are divided into categories, search added |
| HyperOS (1.0+) | Swipe up the desktop | Control panel (curtain) | Integration with IoT, widgets on a locked screen |
| Android One (Mi A) | Screen clipping → Widgets | Appendix menu | Clean Android, without unnecessary add-ons |
As you can see from the table, with the release of HyperOS Xiaomi introduced new gestures. Now swipe up the desktop (if the appropriate navigation setting is enabled) can open a widget bar similar to iOS, this change is designed to unify the experience of using the brand’s devices.
Users who have switched from old models to new ones are encouraged to spend a few minutes learning about desktop settings. From Settings → Desktop, you can choose the display style: “Classic” (like in older Android) or “No App menu” (all icons on screens), which directly depends on where and how widgets will be displayed.
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In HyperOS, widgets have become interactive: they can be controlled (like, switch tracks) directly from the desktop without opening the application.
Adding widgets through third-party launchers
If Xiaomi’s standard tools don’t suit you or widgets don’t work properly, there’s always the option of installing a third-party launcher. Apps like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher provide their own, often more flexible widget management mechanisms.
Once a third-party launcher is installed, the process of adding a widget usually becomes more logical and predictable: just pinch the empty space on the screen, select the "Widgets" item, and a full system list of all installed widgets, including those hidden by system limitations MIUI, will open.
However, it should be borne in mind that using third-party launchers on Xiaomi requires additional permissions settings. The system can aggressively “kill” the launcher process, which can stop updating or disappearing. You need to go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, find your launcher and enable it in the “Out-Start” item, as well as remove battery restrictions.
⚠️ Note: When installing a third-party launcher on devices with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, widget animations may be desynchronized. If you notice lags, try to force the launcher to set a 60 Hz refresh rate or enable the option “Accelerate” GPU».