The widgets on Xiaomi smartphones are mini-apps that display useful information directly on the home screen: weather, calendar, notes, smart home management or even health data. However, many users face the problem of where to find these widgets in the shell of MIUI? Especially difficult for beginners who have just moved from iOS or other Android devices, where the interface is organized differently.
In this article, we will not only show you where the widgets are in Xiaomi, but also how to add, configure and even install third-party solutions. We will analyze all the current versions of MIUI 14/15 and features for different lines: Redmi, POCO, Xiaomi and Black Shark.
If you want to customize your smartphone to your best, widgets will be your main tool, but first you have to find them!
Where to look for widgets on the Xiaomi home screen
The most obvious way to get to widgets is through long-pressing on the free space of the home screen, which works on all Xiaomi devices regardless of the model or version of MIUI.
1. Unlock your phone and go to the home screen (not in the app menu!).
2.Push and hold your finger in an empty place (where there are no icons) for 1-2 seconds.
3.At the bottom of the screen will appear a panel with three tabs: "Wallpaper", "Widgets" and "Screen settings".
4. Go to the tab "Widgets" - here are collected all available mini-applications.
If you MIUI 15, the interface may be slightly different: instead of tabs, a floating menu with the "Widgets" button (a plus-plus square icon) will appear. POCO-The process is identical to the devices, but sometimes you need to select “Add to Screen” in the context menu first.
Important: On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 or Xiaomi 13T), widgets can be hidden if you activate “Children’s Mode” or “Simplified Mode.” To return them, disable these features in Settings → Special Features.
How to Add a Widget to the Screen: A Step-by-Step Guide
Finding widgets is only half the battle, and now you have to add them right. Here's a universal algorithm for all Xiaomi smartphones:
1. Open the widget menu (as described in the previous section).
2. Scroll down or sideways (depending on the orientation of the screen) and find the widget you want, such as Weather, Calendar, or Notes.
3.Push the widget and hold it until it "unlocks" from the menu.
4. Drag the widget to a free space on the screen or to a separate page (fly the screen left/right if necessary).
5. Release your finger, the widget will lock. Some widgets (such as "Music" or "Fitness") will require additional permissions.
If the widget is not added, check:
- 🔄 Free space on the screen – perhaps all the cells are occupied by icons.
- 🔒 Launcher restrictions – some shells (e.g, POCO Launcher) blocking widgets.
- 📥 System updates in older versions MIUI Widgets may not work properly.
☑️ What to do if the widget is not added
On Xiaomi models with Android 13+ (such as Xiaomi 14 or Redmi K70), widgets support dynamic resizing – pull around corners to stretch them into multiple cells.
Hidden widgets: where to look for system mini-applications
Not all widgets are visible in the main menu, some are hidden in the application settings or require activation through the MIUI lab.
1. "Smart Home" (Mi Home):
- Open the Mi Home app.
- Go to Profile. → Settings → Widgets.
- Here you can add widgets for controlling smart lamps, robot vacuum cleaners or sensors.
2. "Health" (Mi Fitness):
- In the Mi Fitness app, go to Profile → Settings → Step Widget.
Here you can configure the display of data from the Mi Band or smart watch.
3. "Screen Records" and "Game Mode":
These widgets only appear after the first use of the function, for example, after recording the screen through the Notification Panel → Screen recording.
4. "MIUI Laboratory" (hidden functions):
Activate Developer Mode (click 7 times on Settings → About Phone → MIUI version).
Go to Settings → Additional → Functions Lab.
Enable the option to “Show all widgets” (if available).
How to Recover a Lost Weather Widget?
Third-party widgets: how to install and where to download
System widgets in MIUI are limited in functionality, and if you want custom widgets (like Spotify, Telegram, or Google Keep), you have to install them separately.
1. Installation via Google Play:
Open Google Play Market and search for an on-demand widget (e.g., “Weather Widget” or “Battery Widget”).
Popular applications: KWGT (for creating custom widgets), UCCW, Zoom.
After installation, the widget will appear in the widget menu (as described in the first section).
Installation via APK:
If the widget is not available on Google Play (for example, for Chinese firmware), download.apk from trusted sources (for example, APKMirror).
- Set the file and restart the phone.
3. Widgets for Mi Fit and Zepp Life:
These apps have their own widgets, but they may not appear in the main menu.
- Open Mi Fit or Zepp Life.
- Go to Profile. → Settings → Widgets.
Click on "Add to the main screen".
Warning: Some third-party widgets require additional permissions (e.g. access to overlays over other applications).Be careful when installing from unverified sources!
💡
If the widget doesn’t appear on the menu after installation, try clearing the launcher cache. Go to Settings → Applications → Launcher (or POCO Launcher) and click Clear Cache.
Why widgets disappear and how to fix it
One of the most common problems is that widgets suddenly disappear from the home screen, and this can happen for several reasons:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Widget disappears after MIUI update | Resetting launcher settings | Add the widget again through the widget menu |
| Weather widget not updated | Data synchronization error | Update the Weather app and check permissions |
| Widgets don't drag over. | Activated "Mode for children" | Turn off the mode in Settings → Special features |
| Third-party widgets are not working | Conflict with the MIUI shell | Install an alternative launcher (e.g. Nova Launcher) |
If the widgets disappear after the phone is restarted, the problem may be in the launcher's cache.
- Go to Settings → Applications → Launcher.
- Click on “Clear Cache” and “Stop”.
- Reboot the phone.
- Add the widgets again.
⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M5) widgets may conflict with Battery Optimization. To fix this, add the widget app to the exceptions: Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → Select applications.
Widgets on different models Xiaomi: features and differences
The MIUI interface may vary slightly depending on the model and the firmware region, and here are the key features for the different lines:
1. Xiaomi (Flagship models: 13/14 series, Mix)
- 📱 Support for dynamic widgets (change size and shape).
- 🎨 More Customization Options Through Topics.
- 🔄 Smart Home widgets are integrated deeper (works with Mi Home and Google Home).
2. Redmi (Note 12, 13 series, K60)
3. POCO (F5, X5, M6)
4. Black Shark (Gaming Smartphones)
💡
Nana POCO-Widgets are often hidden because of POCO Launcher. To get them back, install a standard launcher. MIUI or third party (e.g. Nova Launcher).
How to Create Your Own Widget on Xiaomi (without Root)
If you don’t have enough standard widgets, you can create your own using applications like KWGT or UCCW. Here’s a step-by-step guide for KWGT:
1. Install KWGT Kustom Widget Maker from Google Play.
2. Open the app and select “Create a new widget.”
3.Tune the look and feel:
- Add text, icons, graphics.
Use variables for dynamic data (e.g. $df(EEE)$ for the day of the week).
4. Save the widget and add it to the home screen via the widget menu (it will appear in the list as KWGT).
5 Advanced features (e.g., Tasker interaction) require KWGT Pro Key.
Examples of what can be done:
- 📅 Calendar calendar widget with events from Google Calendar.
- 🎵 Music management widget for Spotify or YouTube Music.
- 📊 Battery statistics widget with discharge schedule.
- 🏠 Smart home widget with buttons for Xiaomi Home.
⚠️ Note: Too complex widgets in the KWGT They can slow down the interface on budget models (e.g. Redmi). 9A or POCO C50). Optimize them by reducing the number of animations and data checks.