How to Create a Folder on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones today have a huge amount of functionality that is often hidden behind a host of app icons: users install dozens of apps for work, entertainment and communication, making the desktop a chaotic pile of elements that not only visually clutters the screen, but also significantly reduces the speed of finding the right tool in everyday use of the device.

The first step to making a space fit is to make it comfortable, and folders can categorize applications, remove services that are rarely used, and make the interface more aesthetic, and in the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS, this process is intuitive, but beginners sometimes have difficulty with basic navigation.

In this article, we will detail how to add a folder to a Xiaomi phone in a variety of ways: you will learn how to structure applications on the home screen, sort files in internal memory, and even hide sensitive data in secure containers.

Basic method of grouping applications on the desktop

The most common way to get things in order is to create folders directly on the desktop (Home Screen), which is as simple as possible in the Xiaomi interface and does not require a deep dive into the system settings. You only need a few seconds to combine several icons into a single logical group.

First, unlock the device and go to the home screen. Find two app icons that you want to combine. For example, it can be social networks or banking applications. Touch one of the icons with your finger and hold the tap until it sticks to your finger and the rest of the screen is slightly smaller.

Without letting go of your finger, drag the selected icon over the second one you want to add to the same group. Once the top icon covers the bottom one, the system automatically creates a container. Release your finger, and you'll see that both programs are inside the new folder. The system usually suggests calling it automatically based on the type of application, but you can change that name.

⚠️ Warning: Do not try to drag large widgets inside application folders.This can cause an interface display error or a shift in the desktop grid, which will require manual correction through screen settings.

To add more apps to the created group, just repeat the procedure: pinch any free icon and drag it to an existing folder. The number of items in one folder is almost unlimited, which allows you to create very roomy storage for rarely used utilities.

• 📱 Press and hold the app icon until vibrations appear.
• 📂 Drag it over another icon to create a band.
• ✏️ Click on the folder name to rename it manually.
• ➕ Add new apps with a simple drag and drop inside the folder.

Customization of appearance and sorting of content

Once you've created the basic structure, you should think about optimizing it. The MIUI shell offers several options for displaying the contents of folders, which can be useful for users with different styles of interaction with a smartphone. The standard view shows icons with a grid, but there are alternatives.

Open the folder you created by clicking on it once. At the top of the window that opens, you will see the name of the group. On the right or left (depending on the firmware version), you can have a settings button or a menu represented by three dots. By clicking on these, you can access additional options if they are provided by a particular version of the launcher.

Sorting is an important aspect. Some versions of the system have automatic sorting by alphabet or frequency of use, and if it's not explicitly, you can manually change the order of the icons inside the folder, clamping them down and dragging them to the right place, and that allows you to bring the most important applications to the forefront of visibility.

For visual convenience, many users tend to choose icons of the same style or color for a single folder, which creates a sense of minimalism. However, it is worth remembering that customizing icons through third-party themes can affect the performance of opening folders on older devices.

File Management: Creating Folders in Storage

In addition to organizing shortcuts on the screen, it is critical to be able to create folders in the phone’s internal memory, which is necessary for sorting photos, documents, downloads from the Internet and other files, and for this purpose, Xiaomi has a powerful file manager preinstalled in its system.

Find Explorer (or File Manager) on your desktop or app menu. The icon is usually a yellow folder. After you run, go to Internal Shared Drive. This is where all your personal data is stored, free of Android system files.

In the Explorer interface, find the menu button, which is often hidden under three dots or stripes in the corner of the screen. In the list that opens, select New folder. The system will prompt you to enter a name for the directory you create. Use clear names in Latin or Cyrillic to easily navigate the file structure.

Path to Creation: Explorer → Internal Drive → Menu (three dots) → New folder

Once you create a folder, you can move files into it, and to do that, you can press the file you want (like a photo or document), select Move or Copy from the action menu, and then point the way to the directory you just created, which is a great way to free up space in the root directory and structure the data.

• 📁 Open the standard application "Conductor».
• 📂 Go to the root directory of internal storage.
• ➕ Click the menu and select to create a new directory.
• 📝 Give the folder a clear name and confirm the action.

Hiding confidential data in hidden folders

Xiaomi features built-in privacy protection mechanisms that allow you to hide certain folders and applications from prying eyes, especially if you give a phone to children or colleagues and do not want them to see personal photos or correspondence.

To activate this feature, go to Settings → Applications → Hidden Applications. Here you can choose which programs will be hidden from the general menu. However, there is a separate mechanism for files, the Hidden Folder, which is available through the Security or Explorer app.

To move files to a hidden folder, open Explorer, press the file you want, and select Hide. Files will move to a secure partition that is only accessible through special code or biometrics. In standard browsing mode, these files will not be displayed.

⚠️ Warning: Before moving important documents to a hidden folder, make sure you remember your password or link your Mi Account. When you reset your phone to the factory without first unlocking hidden space, the data may be lost irretrievably.

With new versions of HyperOS, the concealment functionality has been expanded, so you can create second spaces or use the Guest mode, where the set of folders and applications is completely different from the user's main profile, a more radical but effective way to separate work and personal information.

Solution: Why a folder is not created

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where standard methods of creating folders do not work, the icon does not drag and drop, or the system gives an error when trying to rename, most often due to overflowing of the launcher cache or a temporary failure in the interface.

The first thing you need to do is check if the desktop read-only mode is on or if the interface changes are blocked, and make sure there is enough free space on the screen, so if the grid is full of widgets, the system can block the creation of new objects.

If the problem persists, try clearing the Themes and System Launcher app cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → All Apps, find the process you want, click Clear → Clear Cache. This won’t delete your data, but will update the interface configuration files.

• 🔄 Reboot the device to reset temporary processes.
• 🧹 Clear the launcher cache through application settings.
• 🚫 Check if the locking of desktop changes is enabled.
• 📉 Remove unnecessary widgets, freeing up space on the screen.

In rare cases, the problem may be a third-party theme that is not fully compatible with the current firmware version. Switch to the standard theme "Classic" or "No Limits" in the Theme app to see if the bug disappears. If the folders are created normally after that, then it was a matter of customization.

Using folder widgets for quick access

The MIUI shell allows you not only to create folders, but also to display their contents on the desktop in the form of widgets. This is especially convenient for folders with frequently used tools such as a camera, voice recorder or document scanner. You access functions in one click, bypassing the opening of the folder itself.

To add a folder widget, press the empty space on your desktop and select Widgets. In the list, find the section related to tools or system functions. Some versions of the launcher allow you to display "fast folders" where the icons are arranged in a row or grid directly on the surface of the screen.

And then there's the iOS-style App Folder feature, which is available in some themes or launcher settings, which allows you to open the animation folder and see all the icons at once without taking up too much space in the folded state, which makes the interface more dynamic and modern.

⚠️ Attention: Using a large number of active widgets on the desktop can significantly increase battery consumption. Widgets constantly update information in the background, which loads the processor.

Experiment with widget sizes. The standard size of 1x1 or 2x2 can be replaced with larger formats if your desktop grid allows it.The large widget folders look spectacular on the big screens of Xiaomi and Redmi Note flagship models.

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Use folders to group by color, like putting all the red icons in one folder and the blue icons in another folder, which is not only beautiful, but also helps the brain find the app by visual association faster.

Optimizing File Storage through Cloud Folders

Local phone storage is not rubbery, and creating a lot of folders with heavy files can quickly lead to a shortage of space. Xiaomi offers integration with cloud services like Mi Cloud or Google Drive, which allow you to create virtual folders-synchronization.

By setting up a specific folder (like Photos or Documents) to sync with the cloud, you free up space on the device. Files remain accessible over the Internet, and only thumbnails or the latest open versions are stored on the phone, an effective way to manage memory without losing data.

To set up, go to Settings → Mi → Mi Cloud Account. Here you can choose which data will be synced. Similarly, Google Photos works: by enabling the Free Space feature, you delete local copies of photos that have already been uploaded to the cloud, leaving the folder structure in the gallery available for viewing online.

Using cloud folders also ensures data safety in the event of loss or breakage of a smartphone. When you buy a new Xiaomi device, you just need to log into your account, and all folder structures and files you create will automatically be restored from the backup.

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Regularly cleaning and transferring archived data to cloud folders is the best way to keep your smartphone running at a high speed throughout its lifetime.