How to Add an App to Xiaomi Redmi 9 Desktop: The Complete Guide

Modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 9 have a powerful MIUI shell that offers many ways to personalize the interface. However, after the first switch on or update the system, users often find themselves in a situation where the shortcuts of installed programs do not appear on the home screen automatically, which can confuse those who are used to standard Android behavior, where the icon appears immediately after installation.

Redmi 9 owners may find that new utilities are hidden in the menu of all applications, leaving the desktop empty. This logic is designed to keep order, but not always convenient for everyday use. In this article, we will discuss how to manually display the desired software on the screen, return the missing icons and customize the space to suit your needs.

Understanding the MIUI launcher will allow you to not just add one icon, but completely redesign your navigation. We'll look at the standard methods, widgets, and possible reasons why shortcuts may be hidden from the user. Ready to experiment with settings is the key to the perfect interface.

Check the availability of the application in the menu of all programs

Before you try to create a shortcut or look for a solution to a problem, you need to make sure that the application itself is actually installed on the system. In the MIUI shell installed on Redmi 9, there is a separation between installed programs and their shortcuts on the desktop. Often users think that the software is not installed, although it is simply hidden in the general list.

To check, swipe up from the bottom of the screen or click a special menu button if the classic mode is enabled. A list of all installed programs will open, sorted by alphabet or frequency of use. If you find the desired icon here, then the application file is intact, and the problem lies solely in the display on the desktop.

Sometimes the system can scan rarely used programs in the Tools folder or archive them. If you don't see the program in the shared list, search the bar at the top of the menu screen. Type the name of the application — if it's in the phone's memory, the system will instantly detect it.

• 🔍 Swipe up the center of the screen to open the full app menu.
• 📂 Check folders with the names “Tools”, “Google” or “Systems” where shortcuts are often hidden.
• ⌨️ Use the search bar in the menu to find the hidden program instantly.
• 🔄 Make sure that the launcher settings do not include the "Hide installed applications" mode".

⚠️ Note: If the search throughout the system does not give results, it is possible that the installation was interrupted or the file is corrupted. APK freshly.

Once you've made sure you have the program, you can move on to the next step, which is to create a shortcut, and if you don't have an icon on the home screen, if you have it in memory, it's a regular situation for many versions of MIUI, and it's solved by drag and drop.

Creating a shortcut through the menu of all applications

The most common and reliable way to add an app to the Xiaomi Redmi 9 desktop is to drag and drop from a shared menu. This method works 99% of the time and does not require root rights or third-party software. The algorithm of actions is intuitive, but has its own peculiarities depending on the version of the shell.

Press and hold your finger on the app icon in the general menu. Without letting go of your finger, start zooming in to open the desktop. The system automatically switches the view, and you can place the shortcut anywhere on the grid.

It's important to consider that on Redmi 9, the screen is divided into virtual cells. If you try to put an icon on top of another, they can form a folder. If there's no space on the current desktop page, drag the shortcut to the edge of the screen to create a new page or go to the next page.

Once you have placed the shortcut, release your finger. Now the program is available in one click. If the icon looks blurry or incorrectly displayed, try restarting the device - this will update the launcher's cache.

• 👆 Press the icon in the app menu before the vibration appears.
• 🖐️ Without letting go of your finger, drag the image to the main screen.
• 📍 Place a shortcut in the free cell of the interface grid.
• ✅ Release your finger to fix the position.

Some Xiaomi system applications may have restrictions on removing their shortcuts, but you can usually add them manually at all times.If drag and drop is blocked, check if Pocket mode or layout lock is enabled.

Automatically add shortcuts to MIUI

To avoid manual drag and drop in the future, you can change the launcher settings. The MIUI shell allows you to set a rule that all new installations will automatically duplicate to the desktop, which returns the behavior that users of pure Android use.

To change the settings, go to the phone settings. Find the desktop section and activate the appropriate switch. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version (Global, EU or Chinese), but the logic remains the same.

Settings → Desktop → Add shortcuts to the desktop

By enabling this feature, you will save yourself from having to search for the installed utility on the menu every time, but it is worth remembering that when you install games or programs on a mass scale, the desktop can quickly fill up with garbage if you do not monitor the order.

Activating this option is especially useful for older people or children who find it difficult to navigate a multi-level menu, and ease of access to features becomes a priority. If you don't find such a switch, your version of the launcher may not support this feature explicitly and you will have to use third-party themes.

• ⚙️ Open your Redmi 9 Settings.
• 📱 Go to the Desktop section.
• 🔘 Find the item Add shortcuts to the desktop.
• ✅ Activate the switch to automatically create icons.

⚠️ Note: On some global versions MIUI This item may be called "Set a shortcut after installation." If it's not in the main settings, try pinching the empty space on your desktop and select "Settings".

Working with widgets and live labels

In addition to standard icons, you can add widgets to the Xiaomi Redmi 9 desktop. These are dynamic elements that display real-time information, such as weather, currency rates or task lists. Adding a widget is different from creating an app shortcut.

To add a widget, you need to pinch an empty area on your desktop or pinch two fingers (to put your fingers together). The editing mode opens, where you need to select "Widgets" and here is a complete list of available elements from the system and installed applications.

Some applications, like watches or calendars, have their own large widgets, which take up several grid cells and look more spectacular, and when you drag and drop the widget, the system automatically highlights the area it occupies.

Using widgets allows you to personalize the Redmi 9 beyond recognition. By combining watches, weather and notes, you turn the lock screen and the main screen into an information bar. However, the abundance of widgets can increase battery consumption.

If the widget is not added or displayed as a black square, try clearing the app cache to which it belongs, often solving problems with graphical display of interface elements.

Search for hidden and system applications

Xiaomi owners often find that some system utilities don’t have default shortcuts, which are designed to avoid overloading the user interface, but access to them is essential to fine-tune the phone.

Hidden applications can be found through a search in the menu or in a special settings section. For example, engineering menus or iron tests are often hidden. You can use special codes or create a shortcut through third-party launchers to output them, but within the framework of the regular MIUI, you better use search.

There's also a Hide App feature that lets you remove the icons from prying eyes, and if you've hidden the app yourself and forgotten about it, it won't show up on the menu or desktop until you swipe the hidden app section up in a special window.

• 🔎 Use Global Search to Find System Utilities.
• 🔒 Check the “Hidden Apps” section in the security settings.
• 🛠️ To access the engineering menu, use the codes in the call.
• 📂 Create a System folder to store rarely used shortcuts.

Don’t delete system applications, even if they seem useless. Their absence can lead to unstable work of Redmi 9 or errors in the work of other services.

Solving the Problems of Icon Disappearance

It happens that the added shortcuts suddenly disappear from the Xiaomi Redmi 9 desktop.This can occur after a system update, resetting the launcher settings or installing themes from the Themes store. Often the problem is solved by simply restarting the device.

If the reboot didn't work, check if Pocket mode is activated or battery optimization for the launcher is turned on. Aggressive energy savings can unload the desktop process from memory, resetting its state.

Also worth paying attention to established themes. Third-party themes can have their own grid and display rules. Switching to a standard theme often returns all icons to their places. If the problem persists, you can reset the launcher settings.

Settings → Applications → All applications → System processes → Desktop → Clean

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Before resetting the launcher settings, take a screenshot of the current location of the icons, then quickly restore the usual structure of the desktop.

It's important to distinguish between deleting the shortcut and deleting the app itself. When you delete the shortcut, the program stays in your phone's memory. When you delete the app, it's erased completely. Be careful when you click on the cross or "Delete" button in the context menu.

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The most common reason for not having an icon is the MIUI feature, where new apps only hit the menu, the solution being manually drag and drop or enable auto-addition in the settings.