How to add acceleration widget to Xiaomi: activation and configuration

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to quickly clean RAM to improve device performance. The standard MIUI interface, and now HyperOS, offers many optimization tools, but not all of them are displayed on the main screen by default. One of the most popular elements is the acceleration widget, which allows you to free up the system resources in one click.

Many users mistakenly believe that Acceleration is only available inside the Security app, in fact, it allows you to bring this tool to the desktop, making it available at any time, especially for models with little RAM or when running heavy apps and games.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the algorithm required to add an acceleration widget to your smartphone screen, and we will look at the differences between old and new versions of the shell, and discuss whether this tool is really useful in today’s mobile operating system environment.

Why you need an acceleration widget on your desktop

The main purpose of the acceleration widget is to provide instant access to the RAM cleaning procedure (RAM). When you run a lot of applications, they can stay in the background, consuming processor and battery resources. Quick access to cleaning helps focus the power of the device on the current task.

In addition, the widget often contains information about the current system load, which allows the user to visually assess the state of the smartphone, which is convenient for those who are used to controlling every megabyte of available memory and prefer to keep the system in a “sterile” state.

It is worth noting that in modern versions of Android, the system effectively manages memory by forcibly shutting down unused processes, but the presence of an acceleration button on the desktop remains a matter of habit and psychological comfort for many users who feel the speed gain after cleaning.

📊 How often do you clear your memory on your phone?
Several times a day
Once a week.
Only when the phone is slowing down.
Never clean.

Using a widget can also be part of a ritual to prepare the device for the launch of a resource-intensive game.Although MIUI has a game mode, manual pre-cleaning through the widget creates a margin of free memory, which in some cases prevents micro-freezes.

Search for a standard widget in the system menu

The first and most obvious way to add an acceleration widget is to find it in the standard shell widget menu, and depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS, the path to it may be slightly different, but the logic remains the same, usually called "Security" or "Acceleration."

To access the widget menu, swipe to the right of the left edge of the main screen or pinch your two fingers across the desktop. From the menu that opens, select the "Widgets" or "Add a widget" section, and here is a complete list of available interface elements.

There are often widgets from the Security app on the list, and that's where the tool we want to use is hidden, and it can look like a round button, a square icon with meters of speed, or a text box with a percentage of free memory.

  • 📱 Make a long tap on an empty area of the desktop.
  • 🔍 Select the "Widgets" item in the lower menu.
  • 🛡️ Find the category “Security” or “Security».
  • ⚡ Select the “Acceleration” widget and drag it to the screen.

If a standard widget doesn’t show up or you don’t like it, there’s an alternative way through the theme settings. Some system themes may hide certain interface elements, so switching to a standard Classic or Default theme often returns access to all system widgets.

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If the Acceleration widget is gone after a system update, try removing Security app updates through the settings, and then updating it again through GetApps.

Activation through the Security Application

The second method of adding a widget is to directly configure the Security app itself, and in some versions of the shell, the widget is not added through the desktop menu, but is activated inside the settings of the system application itself.

Open the Security app on your device. It usually has a green icon with a shield. In the upper right corner of the screen is the settings menu, designated by the gear, and by going there, you will have access to the advanced optimization options.

You need to find a settings menu item associated with "Tags" or "Widgets on the desktop." In different regions of the firmware, this item can be called differently: "Add a widget", "Create an acceleration shortcut" or "Floating ball", activating this switch automatically creates an icon on the home screen.

FunctionLocation on the menuAction.
Cleaning up memoryMain screen of the applicationInstant release of RAM
Cleaning up garbageSection "Cleaning up"Delete cache and temporary files
AntivirusSecurity sectionSystem scanning for viruses
BatterySection "Battery"Energy consumption analysis

It’s important to understand that activating the widget through the app settings ensures it works even if the widget menu is not working properly, a more reliable method for older versions of MIUI 11 and MIUI 12.

☑️ Verification of widget activation

Done: 0 / 1

Setting up the floating acceleration window

Special attention should be paid to the floating window or floating ball acceleration feature, which can hover over other applications, allowing you to clear memory from the comfort of a game or browser, a very useful feature for gamers.

To activate this mode, you need to go to the Security settings and find the Game Accelerate or Game Turbo section. Inside this menu, there is an option to add a floating button, which can be displayed as a translucent circle or rocket icon.

⚠️ Attention: The floating acceleration window may override controls in games with non-standard aspect ratio.Tune the transparency or position of the button so that it does not interfere with the view.

In some cases, the system offers a “smart acceleration” setup that automatically triggers memory cleanup when you open heavy applications, which runs in the background and does not require constant interaction with the widget, but its presence in the settings is worth checking.

For users who prefer minimalism, the floating widget can be configured to disappear after use or hide in the corner of the screen, which preserves the aesthetics of the interface without sacrificing functionality.

Why can a floating widget disappear?
The floating widget may disappear if the system decides to complete the Security application process to save energy. To prevent this, open the battery settings, find the Security app, and set No Limits or No Limits mode.

Use of third-party launchers and widgets

If Xiaomi’s standard tools don’t provide the right visual style or functionality, you can always turn to third-party solutions.The Google Play Store offers a variety of launchers and widgets that emulate or enhance the acceleration feature.

Popular launchers like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher have their own widget sets that not only clean up memory, but also output detailed CPU load statistics, battery temperature and frame rate.

When installing a third-party acceleration widget, it is important to give it the necessary permissions, usually access to a list of running processes and permission to display on top of other windows, without these rights, the widget will show an error or will not perform a cleanup.

  • 🚀 Nova Launcher: Allows you to create action shortcuts, including memory cleanup.
  • 📊 System Monitor: Widgets with load graphs on CPU and RAM.
  • 🧹 Clean Master: Third-party deep cleaning solutions (require caution).
  • 🎨 KWGT: To create your own unique acceleration widget.

Using third-party tools gives you more freedom in customization, but can consume more resources than the native solution from Xiaomi.

The impact of the acceleration widget on battery performance

A common question that arises from users is: does the acceleration widget drain the battery? The static widget on the desktop consumes minimal energy, as it simply displays data that is already in the system.

However, if the widget is set to update data frequently in real time (for example, a dynamic RAM load schedule), the power consumption may slightly increase.

More significantly, the battery is affected by the memory cleaning process itself: the constant artificial cleaning of RAM forces the system to reload background applications, which leads to additional cycles of the processor and, as a result, to increased charge consumption.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use acceleration widgets with aggressive auto-update (every second) this puts a constant strain on the processor and can reduce battery life on the processor. 5-10%.

The optimal use case is to manually activate the widget only when you feel the interface slowing down, in which case the impact on the device’s autonomy will be negligible.

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A static widget has little or no effect on the battery, but frequent forced memory cleanups can increase charge consumption due to restarting background processes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why does the acceleration widget not work after adding?
Most often, the problem is that you don't have the necessary permissions, check the Security app settings to see if it's allowed to be displayed over other windows and access memory, and try restarting your device after adding the widget.
Can I change the design of the standard acceleration widget?
The standard widget from Xiaomi has a fixed design, depending on the installed theme. To change its appearance, you need to change the theme in the Themes app or use third-party widgets from Google Play.
Do I need to keep the acceleration widget on the screen at all times?
Modern versions of Android and MIUI manage RAM on their own, and the widget is only needed to be forced to clean before running heavy games or when there are obvious signs of memory shortages.
Does the widget speed up the Internet?
No, the acceleration widget only works with RAM and device processes, and it does not affect the speed of the Internet connection, as it depends on the quality of the network signal and the operator's settings.
Where to find the widget on older versions of MIUI?
On older versions (MIUI 9-11), the widget is often located in the Tools folder or added through a long tap on the empty screen space, followed by selecting the "Widgets" -> "Systems".