How to add widgets to the desktop of Xiaomi smartphone: the complete guide

Xiaomi desktop widgets are not just a piece of jewelry, but a powerful tool for quickly accessing important information, tracking the weather, managing a smart home, controlling battery power, or even running your favorite apps with a single touch, but many users have difficulty adding them — especially after upgrading to MIUI 14 or switching from other brands.

In this article, we’ll break down all the ways to install widgets on Redmi, Poco, and Mi smartphones, including hidden features and solutions to typical problems. You will learn how to work with system and third-party widgets, adjust their size and location, and what to do if the desired widget is not displayed in the list. MIUI — 12 to 14, as the interface and logic of adding widgets in them are markedly different.

Why Xiaomi widgets work differently than other Android smartphones

Xiaomi smartphones use its own MIUI shell, which greatly modifies the standard Android, and this applies to the widget system. Unlike pure Android (like on Pixel or Samsung with One UI), there are several key features:

• 🔹 Separate layer for widgets: B MIUI The widgets are not placed on the main desktop, but on a special screen (to the left of the main one.
• 🔹 Limited set of system widgets: Fewer options are available by default than on other shells, but they can be extended through Settings → Desktop.
• 🔹 Dynamic widgets: Some elements (such as weather or calendar) are updated in real time only when an active Internet connection is available.
• 🔹 Dependence on version MIUI: V MIUI 12 and MIUI 13 The logic of adding widgets is different from MIUI 14, where a new interface appeared.

Another important point is that on some models (such as the Poco F5 or Redmi Note 12 Pro+), widgets are disabled by default to save resources. They need to be activated manually through the launcher settings, which we will discuss in detail in the next section.

Preparation of the smartphone: include support for widgets

Before you add widgets, make sure your smartphone is ready for it. On some Xiaomi devices, the widget function is disabled by default or hidden. Here's what you need to do:

1. Check out MIUI: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI. If you have a version below MIUI 12, upgrade to the system – older versions have limited widget support.
2. Activate widgets in the launcher settings: Click the empty space on the desktop → select Desktop Settings. Find Widgets or Additional Items and turn on the slider.

Allow background activity for widgets

Settings → Applications → Permissions → Autorun

If you don't get the widgets after that, try resetting the launcher.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the MIUI Launcher (or Poco Launcher for Poco devices).
3. Select Storage → Clear data (this won’t delete your apps, just reset your desktop settings).

Method 1: Add widgets through the desktop menu (MIUI 12/13/14)

This is the most versatile method that works on most Xiaomi devices. Instructions are suitable for Redmi Note 11/12, Poco X4/X5, Mi 11/12 and other models with MIUI 12 and newer.

1. Open the widget menu: Click the empty space on your desktop (not on the icon!). In the menu that appears, select Widgets (the icon with squares).
2. Select the widget you want: Scroll down the list — all available widgets (system and installed) are displayed here. Click on the widget and hold it to drag it to the desktop.
3. Customize the size and location: Once placed, the widget can be stretched by pulling corners (not all widgets support resizing).To move the widget, pinch it and drag it to the right place.

If the widget is not on the list, check:

• 🔸 Is the app that the widget belongs to installed (for example, you need to install the Google Weather widget).
• 🔸 Is the app updated to the latest version (older versions may not support widgets on newer versions) MIUI).
• 🔸 Are widgets disabled in the application settings (go to the settings of the application itself and check the section "Widgets").

💡

If the widget isn’t updated (for example, the weather shows old data), try restarting your smartphone or temporarily turning off the power saving mode for the corresponding app.

Method 2: Using the Minus One screen (left screen) for widgets

MIUI has a hidden screen to the left of the main desktop (called "Minus One" or Screen-1), which is specifically designed for widgets, and is available on all Xiaomi devices, but many users are unaware of it.

To add widgets to this screen:

1. Swipe to the left of the main screen (as if you were flipping the desktop page to the left).
2. At the bottom of the screen, click Add widget (or Edit, depending on the MIUI version).
3. Select the desired widget from the list and click Add.
4. Place the widget in a convenient place on the screen "Minus one".

Advantages of this method:

• 📌 Widgets do not take up space on the main desktop.
• 📌 You can add more widgets than on the main screen.
• 📌 It is easy to hide widgets from prying eyes (it is enough not to swipe left).

Note that on some models (such as the Poco F3 or Redmi K50), the Minus One screen is disabled by default.

1. Click the empty space on the desktop → Desktop settings.
2. Find the option of the Minus One Screen or the Left Screen and turn it on.

Method 3: Install widgets through third-party launchers

If standard MIUI features don’t suit you (e.g., no widget or no design), you can use third-party launchers, especially for users who want to customize their smartphone for specific tasks.

Popular launchers with support for widgets:

• 🌟 Nova Launcher – flexible widget sizes, gesture support and themes.
• 🌟 Apex Launcher – Lightweight Launcher with Extended Options for Widgets.
• 🌟 Lawnchair – open source launcher that simulates “clean” Android.
• 🌟 Microsoft Launcher – Integration with Microsoft services (Outlook, To-Do) and support for widgets for Office.

To install widgets through a third-party launcher:

1. Install the selected launcher from Google Play.
2. Make it the default launcher (at the first start the system will prompt you to do this).
3. Click the empty space on the desktop → select Widgets.
4. All available widgets will appear on the list (including those that were not displayed in the standard MIUI launcher).
5. Add the widget to the screen and adjust its size.

Warning: Third-party launchers can slightly increase battery consumption, as they run on top of the standard shell. However, on modern smartphones (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Dimensity 9000) this is almost invisible.

Problem Solving: Widgets Aren't Added or Working

Sometimes users find that widgets don't appear in the list, don't update or disappear after a reboot, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

If none of the solutions worked, try resetting the launcher settings (as described in the Smartphone Preparation section). In extreme cases, you can reset the system settings, but this will delete all your personal data, so make a backup beforehand.

💡

Before resetting, check if the widgets disappear due to the latest MIUI update. Sometimes bugs are fixed in the following patches.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 9A, Poco M3) Widgets may not be supported due to hardware or Android version limitations. Check the specifications of your device on the official Xiaomi website.

Top.-5 Useful widgets for Xiaomi: what is worth installing

Now that you know how to add widgets, let's see which ones are really useful. We've selected 5 widgets that will make everyday use of your smartphone much easier:

1. Weather widget "AccuWeather": 🌤️ Shows accurate forecast, UV index, probability of precipitation. 🌤️ Updated every 15 minutes (with active internet). 🌤️ Supports animations (rain, snow) on some models. How to install: download AccuWeather from Google Play, then add a widget through the desktop menu.
2. Google Keep widget for notes: 📝 Quick access to the latest notes and to-do lists. 📝 Synchronization with Google account. 📝 Ability to add notes in voice.
3. Battery Widget Reborn Widget for Battery Monitoring: 🔋 Detailed statistics of charge consumption by application. 🔋 Prediction of working time until full discharge. 🔋 Customizable design (colors, fonts, sizes).
4. Spotify widget for music management: 🎵 Quick access to the latest tracks and playlists. 🎵 Managing playback without opening the application.
5. Widget "Mi Home" for a smart home: 🏠 Management of Xiaomi Smart Home devices (lamps, sockets, sensors). 🏠 Quick scenarios (e.g., “Leaving the house” or “Dreaming").

To install these widgets, you just need to download the relevant apps from Google Play and add them through the widget menu as described above. Please note that some widgets (such as Mi Home) require authorization in your Xiaomi account.

FAQ: Frequent questions about widgets on Xiaomi