How to add a shortcut to the Xiaomi desktop: all the ways to MIUI 14/15

Why can’t you just drag an icon to your desktop on Xiaomi?

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the unexpected: unlike “pure” Android, you can’t just hold your finger on the app icon in the menu and drag it to the main screen. This is not a bug, but a feature of the MIUI shell – the manufacturer specifically limited standard gestures to promote their own solutions.

The reason for this approach lies in the philosophy of Xiaomi: the company seeks to simplify the interaction for beginners, but at the same time hides some functions “under the hood”. For example, in MIUI 14/15, application shortcuts are added by default through the context menu, and for sites and files, workarounds are required. In addition, on different models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T), the interface may differ slightly – this depends on the firmware version and regional build.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to add shortcuts to the desktop, including hidden MIUI functions that are not dokumented in the official help.

• 📱 Icon of any installed application (including system)
• 🌐 Website shortcut (like in Safari on iPhone)
• 📁 File or folder from Mi File Manager Explorer
• 🎵 Playlist from Mi Music or Spotify
• 📍 Geo-tag from Google Maps or Yandex.Maps

Method 1: Standard Addition through the Application Menu

This is a basic method that works on all Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later, and is suitable for 90% of users who want to just bring a frequently used app to the home screen.

Instructions:

1. Tap the App Menu icon (usually a round icon with six dots at the bottom of the screen).
2. Find the desired application in the list (you can use the search at the top).
3. Press your finger on the app icon for 1-2 seconds.
4. In the context menu that appears, select "Add to the home screen" (or "Create a shortcut" on some models).
5. The shortcut will automatically appear on the first free desktop space.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (e.g. global version for the POCO F4) Instead of holding, double tap the icon and then select the option in the drop-down menu. If the hold doesn't work, check the gesture settings in Settings. → Additionally. → Special facilities → Gestures.

Make sure there is a free space on the desktop.|Check if the "Light Interface" mode is enabled in the settings|Turn off the child mode if it is active|Update. MIUI last-minute-->

Method 2: Website shortcut (like in iOS)

If you need to quickly open your favorite site (for example, VKontakte, YouTube or corporate portal) directly from your desktop, MIUI allows you to create a separate icon for it. Unlike Android applications, this shortcut will open the site in the Mi Browser or Chrome browser (depending on your settings).

Step-by-step:

1. Open your browser (Chrome or Mi Browser) and go to the desired site.
2. Click on the icon "⋮" (three points) in upper right corner.
3. Select “Add to Home Screen” (in Chrome) or “Create a Shortcut” (in Mi Browser).
4. If necessary, edit the name of the shortcut (the title of the page is taken by default).
5. Click "Add" or "Create."

Important: Site shortcuts in MIUI don’t automatically update the icon (unlike iOS), and if the logo of the site has changed, you’ll have to remove the old shortcut and create a new one.

⚠️ Note: Some of the scoring for POCO Site shortcuts can be opened in "Light" mode (simplified version of the site:

1. Open the site in your browser.
2. Click on the "AA" icon in the address bar.
3. Select "Computer Version".
4. Only then do you create a label.

Method 3: Shortcut for file or folder (PDF, APK, photos)

MIUI It allows you to create shortcuts not only for applications, but also for individual files or entire folders, which is convenient if you often work with a specific document (.pdf,.docx), an archive (.zip) or a file (.zip). APK-For example, you can take it to the desktop:

• 📄 Passport scan in format PDF
• 📦 Archive with backup of Telegram chats
• 🖼️ A folder with photos of the last vacation
• 📱 APK-file

How to do this:

1. Open the File Manager app.
2. Find the file or folder you want.
3. Hold your finger until the context menu appears.
4. Select "Add to the home screen" (some models call the option "Create a shortcut").
5. Confirm the action - the label will appear on the desktop.

⚠️ Note: File shortcuts in MIUI They are not automatically updated. If you change the file (e.g. edit it). PDF), And then you open it up through a shortcut, and the old version will show up:

1. Remove the old label from your desktop.
2. Create a new shortcut for the updated file.

💡

If the file shortcut doesn’t open, check if the phone has an app installed to work with the format. For example, PDF requires Adobe Acrobat or Xodo PDF Reader, and for APK you need permission to install from unknown sources (Settings → Applications → Special Access → Install Unknown Applications).

Method 4: Hidden MIUI features for power users

For those who want more control over their desktop, MIUI has hidden features that are not documented in the official certificate, which require precision, but allow:

• 🔄 Create shortcuts for system applications (e.g. com.android.settings for quick access to settings)
• 🔗 Make shortcuts for specific actions in applications (for example, immediately open the camera in Portrait mode")
• 📱 Add labels for ADB-commands or Tasker scripts

The most versatile tool is the Shortcut Maker app (available on Google Play), which allows you to create shortcuts for:

• 📌 Activities (hidden application windows, such as developer settings)
• 🔧 Intent (for example, open the sending dialog immediately) SMS)
• 🖥️ Java classes (for advanced users)

Example: Creating a shortcut for the developer mode:

1. Install Shortcut Maker from Google Play.
2. Open the app and select "Activity".
3. In the list, look for com.android.settings.DevelopmentSettings.
4. Click on it and select "Create a shortcut".
5. You've got an icon on your desktop now for quick access to the developer's settings.

⚠️ Note: Not all system activities are safe to call. avoid setting shortcuts for:

• 🚫 com.android.settings.DeviceAdminSettings (may cause resettings)
• 🚫 com.android.settings.SecuritySettings (screen lock risk)
• 🚫 Any activity with the word "factory" or "test" in the title

💡

Use Shortcut Maker only if you know what you're doing. An improperly created shortcut can cause system failure or data loss.

Method 5: Labels for geo-tags and contacts

MIUI is integrated with Google Maps and Yandex.Maps, which allows you to create shortcuts for quick access to frequently visited places or contacts.

• 🏠 Quickly opening the route home
• 🏢 Navigation to work
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Calling loved ones (for example, "Calling your mother")

For geo-tags (Google Maps):

1. Open Google Maps and find the right place.
2. Click on the tag, then the name of the place at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select "Save" → "Add to the main screen".
4. Confirm the label's creation.

For contacts:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Find the right contact and open it.
3. Press on "⋮" (three points) top right.
4. Select "Add to the main screen".
5. Select the action: call, SMS or view information.

⚠️ Note: Contact labels in MIUI They don't update if you change your phone number in a contact, you have to delete the old shortcut and create a new one, and you also have to keep in mind that geo-tag shortcuts take up more memory than regular app icons, because they store a thumbnail of the map.

Problem Solving: A label is not created or disappears

Sometimes users find that shortcuts are not added to the desktop or disappear after a reboot, and here are the most common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If none of these methods helped, try resetting the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Louncher app (or MIUI Launcher).
3. Select "Storage" → "Clear the data".
4. Confirm action. Attention! This will delete all your desktop settings (wallpaper, widgets, folders).

After resetting, try re-branding the label. 90% of the time, it solves the problem.

FAQ: Frequent questions about shortcuts on Xiaomi