Modern smartphone users often face a situation where, after updating firmware or random action, the usual application icons disappear. In the shell of MIUI 12 from Xiaomi, the menu structure and desktop are organized differently from in “pure” Android, which can be confusing. If you can’t find the right program or want to take it out of folders for quick access, you will need to perform a few simple actions.
MIUI offers flexible customization tools that allow you to manage the display of software as you wish. Unlike many competitors, it does not have a standard "Add widget" button in the context menu of empty space, which often causes confusion. We will discuss all the current ways of placing icons, as well as methods for solving problems when the application is installed but not displayed on the home screen.
Restoring access to frequently used features takes only a few seconds if you know where to look for the right settings. Below are detailed instructions to help you clean up the interface and customize a personalized space for maximum productivity.
Enabling the display of all applications in the menu
The first step for many users will be to change the desktop display mode. By default, Xiaomi uses a classic scheme where all installed programs are scattered across the pages of the home screen. However, there is an alternative mode, reminiscent of iOS or third-party launchers, where only selected shortcuts are on the desktop, and the full list of software is hidden in a separate menu.
To activate this mode, you need to go to the system settings. Find the Desktop section and select Mode. Here you will be offered two options: Classic and C App menu. The second option will automatically hide all the unnecessary icons from the work pages, leaving them available only through a swipe up or a special button.
⚠️ Warning: After switching to C App Menu mode, all your current icons may disappear from desktops, as the system will clear them, believing that you will only use the app menu to run them.
This approach is especially useful for those who like minimalism and do not want to clutter the screen with dozens of colorful icons, you can manually add only the most important widgets and applications to the desktop, creating a unique composition.
Creating a website shortcut on the desktop
Often users need to access a specific page of a website quickly without having to open a browser and enter an address each time. In MIUI 12, this feature is implemented through a standard browser or third-party solutions. To create such a link, open the desired site in the Mi Browser or Chrome browser.
Click on the browser menu (usually three dots or bars in the corner of the screen) and find the option “Add to desktop” or “Create a shortcut.” The system automatically generates an icon with the site logo. Once the action is confirmed, a new element will appear on the home page that will lead directly to the specified web page.
If the standard browser does not offer such a feature, you can use special shortcut applications from the GetApps store or Google Play. They allow you to create custom icons with any image and name, which is convenient for grouping links by topic.
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Use shortcut generators to create themed folders, such as News or Work, where you can put links to different sites with a single style of icons.
Recovering missing app icons
It's quite common in MIUI 12 to have an app installed on the system but its icon is missing from the desktop, or it could be due to the Hidden Apps feature working, or simply because the shortcut was accidentally deleted even though the program itself is still in the phone's memory. First, check the menu of all apps by swiping up the center of the screen.
If you find a program in the general list, but it is not on the desktop, press your finger on the icon in the app menu, pop up a pop-up menu where you need to select the option Add to the desktop, if this option is not available, then the shortcut already exists, but may be in one of the folders or on another page that you rarely visit.
It’s also worth checking your app hider settings. Go to Settings → Apps → Hidden Apps. If the program you want is there, it won’t show up anywhere until you remove it from that list or run it through a special password code.
☑️ Verification of the availability of the annex
Set up the grid size and scale
For a smartphone to be comfortable, it is important that the controls are conveniently located. Xiaomi allows you to change the size of the desktop grid, what the number of shortcuts that will fit on a single screen. This is especially true for models with large diagonals, where standard icons can seem too small or, conversely, take up a lot of space.
To change the grid settings, go to Settings → Desktop → System Launcher (or simply Desktop in older versions). Here you will find sliders or presets to select the number of rows and columns. The standard value is often a 4x5 or 5x6 grid, but it can be increased to 6x7 or more.
| Parameter | Description of the impact | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Type size | Influences signatures under icons | Leave the average for readability |
| Grid (Columns) | Number of icons in a row | 5-6 for big screens |
| Grid (Sties) | Number of rows of icons | Depends on the availability of a lower dock bar |
Changing the scale can cause some widgets to stop showing correctly or “go” from their places, so after changing the grid settings, it is recommended to check the location of all important elements and move them manually if necessary.
Working with widgets and folders
Application shortcuts aren't the only way to organize space. Widgets allow you to display information to your desktop without opening programs. In MIUI 12, the process of adding widgets is a little different than usual. You need to pinch your two fingers on your desktop or keep your finger empty for a long time, then select the Widget button at the bottom of the screen.
Here's a catalog of all the widgets available from the system and the apps installed. You can drag and drop them on the screen, resize them (if the widget supports this feature), and combine them with regular shortcuts. Folders are created by simply dragging and dropping one icon to another.
⚠️ Warning: Some heavy widgets (such as live wallpaper or news feeds) may consume extra battery power and RAM, which will affect the autonomy of the device.
To create themed folders like Social Networks or Games, just drag and drop one icon to another. The system automatically creates a container that you can name and choose the background color, which helps keep your desktop clean by grouping rarely used programs.
MIUI's Secret Widgets
Resetting launcher settings for critical errors
If shortcuts are not added, the interface is lagging or icons are displayed incorrectly (for example, instead of a white square picture), there may have been a malfunction in the system launcher, in which case the effective method is to clean the cache and data of the Desktop application. This will not delete your applications, but will return the settings of the icons to the factory.
To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the Desktop (or System Launcher) list. Click on Clean and select Clear All or Clear Cache, and then the phone can restart or simply update the interface.
It's worth noting that a full launcher reset will put all shortcuts back out of the box, so if you had a complex personalized folder structure, you'll have to manually restore it, but this often solves the problem of broken links.
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Cleaning up the launcher data is a radical, but often the only way to fix interface display errors when standard methods don’t help.