The modern smartphone has become a universal tool where we spend most of our time in the browser, visiting hundreds of different resources every day. However, constantly searching for the right page through history or bookmarks takes precious time, especially when access to your favorite service is required instantly. Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi devices often wonder how to optimize this process and access the site with a single touch, directly from the home screen, without unnecessary actions.
Fortunately, the Android operating system, combined with the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, provides convenient mechanisms for creating web shortcuts, which allows you to turn any page you visit, whether it is a news portal, an online bank or a personal account, into a full-fledged application, this approach not only speeds up work, but also visually structures the workspace, making navigation more intuitive.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all the ways you can add shortcuts to your desktop using both the standard Google Chrome browser and the native Mi Browser. You will learn about the nuances of working with widgets, understand why shortcuts are sometimes not created, and learn how to effectively manage the web.-shortcut'for maximum ease of use of the smartphone.
Why create shortcuts for websites on Android
The main purpose of shortcuts is to save time and productivity, so instead of unlocking your phone, looking for a browser icon, opening it, waiting for it to load, and then going back to history or entering an address, you get instant access, and this is especially true for resources that you use several times a day, like habit trackers, calculators, or work tools.
In addition, the site shortcut on the desktop often works faster than a full-fledged app, which can be overloaded with advertising or unnecessary features. PWA-Progressive Web Apps can look and behave almost like a native application, but take up minimal space in the device’s memory, which is critical for Redmi’s budget models, where every megabyte of internal memory counts.
There are several scenarios where creating a label becomes a necessity:
- 🚀 Quick access to online banking: Logging into a bank app via an extra password shortcut is often safer and faster.
- 📰 News monitoring: Direct access to your favorite news outlet without unnecessary information noise.
- 🛒 Purchasing and tracking orders: Instant access to the personal account of the marketplace to verify the delivery status.
- 🎵 Streaming services: Launching a web version of a music service if the application is not in the Play Market or is not running stable.
⚠️ Attention: Site shortcut is just a link. If you delete the browser itself (Chrome, Yandex, Mi Browser) through which the shortcut was created, the icon will stop opening or will lead to the search page. Do not delete the basic browser application if you use its shortcuts.
Instructions: Adding a shortcut through Google Chrome
Google Chrome is the de facto standard for most Android devices, including Xiaomi smartphones. The shortcut creation process here is as unified as possible and understandable even for beginners. First, you need to open the browser and go to the page you want to bring to the desktop. Make sure the site fully loads and displays correctly.
Next, click on the menu represented by three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen.In the option list that opens, you need to find Add to the home screen (sometimes it can be called Install the app if the site supports PWA). After clicking, the system will prompt you to confirm the action and possibly rename the shortcut so that it is conveniently read on the screen.
Importantly, depending on the version of the MIUI shell or HyperOS, the behavior of the system after confirmation may differ. In some cases, the shortcut will appear automatically, in others you will need to manually drag it from the widget menu or confirm the placement in the launcher dialog box. If there is no automatic placement, press the empty space on the desktop, select Widgets and find the Chrome section where the shortcuts will lie.
For advanced users, it is useful to know that Chrome also allows you to add widgets with frequently visited sites, for this you need to pinch your finger on an empty desktop area, select Widgets, find in the Chrome list and choose a display format (for example, round icons or a list), this allows you to place 4-8 popular sites on one widget at once.
Creating shortcuts in Mi Browser and Yandex Browser
Xiaomi smartphone owners often use the pre-installed Mi Browser, which is optimized to work with the shell MIUI. The shortcut creation process here is similar to Chrome, but has its own interface features. Open the desired site, click on the menu (three dots or three stripes), then select the option Add to the desktop. the Mi Browser interface can offer to immediately rename the shortcut or select its icon.
Users of Yandex Browser, which is also popular in Russia due to its built-in translator and protection from fraudsters, can act in a similar way. In the browser menu (three-dot button or Yandex logo), you need to find the item Add to the main screen. The peculiarity of Yandex Browser is that it often offers to create a shortcut for frequently visited resources, if detects that the site has a website. PWA-version.
Why can’t you create a shortcut in Mi Browser?
In some versions MIUI (Especially in Chinese firmware or global ones with aggressive optimization, Mi Browser may request special permission to create shortcuts. If nothing happens when you press the button, go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications → Mi Browser → Other permits → And turn on the "Shortcut on the home screen" option, and if you prefer minimalism, you can use third-party browsers like Via or XBrowser that weigh less than 1 MB. → Add to desktop.Such browsers often create lighter shortcuts that run faster on older Redmi models.Working with widgets and customizing the appearance of shells MIUI And HyperOS is a very customizable tool, and site shortcuts are essentially a specific kind of widget. To manage them more flexibly, hold your finger on the empty desktop and select Widgets. In this section, you can find not only standard time or weather blocks, but also browser-specific sections. There are different display formats available, from simple icons to large blocks with news previews (if the site supports this feature), you can combine shortcuts of different sites into groups or put them in folders for order. For example, create a Finance folder and put shortcuts for online banks, exchanges and accounting services. Type of shortcut Where the requirements are created Standard Shortcut Menu browser Simple icon opens a specific URL No PWA Chrome Menu App (Install) Looks like a native application, without the address bar Support site Widget list Widgets Runner List Widgets List List List List List 4-8 sites in one block Dynamic widgets Runner Widget displays news or weather from the site Support site, the Internet Do not abuse the number of widgets on the home screen. Each active widget consumes RAM and battery charge List 4-8 sites in one block Dynamic Widgets launcher, if it constantly starts to replace your view. Solving problems: shortcuts are not created or disappears One of the most common problems on Xiaomi devices is when nothing happens when you try to add a shortcut, or the created shortcut disappears after a reboot. MIUI, which restricts the background activity of applications, including launcher and browsers. To correct this, you must provide the browser with the appropriate permissions. → Annexes → All applications. Find your browser (Chrome, Mi Browser, etc.) Go to Other Permissions (or just Permissions) and make sure that you have enabled Create Shortcuts on the home screen. Without this permission, the system blocks the addition of new icons. ⚠️ Note: If you use a third-party launcher (Nova Launcher, Lawnchair), the process of adding shortcuts may be different. In such cases, shortcuts are often added through long-term clicks on the browser icon in the application menu, rather than through the site menu itself. Also, the problem may lie in crowded memory or launcher cache. If shortcuts “fly off”, try clearing the cache of the System Launcher application (Settings) → Annexes → Show it all. → System launcher → Memory. → Clean up. It won't remove your wallpaper or widgets, but it will restart the desktop display system. Optimizing and removing unnecessary shortcuts Over time, the desktop can turn into a chaos of dozens of icons. Regular cleaning is the key to fast interface operation. To remove an unnecessary shortcut, just pinch it for a few seconds, and a context menu will appear where you choose to delete or drag the icon to the basket located at the top of the screen. Deleting the icon from the desktop does not clear cookies, passwords or browsing history inside the browser itself. Your data remains secure. However, if the site required login, you may have to re-authorize when you re-create the shortcut. 💡Tip: To quickly clear your desktop of site shortcuts, use editing mode. Tip two fingers together on your desktop to see all the pages at once. You can quickly find and delete forgotten icons. Use folders to organize space. Create a folder, call it, say, "Services," and drag all the labels of government services, tax, and other rare but important sites, and make room for commonly used apps and widgets. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions: Can I Change the Website Shortcut Icon to My Image? With standard Android and MIUI tools, you can't change the icon of a particular site shortcut -- it's taken from the site server (favicon). However, by installing a customization application like Shortcut Maker or X Icon Changer, you can create a shortcut with any image from the gallery that will lead to the desired URL. Why does the site shortcut open in a new window instead of a new tab? It depends on the browser settings and the type of shortcut. If the site supports PWA, it will open in a separate window without a browser interface, if these are just the links in the browser? However, if you actively use a site through a shortcut, the browser caches images and scripts, which can take up tens of megabytes over time in the "Memory" section of the browser itself. How to add a site shortcut if the browser menu is hidden? On some sites in the mobile version of the browser menu, the site elements may overlap. Try to scrolle the page to the top or, conversely, to free the interface. You can also use the "PC version" mode in the browser settings to call the standard menu. Will the shortcut work without the Internet? The Workers shortcut itself? On some sites, the browser can simply download the web page, then it will not be used to download the web page. 💡Main conclusion: Creating desktop shortcuts is a simple but effective way to turn websites into convenient tools that save time and simplify navigation. MIUI/HyperOS.