How to set a clock on the main screen on Xiaomi – a step-by-step guide

You want to always see time on your Xiaomi home screen, but don’t know how to add a watch widget? This problem is familiar to many smartphone users on MIUI — the standard shell often hides useful features behind several menu layers. In this article, we’ll break down three proven ways to install a watch on your desktop, including hidden settings and workarounds for older versions of firmware.

Whether you’re using the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or Xiaomi 14, the instructions are for all MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS devices. We’ll also explain why the watch widget sometimes goes missing after an update and how to fix it without resetting.

Why does Xiaomi not have a default home screen clock?

Unlike other brands (such as Samsung or Google Pixel), Xiaomi does not automatically place a watch on the desktop, which is due to the MIUI philosophy, which prioritizes minimalism and customization, but this approach has drawbacks:

• 🔹 Users are wasting time searching for the feature in the settings.
• 🔹 On new versions of HyperOS, the path to widgets has changed, causing confusion.
• 🔹 Some models, for example, POCO M6 Pro) have stripped-down widget settings.

In addition, after updating the firmware widgets can be reset — this is a bug MIUI, which has not been fixed since 2021. To avoid losing settings, we recommend that you fix the widget in the editing menu (we will discuss this below).

Method 1: Standard watch widget through the widget menu

This is the simplest method that works on 90% of Xiaomi devices, and the instructions are relevant for Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi line (except for HyperOS devices – for these, see Method 3).

1. Unlock the screen and pinch the empty space on the home screen until the edit menu appears.
2. At the bottom of the screen, tap the button “Widgets” (the icon with squares).
3. Scroll down to System widgets and find the “Clock” (the dial icon).
4. Press the widget and drag it to a free space on the desktop.
5. Let go of your finger, the watch will appear on the screen, and if necessary, resize it by pulling corners.

If there is no clock in the list of widgets, it means:

• 📱 You have an outdated version. MIUI (below 12.5) - update the firmware.
• 🔧 Widget disabled in system settings (see Method 2).
• 🛠️ There was a failure - restart the phone.

Update MIUI to the latest version

Make room on the main screen

Make sure that the widgets are not locked in the settings

Restart your phone if the clock is not displayed-->

Method 2: Enabling a hidden widget through system settings

On some devices (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO X3 NFC), the watch widget is hidden in the settings to activate it:

1. Open the Settings. → Main screen screen.
2. Slip on the item "Widgets" (or "Desktop Settings" on older versions).
3. Find the “Clock” list and move the slider to the “On” position.
4. Return to the main screen and repeat the steps in Method 1.

If there is no Widgets on the menu, your firmware does not support this function, in which case use Method 3 or install a third-party application (we will discuss them at the end of the article).

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Redmi) K70) The way to set up widgets has changed. It's now in Settings. → Registration → If you can't find it, check the section.

Method 3: Adding hours through the theme editor (for HyperOS)

The new HyperOS shell has changed the logic of widgets, so that the watch is added not through the widget menu, but through the theme editor.

1. Click the empty space on the home screen and select “Edit”.
2. Slip on the icon "Themes" (brush in the palette) in the lower menu.
3. In the window that opens, go to the tab “Widgets”.
4. Find the “Clock” block and choose your favorite style (analog, digital, weather).
5. Click on “Add to the main screen” and place the widget in the right place.

HyperOS also has Dynamic Widgets, which change the design depending on the time of day, to activate it:

Settings → Design → Widgets → Dynamic style → On.

What happens if the clock disappears after the update?

Many Xiaomi users face a problem: after updating the firmware, the watch widget disappears, and it cannot be returned in the standard way. MIUI. Decisions:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone – 60% of the time, the widget returns automatically.
• 🗑️ Clear the launcher cache: Open Settings → Annexes → Application management. Find "Luncher" (or «MIUI Launcher”). Tap “Clear the cache and restart the device.

Reset the launcher settings

Settings → Main screen → Resetting settings

⚠️ Warning: This will remove all your desktop settings, including folders and icon locations.

💡

If the watch widget continues to disappear, install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher) that saves the widget settings even after the MIUI updates.

Third-party watch apps on the main screen

If the standard methods don’t work or you don’t like the design of the system clock, you can install third-party widgets.

• ⏰ Chronus is a customizable watch with weather, calendar and notifications. MIUI.
• 🌡️ Weather & Clock Widget – a widget with clock and weather forecast (analogue AccuWeather).
• ⚙️ KWGT Kustom Widget Maker – widget builder for advanced users (requires customization skills).
• 🎨 UCCW — lightweight KWGT pre-patterned MIUI.

Advantages of third-party widgets:

• 🎨 More styles and themes (including: AMOLED-Watches for high contrast screens).
• ⚡ Additional features: weather, calendar, steps, battery.
• 🔒 Save settings after updates MIUI.