How to set up a desktop on Xiaomi Redmi 9: the complete guide to customization MIUI

Xiaomi Redmi 9 is one of the most popular budget smartphones with a shell MIUI, which offers a wide range of options for personalizing the desktop. However, many users use only basic functions, without even knowing how deeply you can change the interface to suit your needs. Proper screen setting not only improves visual perception, but also increases productivity: quick access to the right applications, widgets with up-to-date information, convenient gesture management.

In this article, we will look at all aspects of Redmi 9 desktop customization, from changing wallpapers and organizing icons to hidden MIUI 12/14 features that are not covered in the standard instructions. We will focus on optimization for different scenarios: game mode, work profile, minimalist design. All instructions are relevant to the latest versions of the firmware and do not require root rights.

1. Basic desktop settings: wallpaper, grid and animations

So let's start with the basics, which are available out of the box, but often ignored by users, and the first thing that catches your eye when you turn on your phone is the desktop wallpaper, and MIUI has a built-in wallpaper gallery with dynamic options that change depending on the time of day or the weather, to activate them:

1. Press and hold your finger in the free space of the desktop.
2. Select the Wallpaper item in the lower menu.
3. Go to the Dynamic tab and select your favorite option.
4. Click Apply and indicate if you want to install wallpaper only on the home screen or also on the lock screen.

A less obvious feature is the configuration of the icon grid. By default, MIUI uses a 4×5 grid, but it can be changed to 5×6 or even 4×6 to accommodate more applications.

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Desktop.
• 📱 Select the Desktop Grid item.
• 🎨 Experiment with options, given that fewer icons visually “unload” the screen.

You should also pay attention to the transition animations, and MIUI 14 has smooth effects when you open apps and return to the desktop.

Settings → Special features → System animation → Enable

2.Icon organization: folders, sorting and hidden applications

Icon chaos on the desktop is a common problem. The solution is simple: folders and automatic sorting. In MIUI, you can create folders not only manually, but also with smart grouping by category (social networks, games, tools).

• 📂 Press the app icon and drag it to another icon – this is how the folder is created.
• 🤖 To automatically sort all icons, go to Settings → Desktop → Auto-sorting applications.
• 👁️‍🗨️ To hide unnecessary apps, use the Hidden Apps feature in the same menu (they will remain in the menu of all apps, but will not appear on the desktop).

Interesting Lifehack: If you need to quickly hide all icons (for example, before giving the phone to the child), activate the Simple Desktop mode:

Settings → Desktop → Simple Desktop → Enable

In this mode, only the phone, messages and camera will remain on the screen - ideal for minimalists or temporary "cleansing".

Remove unnecessary icons |Group applications by folders |Hide system utilities |Configure auto-sort-->

⚠️ Note: Hidden applications still take up space in memory and can be displayed in search results.To completely remove system applications, you will need superuser rights (root), which voids the warranty.

3.Widgets: From Weather to Smart Home

Widgets are mini-programs that display current information right on the desktop: weather, calendar, steps, smart device management. MIUI has both standard widgets and the ability to install third-party widgets from Google Play.

1. Press and hold your finger on the free space of the desktop.
2. Select Widgets from the bottom menu.
3. Scroll through the list and select the widget you want (like Weather or Google Search).
4. Drag it to the desktop and adjust the size.

Smart home widgets are especially useful. If you have Xiaomi Mi Home devices (lamps, sockets, sensors), you can bring the controls to your desktop:

• 💡 Mi Home widget – Quick access to scripts (e.g., “Evening Mode” or “Leaving Home").
• 🌡️ Weather widget with data integration from Xiaomi sensors (if connected).
• 🔋 Battery widget – displays the charge of the phone and connected devices (headphones, fitness bracelet).

For minimalist enthusiasts, there are widgets with transparent backgrounds or text-only information, and you can find them on Google Play for "minimal widgets" or "transparent widgets."

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If the widget doesn’t update automatically, try restarting the phone or clearing the app cache it belongs to. e.g. for the weather widget: Settings → Apps → Weather → Clear the cache

4. Themes and styles of icons: how to change the design of the system

One of the key benefits of MIUI is to support themes that change not only the wallpaper, but also the style of icons, fonts, animations, to set a new theme:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Choose the popular section or for you.
3. Click on your favorite topic and select Apply.
4. Confirm the application to all elements (wallpaper, icons, fonts).

If you don't have a lot of standard themes, you can install third-party themes from the MIUI Theme Store (requires registration of a Xiaomi account).

• 🖤 AMOLED-themes - black background with color accents (saves battery power on the AMOLED-screen).
• 🎨 Minimalist themes – monochromatic icons without shadows.
• 🤖 iOS-style – imitation of the iPhone interface (for Apple fans).

Important: Some themes can slow down the interface if they contain too many animations. If the phone starts to slow down after applying the theme, return the standard design or choose a lighter theme.

5.Gestural and Quick Actions: How to Speed Up Work

MIUI supports extensive gesture settings that allow you to control your phone without using buttons, such as:

• 👆 Swipe Up – Opening the menu of all applications.
• 👇 Swipe down - calling the notification panel.
• ➡️ Double swipe on the lock screen – start the camera.

To tune the gestures:

Settings → Additional settings → Gestures and movements → Desktop gestures

One of the most useful things is the double tap to wake up, which allows you to turn on the screen with your finger twice (even if the phone is on the table).

Settings → Lock screen → Double touch to wake up

Gamers can benefit from the Game Turbo mode, which blocks notifications and optimizes performance while playing, and is swiped on both sides of the screen (configured in Settings → Special Features → Game Turbo).

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A swipe down the home screen gesture opens up a global search on the phone – it’s faster than searching for an app manually.

6. Optimization for different scenarios: work, games, minimalism

You can adapt the desktop to a specific task, and let's look at three popular scenarios:

💼 Working profile

If you use your phone for work, set up:

• Google Calendar with upcoming meetings.
• Office applications folder (Google Docs, Zoom, Slack).
• Widget Notes for quick recordings.
• Do not disturb during working hours.

🎮 Game mode

It's important for gamers:

• Turn off autobrightness and set the maximum (in Settings → Display).
• Add the Game Turbo widget to monitor FPS and temperature.
• Remove all unnecessary icons, leaving only game launchers and instant messengers.
• Activate Game Turbo mode to block notifications.

⚪ Minimalist design

For clean-up lovers:

• Use a light or dark theme with monochromatic icons.
• Leave on the desktop no more than 4-6 icons (phone, messages, camera, browser).
• Hide the Google search bar (long click → Delete).
• Turn off animations in Settings → Special features.

⚠️ Warning: When using the game mode, background processes are turned off, which can cause notifications in messengers to be delayed. If you are waiting for an important message, temporarily deactivate Game Turbo.

7 Problems and Solutions: What to Do If the Settings Are Misplaced

Sometimes, after a MIUI update or a desktop crash, the desktop settings return to the standard. Here's how to fix it:

If you have lost your theme settings after the MIUI update, try:

1. Reboot the phone.
2. Clear the cache of the Topics app (Settings → Apps → Topics → Clear the cache).
3. Update theme app via Google Play.

In extreme cases, you can reset the launcher settings (without losing data):

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Launcher → Storage → Clear data

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up a desktop on Redmi 9