How to disable widgets on Xiaomi 12: all ways (including hidden)

Xiaomi 12 with a MIUI shell offers users a lot of widgets - from weather and calendar to smart assistant and quick notes. However, not everyone needs them: some annoying with constant updates, others take up space on the screen, others just do not use. If you want to clear the desktop or notification panel of unnecessary elements, this article will help to do it quickly and without consequences for the system.

We'll look at all the ways you can disable widgets, from standard methods through settings to hidden features that aren't written about in the official instructions. MIUI (13, 14 or 15) and widget type (system, from third-party applications, dynamic, 12S Ultra and 12 Lite.

Before you start, check your firmware version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. This will help avoid confusion with the location of menu items. If you have custom firmware (such as Xiaomi.EU or Pixel Experience), some of the features may be missing or work differently.

1. How to remove widgets from the main screen

The most obvious way is to remove widgets directly from the desktop, which works for all types of widgets except system widgets (like Google's search bar or MIUI panel).

1. Press and hold your finger on the widget you want to remove until the menu appears (or the widget “rises” above the screen).
2. At the top of the screen will appear a basket with the inscription Delete – drag the widget there.
3. Confirm the action if a request appears (some versions of MIUI do not require this).

If the widget is not removed in this way, it is protected by the system, for example, Google search bar on some firmware is attached "deadly", in which case disabling through the launcher settings will help:

• 📱 Click the empty space on the main screen → Select Screen Settings.
• 🔧 Go to the Home Screen. → Widgets.
• 🚫 Find the desired widget in the list and deactivate the slider.

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If the widget appears again after the reboot after removal, reset the launcher settings: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Launcher → Storage → Clear data.

On the Xiaomi 12 Pro and 12S Ultra with MIUI 15, an additional step may be required: disabling the Smart Screen function, which automatically restores "useful" widgets.

1. Go to Settings → Special features → Smart assistant.
2. Turn off the Adaptive Home Screen option.

2. disable widgets in the notification panel

The top curtain of the Xiaomi 12 displays fast switches and mini widgets (e.g. player, weather, steps) that can be hidden or completely removed.

• 📲 Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
• 🔄 Click on the icon. ⚙️ (Edit) in upper right corner.
• 🗑️ Drag unnecessary widgets from Active to Inactive (or click on the cross if there is one).

Some widgets (e.g. Media Management or Energy Saving Mode) cannot be removed completely, they can only be hidden.

1. In the same editing menu, click on three dots. ⋮ top-corner.
2. Select the settings of the notification panel.
3. Turn off the sliders next to the unnecessary elements.

On Xiaomi 12 Lite with MIUI 14, there may be no editing button.

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status String → Status String.
2. Select the Quick Settings setting.
3. Turn off unnecessary items manually.

3. Hiding widgets on the lock screen

The Xiaomi 12 lock screen displays the default weather, calendar, pedometer and fast action widgets, and can be removed in two ways:

Method 1: Through lock settings

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen.
2. Select the lock screen widgets.
3. Turn off the sliders next to the unnecessary elements.

Method 2: Real-time editing

On some firmware, widgets can be removed directly from the lock screen:

1. Swipe your finger across the lock screen left/right until an empty slide appears.
2. Click on the icon. ⚙️ (Edit) at the bottom of the screen.
3. Hold the unnecessary widget and drag it to the basket.

Note: on Xiaomi 12S Ultra with MIUI 15, the weather widget on the lock screen is tied to the Weather system app. To remove it completely, you will have to disable auto-renewal weather in the settings of this application.

4. disabling system widgets (hidden method)

Some widgets (such as Google Search, MIUI Optimizer, or Smart Assistant) are not removed in the standard ways, and you will need to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or hidden developer settings to disable them.

Method 1: Through Developer Settings

This method works for widgets tied to system applications:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the option to Disable System Applications (or Manage System Applications).
4. Select the app that the widget is attached to (e.g. com.miui.weather2 for weather) and turn it off.

Install ADB on PC| Enable USB debugging on your phone | Connect Xiaomi 12 to your computer | Allow debugging in the pop-up window on your phone-->

Method 2: ADB (for experienced users)

If the widget does not turn off via the menu, use the ADB command:

adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.package.name

Where com.xiaomi.package.name is the name of the application package, and you can find it through the App Inspector app (available on Google Play).

Examples of commands for popular widgets:

Attention! Disabling system packages can cause the phone to run in an unstable way, for example, hiding com.miui.miservice will disable not only the widget, but also some of the smart assistant's functions.

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Before using ADB, back up your data! commands pm hide are reversible (replace hide to unhide), but the wrong packet name can cause crashes.

5. How to disable dynamic widgets (MIUI 15)

MIUI 15 has dynamic widgets, elements that change their appearance depending on the time of day, user activity or sensor data, such as the MIUI Dynamic Island widget or Adaptive Weather, which require separate actions to disable:

• 🌈 Go to Settings. → Home screen → Dynamic widgets.
• 🔄 Turn off the slider Adaptive elements.
• 🗑️ Manually remove the remaining widgets from the home screen (as described in Section 1).

If the option is not in the menu, try resetting your personalization settings:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset Personalization Settings (does not affect app data!).

On the Xiaomi 12 Pro with MIUI 15 Global, dynamic widgets can be linked to the MiuiDaemon service to remove them:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop

After completing the command, restart the phone.

6.Problems and Solutions: Widgets Return After Reboot

A frequent complaint of Xiaomi 12 users is that widgets reappear after a reboot or system update, due to the work of the MiuiSystemUI service, which restores the “standard” look of the screen.

Problem 1: Widgets are coming back after the MIUI update

The reason is to reset the launcher settings, to prevent this:

• 📦 Install a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Hyperion).
• 🔧 In the new launcher settings, turn off the option to Restore default settings.
• 🔄 After updating MIUI Do not click Apply the standard settings in the pop-up window.

Problem 2: Widgets recover after reboot

The system cache is to blame.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher (or MiuiHome) and select Clear Cache.
3. For Xiaomi 12S Ultra, further clear the MiuiSystemUI cache.

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If widgets come back even after cleaning the cache, try turning off automatic optimization: Settings → Battery → Optimization → Disable for Launcher.

Problem 3: Quick Notes widget is not removed

This widget is linked to the system application com.miui.notes to remove it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → Notes.
2. Select to disable (do not delete!).
3. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling com.miui.notes will delete all notes synced to your Xiaomi account. pre-export them to Settings → Notes → Exports.

7.Alternative solutions: third-party launchers and custom firmware

If standard methods don’t help, consider alternatives:

Option 1: Installation of a third-party launcher

Launchers like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair allow you to fully control the widgets:

• 🛠️ Download the launcher from Google Play.
• 📱 Set it as the default launcher in Settings → Annexes → By default.
• 🗑️ In the launcher settings, disable all unnecessary widgets and system elements.

Option 2: Custom firmware (for advanced)

Firmware like Xiaomi.EU, Pixel Experience or LineageOS are devoid of most MIUI system widgets.

• 🔓 Unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock).
• 📥 Custom recaveri installations (TWRP).
• 🛠️ Firmware through ADB Sideload or TWRP.

⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware voids warranty and can lead to a brick (inoperability) device. On Xiaomi 12 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, it is especially important to use firmware that supports this chipset.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling widgets on Xiaomi 12