How to disable widgets on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face crowded information noise on the desktop. The standard shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS by default offer a lot of interactive elements that may be distracting or simply not used. The question of how to turn off widgets on Xiaomi becomes especially relevant for those who appreciate minimalism and cleanliness of the interface. Excessive animation and constant updating of data consumes the CPU resources, which can affect the autonomy of the device.

There are several levels of control for these elements, from simply removing icons from the screen to completely disabling the system news feeds and blocking ads. The user may face a situation where the widget is deleted, but after a while it appears again, or it is impossible to remove the standard element of the system. In this material, we will analyze all the nuances of the configuration of the workspace, you will learn to control what is displayed on your screen, and you can create a perfectly clean interface without unnecessary visual debris.

The setup process can vary depending on the version of the Android operating system and the firmware version. However, the basic principles remain the same for most models. It is important to understand the difference between regular application widgets and system tapes, such as Mi Vision or Google Discover. Deep cleaning of the interface requires sequential steps, which we will describe below, which will allow you not only to remove the unnecessary, but also to speed up the smartphone.

Removing standard widgets from the desktop

The most obvious and easiest way to get rid of the extra item is to remove it directly from the screen. This requires clamping your finger on the icon of the widget or any free area of the desktop to activate the editing mode. The system will offer several options, including choosing to “Delete” or drag the object to the top of the screen where the basket appears. This method works for most third-party and system widgets, such as the weather, clock or calendar.

However, it is worth considering that some system widgets can be protected from removal in the standard way. In such cases, when you try to drag and drop, you will not see the basket icon or the inscription “Delete”. This means that the component is integrated into the launcher and requires other deactivation methods. Often these elements are part of the theme, so changing the theme to the standard can solve the problem. If the widget remains, you will need a deeper intervention in the system settings.

It's important to distinguish between widgets and app shortcuts. A widget is a dynamic element that displays information in real time, whereas a shortcut simply opens an app. When cleaning a desktop, there's often confusion when users try to delete folders or shortcuts, thinking they're widgets. Correctly identifying an item helps avoid accidentally removing the desired features. If you accidentally delete an important item, it can always be returned via the widget add menu by clamping the empty space on the screen.

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Before mass removing widgets, take a screenshot of your desktop to remember the location of important items you may want to return later.

Once the widget is removed, the system may suggest replacing it with another element or leaving empty space. MIUI often works with automatic icon shifting to fill the voids that have formed, which helps keep the desktop structure neat. If automatic alignment annoys you, it can be turned off in the launcher settings, leaving empty spaces where they were formed, this approach allows you to create unique layouts with large gaps between the icons.

Disable the widget feed on the left (Mi Vision and Google)

One of the most annoying features of Xiaomi’s shell is the extra news feed that opens when you swipe to the right of the first screen. By default, it can be Mi Vision (a news aggregator from Xiaomi) or Google Discover tape. To turn off this feature, you need to pinch the empty space on your desktop and go to Settings or More. In the menu that opens, you need to find the switch responsible for the “Widget Tape” or “Swipe to the right” and put it inactive.

In different versions of the firmware, the names of items may differ. For example, in older versions of MIUI, this may be called "Advanced Mode", and in new versions it may simply be called "Tape". If you have Google Discover activated, the shutdown happens through the settings of the launcher itself. Sometimes the system insists on turning on the news feed at the first start or after the update. By refusing this offer, you will save yourself unnecessary traffic and distraction. Swip will simply go to the home screen or will be ignored.

Turning off the tape not only removes visual noise, but also saves battery power, as background processes stop constantly updating the news feed. This is especially true for models with a smaller battery. In addition, RAM is released, which can positively affect the speed of the smartphone when switching between applications. Users who do not read the news from a smartphone will definitely benefit from this setting.

If the standard shutdown doesn't help and the tape reappears, it may be embedded in the active theme of the design. Some third-party themes rigidly prescribe the presence of additional screens, in which case it is recommended to temporarily switch to the standard Classic or Default theme, disable the tape, and then return the preferred design. This often resets the erroneous anchors of the launcher configuration.

Set up launcher parameters and system widgets

Deep customization is possible through the launcher's settings menu. To get there, press the empty space on the desktop and select Settings. This hides key parameters that affect the behavior of widgets. For example, you can turn off desktop autorotation, change the icon grid, or prevent widgets from adding to certain pages. These settings allow you to capture the current state of the screen and prevent accidental changes.

In the “Additional” section, you often find switches that control the animation and behavior of widgets. Disabling the animation of widgets can make the interface more responsive, although it will look less visually smooth. You can also find settings for specific system widgets, such as “Security” or “Memory Clearup”, and removing them from the screen, you will not lose functionality, since access to these tools will remain in the notification curtain or application menu.

And you should pay attention to the Smart Widgets feature, which can be built into the launcher, and it analyzes your actions and suggests the appropriate widgets at the right time. While it's useful, it requires constant access to geolocation and usage data, which is not something everyone likes. By disabling it, you increase privacy. In the settings menu, this is usually called "Recommendations" or "Intelligent Assistants."

For advanced users, the ability to resize the grid is available. By increasing the number of cells, you can place more icons, but the widgets will become smaller or no longer fit in the designated areas. It's an effective way to deal with large, intrusive widgets that take up half a screen. By experimenting with a 5x6 or 6x6 grid, you will physically limit the space for large interactive elements.

Using third-party launchers for complete cleaning

If the MIUI or HyperOS built-in tools fail to achieve the desired minimalism, the most radical and effective solution will be the installation of a third-party launcher. Popular options such as Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher allow you to completely ignore Xiaomi system widgets. After installing such a launcher, it takes over the control of the desktop, screen blocker and application menu, completely replacing the standard interface.

The main advantage of third-party launchers is absolute control over every pixel of the screen. You can create a completely empty desktop by leaving only one line of search or removing it altogether. Widgets in such launchers are added only at your request and never appear on their own, and they often run faster and consume less resources than heavy shells from smartphone manufacturers.

When installing a third-party launcher, the system may insist on returning the standard Xiaomi launcher. This is normal behavior as the manufacturer tries to maintain control over the user experience. To avoid constant reminders, click Always or Default when choosing a launcher by default. Also, in the phone's security settings, you may need to allow the new launcher access to special features for correct gestures.

Fighting Advertising Widgets and System Garbage

Special attention should be paid to what are called “widgets,” which are actually ad modules or recommendations from the system, which can appear in the Tools folder, in the notification curtain or on a locked screen, often masquerading as useful weather or currency widgets, but when you click on it, you open the browser with ads, and to get rid of them, you need to turn off the MSA service (Mi System Ads) in the settings.

The process of disabling ads involves several steps. Go to Settings → Passwords and security → Access to data. Find the msa app in the list and turn off network access. It is also recommended to disable personalized advertising in the Privacy menu. After this action, the number of intrusive widgets and pop-ups will decrease significantly, the system will behave more neutrally.

⚠️ Attention: Service shutdown MSA It can temporarily affect some system applications, such as Music or Themes, and if you notice a crash, you can temporarily re-enter access, but for most users, it goes unnoticed.

Another source of junk widgets is the cleaner and antivirus apps that are preinstalled on the system, and they often create desktop widgets that show the system's "pollution" and require cleaning, and these widgets can be safely removed because the background cleaning service still works, and having an icon on the screen doesn't speed up the process, it just takes up space.

If the ad widget comes up after you install a particular app from the Play Market, check the permissions of that app. Often they ask for the right to "Overlap Other Windows" or "Create Widgets." By selecting those rights in the app settings, you block the program from placing garbage on your desktop, which is an effective prevention measure for any Android smartphone, not just Xiaomi.

Solving problems with the restoration of remote widgets

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the remote widget returns after the smartphone restart.This can be caused by failures in the launcher cache or synchronization conflict with Mi Cloud. First of all, it is recommended to clear the launcher cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All applications, find “Luncher” or “System Launcher” and click “Clear Cache”. Do not confuse with “Clear Data” as this will reset the location of all icons.

If the problem persists, it may be the synchronization fault. Check the Mi Cloud settings and turn off desktop layout synchronization. This will prevent the old configuration from loading from the cloud, which contains remote widgets. It's also worth checking for system updates. In new versions of HyperOS, many bugs associated with intrusive widgets have already been fixed by the company's engineers.

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Resetting the launcher settings to factory parameters is an extreme measure that is guaranteed to remove all “glutch” widgets, but requires re-manual configuration of the desktop.

In rare cases, a corrupted theme file can be the culprit. If you use a custom theme, try removing it and returning it to a standard one. Themes may contain scripts that force you to restore certain interface elements. The integrity of the theme is an important diagnostic step, and if the problem on a standard theme has disappeared, then it was a third-party design.

For technically trained users, it is possible to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to force the removal of system widgets that are not otherwise deleted, which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and entering special commands. For example, you can disable the package responsible for global search or a specific widget. However, this method requires caution, since removing critical system components can lead to unstable operation of the device.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-commands to remove system packages can lead to loss of warranty or disruption of the smartphone. Use this method only if you fully understand what the removed component is responsible for.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)