How to open the widget menu on Xiaomi and set up a desktop

Modern Xiaomi smartphones, which use MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, offer users not just a set of icons, but a full-fledged information panel. The ability to bring to the home screen the clock, weather, currency rates or step meters makes interaction with the device more intuitive. However, after updating the system or buying a new device, many owners face difficulties: familiar elements of the interface disappear or move to non-obvious sections.

Accessing a widget library is a basic skill for customizing your desktop. Depending on the firmware version and regional settings, the algorithm may vary slightly. In this article, we will take a closer look at all the ways you can call menus, and also touch on nuances that even experienced users often overlook.

Before you start editing, it's worth noting that some elements may require a stable Internet connection to display correctly. The system loads up-to-date data for news or weather widgets in the background. If you see empty squares instead of information, check the network settings.

Standard call through prolonged pressing

The most common and versatile method, which works on 95% of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, is to use the contextual desktop menu.

Press the blank area of the screen and hold the touch for 1-2 seconds. The screen will shrink, and the control panel will appear at the bottom. This is where the buttons for adding wallpaper, settings and actually widgets are located. In some versions of the interface, this button can be called "Add" or have a plus icon.

⚠️ Note: If you press the menu for a long time, check the settings of the launcher. You may have a third-party launcher that blocks Xiaomi system gestures.

Once the bottom menu appears, select "Widgets" and you'll see a library of all available items, sorted by category or application, and you'll find both standard watches and specific tools for specific programs.

Alternative method: swipe to the right

In new versions of the HyperOS shell and current MIUI 14 builds, developers have implemented faster access to widgets. By default, the left-handmost screen (zero) is often reserved for Google Tape or Mi Video.

Go to the desktop settings via the long-press menu. Find the section that says "Negative Screen" or "Left Screen." Change the value from "Google" or "Ribbon" to "Widgets." Now, swipe to the right of the first screen, you will immediately enter the widget menu without calling any additional panels.

This method is especially convenient for those who like to keep their health information or calendar in view at all times.Swipe takes a split second and does not require precise aiming on the free area of the screen, which is true on devices with large diagonals.

Setting up and moving interface elements

Once you have opened the menu and selected the item, it needs to be fixed to the desktop. The installation process may seem trivial, but the Xiaomi ecosystem has its own peculiarities related to the screen grid and cell sizes.

When you drag and drop, you'll notice that the widget takes up a certain number of cells, and if you already have app icons in the selected place, the system will suggest moving them or creating a new page, and it's important to calculate the space correctly so that the interface looks neat.

To resize the widget you already have, click on it and hold it. If the widget supports zoom, it will have markers (dots or lines) on its frame, and you can pull them and change the proportions, like turning a square watch into a rectangular one.

Some widgets, such as Security or Memory Cleanup, allow you to not only display information, but also interact with it. By clicking on a button inside the widget, you can start scanning viruses or clearing the cache without opening the full app.

Working with folders widgets in MIUI and HyperOS

The unique feature of Xiaomi's shells is the ability to create folders that behave like full-fledged mini-apps inside, which saves space on the screen while retaining functionality. You can place a Notes or Calculator widget inside the folder.

To activate this mode, create a regular folder with applications. Then drag and drop the widget of the corresponding application inside. Unlike standard Android launchers, here the widget is not just a static picture, but remains interactive.

This is a perfect solution for organizing your workspace, so you can create a Finance folder where you put your banking app and calculator widgets, or a Learning folder with your calendar and voice recorder widgets, which makes navigation on your smartphone much more logical.

Solving Display Problems

Users often experience a situation where widgets are not added, disappear after a reboot or are displayed incorrectly (black screen, lack of text), most often the problem lies in memory limitations or aggressive battery optimization.

If the widget goes out, go to the battery settings. Find the app that owns the widget (like Weather or Watch), and select No Limits mode in the Energy Saving section, which will prevent the system from killing the process in the background.

⚠️ Attention: Disabling battery optimization for system applications may result in increased battery consumption.Use this setting consciously.

It's also worth checking the permissions. The weather widget needs geolocation access, and the contact widget needs access to the phone book, and without the proper permissions, the item won't be able to update the data and will show an error.

Third-party widgets and launchers

A standard feature set is sometimes not enough: GetApps or Google Play offers thousands of third-party widgets from independent developers, which can be more beautiful or functional than stock widgets.

However, there may be conflicts when installing third-party solutions on Xiaomi, such as Nova Launcher widgets won’t work on a standard MIUI launcher without installing an additional plugin. Always read the compatibility description before downloading.

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Use the Themes app to find package solutions. Often beautiful widgets come bundled with themes, ensuring that they are perfect visually matched with icons.

For advanced users, you can customize it through Adb. You can force the grid to change the screen so you can accommodate more widgets, but that requires a computer connection and basic debugging knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The main conclusion: the widget menu on Xiaomi opens with a long press on the empty screen or swipe to the right. For the stable operation of widgets, it is critical to configure the permissions and disable aggressive energy savings for the corresponding applications.