How to Open Search on Xiaomi: 7 Proven Ways for Phones and Smart Devices

Why Xiaomi Search May Not Work and How to Fix It

You try to find a file, app or setting on your Xiaomi, but the search persists? This problem is familiar to many users of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones. The reasons can lie in both the basic configuration of the MIUI system and software failures. For example, after updating the firmware, the search bar sometimes disappears from the home screen, and the voice assistant Xiao AI stops responding to commands.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to activate search, from standard gestures to hidden shell features, learn how to return a search bar to the screen, adjust voice input, and even use alternative search methods through Google Assistant or third-party apps. And if the search still doesn’t work, at the end of this article you’ll find instructions to reset your settings without losing data.

We’ll focus on devices with MIUI 14 and later, where the logic of how search works has changed, for example, on Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12, the search bar can be hidden in the app menu, and on older models like Mi 9 – no more without additional settings.

Method 1: Standard search through a gesture or button

The most obvious way is to use the built-in search bar, which is found on most Xiaomi devices:

• 📱 On the home screen (swipe your finger down from the middle of the screen – a search bar will appear).
• 🔍 In the application menu (stick on the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen).
• ⚙️ In System Settings: Go to Settings → Search.

If the gesture is missing, check the settings:

1. Open the Settings. → Home screen.
2. Select Search on the main screen.
3. Activate the switch Show the search bar.

Important! On some firmware (e.g. MIUI Global), the default search bar is disabled. If you can't see it even after activation, try resetting the launcher settings: press the empty area on the home screen → Home screen settings → Reset settings.

Method 2: Voice Search via Xiao AI

Xiao AI, a voice assistant, not only searches the Internet, but also finds files, apps, and settings on the device itself, to activate it:

1. Hold the Home button (on physical-button devices) or swipe from the bottom edge of the screen upwards and hold (on buttonless models).
2. Say a command such as “Find photos from the beach” or “Open your Wi-Fi settings.”

If Xiao AI fails to respond:

• 🔊 Check the permissions: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Xiao AI → Permits (must be included Microphone and Warehouse).
• 📶 Make sure your device is connected to the internet (voice search requires cloud processing).
• 🗣️ Retrain the voice model: Settings → Xiao AI → Voice input → Voice training.

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If Xiao AI doesn’t understand your accent, try speaking more slowly and clearly or switching to English in the assistant settings.

On devices with MIUI for the global market (e.g., the POCO X5 Pro), Xiao AI can be replaced by Google Assistant. To return the original assistant, set the China region in the system settings (but this will turn off Google services!).

Method 3: Search through the notification panel

Few people know, but in MIUI, you can search directly from the notification bar.

1. Swipe your finger down from the top of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Slap the icon. 🔍 Search in the upper right corner (near the settings).

If the icon is missing:

1. Deploy the notification panel in its entirety (swipe down twice).
2. Press three points. ⋮ → Edit the panel.
3. Find the Search widget and drag it to the active area.

This method works even on a locked screen (if the Search option on the lock screen is enabled in the security settings).

Method 4: Using Google Assistant

If you don't like Xiaomi's built-in search, you can switch to Google Assistant, which supports deeper search through the system and better understands natural speech, to customize it:

1. Install the Google app from the Play Market (unless preinstalled).
2. Open it and perform the initial setup.
3. Activate voice input: Say “OK, Google” or hold the Home button (on some firmware).

Advantages of Google Assistant:

• 🌍 Searching the Internet and the device at the same time.
• 📅 Integration with calendar, mail and other Google services.
• 🎵 Music management (e.g., “Enable a playlist for Spotify workouts").

Disadvantages:

• 🔋 Increased battery consumption due to background activity.
• 📡 Requires a permanent connection to the Internet.

Install the Google app|Enable permissions for microphone and contacts|Activate voice control in settings|Add a search widget to the main screen-->

Method 5: Search through the File Manager

If you need to find a specific file (photo, document, video), the easiest way to use the built-in file manager from Xiaomi is to search not only by name, but also by file type, date of creation and even content (for text documents).

Instructions:

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. Slap on the magnifying glass icon 🔍 top-of-screen.
3. Type: Images for photos. Size: >10 MB for large files. Date: Last week for recent files.

Tip: If the file manager doesn't find the files you want, check if they're hidden.

1. In the file manager, go to Settings → Show hidden files.
2. Also enable the option to Show system files (caution – do not delete them!).

How to install and configure Sesame Search:

1. Download the app from the Play Market.
2. When you first start, give access to Contacts, Files and Messages.
3. Set up a gesture to call the search: Settings → Gestures → Double tap on the screen.
4. Add the widget to the main screen for quick access.

Warning: Some alternative search apps (like Cerebro Launcher) may conflict with the MIUI shell, causing slowdowns.

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The search side of the app often offers more features than standard MIUI tools, but can reduce performance on weak devices (e.g. Redmi 9A).

Method 7: Reset your search settings (if nothing works)

If the search stopped working after updating or resetting the system, try to return it to the factory settings.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Search app (or Xiao AI if there is a voice search problem).
3. Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.
4. Reset the device.

If this doesn’t help, do a soft reset of the launcher settings:

1. Click the empty area on the main screen.
2. Select Home Screen Settings → Reset Settings.
3. Confirm the action.

⚠️ Attention! Full reset (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting) will delete all data from the device.Be sure to back up through Settings before doing so → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

On devices with MIUI 14+, you may need to re-activate your search via Settings → Home Screen → Home Screen Search. Also check if your system apps are disabled in your battery settings (Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization – Search Services should be listed No Limits).

FAQ: Frequent questions about search on Xiaomi