How to Move Icons on Xiaomi Phone

Modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco provide users with huge opportunities for personalization of the interface. the shell MIUI or the new HyperOS allows you to change not only the wallpaper, but also the location of controls, making use of the gadget as comfortable as possible. Proper organization of the desktop helps to find the right applications faster and improves overall productivity.

Often, users are faced with a situation when after updating the system or installing a new launcher, application icons are scattered chaoticly, which interferes with visual perception and makes you spend extra time finding the right programs. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the ways to restore order in your smartphone.

The process of moving items is intuitive, but there are hidden features and nuances that not all device owners know about.We will look at standard methods, working with folders, as well as the capabilities of third-party launchers for those who want a unique experience.

Basic principles of movement on the desktop

The basic method of changing the location of the shortcuts on the lock screen or the home screen is very simple: you need to find the right app and pinch it with your finger for one or two seconds, and once the icon jumps up and there is a vibrational response or visual frame around it, the object is ready to move.

Without letting go of your finger, you can drag the app to any free grid cell, and the system will tell you where the shortcut will go, shifting the rest of the elements, and if you drag the icon to the edge of the screen, you automatically go to the next page of the desktop.

It is important to consider that in some design themes, the grid may be fixed, which means that you can’t put two icons close to each other if there is space between them.

⚠️ Note: When dragging and dropping large widgets (such as calendar or weather), make sure there is enough free space on the landing page, otherwise the widget may not stand up or shift important apps.

You can also move a group of applications quickly, so you can put a few icons in a pile, hold one icon and swipe it around the other icons, and you can transfer the whole pack, which makes the space organization process much faster.

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Icon clamping is a universal trigger for starting any desktop editing activities in MIUI/HyperOS.

Creating and editing folders with applications

When you have dozens of installed programs, it doesn't make sense to keep them all visible. The best solution is to group them into categories. To create a folder, just drag and drop one app icon over another. The system automatically creates a container with a name that matches the type of program.

Inside the folder you create, you can continue sorting, you can reorder applications by dragging them inside the open folder, and you can also rename the folder by clicking on the top of the folder and entering any name you like, "Social Networks" or "Games."

The MIUI shell allows you to customize the appearance of folders. In some versions of the firmware, the folder-fan mode is available, when you click on a group, the icons are revealed by a fan, without taking up excess space on the desktop until the moment you touch.

• 📁 To create a folder, drag one icon to another.
• ✏️ Click on the folder name to rename it.
• 🗑️ To delete the folder, drag and drop all applications from it and it will disappear automatically.
• 🎨 In the theme settings, you can change the style of displaying folders.

Using folders is not only an aesthetic, but also a way to reduce the load on RAM in some scenarios, since it is easier for a launcher to render one object instead of ten separate ones.

Set up the grid and size of the icons

Visual comfort is directly dependent on the size of the interface elements. Standard screen settings often hide settings that allow you to change the number of rows and columns. To access these settings, go to Settings → Desktop.

Here you'll find Desktop Grid. By changing the values, you can make icons bigger and more visible, or conversely, fit more apps on a single screen. The standard value is often 4x6 or 5x6, but for larger-screen devices, options up to 7x8 are available.

In addition to the number of cells, the size of the signature font under the icons is adjusted. If the text is too large and overlaps the graphics, reduce it through the Settings menu → Screen → Text size. This will free up additional vertical space.

It is worth noting that changing the grid can lead to a “go” layout of widgets. After changing the settings, check whether the weather and clock widgets are displayed correctly, and if necessary reinstall them.

⚠️ Warning: Too small a grid (large number of icons) can make it difficult to hit a finger on the right label, especially on narrow smartphone screens.

Use of widgets and negative screen

Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers a powerful tool for quick access to information, widgets that can display mail, currency rates, steps, or smart home management directly on your desktop. To add a widget, pinch an empty space on the screen or use a special gesture (swipe with two fingers).

A negative screen (screen -1) is the space to the left of the home page. By default, it often hosts Google Discover tape or Mi AI widgets. You can turn this feature off or replace it with your widgets if the launcher allows it.

The widgets in the newer versions of HyperOS are interactive, which means that you can interact with them without opening the app itself, such as marking a task you've completed on your to-do list or switching a track to a music player.

The path to widget management:


Settings → Desktop → Widgets (or long press on an empty space)

Proper use of widgets turns the desktop into an information panel, allowing you to control important parameters in a matter of seconds.

Working with the bottom dock bar

The bottom line, or dock bar, is the permanent access area, and the apps that you have here are visible on all the pages of your desktop, and it's the perfect place for your phone, your messages, your browser, your camera.

In the system settings, you can change the number of cells in the dock. There are usually four, but on some narrow-screen models, there can be five. You can remove the application from the dock by simply dragging it up to the main area of the screen.

An interesting feature is the ability to hide the signatures under the icons in the dock for more aesthetics. This is customized through the Themes app in Profile → Settings → Hide the names of the applications.

• 📱 In the dock bar, it is worth putting applications used daily.
• 🔄 Applications in the dock do not disappear when changing desktop pages.
• 🗑️ To clear the dock, drag all the icons to the top of the screen.

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Try placing not only apps in the dock bar, but also the Frequently Used folder to make room for other shortcuts.

Alternative launchers and customization

If standard MIUI capabilities aren’t enough, you can always install a third-party launcher from the Google Play Market. Popular options like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher give you full control over every pixel part.

Third-party launchers allow you to create unlimited pages, change the animations of opening applications, customize gestures and even hide icons, but it is worth remembering that they can consume more battery resources.

When installing a new launcher, the system may suggest you choose it by default. If that doesn’t happen, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three dots (top right) → Access to special permissions → Default launcher.

The use of alternative shells is a step for advanced users who want to completely change the philosophy of interaction with a smartphone.

Frequent problems and their solution

Sometimes users find that the icons do not move or "jump" back to their places, most often due to the enabled function of the lock layout.

Another problem is that icons disappear after a system update, in which case cleaning the launcher cache helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Desktop (or System Launcher) → Clear → Clear the cache.

If icons become too small or blurry, check the screen resolution and interface zoom settings. Sometimes third-party themes can conflict with system fonts, causing visual artifacts.

⚠️ Warning: Clearing the launcher’s data (not just cache) will reset all icons and widgets to factory status, so be careful with the choice of action.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions