Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to organize desktop space for more convenient access to frequently used features. The standard layout after buying a device can seem chaotic or simply not match the owner's personal preferences. Moving apps between pages allows you to create an intuitive structure where each shortcut is at hand.
MIUI and its new version of HyperOS offer flexible icon management tools, but the algorithm may not be obvious to beginners. Unlike some other shells, it has its own nuances when dragging and creating new areas of the screen. We will detail all the ways to navigate the desktop so that you can customize the gadget for yourself in minutes.
In this article, you will find not only basic navigation instructions, but also optimization tips that will make using your Android smartphone much more comfortable. Proper organization of space is the first step to working effectively with a mobile device.
Basic principles of navigation in MIUI and HyperOS
Before you start taking action on rearrange icons, it is important to understand the logic of the shell. The desktop in Xiaomi is a grid that can be extended to the right indefinitely (within a reasonable amount of memory of the device), navigation is carried out by swipes, but editing requires a transition to a special mode.
Importantly, there are two main types of app display: a classic menu with all programs and a mode where all shortcuts are displayed on the desktop, in both cases, the principle of moving between existing pages remains similar, but has its own peculiarities when creating new ones.
⚠️ Note: When moving widgets or folders, make sure there is enough free space on the landing page, otherwise the system will automatically create a new page or reject the action.
The system automatically sorts some system applications, but the user content is completely under your control, and you can change the order of the pages, which is especially useful if you want to put a frequently used program on the first screen.
How to move the application to a new page: step-by-step instructions
The most common scenario is to remove a rarely used program from the home screen or, conversely, to bring an important one to a new, specially created page. First, you need to enter editing mode. To do this, touch any free area of the screen or just pinch any application icon before the vibration appears.
Once the icons start to shake or shrink, you can drag and drop them to move the app to a new page:
- 📱 Press the desired icon and pull it to the right edge of the screen until a new blank page appears.
- 📂 Or drag and drop the app to the end of the current line so it creates a new page automatically.
- 🗑️ You can also move the object to the delete area if the page is no longer needed.
If you want to move a group of apps at once, MIUI allows you to capture multiple objects at once. Just swipe your finger across the screen, covering the desired icons, and then drag the resulting bubble to another page, which greatly speeds up the initial setup process of the smartphone.
☑️ Checklist of displacement
Remember that there may be restrictions when you move system applications (such as "Phone" or "Messages") on some firmware versions, but most user programs can be moved freely anywhere.
Working with folders and grouping applications
Creating folders is the best way to free up space on your desktop and logically combine similar applications. To create a folder, just drag and drop one icon over another. The system automatically creates a container that you can name.
You can also sort it inside the app folder, and you can move it between pages inside the folder itself if you have a lot of software, and this is especially true for Google games or tools that take up a lot of space.
Secrets of folders in MIUI
Deleting an application from a folder is similar: press the icon inside the folder and drag it outside the container to the desktop, and if there is only one program left in the folder, it will automatically unpack.
Setting up the desktop grid and the size of the icons
The comfort of moving depends on how many items fit on a single page, and in the system settings, you can change the desktop grid to make the icons larger or smaller to accommodate more applications.
To change the settings, go to Settings, then select Desktop. Here you will find the Grid option, where you can select a configuration, for example, 4x6 or 5x7. The more cells, the denser the layout.
| Parameter | Description | Impact on displacement |
|---|---|---|
| Grid size | Number of rows and columns | Determines the density of icons |
| Scope of typeface | Size of signatures under icons | Affects readability in a tight grid |
| Animation. | Speed of transition between pages | Visual effect when dragging |
Changing the grid size may require regrouping the already installed applications as they are dislocated, and plan ahead which scheme is more convenient for you: minimalism with large elements or maximum capacity.
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Useful tip: Before changing the grid, take a screenshot of the current location of the icons to easily restore the familiar structure if the new one seems uncomfortable.
Hiding the menu of all applications and the classic mode
The latest versions of HyperOS and MIUI often have the default menu of all apps on, which hides some of the shortcuts from the desktop. If you're used to classic Android, where all the apps are on the desktop pages, this mode can be turned off.
To return the classic look, go to Settings → Desktop and select Classic Mode. After that, all the installed programs will appear on the desktop, and you can freely move them between pages without having to open an additional menu.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling the menu of all apps can lead to cluttered desktop if you have more than 50 apps installed.
In Desktop Only mode, removing an application from the screen often results in it being completely removed from the system, so be careful when cleaning the space. In the App Menu mode, the shortcut simply disappears from the screen, remaining in the list of all programs.
Solution: Why the app doesn't move
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the icon sticks or does not want to move to another page, most often due to the fact that the landing page does not have free space in the corresponding line, or the blocking of the layout change is activated.
Check to see if the "Blocking" mode is enabled, which is in the desktop settings to prevent the icons from being accidentally shifted, and problems can also arise when using third-party themes that are not fully compatible with your version of Android.
If the problem persists, try restarting the device. Often the system processes that render the interface may fail, and a simple reboot returns functionality.
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The main cause of problems with movement is the lack of free space in a particular grid cell or the included locking of the layout.