How to change desktops on Xiaomi Redmi Note: 3 proven ways

Why Users Want to Change Desktops on Redmi Notes – and When to

Desktops on Xiaomi Redmi Note smartphones (whether Redmi Note 10 Pro, Note 11 or Note 12) are often the object of experimentation. Someone wants to place frequently used applications on the left for ease of one-hand management, someone is important to logically group widgets by topic (work / personal), and some just tired of the chaotic placement of icons after the MIUI update. But before you start to reshuffle, it is worth realizing that not all methods are equally useful.

The official MIUI shell (12-14) does not provide direct drag and swap functions for desktops, unlike some custom launchers. This means that standard actions (long taps on the screen → editing) will only add/delete the table or change its contents, but not change the order. However, there are workarounds – both through system settings and using third-party tools.

In this article, we will discuss three working methods, including the hidden Active Screen feature in MIUI 14, which allows you to flexibly manage the order of tables without root rights, also touch on common errors that cause users to lose settings after a reboot, and give a checklist for safe repositioning.

Method 1: Standard Shifting Through Screen Editing (MIUI 12/13/14)

The most obvious, but limited, method is to use a built-in desktop editor, which is suitable if you need to swap out adjacent desks (like the second and third) or make a non-first desk the main screen.

1. Unlock your smartphone and go to any desktop.
2. Make a long tap on the free area of the screen (not on the icon!). From the menu, select Screen Settings (or Edit, depending on the version of MIUI).
3. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a panel with thumbnails of all desktops: 📱 Remove the table - swipe up in miniature. ➕ Add a table - press on the plus on the right. 🔄 Swap places – drag the thumbnail left/right (works only for adjacent tables!).

To make the main not the first table, drag it to the first position in the thumbnails and press Ready.

⚠️ Note: If after the rearrangement the main screen dropped on the first table, then in your version MIUI AutoSort Applications enabled. Turn it off in Settings → Desktop → Additionally.

Method 2: Use the Active Screen function (hidden MIUI 14 mode)

MIUI 14 (and part of MIUI 13) introduced the experimental Active Screen feature, which allows you to flexibly manage desktops, including repositioning them in any order, but by default it is hidden, to activate it:

1. Open Settings → About the phone and 7 times click on the MIUI version to turn on the developer mode.
2. Return to the main settings menu, find the Additional → Special features → Active screen.
3. Turn on the switch Allow tables to be moved.
4. Now, with a long tap on the screen and the choice of Edit, you can drag and drop the thumbnails of the tables in any order, not just the neighboring ones.

🔧 How to install and configure:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play (like Nova Launcher).
2. After installation, click Home and select the new launcher as the main one.
3. In the launcher settings, find the Desktop → Table Management section and drag them in the right order.
4. To return to the standard MIUI launcher, go to Settings → Applications → By Default → Launcher.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party launchers widgets MIUI (For example, Weather or Steps may not display correctly. Check compatibility on forums before installing. 4PDA.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even after a successful desktop reshuffle, Redmi Note users are facing problems.

1. Reset location after restart. Reason: System Optimization in MIUI resets settings. Solution: disable it in Settings → Battery → Optimization.
2. App icons are coming back to the first table. Reason: Auto sorting is enabled. Solution: Settings → Desktop → Auto sorting → Off.
3. You cannot drag a table through one (for example, 1). ↔ Reason: Standard Editor Limitation Solution: Use Active Screen (Method 2) or Third-Party Launcher.
4. The widgets disappear after the launcher changes, and the reason is that they're not compatible with MIUI. Solution: use POCO Launcher or go back to the standard one.

📌 Key Takeaway: Before any desktop manipulation, disable auto-sorting and system optimization – this will prevent 80% of problems.

💡

If the order of the tables has reset after the MIUI update, try backing it up to Settings → Desktop → Restore the layout. This feature is available in MIUI 14 and later.

How to get it back if something goes wrong

If after experimenting with desktops Redmi Note began to glittle (for example, the launcher stops responding or icons are missing), use these steps to roll back:

• 🔙 Resetting the launcher settings: go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher (or) POCO Launcher) → Warehouse → Clear the data. Warning: This will delete all your table settings!
• 📱 Backup recovery: if you made a backup through Settings → Desktop → Save the layout, restore it here.
• 🔧 Reset to factory settings (extreme case): Settings → The phone. → Resetting. Important: Pre-save your data to Mi Cloud!

⚠️ Please note: if you have used ADB-commands to activate hidden functions (e.g., Active Screen in the MIUI 13), they'll shut down after they're reset, and to get them back, you'll have to re-execute the instructions in Method 2.

FAQ: Frequent questions about reshuffling desktops on Xiaomi