How to swap pages on the Xiaomi desktop: 3 working ways

The desktop on Xiaomi smartphones is not just a background with icons, but a flexible system that can be adapted to your needs. Many users face a situation when after installing new applications or updating new ones. MIUI The pages on the home screen are mixed randomly, and the widgets that you want are on the third or fourth screen. Unlike iOS or pure Android, the shell is the same. MIUI It has its own nuances of managing the workspace – and they are not always intuitive.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to rearrange pages on the Xiaomi desktop, including hidden features. MIUI 14/13, And you'll learn how to do more than just drag and drop icons, but you'll learn how to swap entire screens with all the widgets and folders, and you'll learn how to save content, and why sometimes a page "obstinately" returns to its original place and how to fix it.

If you have just upgraded your smartphone to MIUI 14 and found that the usual drag and drop gesture stopped working, so don't rush to reset, and the problem is probably with the modified desktop algorithm -- and we'll show you how to get around it without losing data.

For clarity, we tested all methods on the following devices:

• 📱 Xiaomi 13 Pro (MIUI 14.0.5)
• 📱 Redmi Note 12 Pro+ (MIUI 13.0.9)
• 📱 Poco F5 (MIUI 14.0.3 for Poco)
• 📱 Black Shark 5 (MIUI 13.0.1)

All methods work on older models (e.g. Redmi 9 or Mi 11) if they are updated to the current firmware version.

Why are the pages on Xiaomi’s desktop not moving?

Before we get to the instructions, it is important to understand why the standard way of dragging pages (pressing your finger and moving) may not work. MIUI There are a few "pitfalls":

1. Light Desktop Mode If you have activated this option in the special feature settings (Settings) → Special opportunities → Light Mode, most screen gestures are blocked, which simplifies the interface for older users or people with disabilities, but also disables advanced customization features.

2. Protection against accidental changes. MIUI (Especially on Poco), you have the option to block the layout, which prevents the movement of not only icons, but also entire pages. → Desktop → Locking the layout.

3. Launcher cache error If the system hasn't restarted in a long time or launcher (MIUI Launcher) was error-proof, temporary files can block the correct display of gestures, in which case the forced stop of the launcher through the application settings helps.

4. Update MIUI without resetting, after major updates (e.g., with MIUI 12 on MIUI 14) sometimes the user's desktop settings are confused, in which case you need to manually reset the layout through a hidden menu (we will talk about this in one of the following sections).

⚠️ Note: If you use a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Hyperion), then page repositioning settings depend on the capabilities of that launcher, not on the capabilities of that launcher. MIUI. In this case, refer to the documentation of a specific application.

Method 1: Standard drag and drop (gesture for MIUI 14/13)

In the latest versions MIUI The algorithm for moving pages has changed, and now you need to use a two-finger gesture, which works on most modern Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices, but requires accuracy.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Unlock your smartphone and go to the main screen.
2. Touch any free area of the desktop (not by icon!) and hold your finger. 1-2 seconds until the vibration and thumbnails of the pages appear at the bottom of the screen.
3. Without letting go of the first finger, swipe left or right through the thumbnails of the pages with the second finger to select the one you want to move.
4. Now drag the page you select to a new location, holding the thumbnail. Other pages will automatically move.
5. Release your fingers to record the changes.

If the gesture doesn’t work the first time, try the following tips:

• 👆 Make sure you are touching the blank screen space, not the icon or widget.
• 🕒 Hold your first finger a little longer (up to 3 seconds) – some models have increased the delay in activating the gesture.
• 🔄 If page thumbnails don’t appear, try rebooting the launcher: go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → MIUI Launcher → Stop it.

Disable the layout lock|Check the "Light Desktop" mode"|Stop it. MIUI Launcher in settings|Reboot your smartphone-->

In the models with MIUI 12 and older (such as the Redmi Note 10 or Mi 11 Lite) may need to first go into desktop editing mode by clicking on the icon "⚙️" in the lower right corner after holding the finger.

Method 2: Through desktop settings (for all versions) MIUI)

If you don't feel comfortable or have gestures that don't work, you can swap pages through the launcher's settings menu, which is universal and even suitable for older versions. MIUI (starting MIUI 9).

Algorithm of action:

1. Press and hold your finger on any free area of the desktop until the context menu appears.
2. Select Desktop Settings (or Edit if you have one). MIUI 12 and below).
3. In the menu that opens, go to Page Management (or Desktop layout).
4. Here you'll see a list of all the pages with their contents. Click and hold the page you want to move, then drag it to a new location.
5. Click Ready or Save to apply the changes.

The advantage of this method is that you can view the contents of each page directly in the settings menu without switching between screens, which is especially useful if you have many pages (5 or more) or they contain widgets with important information (such as weather or calendar).

On some models (such as Black Shark), the path to settings may be different:

Settings → Display → Desktop → Page Management

⚠️ Note: If there is no drag and drop option in the Page Management menu, this means that a modified launcher is installed on your device (for example, on some Poco devices.

Gestures (two-finger method)|Desktop settings|Resetting the layout and setting from scratch|Using a third-party launcher-->

Method 3: Reset layout and manual adjustment (for complex cases)

If the first two methods didn’t work (for example, due to a launcher failure or after a failed update), you can completely reset the desktop layout and reconfigure the pages again. This method is guaranteed to work on all Xiaomi devices, but requires more time.

Resetting instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find it on the list. MIUI Launcher (or Lawnchair if you use it) and select it.
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data (not to be confused with "Cache Clearing"!).
4. Confirm the action – this will remove all desktop settings, but will not affect the applications themselves and their data.
5. After resetting, restart your smartphone.

Now you have to reconfigure the desktop:

• 📱 Add the desired pages by dragging the icons to the edge of the screen (left or right).
• 🔄 Move the pages in any of the first two ways – after reset, they should work correctly.
• 🗑️ Remove unnecessary pages by dragging all icons from them to other screens (empty pages will automatically be deleted).
• 🔧 Configure widgets again – their location is also reset.

This method is useful if:

• 🔄 After updating MIUI Pages are duplicated or lost.
• 🚫 The drag and drop gestures don't work despite all the attempts.
• 📱 You want to “remove” the desktop for new tasks.

Table: Compatibility of methods with different versions of MIUI

To make it easier for you to choose the right method, we have compiled a compatibility table for different versions of the shell and device models:

If your model is not listed in the table, focus on the version MIUI. You can find it in the settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even after successful page reshuffling, users sometimes face unexpected problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

1. Pages 'jump' back after reboot

Reason: Synchronization of the layout with the Xiaomi account is enabled (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Synchronization → If another device (e.g. tablet) has a different page order, it can overwrite your changes.

Solution: Turn off desktop sync or set up the same layout on all devices.

2. It is impossible to delete a blank page

Reason: The page has an invisible widget (for example, weather or calendar) or it is fixed as “main” in the launcher settings.

Solution: Keep your finger in the free screen space → Select Desktop Settings → Manage your pages and check if there are hidden elements on the page.

3.The icons on the page move off after moving

Reason: It's a bug MIUI Launcher, which occurs when quickly dragging pages with a large number of icons.

Solution: Reboot the launcher (Settings) → Annexes → MIUI Launcher → Stop or reduce the number of icons on one page (optimally, no more than 20).

4. Poco's gesture doesn't work F4/F5

Reason: On Poco series devices, default launcher gestures are sometimes disabled.

Solution: Activate them in Settings → Desktop → Additional settings → Gestures.

⚠️ Note: If after all the manipulations the pages still do not move, check if you have a regional device installed. ROM (European or global, some of the assemblies MIUI They have restrictions on desktop customization, and in this case, only flashing to the official version will help.

💡

If you rearrange pages frequently, back up the layout using the Home Backup & Restore app (available on Google Play) that stores the location of icons, widgets and folders into a file that can be recovered after a reset.

Additional possibilities of customization of the desktop

Now that you've learned how to move pages, you can go a step further and completely transform your desktop to suit your needs. MIUI, which many do not know:

1. Hidden pages

V MIUI 14, you can hide unnecessary pages without removing icons:

• 👆 Keep your finger in the free screen space. → Desktop settings.
• 🔍 Select the page you want to hide and swipe it to the left (the basket icon will appear).
• 🔄 To return the page, click Add the page to the same menu.

2. Change of icon grid

By default, the grid is displayed on the screen. 4×5 or 5×6 Icons, but they can be changed:

Settings → Desktop → Desktop grid

Available options: from 3×3 before 5×7. On big screens (such as Xiaomi) 13 Ultra) conveniently use the maximum grid to accommodate more widgets.

3. Animation of transitions between pages

V MIUI You can adjust the effect of flipping screens:

Settings → Desktop → Desktop animation

Affordable styles: Standard, 3D-Turn, zoom in and out of animation (for maximum performance).

4. Maintaining important pages

If you want a particular page to stay in place (for example, with frequently used apps), then stick it:

• 📌 Keep your finger on the page in editing mode.
• 🔒 Click on the lock icon that will appear in the top corner of the thumbnail.

💡

Hidden pages and fixed screens are features that are not available in standard Android. MIUI Flexible management of the workspace without data loss.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions