How to change widgets on Xiaomi smartphone: a complete guide with photos

The widgets on Xiaomi smartphones are mini-apps that display useful information directly on the home screen: weather, calendar, notes or quick settings. However, the standard set does not always suit users. Some want to add a weather widget from Yandex, some want to remove the unnecessary news unit, and someone just tired of the current location. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to customize widgets on MIUI 14 and MIUI 15, including hidden features and solving typical problems.

It's important to understand that the interface may vary slightly depending on the model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T) and the shell version, but the general principle remains the same: If you've never worked with widgets or after the update they're gone, don't worry. We'll explain in detail how to get them back in place and customize them.

What are widgets and why do they need them?

A widget is an interactive element on the home screen that shows real-time data from apps, such as a weather widget that updates the temperature every 30 minutes, and a calendar widget that reminds you of upcoming events. Unlike conventional icons, widgets take up more space but give you quick access to key information.

On Xiaomi, widgets are divided into two types:

• 📱 Standard - built-in MIUI (Watches, weather, footsteps, notes, you can't delete them completely, but you can hide them.
• 🔧 Third-party – installed with applications (for example, Google Keep or Spotify widget).

The main advantages of widgets:

• ⚡ Saving time – you don’t have to open the app to see the weather or to-do list.
• 🎨 Customization – you can choose size, style and location.
• 🔔 Notifications – some widgets show alerts directly on the screen (for example, about missed calls).

But there are also disadvantages: widgets consume battery power (especially those that update data over the Internet) and can slow down animations on weak smartphones (Redmi 9A, POCO M3). If you notice that the phone began to brake after adding several widgets, try to reduce their number.

How to add a widget to Xiaomi’s home screen

Adding a widget takes less than a minute, but many users don't know where to look for this section.

1. Press and hold the empty space on the home screen (not the icon!) and the settings menu will appear.
2. Select the Widgets item (on some models it is called Screen Elements).
3. Scroll down the list – all available widgets grouped by application are displayed here.
4. Click on the desired widget, hold it and drag it to a free space on the screen.

If no widget is added:

• 🔄 Check the version. MIUI — on older versions (below) MIUI 12) the interface may differ.
• 📵 Free up space – if there is no free space on the screen, the widget will not install.
• 🔧 Update the app – some widgets (e.g. from Google) require the latest version of the program.

Free up space on the main screen |

Check the version of MIUI (Settings → About phone)|

Update the app you want to add |

Reboot your phone if the widgets don’t show up-->

Xiaomi has introduced the Smart Widgets feature with MIUI 15, which automatically adapt to your habits. For example, if you often listen to music in the evening, the player widget will appear on the screen at this time. To enable this option, go to Settings → Home Screen → Smart Widgets.

How to remove or hide the widget

If the widget is no longer needed, it can be removed in two ways: temporarily hide or permanently remove (for third-party widgets).

Method 1: Rapid removal

1. Press and hold the widget you want to remove.
2. At the top of the screen will appear basket (Delete or Remove).
3. Drag the widget into the cart and confirm the action.

Method 2: Through screen settings (if the widget is not removed in the standard way):

1. Click the empty space on the screen → Screen settings.
2. Select the Widgets → find the right one and swipe it to the left (the Remove button will appear).

Note: Deleting the widget does not remove the app itself. If you want to get rid of the program completely, do so through Settings → Apps.

How to change the size or move the widget

Not all widgets on Xiaomi support resizing, but most standard widgets (weather, clock, calendar) do.

1. Press and hold the widget until it is "stuck" from the screen.
2. The corners will appear white dots - pull them to stretch or narrow the widget.
3. Release your finger when you reach the right size.

Some widgets have fixed proportions. For example, you can make Google Search widgets square or rectangular, but not narrow. If the dots on the corners do not appear, then there is no resizing for this widget.

To move the widget to another screen:

1. Press the widget and wait a little while until it starts to "swim."
2. Drag it to the edge of the screen and the next desktop will appear.
3. Release your finger when the widget is in the right place.

💡

If the widget doesn't move, try resizing it first (even if you return it later), which sometimes helps unlock it.

MIUI 14/15 has a hidden automatic widget alignment feature, and if it's on, the widgets will stick to the grid to turn off:

Settings → Main screen → Location of icons → Turn off “Grid binding”

Why widgets are not working or updated

If the widget stopped showing current data (for example, the weather is not updated or the calendar is not synchronized), the problem may be in one of the following points:

On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 11 with MIUI 13), weather widgets stop working after location services are disabled. To fix, turn on the exact location in the Weather app settings.

If the Google widget (search, calendar) is not updated, check:

• 🔄 Is background data included for Google Play Services.
• 📶 Is there geolocation access (even for the weather widget).
• 🔋 Is there a battery restriction for the application.

💡

If the widget stopped working after the MIUI update, try rolling back the version of the app it belongs to. Often the problem is solved after the patch is released.

Hidden widgets and secret MIUI features

There are widgets in MIUI that don't appear in the main list, but can be useful. Here's how to find them:

Quick settings widget 1.

It allows you to control Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and brightness directly from the home screen.

1. Click the empty space on the screen → Widgets.
2. Scroll down to the Systems section.
3. Select Control Panel (or Quick Settings in English firmware).

2. "Game Turbo Mode" widget

Shows FPS, CPU temperature and memory in games, available only on Snapdragon processor devices (e.g. POCO F4, Xiaomi 12T) to activate:

Settings → Special features → Game turbo mode → Monitoring widget

Charge saving widget

It shows the remaining time and optimization tips hidden in the battery settings:

Settings → Battery → Battery icon → Savings Widget

Also on MIUI 15, an experimental AI Assistant widget has been introduced, which analyzes your habits and suggests useful actions (such as turning on silent mode before bedtime).

Settings → System → Laboratory → AI widget

💡

If you have POCO or Black Shark, check out the widgets in the Game section – there may be unique elements for gamers, such as real-time ping monitoring.

How to return widgets after resetting or updating

After a reset or major update (MIUI 13 → MIUI 14), widgets often disappear.

Method 1: Restore from backup

If you backup through Settings → Additional → Backup, you can return the widgets with other settings.

1. Go to Settings → Further → Data Recovery.
2. Select the last backup and tick the screen settings.
3. Confirm the recovery and restart the phone.

Method 2: Manual adjustment

If there is no backup, you will have to add widgets again:

1. Make sure all the apps are installed (for example, the Spotify widget itself must be installed).
2. Add widgets through the menu as described in the Addition section.
3. If the widget does not appear in the list, clear the launcher cache (Settings → Applications → Launcher → Storage → Clear the cache).

On some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU), widgets may not recover due to a conflict with Google Play Services.

• 🔄 Reinstall Google Play Services via APKMirror.
• 📱 Resetting the settings of the application Settings → Annexes → Google Play Services → Warehouse → Drop it.

FAQ: Frequent questions about widgets on Xiaomi