How to put time on the main screen of Xiaomi phone: all the ways

Displaying time on Xiaomi’s home screen is a seemingly simple task, but many users find the watch suddenly disappearing after updating or changing the theme. MIUI (the Xiaomi brand shell) has several ways to return or customize the display of time, from standard widgets to manually editing system settings.

Complicating the problem is that different versions of MIUI (12, 13, 14 or HyperOS) have different settings, such as the Redmi Note 12, where the path to the watch widget is different from the POCO X5 Pro. We will discuss the universal methods that work on most models, and also the hidden floating clock feature, which is only available in Chinese firmware.

If you recently upgraded your smartphone or installed a custom theme, the watch could disappear due to a launcher malfunction, and 80% of the time the problem is solved by restarting the device or resetting the launcher settings, which we will also discuss in more detail.

In this article you will find:

• 🔹 Standard ways to add watch widgets to the home screen
• 🔹 Hidden settings MIUI for advanced users
• 🔹 Solving problems if the clock doesn't display or gets knocked down
• 🔹 Alternative applications for time customization

1. Standard method: Adding a watch widget

The easiest method is to use the built-in Watch widget, which is available in any version of MIUI. It supports several display styles: analog, digital, with or without a date.

To add a widget to the main screen:

1. Touch the empty space on your desktop and hold your finger for 1-2 seconds.
2. In the menu that appears, select Widgets (or Widgets in English firmware).
3. Scroll down to the Clock block (usually at the beginning).
4. Choose your favorite style and drag it to the screen.

If there is no “Clock” block in the list of widgets, this may mean:

• 📱 You have an outdated version. MIUI (12th), where the widgets are implemented differently.
• 🔄 The launcher of the smartphone dropped to factory settings (reboot will help).
• 🎨 Installed custom theme that removed standard widgets.

Xiaomi’s HyperOS (2026) has made watch widgets more flexible: you can now resize them right on the screen, stretching corners, and has a Transparent Background option that makes the dial translucent.

Make sure there is free space on the screen.|Check the version. MIUI customized|Restart your phone if the widget doesn’t show up|Turn off energy saving mode (it can block widgets)-->

2. Configure time display through topics

In MIUI, the look of the watch is tied to the set theme, so if you use a custom theme from the Themes store, the watch may look different or disappear altogether, to bring back the standard display:

Step 1. Open the Theme app (icon with brush).

Step 2. Go to the tab My → Local.

Step 3: Select a standard MIUI theme (usually called Default or Standard).

Step 4. Apply it and restart the phone.

If the clock still doesn’t appear, try:

• 🔍 Install another theme with widget support (theme description should indicate Supports watch widgets).
• 🛠️ Reset the launcher settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the data.
• 📲 Update theme app via Play Market or App Store.

💡

If the watch is not displayed correctly after changing the theme (for example, shows the wrong time), try to manually synchronize the time in the settings: Settings → Additional → Date and Time → Autodetermination (disable and turn on again).

3.Floating clock: a hidden function of Chinese firmware

The Chinese versions of MIUI (and some global firmware for POCO) have a hidden feature called “Floating Clock” that allows you to display time on top of any screen, including games and apps.

To activate it:

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Scroll down and find the Floating Clock (if it is not available, the feature is not available in your firmware).
3. Turn on the switch and set up: 🕒 Time format (12/24 hour) 🎨 Style (digital/analog) 📍 Position (can be carried manually) 🔘 Transparency (from) 20% before 100%)

If there is no Floating Watch, it can be unlocked through the settings editor (ROOT is required):

adb shell settings put global floating_clock_enabled 1

4. Alternative applications for displaying time

If the standard methods don’t work, you can install third-party widgets from Google Play.The best options for Xiaomi are:

To install a widget from a third-party application:

1. Download and install the app from Google Play.
2. Add the widget to the main screen (as in the first method).
3. In the widget settings, select a style and adjust the display.

Problem 2: The watch widget disappears after the MIUI update.

Decision:

⚠️ Note: After major updates (e.g., with the MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) Launcher resets. To return widget, you need: Remove all widgets from the main screen. Clear launcher cache: Settings → Annexes → Launcher → Clear the cache. Restart the phone and add the widget again.

Problem 3: The clock is displayed, but it doesn't show the second.

Solution: Some versions of MIUI have the second display disabled by default to enable:

1. Add the watch widget to the screen.
2. Touch it and hold it, then select Change the widget.
3. Find the option Show seconds and activate it.

💡

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the launcher to factory settings, which will delete all widgets, but return the standard time display.

6.Castomization of watches through ADB (for advanced)

With help. ADB-You can change the system time settings that are not available in the regular menu, such as forcedarkmode or font size.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This could cause your phone to crash!

Examples of useful commands:

• 🕐 Change the format of the time to 24-Adb shell settings put global time_12_24 24
• 📱 Disable Clock Animation When Unlocking: Adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 0
• 🔍 Show hidden time settings: adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.DateTimeSettings

To execute these commands:

1. Enable debugging over USB in the developer settings.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
3. Enter commands one by one by pressing Enter after each.

7.Clock on lock screen: separate setting

The display of time on the home screen and lock screen is set separately. If you want the watch to be visible at all times (even when the phone is locked), do the following:

Step 1. Open Settings → Lock screen.

Step 2. Select Lock Screen Style.

Step 3: Scroll down and find the Clock option.

Step 4. Set up:

• 🕒 Format (digital/analogue)
• 🎨 Colour and type
• 📍 Position (top/bottom/center)
• 🌓 Backlighting (includes hours at notifications)

In Xiaomi with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi 13 or Redmi) K60) You can also play Always-On Display (AOD), It's going to be a constant display of time in a minimalist way:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Always-On Display.
2. Choose the style of the watch (available 5-7 options).
3. Set up a display schedule (for example, only at night).

FAQ: Frequent questions about the watch on Xiaomi