How to make a beautiful desktop on a Xiaomi phone: from wallpaper to hidden chips MIUI

Why Xiaomi desktop looks important for productivity

A smartphone desktop isn’t just a background image with chaoticly scattered icons. Research shows that the visual organization of the screen directly affects app search speed, stress levels, and even battery power. On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO with the MIUI shell, customization capabilities go far beyond standard Android solutions: there are hidden gestures, dynamic paralax wallpapers, and even a built-in theme editor.

But most users only use 20 percent of these features. Meanwhile, a properly configured screen can save up to 15 minutes a day searching for the right apps (according to Xiaomi’s tests on the Mi 13 Ultra and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ models). And a well-chosen color scheme reduces eye strain over long-term use. In this article, only working methods without water-based instructions like “download launcher.” We’ll take a look at native MIUI features that 90 percent of owners don’t even know.

Important: all screenshots and examples in this article are made on current versions of MIUI 14/15 (Android 13/14). If you have older firmware, some features may be missing - check for updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update.

How to Remove Chaos from the Screen in 5 Minutes

Before you get into the complex customizations, get the basics straight. Most Xiaomi users don't even know that there's an in-app organizer on the system. Here's what you can do without installing third-party software:

• 📁 Automatic sorting: MIUI It can group icons into categories (social networks, games, tools). → Desktop → Application categories: The system analyses frequency of use and suggests optimal groups.
• 🔍 Search bar: add the Search widget to the home screen - it searches not only in apps but also in system settings. saves time with rarely used features.
• 📱 Hiding unnecessary icons: hold your finger in the free screen space → Desktop settings → Hide apps. You can take out the standard programs like Mi Video or Mi Music that you can't remove.
• 🔄 Gestures for quick access: in Settings → Additionally. → Gestures set up swipe down with two fingers to call the notification panel or double tap to lock the screen.

Test these features for a week and you’ll be surprised how much they make it easier to interact with your phone, such as grouping them into categories to find the right app from 12 seconds to 3 (Xiaomi’s internal testing data on POCO F5).

Dynamic Wallpaper and Paralax Effect: How to Include Hidden 3D-effects

Wallpaper on Xiaomi can be more than just a static image, it can be an interactive element. There are several types of dynamic backgrounds hidden in MIUI that respond to the phone's tilt, time of day, or even weather. Here's how to activate them:

1. Open the themes → Wallpaper (or pinch your finger on the desktop → Wallpaper).
2. Select the category Dynamic or Super Wallpaper (on some models you need to pre-download the wallpaper package in Themes → Online).
3. For the paralax effect (3D-Select wallpaper marked Live or Depth.
4. Click Apply and select Home Screen and Lock screen.

In the models with AMOLED-screens (Xiaomi) 13T, Redmi K60 Pro) the dynamic wallpaper is particularly impressive because of its deep black. POCO F4 GT Black Shark has exclusive game themes with animations.

⚠️ Attention: dynamic wallpaper with high frequency animation (more 30 FPS) They can increase battery consumption by 5-7% If you notice a quick discharge, return to static wallpaper or reduce the refresh rate of the screen in Settings → Display. → Frequency of update.

MIUI widgets: which should be added and which should be removed

Widgets on Xiaomi are often seen as useless "decorations", but some of them are really useful. For example, the power control widget shows which applications drain the battery in real time, and Quick Notes syncs with the Mi Cloud and is available even on a locked screen.

How to add a widget:

1. Hold your finger on the free space of the desktop.
2. Select Widgets from the bottom menu.
3. Scroll through the list and drag the desired widget to the screen.
4. Adjust the size by clicking on the corners of the widget.

Top.-5 most useful widgets MIUI:

• 📊 System statistics: shows the load CPU, RAM It's good for gamers and performance watchers.
• 🔋 Energy control: detailed analysis of battery consumption by application with the possibility of forced closure of the background process.
• 📝 Quick Notes: Syncs with Xiaomi account and is available on all devices in the ecosystem (including Mi Band and Mi Notebooks).
• 🌡️ Weather with animation: shows not only the temperature, but also UV-Index, humidity and clothing recommendations.
• 🎵 Music management: a universal player that works with Spotify, YouTube Music and local files.

⚠️ Attention: News and Recommendations widgets constantly load data in the background, which can increase traffic consumption on the Internet. 100-300 If you have a limited rate, you better remove them.

Remove unnecessary widgets (long press → Delete)

Disable Auto Update for Weather and News Widgets

Set the size of the widget under the grid of icons

Check widget permissions in Settings → Annexes-->

Hidden MIUI features for advanced customization

MIUI hides some powerful tools that are not obvious at first glance, and here's what you can do without root rights:

1. Change the grid icons: press your finger on the desktop → Desktop settings → Desktop grid. You can choose from 4×5 to 5×6 icons, and also disable the signatures under them.
2. Transition animation: in Settings → About the phone, press 5 times on the version MIUI, Then go to the developer settings. → Windows animation. Set a value. 0.5x speed up the interface.
3. Hidden themes: In Topics → Profile click on the avatar and select Special Themes. There are exclusive designs that don’t appear in the main directory.
4. Desktop gestures: in Settings → Additional → Gestures can be configured: Swipe up to open the app menu Double touch to lock the screen Triple tap on the screen for screenshot

On the model with Always-On Display (Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi) K60) You can set up notifications, time, and even animations on a locked screen. → Always-On Display and Lockdown.

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To return standard icons after changing the theme, press your finger on your desktop → Icon Style → Select by default.

How to make icons uniform without launchers

One of the main irritants on Android is the difference in icon design, which can be solved without installing third-party launchers using built-in features in MIUI:

1. Open Topics → Icons.
2. Select one of the packages offered (e.g. Minimal, Flat or Neumorph).
3. Click Apply – the system will automatically replace the icons of all supported applications.
4. For apps that haven’t changed, press your finger on the icon → Change → select an alternative icon from the theme.

Before installing, check compatibility with your Xiaomi model on the developer’s website. For example, Nova Launcher can conflict with MIUI gestures on the POCO X5 Pro, if you do not turn off the standard swipe settings.

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When using third-party launchers, disable duplicate MIUI features in Settings → Additional → Gestures to avoid conflicts.

FAQ: answers to frequent questions about the design of the desktop