How to Make Folders on Xiaomi Desktop: A Complete Guide to MIUI

Xiaomi’s smartphone desktop quickly fills with app shortcuts, files and widgets, turning into a chaos of icons. Creating folders is an easy way to put things in order by grouping similar items into categories: games, social networks, tools or work files. But in MIUI (the Xiaomi shell), this process is different from standard Android, and some users face problems: folders are not created, disappear after a reboot or do not display correctly.

In this article, you will find 3 proven ways to create folders on the Xiaomi desktop (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models), as well as solutions to typical errors.

• 📁 Create a folder by the classical method (dropping icons)
• 🔧 Use built-in tools MIUI grouping
• 📱 Configure folders through launchers from third-party developers
• 🔄 Recovering missing folders after system update

All instructions are valid for MIUI 12-15 versions (including global and Chinese firmware). If your smartphone runs Android 13/14 with HyperOS shell, some points may differ, as we will also mention separately.

1. Classic method: dragging icons

The most obvious method is to group applications into a folder by drag and drop. It works on all versions of MIUI, but there are nuances that few people know about.

How to do this:

1. Press and hold your finger on any app icon on your desktop until it “rises” above the screen.
2. Drag it to another icon (like WhatsApp on Telegram).
3. Release your finger – the system will automatically create a folder with the category name (for example, “Messages”).

If the folder is not created:

• ⚠️ Make sure you drag and drop the icon on your desktop, not in the app menu (App Drawer). MIUI folders are created only on the main screen.
• 🔄 Try to reboot your smartphone – sometimes the launcher glitches interfere with the grouping.
• 📱 Check if the light mode is enabled (Settings) → Special opportunities → Easy mode. It has folder creation disabled.

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If you need to add an app to an existing folder, just drag it to the folder icon and hold it for 1-2 seconds until the folder opens.

2. Create folders through MIUI settings (hidden function)

Few people know, but MIUI has a hidden tool to manage folders through the system menu, which is useful if drag and drop doesn’t work or you need to create an empty folder (no apps).

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Desktop.
2. Select Desktop Configuration → Folders (some versions of MIUI 14+ refer to this as Folder Management).
3. Click Create a new folder and specify its name (for example, “Work” or “Games”).
4. Go back to the desktop, and the folder will appear as a gray square, and now you can add apps to it by drag and drop.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ It does not work on HyperOS (replaced with another mechanism).
• 🔒 In some regional firmware, the Folder item may not be available – it depends on the version. MIUI.
• 📌 Folders created in this way can not be moved between screens (only inside one desktop).

3. Use of third-party launchers (Nova, Apex, Microsoft Launcher)

If standard MIUI methods don’t suit you, you can install an alternative launcher from Google Play, which will not only allow you to create folders flexibly, but also customize their appearance, animations and even gestures.

The best launchers for Xiaomi:

How to create a folder in Nova Launcher:

1. Install the launcher and select it as the main one (at the first start the system will offer to do this).
2. Click and hold the free space on the desktop → Folders → Create a folder.
3. Set the name and icon (you can choose from the gallery or download the icon pack).
4. Add apps by drag and drop or through the folder editing menu.

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The side launchers allow you to create folders inside folders (nesting) – a feature not available in the standard MIUI launcher.

4. Features of working with folders in HyperOS

In 2026, Xiaomi began the transition from MIUI to a new HyperOS shell. in it, the mechanism of working with folders changed: they are now closely integrated with the widget system and support dynamic updates (for example, the Photo folder can automatically show the latest pictures from the gallery).

Key differences between HyperOS:

• 🔄 Folders are created not only by drag and drop, but also through the context menu (long-term pressing on the desktop). → Add → folder).
• 🎨 Support for dynamic folders – their content is updated automatically (for example, the folder “Frequently used” will show the top of the list).-5 applications).
• 🔒 Restriction: You cannot rename system folders (e.g., Tools or Multimedia").

If you have HyperOS but the folders are acting strangely (for example, disappearing after locking the screen), follow these steps:

1. Open the settings → Desktop → More.
2. Turn off Desktop Optimization (it can automatically hide infrequently used folders).
3. Reboot your smartphone.

Make sure that the HyperOS version is not lower than 1.0.1.0|Turn off desktop optimization|Update all system applications through the Mi App Store|Check if the power saving mode is enabled (it can block folder updates)-->

Typical problems and their solutions

Even after successful folder creation, Xiaomi users are plagued with bugs, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher (or MIUI Launcher) and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data (not cache!).
4. Reboot your smartphone – all folders and shortcuts will return to factory settings.

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Before resetting the launcher, take screenshots of the desktop or record a video - so you will quickly restore the location of the folders.

6. How to delete or restore a folder

Removing a folder in MIUI is not an obvious way: you can't just delete it, you have to pull out all the applications first.

To delete the folder:

1. Open the folder you want to delete.
2. Drag all apps from it back to the desktop (or in the app menu).
3. Once the folder is empty, it will automatically disappear.

If the folder is missing by itself, try to restore it:

• 🔍 Check the app menu (App Drawer) – sometimes folders “fall out” there.
• 🔄 Restart your smartphone in Safe Mode (hold the power button) → Safe Mode. If the folder appears, it's the third-party app's fault.
• 📱 Restore the desktop backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup (if previously backup was done).

7. Desktop Optimization: Tips for Organizing Folders

It's half the battle to create a folder, and the important thing is that it helps, not interferes. Here are some proven techniques for effective organization:

• 📌 Color grouping: Use icons of the same color for folders of the same category (e.g. green for work applications, blue for social networks). MIUI This can be done through topics (themes). → Icons).
• 🔢 Digital order: Call folders with numbers at the beginning (e.g. 1.Social networks, 2.Work) so that they are sorted automatically.
• 🔄 Dynamic folders: In HyperOS, configure the “Last Files” folder, which will show downloaded documents for a week.
• 🚫 Don’t overload: The optimal number of apps in a folder is 4-6. If more, it becomes uncomfortable to look for them.

Example of a desktop structure for productivity:

┌───────────┬───────────┬───────────┐




│ 📱 Social Media │ 💼 Work │ 🎮 Games │




├───────────┼───────────┼───────────┤




│ 📷 Photo │ 🎵 Music │ 📁 Files │




└───────────┴───────────┴───────────┘

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Research shows that users spend 30% less time searching for apps if the desktop is organized by color and thematic groups rather than chaotic.

FAQ: Frequent questions about folders on Xiaomi