How to make five icons in a row on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Modern Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with screens with high resolution and a significant diagonal, but the standard desktop grid often does not allow you to fully use the available area. 4x6 or 5x6, But many users want to see more apps on one screen to open folders less often and find the right widgets faster, which is why the question of how to make five icons in a row on Xiaomi remains one of the most popular among owners. MIUI HyperOS.

Changing the number of columns is not just a cosmetic fix, it's a way to make a device much more ergonomic. When you have five icons on the screen instead of four, visual noise decreases and the space is used more efficiently, but the standard settings menu doesn't always give you direct access to this option, and you have to use some tricks or third-party tools to get the desired result.

In this guide, we will look at all the available methods for extending the desktop grid, from built-in launcher functions to the use of specialized applications. It is important to understand that different versions of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS may have their own implementation features, so we will consider options for both old and fresh versions of the firmware.

Standard grid settings in MIUI and HyperOS

The first thing to start looking for a solution is the standard features of the system. Xiaomi engineers have provided basic customization tools, although they are often hidden in non-obvious places. To check whether you can change the number of columns without installing additional software, you need to go to the desktop editing menu.

You can do this by pinching two fingers on the empty seat of the main screen, or pinching the empty area until the menu appears at the bottom. In the panel that appears, you should select Settings (cog icon). This is the larger section where the Grid option is located. If your region and firmware version allow, you will see 4x6, 5x6 or even 5x7 options.

• 📱 Hold the empty space on the desktop with two fingers.
• ⚙️ Click on the "Settings" button in the lower right corner.
• 🔲 Select the "Grid" item and try to change the number of columns.
• ✅ Confirm changes if the system offers a choice of 5 columns.

Unfortunately, in recent HyperOS updates and global MIUIs, this option is often blocked or limited to a maximum of four columns, to keep fonts readable and interface uniform. If the standard menu has four columns, move on to the next section where we will discuss software methods to circumvent restrictions.

Using the SetEdit application to change configuration

If the standard menu doesn't work, the system's settings database comes to the rescue. SetEdit (Settings Database Editor) allows you to make changes to hidden Android settings that are not available through the normal interface, and it is with this tool that you can force the number of columns to be set.

Before starting work, you must download APK-SetEdit file from a trusted source, as Google Play may not have it because of Google's security policy. launcher.desktop.grid_columns. If you don’t have this option, you can create it by clicking the Add New Setting button.

⚠️ Warning: Be extremely careful when editing system settings. Changing values you are not sure about can lead to unstable launcher operation or a cyclical reboot of the interface.

Value of parameter launcher.desktop.grid_columns We need to change it. 5. It is also worth checking the parameter. launcher.desktop.grid_rows After changing the values, be sure to completely reboot the device so that the launcher rereads the configuration file and applies the new grid.

Use of third-party launchers for maximum flexibility

The most reliable and secure way to get five or more icons in a row is to install an alternative launcher. Xiaomi's standard launcher, despite its functionality, has tough limitations. Third-party shells like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher give full control of the desktop grid.

Once you install the app you select from Google Play, the system will prompt you to select the default app for the home screen. In the new launcher settings, find the Desktop or Grid section, where you can manually set any number of columns and rows, such as 6x8 or more, depending on the diagonal of your screen.

Using a third-party launcher also allows you to change the size of the icons themselves, the indentations between them and the signature fonts, which makes it possible to visually compensate for the decrease in the size of the icons when you move to 5 columns, the advantage of this method is independence from firmware updates Xiaomi.

Setting the size of icons and fonts

Increasing the number of icons in a row inevitably leads to a decrease in their physical size on the screen. To keep the desktop user-friendly, it is not enough to simply change the grid. You need to fine-tune the scale of the interface and the size of the fonts.

Go to Settings → Screen → Text Size and Display. You can zoom in on the font to make room for the icons. In addition, some of the themes have separate adjustments to the size of the app icons. Try setting the theme "Classic" or "Stock Android", they often have more compact icon sets.

If you use a third-party launcher, look for the Icon Size and Padding settings. Reducing the padding between icons allows you to place them denser without sacrificing readability. The optimal ratio for 5 columns on a 6.67 inch screen is the icon size is about 110-120% of the standard, with minimal indentations.

• 📉 Reduce system font by one step in screen settings.
• 🎨 Use themes with compact icons.
• ↔️ In the launcher, reduce horizontal indentations (Horizontal Padding).
• 🔍 Turn off icon signatures if you know the app names well.

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Tip: If after installing 5 icons in a row the text under them became unreadable, try changing the theme of the design to a more minimalist one, where thin fonts are used and less detail is used in the icons themselves.

Solving Display and Failure Problems

After making changes to the desktop configuration, users may encounter artifacts: icons can bump into each other, widgets can be displayed incorrectly, and folders can not open, which is a normal reaction of the system to non-standard grid resolution if the launcher did not have time to recalculate the coordinates.

The first step when glitches appear is to clear the launcher cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, find your desktop application (System Launcher or installed launcher) and click Clear cache. Don't confuse it with Clear Data, otherwise you will lose the location of all icons.

⚠️ Note: When using modified system files or SetEdit, a firmware update may reset your settings. MIUI/HyperOS The grid adjustment procedure may need to be repeated.

If problems persist, check to see if the Increase or Loops mode is included in the special features, and some widgets are fixed minimum sizes and may not fit in a new, smaller grid, in which case they will have to be removed or replaced with alternative, more flexible widgets.

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The stability of 5 icons in a row directly depends on the power of the processor and the amount of RAM. On budget models of Redmi with 3-4 GB of RAM, the use of heavy third-party launchers can cause slowdowns when scrolling through the screens.

Alternative Methods: ADB and Hidden Themes

For advanced users who don’t want to install third-party launchers, but standard methods don’t work, the option is still with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to send commands directly to the system without going through the graphical settings interface.

You'll need a computer, a USB cable, and USB debugging enabled on your smartphone. By connecting the device, you can type a command to change the screen density (DPI), which visually reduces all interface elements, including icons, effectively allowing you to put more elements in a row without changing the grid itself.

adb shell wm density 420

The command above will change the pixel density. The standard value is usually about 390-411 dpi. Increasing this number will reduce the scale of the interface. However, this method affects the entire system, including the keyboard and the settings menu, so you need to use it with caution.

Another way is to search for special themes in the Themes app that force you to change the launcher configuration file, and search for “5 columns” or “6 columns,” which can automatically reset the desktop grid, even if the option is hidden in the settings.