How to Make a Shortcut on Xiaomi Phone: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones, which run MIUI or HyperOS shells, provide users with the widest possible personalization of the interface. One of the basic but critical skills for comfortable use of the gadget is the ability to properly organize the home screen space. The label is not just an icon, but the key to quickly launch your favorite programs, sites and system functions.

Device owners often face the need to display a hidden app on their desktop, create a link to a frequently visited web resource, or add a weather widget. The process of creating these elements may vary depending on the firmware version and smartphone model. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to create shortcuts so that you can customize your Redmi, Poco or Xiaomi as conveniently as possible.

The organization of the workspace directly affects the speed and ease of interaction with the device. Creating a website shortcut through the Chrome browser or Mi Browser allows you to turn any page into a full-fledged application that opens in a separate window without an address bar. Let's look at the basic methods of organizing your digital space.

Creating an application shortcut from the menu of all programs

The most common scenario is to display an app icon on the home screen if it gets lost in the general list of programs. In Xiaomi shells, the menu of all applications is usually opened by swiping up the screen or pressing a special button. Find the desired program in the list, for example, Calculator or Recorder.

To move the icon, you need to pinch it with your finger for a few seconds, and then the system goes into editing mode, and you can drag the object to any free area of the desktop. Release your finger to fix the result. If there are no empty seats, the system will prompt you to create a new page or automatically move other elements.

Sometimes users can't find the shortcut because it's been removed from the desktop, even though the program itself is still in the phone's memory. In this case, a search through the All Apps menu is the only sure way to restore access. Note that MIUI system applications often have built-in deletion restrictions, but their shortcuts can be moved freely.

It's worth noting that in recent versions of HyperOS, the application grouping algorithm has become smarter, so if you use a particular program a lot, the system can suggest that you label it prominently, but manual control is always a more reliable way to organize space.

Instructions for creating a website shortcut on the desktop

Often, there is a need for quick access to a specific site, news portal or online service without having to open a browser and enter an address every time. Modern mobile browsers such as Google Chrome, Yandex Browser or the standard Mi Browser allow you to create full-fledged site shortcuts.

So, let's take a look at the most popular browser in Chrome, and you can open the right website and wait for the page to load. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen to open the context menu. In the drop-down list, select "Add to the home screen" (or "Install the app" if the site supports the PWA-technology).

The system will suggest changing the shortcut name to read easily under the icon. Confirm the action, and a new icon with the site logo will appear on the desktop. When you click on it, the page will open in the browser, but it will look like a separate application, often even hiding the browser interface.

• 🌐 Open the browser and go to the desired site.
• 📂 Click on the menu (three dots) and select Add to the home screen".
• ✏️ Confirm the name and click "Add".
• 📱 Find a new label on your desktop.

It is important to understand that these shortcuts depend on how the browser works. If you decide to delete the browser or clear its data, the shortcuts may stop functioning correctly. In addition, some sites may block the creation of shortcuts for security reasons or layout features.

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Use short titles for website shortcuts (1-2 words) so that they don’t crop on the screen and look neat in the app grid.

Working with widgets and placing them on the screen

Widgets are dynamic elements that display real-time information directly on the desktop. On Xiaomi smartphones, they can show weather, currency rates, steps, news or calendar. Adding a widget is often confused with shortcut creation, but technically they are different processes, although the result for the user is similar - the appearance of a new element on the screen.

To add a widget, you need to go to desktop editing mode. To do this, pinch two fingers on the screen (finger mixing), or just hold your finger for a long time on an empty area. In the bottom menu, select "Widgets" (or "Add"). Opens the library of all available widgets installed in the system.

Find the widget you want, like Google's Weather or MIUI. Click on it and select a size. Then drag the item to the vacant space. The widgets take up more space than the regular shortcuts and require an empty grid of cells to install. If there's not enough space, the system will notify you.

⚠️ Warning: Widgets consume more battery power than static shortcuts, as they constantly update data over the internet.Don't place too many active widgets if you're worried about autonomy.

Some widgets allow you to change the display style. For example, a watch widget can only show the time, time with a date, or an entire panel with weather and schedule. Customization of the appearance is usually available through prolonged clicking on an already installed widget and selecting the option "Widget settings".

Folder settings and shortcut grouping

As the number of apps installed grows, the desktop becomes chaos, and to bring order to MIUI and HyperOS, folder creation is provided, which allows you to group shortcuts by topic: "Social Networks", "Games", "Work", "Finance".

The process of creating a folder is elemental. Take one shortcut, press it and drag it directly over another shortcut of the same subject. The system automatically creates a folder by combining both elements, you can rename the folder by clicking on its name, and change the background color if this option is available in your theme.

Within the folder, shortcuts can be sorted. Just open the folder, pinch the item and move it to the right place. The nesting of folders (the folder inside the folder) in the standard Xiaomi shell is not supported, but you can create folders inside the folders using third-party launchers, although this can lead to unstable system operation.

Not only does folder use improve visual perception, it also speeds up search, your brain remembers categories more quickly than a hundred icons, and try not to make folders too deep and overloaded.

Hiding applications and protecting shortcuts with password

The privacy issue on Xiaomi smartphones is addressed with the built-in “Hide Apps” feature, which allows you to remove the shortcut from the home screen and menu, making it available only through a special code or fingerprint.

To activate the function, go to Settings → Applications → Hide applications. Turn on the switch and select the programs you want to hide. After that, the shortcut will disappear from the screen. To open the hidden application, you must enter a predefined secret code (for example, #1234#) in the Phone application or in search.

And then there's the app protection feature, which doesn't hide the shortcut, but it requires you to type in a password, fingerprint, or face scan every time you run a program, and it's perfect for banking apps, gallery or instant messengers. You can set it up in the Settings menu. → Annexes → Application protection.

Using these features turns your smartphone into a secure data store. Even if the phone falls into the wrong hands, access to hidden shortcuts will be limited.Remember the secret code, as its recovery without a tied Mi Account can be difficult.

Problems with displaying icons and their solution

Xiaomi users sometimes face a situation when after installing the application, the shortcut does not appear on the desktop, or the icon is displayed incorrectly (white square, standard Android robot).

Often the problem lies in the theme settings. If you use a third-party theme from the MIUI Themes store, some icons may not have a drawn design and look like standard stubs. Try changing the theme to a standard or classic one to see if the shortcut looks different.

Another common cause is a crowded launcher cache. Launcher is a desktop system application. Cleaning it often solves problems with missing icons. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, look up the Louncher (or System Launcher) list, select Clear → Clear Cache.

⚠️ Warning: Clearing the launcher data (not just the cache) will reset all your shortcuts and widgets to factory status".

If the shortcut is gone after a system update, check the launcher basket (if this is available in your HyperOS version) or try reinstalling the problematic app. In rare cases, resetting the screen settings in the theme menu helps.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The ability to manage shortcuts, widgets and hidden features allows you to turn the standard interface Xiaomi in a personalized and effective tool for work and entertainment.