How to create a shortcut on the Xiaomi Redmi 8 desktop

Xiaomi smartphones, particularly the popular Redmi 8, feature a MIUI shell that is significantly different from standard Android. One of the common challenges for new users is to personalize the interface by adding the right apps or widgets to the home screen. The shortcut process may seem obscure due to the specific logic of the launcher, but it becomes simple after learning the basic principles of navigation.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can add items to your device’s desktop, learn how to create folders for grouping, move icons, and recover deleted shortcuts. A deep understanding of how the interface works will allow you to customize the gadget as convenient as possible for daily use.

It’s worth noting that the system’s algorithms can vary slightly depending on the firmware version installed on your Redmi 8. However, the basic principles remain the same throughout the MIUI ecosystem.

Basic principles of operation of the MIUI launcher

MIUI is based on the concept of splitting the application screen and the desktop. Unlike some other shells, all installed programs are by default in a special menu, which is swiped upwards, so that you can bring a program to a prominent place, you need to create a copy of it, a shortcut. The shortcut is a link to an application that can be freely moved around the screen.

To get started, you need to go into editing mode, and this is done by pressing your finger for a long time on the free area of the desktop or on any existing icon, at which point the interface changes: additional control buttons appear on the top, and the icons themselves begin to tremble slightly, signaling readiness to move. Redmi 8 responds perfectly to multi-touch, allowing you to control several elements at once.

⚠️ Note: When you remove the shortcut from the desktop, the app itself does not disappear from the phone's memory. It remains available in the general list of programs, which is important to remember to avoid confusion.

Navigation between desktop pages is done by swiping left and right. You can add new pages or delete empty ones to optimize space. The system will tell you where there is free space to place a new item. If there is not enough space on the current page, the shortcut will automatically move to the next free area or create a new page.

Creating an application shortcut from a common menu

The most common scenario is that you just installed a new game or messenger and you want to see its icon in front of your eyes. To do this, open the menu of all applications by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Find the program you want in the list or through a search. In the list, all applications are sorted alphabetically or by installation time, which makes it easier to search.

There are two main ways to transfer. The first method is to press the icon on the app menu for a long time before the vibration appears. Without releasing your finger, drag the image to the top of the screen where the "Add" or the plus icon appears. After that, release your finger, and the shortcut will instantly appear on the free desktop page.

The second method is suitable for batch addition of several programs: Go to the editing mode of the desktop (long tap on the empty space), select "Add widgets" or "Apps" in the bottom menu. Here you will see the full list of items available for addition. Just drag the desired icons to the screen to any convenient place.

If you accidentally drag an app in the wrong place, don't worry. While you're holding an icon, you can move it between pages, lingering at the edge of the screen. There's also an automatic sorting feature that lines all shortcuts in straight rows, filling the voids. This is especially convenient on the Redmi 8 screen with its diagonal, where it's important to use each pixel efficiently.

Adding widgets and tools to the screen

In addition to simple icons, MIUI allows you to place widgets, mini-applications that display information in real time, such as hours, weather, currency rates or calendar. To add a widget, click long on an empty desktop area and select "Widgets" from the bottom menu.

A gallery of available widgets will open, categorized, and the system offers both standard Google tools and proprietary Xiaomi designs. Choose the right size and style, then drag it to your desktop. Some widgets, like Battery or Memory Cleanup, require special permissions to work properly.

It's important to understand that active widgets that keep updating data can increase energy consumption. On Redmi 8, with its capacious battery, this is not critical, but an excess of animated elements can lead to faster discharge. Optimizing the number of widgets is the key to balancing beauty and autonomy.

Creating and Configuring Folders for Grouping

When the number of apps installed grows, the desktop becomes chaos. To bring order to MIUI, you have folder creation. To create a folder, just drag and drop one app icon on top of another. The system automatically creates a container by combining two programs.

Once you create a folder, you can rename it by clicking on the default name, you can also change the background color and display style, and you can place up to a few dozen apps inside the folder, organizing them by theme: "Work", "Games", "Social networks".

The contents of the folder are managed in the same way as they are on the desktop: a long tap to move or delete, you can pull applications from the folder back to the screen or move them between pages inside the folder itself, and this allows you to keep only the most important things on hand, hiding rarely used utilities.

⚠️ Note: Deleting the folder from the desktop will not remove the apps inside the app, but will simply return to the shared app menu or remain as separate shortcuts if they were previously placed there.

It is possible to create nested folders in some versions of the launcher, although on Redmi 8 this can work unstable. It is better to stick to a single-level structure for performance. Folders also support small widgets, which allows you to combine functionality and order.

Customization of the appearance of icons and grids

The visual interface is customized through the themes menu. Go to Settings → Wallpaper → Themes. Not only can you change the wallpaper, but you can change the style of the icons for all applications at once. MIUI offers thousands of free sets that completely change the way shortcuts look.

To fine-tune the desktop grid, you need to go to the launcher settings. Press and hold your finger on the blank, select "Settings" (cogs). In the "Grid" section, you can select the number of rows and columns. For the Redmi 8 screen, the optimal format is 5x6 or 4x5, depending on the size of the fingers and the user's vision.

Changing the font size and zooming also affects how shortcuts look, which are located in Settings → Screen → Text Size and Display. Scaling up will make icons bigger, but reduce the number of items that fit on a single page.

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Use the Hide Apps feature in the launcher settings to remove shortcuts of banking applications or personal photos from your desktop without removing the programs themselves.

Keep in mind that installing third-party themes may require you to connect to Xiaomi servers. If you don’t download, check your date and time settings or try changing your phone’s region to India or Singapore – this often speeds up the theme store.

Resolving Missing Labels Problems

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where shortcuts spontaneously disappear from the desktop or stop opening, most often due to the operation of the memory optimization function or failures in the launcher cache, Rebooting the device is the first step to take.

If the problem is not solved, try clearing the launcher cache. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, find the System Launcher list. Select Clear Cache. It is important not to confuse with Clear Data, as this will reset all desktop settings to factory.

Also check if Pocket Mode or Child Mode is enabled, which can block desktop change. In rare cases, shortcuts disappear after a system update, in which case re-addition of apps from the general menu will help in the way described above.

⚠️ Note: If the app shortcut appears as a white square with an exclamation mark, it means that the app is removed or damaged.

For advanced users, a reset of the launcher settings is available through ADB-It's very rare on Redmi 8, and it's usually standard system tools, and if the labels are constantly floating or changing size, check for shell updates. MIUI under the heading “On the telephone".

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Regular cleaning of the launcher cache and updating system components prevent 90% of problems with displaying shortcuts on Xiaomi.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)