How to effectively remove icons from the screen of the smartphone Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to reorganize their workspace. MIUI (and now HyperOS) provides a host of customization tools, but standard shortcut removal techniques may not be obvious to beginners. Users want to not just clean the screen of unnecessary visual noise, but also deal with intrusive system elements.

There are several scenarios where you need to interfere with the desktop structure, from simply removing the app shortcut to completely disabling embedded services that can not be uninstalled in the usual way. Android allows you to flexibly manage the interface, but Xiaomi makes its own adjustments to this process. In this guide, we will discuss all ways to remove icons from the screen, including hidden settings and advanced methods.

Some interface elements are part of the system and require a special approach to disable them. Incorrect actions can lead to unstable launcher operation or loss of important functions. So it is important to clearly understand the difference between deleting an application and simply moving a shortcut. Let's look at the available options in detail.

Basic removal of application shortcuts

The easiest way to clean your desktop is to remove the shortcuts to the apps you installed. In the MIUI shell, this process is intuitive, but has its own peculiarities depending on the display mode you choose. The standard action algorithm is suitable for most user programs.

To remove, you need to click on the icon and hold your finger until the context menu appears. At the bottom of the screen, a toolbar will appear where you need to select the basket or cross icon. The system can request confirmation of action, warning that the application will be removed from the device along with its data.

⚠️ Note: Removing the shortcut of a system application (e.g., Music or Browser) may result in this component being completely uninstalled unless you previously disabled the ability to remove system programs in your settings.

If you use Classic Menu mode, where all icons are on desktops, removing the shortcut is equivalent to removing the app itself. In Standard Menu mode (like on iPhone), where there is a separate curtain with all programs, removing the icon from the desktop only reduces access to it, but saves the application in memory.

• 📱 Press and hold the app icon that you want to remove.
• 🗑️ Drag the label into the “Delete” or “Basket” icon that appears".
• ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window if the system requests it.
• 🔄 Repeat the procedure for the remaining unnecessary items on the screen.

It is important to note that some pre-installed Xiaomi apps may not have the option of completely uninstalling through the standard menu.In this case, the shortcut will disappear from the screen, but the application itself will remain in the installed list.

Hiding applications through launcher settings

Hidden Apps is a regular MIUI tool that removes icons from the desktop and menu, making them available only through a special password entry or search query, ideal for those who want to hide personal photos, messengers or financial applications from prying eyes.

To activate this feature, you need to go to the launcher settings. The path usually looks like: Settings → Desktop. Here you should find "Hide Apps" or "Hidden Apps." Once you turn on this option, the system will prompt you to select the programs that you want to hide.

Path to Settings: Settings → Desktop → Hide applications

Once you add apps to the hidden list, their icons will disappear from desktops and from the menus of all apps, requiring either a special code in the search bar (e.g. #myhidden#) or a fingerprint if the option is configured, creating an additional layer of security and privacy.

Keep in mind that hidden applications continue to run in the background and consume resources, and notifications from them can also come if they are not turned off individually in the notification settings, which does not delete data, but only hides the visual interface.

• 🔒 Open the desktop settings through a long press on empty space.
• 👁️ Select "Hide Apps" in the lower menu.
• ➕ Click Plus and select hide apps from the list.
• 🔐 Use a password or biometrics to access a hidden partition.

Disabling Xiaomi system applications

Many users want to remove icons of Xiaomi services such as Mi Video, Mi Browser, Mail or Themes. Standard removal is often not available, as these programs are part of the system partition. However, you can disable them, which will hide the icon and stop the process.

To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find an unnecessary system service in the list. If the Remove button is inactive (gray), click on the Other Rights button or immediately find the Disable button. Once confirmed, the icon will disappear from the screen and the application will stop updating and working.

Using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) rights allows you to delete even those applications that are not disabled through settings, this requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and entering special commands. For example, the command pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer will remove the video player for the current user.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling critical system components such as Security, Conductor or Downloads can cause a smartphone to malfunction. Always check the destination of the package before removing it.

If you accidentally disable an important system process, you can return it via the recovery menu or reset it to factory settings, so you should only experiment with system packages if you have a full backup of the data.

Removal of widgets and design elements

Xiaomi’s lock screen and desktop are often oversaturated with widgets: weather, news, peacock, horizontal calendar. You can remove them as easily as application icons, but there are nuances of interaction with the desktop grid.

To remove the widget, click on it and hold it. A menu will appear where you need to select "Delete" or drag the widget to the top of the screen on the basket icon. If the widget is part of the system theme, it may not be deleted, but only hide or require you to change the theme to a standard one.

Special attention should be paid to the widget "Tape of widgets" (infinite tape to the left of the first screen). To turn it off, swipe to the right, click three dots in the corner or go to Settings → Desktop → Widget tape and select "No" or "Applications".

• 🌤️ Press and hold the weather or news widget on the screen.
• ❌ Move the item to the removal area or select the appropriate button.
• ⚙️ To turn off the left tape, use the desktop settings.
• 🎨 Changing theme can automatically remove standard design widgets.

Some widgets, such as Cards in newer versions of HyperOS, are modified application shortcuts, and the removal of these is similar to normal icons, but if the widget is embedded in a third-party theme, it may require a return to the standard Xiaomi theme to disappear completely.

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Use minimalist design widgets or transparent widgets from the GetThemes store to preserve functionality but visually clear the screen space.

Hiding icons in the mode "Pocket mode"

Sometimes users confuse the removal of icons with a situation where the screen goes out when the smartphone is in your pocket, or vice versa - the screen lights up and changes the icons. Pocket Mode is designed to prevent accidental clicks, but its setting affects the display of interface elements.

In the lock settings, there's a Pocket Mode option. If it's on, the proximity sensor locks the screen in the dark. It doesn't remove the icons forever, but it hides their contents when the phone is in your pocket. To manage this, go to Settings → Lock screen.

There's also a feature called "Mode in the pocket" in the special features section that blocks answers to calls or actions when the sensor is closed, which is not about visual icon removal, but is important for understanding the behavior of the screen in different operating conditions.

⚠️ Warning: Do not glue the top speaker area (where the proximity sensor is located) with tight protective glass or stickers.This can cause the phone to constantly think it is in your pocket and turn off the screen while you talk.

If your goal is to make the lock screen clear of widgets and watches, it's done through lock theme editing. With standard MIUI tools, you can only switch watch styles, but not remove them completely without using custom themes.

Using third-party launchers for full customization

If standard MIUI capabilities don’t satisfy you, the best solution is to install a third-party launcher, applications like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher allow you to remove any icons, hide signatures, change the grid and animations.

Once you install a third-party launcher, it will suggest you become the main one, and then you have full control of the desktop, so you can hide any apps from the menu, create blank pages, and customize the behavior of the icons in a way that you can't do in a stock shell.

Recommended launchers for Xiaomi:


1. Nova Launcher (maximum flexibility)




2. Lawnchair (Pixel style, lightness)




3. Niagara Launcher (minimalism, list)

However, switching to a third-party launcher on Xiaomi has its own peculiarities: the system can aggressively unload the launcher from memory, which leads to the return of the standard interface when rebooting. To avoid this, you need to fix the launcher in memory and give it all the necessary permissions in the Auto Start and Battery menus.

• 📥 Download the selected launcher from the Google Play Store.
• 🏠 Click the Home button and select the new default launcher.
• ⚙️ Go to the settings of the new launcher for fine-tuning the grid and icons.
• 🔋 Allow auto-start and work in the background for stability.

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Third-party launcher is the only way to completely change the logic of the desktop and hide the system limitations of MIUI.