How to remove the inscriptions under the icons on Xiaomi smartphones: all methods

The captions under Xiaomi app icons often get in the way of users: they take up space on the desktop, spoil aesthetics and create visual noise. This is especially true for owners of devices with small screens or those who prefer minimalist design. Fortunately, MIUI has several ways to hide these signatures, from standard settings to advanced methods using ADB.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to remove icons on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO with MIUI 12, 13 and 14 firmware. You will learn how to do this without root rights, what restrictions each method has and how to return signatures back if something goes wrong.

Why can’t Xiaomi just turn off the icons?

Unlike iOS or Samsung One UI, where signature hiding is done out of the box, MIUI has historically not provided a direct option for doing so, and the reason is that it has a philosophy of the interface:

• 📱 Comfort for beginners – Xiaomi is focused on the mass user, who signatures help to find applications faster.
• 🔄 Frequent updates MIUI — With each new version of the shell, the logic of the launcher changes, which complicates universal solutions.
• 🛠️ Standard Launcher Limits – Many features (including label hiding) are only available in alternative launchers like Nova Launcher.

But you can get around these limitations, and then you can do all the proven things, from the simplest to the most technically sophisticated.

Method 1: Use Unnamed mode in MIUI settings (for some versions)

Starting with MIUI 12.5 and some builds of MIUI 13/14, a hidden option to disable signatures has been introduced, and it doesn’t work on all devices, but it’s worth checking for it first.

1. Open the Settings. → Desktop.
2. Find the item Style icons or Desktop layout (the name may vary).
3. Scroll down and look for the option to Show App Names or Signatures under icons.
4. Turn off the slider and restart the launcher (it is enough to swipe up and close the Launcher app in the multitasking menu).

If you don't have one, move on to the next way, and on some devices (like the POCO F4 with MIUI 14), this option only appears after you reset the launcher to the factory settings.

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To restart the launcher quickly, press and hold the Home button, then swipe the Launcher app up.This will save time instead of completely restarting the phone.

Method 2: Installation of an alternative launcher (Nova, Apex, Lawnchair)

The most reliable and versatile method is to use a third-party launcher, for example, Nova Launcher allows you not only to remove inscriptions, but also to flexibly adjust the size of icons, desktop grid and animation.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

1. Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
2. After installation, click the Home button and select Nova as the default launcher.
3. Press your finger on the free desktop space → Settings → Desktop settings.
4. Find the icon layout and select No Names or disable the Show Signature slider.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party launchers, some functions may disappear MIUI, For example, Super Wallpaper or Global Search, to return them, you just need to select the standard launcher again in the settings.

Method 3: Disabling inscriptions via ADB (without root)

If you don’t want to change the launcher, but the standard settings don’t help, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12-14, but requires a connection to a computer.

Step-by-step:

Enable USB debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)|Install ADB drivers on PC| Download Platform Tools from Google| Connect your phone to your PC via USB and allow debugging-->

1. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools.
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
3. Use the command to disable the inscriptions: adb shell settings put secure icon_label_background 0
4. Reboot the launcher with the command: adb shell am force-stop com.miui.home

If the inscriptions are not gone, try the alternative command:

adb shell settings put secure icon_label_style 0

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T s MIUI 14) these commands can only work after the phone has restarted. There is also a risk of resetting the launcher settings - back up the location of the icons in advance through Settings → Desktop → Backup.

Method 4: Edit system files (root only)

This method is suitable for experienced users with an unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk. It allows you to permanently remove the inscriptions under the icons, but requires caution - incorrect actions can lead to a launcher failure.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/MiuiHome/MiuiHome.apk or (for newer versions of MIUI): /system/priv-app/MiuiHome2/MiuiHome2.apk
3. Copy the MiuiHome.apk file into any folder (like Download) and open it in the APK Editor Pro editor.
4. Find a line. show_icon_title or icon_label_visible and replace it with false.
5. Save the changes, move the file back to /system/priv-app/ and restart the phone.

⚠️ Attention: Editing system files can cause bootloop (locking on the boot:

• Create a backup copy through TWRP.
• Make sure you have access to fastboot for recovery.
• Do not change other settings in MiuiHome.apk - this can break the launcher.

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If the launcher stopped working after editing APK, restore the original file from the backup or reinstall MIUI via fastboot.

Method 5: Hiding inscriptions through MIUI themes

Little-known life hacking – some MIUI themes automatically remove icon signatures, which doesn’t require root or ADB, but doesn’t work on all devices.

How to apply:

1. Open the Themes app on your Xiaomi.
2. No label Minimalist icons Clean desktop

Choose the theme you like and apply it. After applying it, check if the inscriptions have disappeared.

If the theme doesn’t fit in other settings (colors, fonts), return the standard theme – sometimes the captions remain hidden.

Examples of working themes (checked on Redmi Note 11 and Xiaomi 11T):

• 🎨 Pure Black No Label is a black theme with no signatures.
• 🌌 Cosmic Minimal – Minimal design with transparent icons.
• ⚪ Snow White Clean – white theme with an emphasis on textless icons.

💡 Tip: If after applying the theme, the inscriptions disappeared, but you do not like other design elements, try to manually change the wallpaper and fonts in the settings, without removing the theme.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When trying to remove icons, users often encounter common errors, and here are the most common ones and how to fix them:

If neither of these methods worked, your version of MIUI may have unique limitations, and there are two options left:

1. Wait for firmware updates (sometimes Xiaomi adds new settings in fresh builds).
2. Switch to custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS), where icon settings are more flexible.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions