How to Remove Unnecessary Shortcuts from the Xiaomi Desktop: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi’s desktop is often a mess of dozens of shortcuts, with traces of deleted apps, duplicated icons after updates, and the system adds unnecessary services like Mi Video or Mi Pay. Even after uninstallation, their icons sometimes remain, taking up space and distracting. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to clean the screen: from basic actions to hidden MIUI functions that work on Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T and other devices with the shell versions 12-14.

The MIUI interface is very aggressive in promoting branded services, for example, when you upgrade to MIUI 14, you might see Mi Home or Mi Browser shortcuts that you can't remove in the standard way, and we'll show you how to get around those restrictions without root rights and third-party utilities. Importantly, some techniques require caution, because the wrong actions in the launcher settings can reset all the icons.

1. Standard shortcut removal: what can be done without settings

Start with the simplest one: check if the shortcut is a widget or a folder, and widgets (like weather or calendar) are deleted differently from normal icons to distinguish them:

• 🔍 Long-pressed label → If a menu with the “Delete” or “Application Information” appears, this is a regular icon.
• ⚙️ If with a long press the shortcut is not highlighted and the basket does not appear at the top of the screen - this is a widget.
• 📂 If you click on a group of applications, it is a folder (it can be expanded and deleted separately).

For standard icons:

1. Press the unnecessary label for 1-2 seconds.
2. Drag it into a basket that appears at the top of the screen with the words “Delete”.
3. Confirm the action (if a request is made).

⚠️ Note: This method only removes the shortcut, not the app itself. If the icon belongs to a system utility (e.g., Security or Themes), it may reappear after a reboot.

Some firmware (e.g. MIUI 13 for POCO F4) doesn't show the basket.

1. Press the label → select “Application Information”.
2. Click “Delete” (if the button is active) or “Disable” for system applications.

2. Hiding system shortcuts through launcher settings

If standard deletion doesn't work, the label is probably from the system application. In MIUI, you can't delete all of these icons, but you can hide them.

1. Open Settings → Desktop (or Home Screen on some models).
2. Select Hide Apps (older versions say Launcher Settings → Hidden Apps).
3. Check the boxes for unnecessary shortcuts (e.g. Mi Music, Mi Video, Game Turbo).
4. Click “Ready” – the icons will disappear from the desktop, but will remain in the menu of all applications.

This method works for most Xiaomi utilities, except for critical ones (like Settings or Phone). On some firmware (like MIUI 14 for Redmi Note 11), the list of hidden applications is limited – it may not contain Mi Pay or Mi Home.

MIUI’s global firmware (EU/Global) has a wider list of hidden apps than China ROM’s. If your smartphone is bought in China, some system shortcuts may not be hidden.

3. Remove via "Application Settings": Disconnect and Reset

If the shortcut belongs to an app you don’t use but isn’t removed in the standard way (such as Mi Browser or Mi Community), try:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the app you want in the list (use the search at the top).
3. Click “Disable” (the button will appear if the application is system).
4. Confirm the action – the icon will disappear from the desktop, and the application will stop working.

For some utilities (for example, Mi Video) a factory reset is available:

1. In the app menu, select "Storage".
2. Click on “Clear Data” and “Clear Cache”.
3. Return to the main menu of the app and select “Delete Updates” (if the button is active).

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system applications like Mi Share or Security may disrupt the fast file transfer or virus scanning function. Before disabling, check if the application is being used by other services.

Make a backup copy of important data

Check if the app is connected to your Mi Account

Remember the name of the application for possible inclusion back

Reboot your phone after disconnecting-->

4.Resetting launcher settings: a radical method

If you have duplicate shortcuts on your desktop after the MIUI update or if you don't delete third-party app icons, resetting the launcher will help, which will return the standard icon location, but will delete all your screen settings (folders, widgets, wallpaper).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In search, type "Luncher" (or "Launcher" in English firmware).
3. Select an app called “Luncher MIUI” (the icon is a house).
4. Click on “Storage” → “Clear Data” and confirm.
5. Reboot the phone.

After the reboot:

• 📱 All shortcuts will return to factory status (it is possible that standard Xiaomi icons will appear).
• 🔄 The wallpaper settings and those will be thrown off.
• 📂 The folders on the desktop will disappear (you will have to create again).

The advantage of the method is to remove the "ghost" shortcuts that remained after uninstalling the applications. The disadvantage is that it requires reconfiguration of the screen. We recommend that you take screenshots of the current location of the icons before reset.

5.Use ADB to remove system applications (for advanced ones)

If you're ready to experiment, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) lets you remove even apps that aren't hidden through settings, a technique that requires a computer and basic command-line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to become a developer) Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging over USB (enable)
2. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm access to debugging.
3. Download ADB Tools and unpack it into a folder.
4. Open the command line in this folder and type in: adb devices (the name of your device should appear).
5. Find out the name of the package of the unwanted application. To do this, type: adb shell pm list packages | grep "miui" (for example, com.miui.video for Mi Video).
6. Delete the application by command: adb shell pm uninstall-k --user 0 name packet (e.g. adb shell pm uninstall-k --user 0 com.miui.video).

Once you execute the command, the label will disappear and the application will stop working. To return it, use:

adb shell cmd package install-existing name packet

⚠️ Note: Removing system applications through ADB Do not delete packages called com.android, com.miui.home or com.xiaomi, which are critical components of the system. → System system → Backup.

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Before uninstalling through ADB, check if the app is a dependency for other features. For example, deleting com.miui.gallery can break the viewing of photos in other utilities.

6.Third-party launchers: an alternative way to manage shortcuts

If standard methods don’t work, install a launcher (like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher) that allows you to:

• 🚫 Completely hide system applications (even those that are not hidden in the system) MIUI).
• 📦 Group icons into folders with gestures.
• 🎨 Change the style of icons and animation.
• 🔍 Use App Search instead of scrolling through the menu.

Instructions for setting up Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. When you first start, select it as the default launcher.
3. Click the empty space on your desktop → “Settings” → “Apps and widgets”.
4. Select “Hide Apps” and mark the unnecessary ones.
5. To return to the standard launcher, go to Settings → Applications → By default → Launcher.

Advantages of third-party launchers:

Disadvantage: Some MIUI features (such as pop-ups or quick notes) may not work properly with third-party launchers. Check compatibility on forums (such as 4PDA) before installing.

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Third-party launchers are the only way to completely eliminate the labels of system applications without root rights, but they do not delete the programs themselves, but only hide their display.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing shortcuts on Xiaomi