How to remove badges on Xiaomi: setting up and hiding

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone users often face the need to change the appearance of the desktop to improve convenience or aesthetics. The MIUI shell and its latest version of HyperOS provide extensive customization options, but standard methods of removing icons may not be obvious to beginners. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to effectively manage the elements of the interface.

There are several scenarios where you want to remove icons, from simply removing application shortcuts to hiding sensitive programs from prying eyes. Completely removing system components without root rights is impossible, but they can be hidden or disabled. Understanding the differences between these methods will help you avoid accidentally deleting important data or disrupting the system.

We will consider both the standard tools of the Android operating system in conjunction with the corporate shell, and additional utilities for advanced configuration. Get ready to dive deep into the settings of your device to make it as comfortable as possible.

Basic removal of application icons

The easiest way to remove the icon is to remove the app itself or its shortcut from the desktop. Depending on the display mode you choose (Classic or Scrolling), the actions may vary slightly, but the logic remains the same. To begin with, just find the unnecessary item on the screen.

Click on the icon and hold your finger for a second until the action menu appears or the device goes into edit mode. At the top of the screen or in the context menu that appears, you will see the "Delete" option or basket. Drag the icon into this zone will cause it to disappear from the current screen.

If you remove the shortcut in Scrolling mode, the app will remain on the menu of all programs. In Classic Desktop Mode, often deleting the program completely, unless it is a system component.

• 🗑️ Press and hold the icon until the menu appears.
• 📲 Drag the item to the removal area ("Delete" or basket).
• ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window if required.

It is important to distinguish between shortcut removal and application uninstallation. In some cases, the system may request confirmation to delete data. If the icon is part of the system process, the delete button may be inactive or absent.

Hiding applications through the second space

For users who want to hide certain icons from prying eyes without deleting them, the MIUI shell features a “Second Space” feature, which creates a completely isolated environment on your smartphone, access to which is protected by a separate password or fingerprint.

To activate this feature, go to the settings and find the "Second Space" section, and once enabled, you can move sensitive applications there, and their icons will not appear in the main profile, which ensures a high level of privacy.

⚠️ Warning: Forgotten password from the second space can lead to loss of access to hidden data, as recovery without a linked Mi Account is difficult.

Using the second space is not just a way to remove icons, but also a way to separate your work and personal life, so you can set up different wallpapers, application sets, and even accounts for each space, and switch between them quickly and conveniently.

To activate the hidden mode, you often use a special gesture or code that you set yourself, which allows you to instantly hide the contents of the second space when strangers appear near your device.

Use of the function "Hidden applications"

Unlike the second space, the Hiding Apps feature allows you to remove icons of selected programs directly in the current profile, accessing them through a special gesture in the Security app or through the search bar.

To set up, go to the Security app, then select Hide the apps, and you'll be asked to create a password and a check question, and then you can select a list of programs that you want to hide.

Once activated, the icons of selected applications will disappear from the desktop and from the general menu. To get to the hidden section, you need to enter a special code in the Security application or use a customized gesture.

This method is ideal for those who want to hide individual programs but do not want to create a separate user profile.The interface remains clean, and access to hidden content is protected by strong encryption.

• 🔒 Open the Security app on your Xiaomi device.
• 👁️ Find and select the item “Hide of applications».
• 📱 Add the right programs to the list of hidden.

Set up the launcher and desktop

The standard MIUI launcher allows you to flexibly customize the appearance of the desktop. You can change the size of the grid, which visually changes the number and location of icons. Reducing the size of the grid allows you to place more elements, and zooming in to make the interface more spacious.

To change the grid settings, go to Settings, then to Desktop, where you can select the number of rows and columns, and you can also use the "Enlarged icons" feature, which changes the scale of the bars, but reduces the number of visible elements on the screen.

You can also delete entire desktop pages, so you can pull your fingers off the home screen to go into edit mode, find an empty or unnecessary page, and click on the cross or delete button in the corner.

Using widgets also helps organize space, and instead of having lots of small icons, you can use large weather widgets, calendar widgets, or notes, which visually removes the noise from the small icons.

Disabling system applications

Many pre-installed Xiaomi apps cannot be removed by standard methods, as they are part of the system, but they can be disabled, which effectively removes their icon from the menu and stops background processes.

Go to Settings, select Apps, and find an unnecessary system program (such as Mi Video or Mi Music) in the list. In the menu that opens, click the "Disable" button. The icon will disappear, and the application will stop consuming resources.

For more advanced users, there is a method of removing via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and having basic command line knowledge, and allows you to remove even those components that are hidden from the average user.

Using ADB requires you to enable USB debugging mode in the Developer menu. Once connected to a PC, you can use packet removal commands. Be extremely careful: removing critical system components can cause your phone to fail.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

This command, for example, will remove the standard Xiaomi video player for the current user. Remember that to return the functionality may require a complete reset of the device.

Solving Missing Badge Problems

Sometimes users face the reverse problem: icons disappear on their own after a system update or crash, which may be due to a launcher cache overflow or an error in the application database.

The first step should be to remove the Themes and Security app cache, as they control the display of interface elements. Go to the application settings, find the services specified, and select Clear Cache.

⚠️ Warning: Clearing the data (not cache) of system applications can reset your personalizations, themes, and desktop settings to factory values.

If the problem is not solved, try changing the theme to the standard. Third-party themes downloaded from the GetThemes store may contain errors in configuration files, which leads to the disappearance of icons.

In a pinch, resetting the launcher settings will help. In the Applications menu, find the Launcher system application and clean the data. The desktop will return to its original state, and the icons should be rebuilt automatically.

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Before resetting the launcher settings, take a screenshot of the current location of the icons, then quickly restore the usual desktop structure.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Competent organization of the desktop and removal of excess visual noise not only improves aesthetics, but can also have a positive effect on the performance of the MIUI interface.