Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where additional pages appear on the home screen that seem superfluous.This can be the left page with news, an empty desktop after an update, or widgets that cannot be removed by standard methods. The MIUI and HyperOS interface provide ample customization options, but sometimes the settings are hidden from the eyes of the average user.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all the possible causes of “extra” screens and provide step-by-step instructions for eliminating them: you will learn how to manage desktops, disable unnecessary Google services and customize the launcher to your needs. Cleaning the interface not only improves visual perception, but can also positively affect the speed of the device.
Before we take action, it’s important to understand the nature of these elements. Users often confuse system widgets with full desktops. Android’s MIUI-based graphics shell has its own logic of space organization that differs from pure Android. Understanding these differences will help avoid customization errors.
Reasons for the appearance of additional desktops
The main reason for the left screen is most often activated by Google Discover (formerly Google Now), a news and recommendation aggregator that is integrated by default into many manufacturers’ launchers, and on Xiaomi devices, this screen appears immediately after the first activation of the smartphone, if the appropriate option was selected.
Another common reason is empty pages that remain after removing apps or widgets. Unlike some other launchers, MIUI doesn't always automatically pop empty desktops.A user can accidentally create a new page by dragging the icon to the far right position and forget about it.
⚠️ Note: Remove system widgets or attempt to disable critical services through ADB without proper preparation can lead to unstable operation of the interface or cyclical restart of the launcher.
Also worth considering is that some pre-installed apps can create their own widgets on desktops when upgraded. System updates sometimes reset custom icon layout settings, returning default screens with news or recommendations from Xiaomi.
How to turn off the left screen with news
The most common request is how to remove the left page that swipes to the right of the home screen, often referred to as Google Discover or News Feed, and to get rid of it, you need to look at the launcher's settings, not the system as a whole.
The shutdown process is simple enough, but the path to settings may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS. You need to pinch the empty space on any desktop or pinch with two fingers (to hold your fingers together) to open the edit mode. In the lower corner of the screen, the Settings button (cogs) will appear.
In the menu that opens, find an item called “Additional Screens,” “Google Discover,” or “News Feed,” and the switch next to that item needs to be put inactive, and then the left screen disappears, and the swipe to the right will return you to the first desktop or open a search, depending on your settings.
☑️ Checking the launcher settings
If the standard method didn’t work, you may have a third-party launcher or theme that blocks access to system settings, in which case try temporarily switching to a standard Classic or Default theme in the Themes app, which will return the standard desktop settings menu.
Removing empty and unnecessary desktops
The number of desktops in Xiaomi is managed through editing mode. To get into it, make a mix of two fingers on the home screen (the “pinch gesture”) or keep your finger on empty space for a long time. You will see reduced copies of all your screens.
In this mode, you can drag and drop pages, changing their order. To remove the extra screen, just drag and drop it to the top of the screen, where the cart or delete icon is usually located. If the screen contains applications, the system will ask you to confirm the movement of icons to other pages.
| Action. | The result | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Swipe the empty page up | Deletion of the page | Icons move to neighboring screens |
| Drag and drop the page | Change of order | Changes position in the number of desktops |
| Pushing the gear | Launcher settings | Global interface parameters |
| Double tap on the screen | Opening widgets | In some versions of MIUI |
It's important to note that the main screen (usually the first one on the left) can't be removed. It should always have at least one page left on it. If you try to delete all the pages, the system will automatically create a new one so that the interface doesn't collapse completely.
What to do if the screen is not removed?
Customization of widgets and their impact on screens
Widgets take up space on the desktop and can create the illusion of an extra screen, especially if they are large. In MIUI, widgets can be of two types: standard Android widgets and Xiaomi branded widgets. Deleting the widget frees up space, but doesn't always delete the page itself unless it's empty.
To remove the widget, go to edit mode (push), click on the widget and select Delete. If the widget is part of a system service (for example, Stepmer or Weather), its removal may require disabling the corresponding feature in the settings. Some widgets, such as Google Feed, are managed separately through the launcher settings, as described above.
Users often find themselves in a situation where the widget is left empty after removal, in which case you need to manually pop the pages, dragging the remaining icons. Automatic filling of voids in MIUI does not always work perfectly, especially when using non-standard grids (for example, 5x6 instead of 4x6).
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Use folders to group rarely used applications – this will free up space on the screen and allow you to remove unnecessary pages without losing access to programs.
Resetting launcher settings and system solutions
If manually removing screens doesn’t help or the interface is not behaving properly (screens flash, don’t delete, reappear), you may need to reset the launcher settings, which will return the location of icons and widgets to factory status, removing all user changes.
To perform the reset, go to Settings of the phone, find the Applications → All Apps section. In the list, find Louncher or System Launcher. Click on it, then select Clear → All Data (or Reset Settings). Be careful: this action will delete all folders you created and the location of icons.
Settings → Applications → All applications → Launcher → Clear → All dataOnce reset, the phone will reset the interface. The extra screens should disappear as the factory configuration returns. If the problem persists, it may be a conflict with the set theme. Try changing the theme to the standard one through the Theme app.
⚠️ Warning: Launcher data reset won’t delete your apps or personal files, but you’ll have to re-arrange icons and widgets on desktops.
Use of third-party launchers
If Xiaomi’s standard interface seems overloaded and you can’t achieve the minimalism you want, consider installing a third-party launcher. Apps like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher give you complete control over screen count, grid and swipe behavior.
When installing a third-party launcher, Android ask for permission to use it by default. Once confirmed, you will have access to more flexible settings. For example, in Nova Launcher you can completely disable the creation of new pages or configure the behavior of the left page (Google Discover) separately.
However, it’s worth remembering that third-party launchers can consume more battery life and don’t always integrate perfectly with MIUI system features like control gestures or pop-up notifications.
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Third-party launcher is a radical but effective solution for those who want to completely ignore the logic of MIUI and get a clean Android experience.