Modern MIUI shells and the new HyperOS offer users a huge number of visual elements designed to personalize the interface. Weather, news, currency rates or widgets from third-party applications can be incredibly useful, but over time they often clutter up the screen space.
The accumulation of extra elements not only worsens the aesthetic appearance, but can also negatively affect the performance of the system, consuming RAM in the background. Users often face a situation where a standard long press does not give the desired result, or the menu looks different than in the usual manuals.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the current methods of removing widgets on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. We will consider standard algorithms of actions, features of editing and solutions for complex cases when an interface element “hangs” or is not deleted by the usual methods.
Standard method of removal by long pressing
The most common and intuitive way to clean your desktop is available in any firmware version, so you have to find an unnecessary widget on the screen and hold your finger on the area for about a second or two, and this action puts the operating system into editing mode, blocking random application launches.
Once you activate the edit mode, the interface will change: icons and widgets will start to tremble slightly, and a toolbar will appear at the top or bottom of the screen, and this is where the necessary controls are located, including the delete button, which is often indicated by the garbage bin icon or a red cross.
Some users may find that when you drag and drop the widget to the top of the screen, you see a red background that says "Delete" -- a proprietary Android feature that lets you quickly dispose of items without calling an extra menu. Just drag and drop the object into that zone and release your finger.
⚠️ Note: If the widget is system (for example, the base watch or weather widget in some builds), the system may prevent its complete removal, offering only to hide or move it.
It is important to distinguish between deleting the app shortcut and deleting the widget itself. If you remove the shortcut, the app will remain in the phone's memory, but only the icon will disappear. Deleting the widget often completely deactivates its background processes, which is useful for saving battery life.
Managing widgets through editing mode
In the latest updates to MIUI 14 and HyperOS, the editing interface has become more functional, so when you hold your finger in the free space of the screen or on any element, you have a lower menu with several options, and you can not only delete objects, but also change their size or desktop grid.
To remove the widget in this mode, a button is often used "Delete" (basket icon), which appears in the lower right corner of the screen after the object is highlighted. Alternatively, drag the widget to a special icon that pops up at the top of the display.
☑️ Pre-deletion check
If the widget supports resizing, you can minimize it to make room and then remove it. To do this, pull the boundaries of the dedicated widget. This is especially true for large news widgets or calendars that take up half the screen.
In some design themes, standard removal buttons can be hidden or replaced with graphical themes. If you don’t see the icons, try temporarily switching to the standard Classic theme in the design settings to access the basic management interface.
The editing mode also allows you to group widgets or move them to other desktop pages. If deletion is not required, but you just need to free up the current space, move the object to a free page by swiping the screen sideways.
Removing widgets through the “More” menu and library
Xiaomi’s shells have a separate widget management menu that is called by swipe to the right of the left-hand screen (Google or Mi Vision screen) or via a special add-on menu, and all available widgets are collected here, including those already placed on desktops.
To remove the widget from this menu, go to the add widgets section (usually the + button or swipe to the right).Look for an active widget in the list - it is often marked with a special tag or is at the top of the list under the heading "Added". By clicking on it, you can select the deletion option.
This method is especially useful when the widget is located on a hidden desktop page or blocked by other interface elements. Through the widget library, you get a complete list of all active components on the device.
In newer versions of the firmware, the widget menu is divided into categories: “Recently added”, “Clock”, “Tools”, etc. If you can’t find a widget to remove, search inside this menu or scroll through the list to the end.
It’s worth noting that removing a widget from a library doesn’t always mean removing it from your desktop, often simply removing it from your favorite or quick access list, and it still requires interaction with the object on your desktop to clean it completely.
Working with widgets of third-party applications and launchers
The situation is complicated when it comes to widgets installed through third-party launchers (for example, Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher) or specialized widget applications (for example, Nova Launcher, KWGT). In such cases, standard methods MIUI They may not work properly.
If the widget belongs to a third-party launcher, deletion usually occurs through the launcher's settings, you need to go to the theme or desktop settings inside the launcher application, find the "Vidgets" or "Desktop" section and delete the item from there.
For widgets created in KWGT or similar constructors, deleting often requires opening the editor.Tap the widget, select Edit, and then find the delete button (often the basket icon in the top corner of the editor).
⚠️ Attention: Deleting the widget of a third-party application may not turn off its background service. Go to the application settings, find the corresponding widget engine and force it to stop to save resources.
Sometimes third-party widgets stick to the desktop and do not respond to a long press, in which case it will help to temporarily disable the rights to display on top of other windows for the application in the phone’s security settings.
If you use custom themes that change desktop behavior, try resetting themes to standard ones. Often, it is the conflict between the theme code and system widgets that blocks the ability to delete or move them.
Removal problems and suspended widgets
Often, users are faced with a situation where the widget is not removed: it does not respond to touch, drags or disappears, but after a second it appears again, this can be caused by a failure in the operation of the launcher of the System Launcher system or a particular application.
The first solution is to reboot the device. A banal restart often cleans temporary files and resets the launcher processes, after which the "hang" widget becomes available for removal by standard methods.
If the reboot didn’t work, try clearing the system launcher cache. To do this, go to your phone’s settings, select Apps, search for System Launcher (or MIUI Home), go to Memory and click Clear Cache.
| Symptoms. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The widget's not moving. | Locking the layout | Turn off the lock in the desktop settings |
| No removal button | System widget | Only movement or concealment is available |
| The widget disappears and appears. | Application failure | Reinstall the source application |
| Black square instead of widget | Rendering error | Change the wallpaper or theme of the design |
In extreme cases, when the widget takes up space and interferes with work, you can temporarily change the screen resolution or font scale in the settings Advanced Settings → Text Size and Display. This will rearrange the desktop grid and can “release” the stuck element.
What to do if the widget is removed by itself?
Clean widgets in “In your pocket” and Always on Display
Special attention should be paid to widgets displayed on a locked screen or in the “In pocket” mode, these interface elements are controlled not through the desktop, but through the lock screen settings.
To remove widgets from the lock screen, go to Settings → Lock screen. Here you will find the section "Widgets" or "Elements of the lock screen." Disable unnecessary modules such as steps, weather or news by switching the appropriate switches.
In Always On Display mode, widgets are also set up separately. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Always On Display and select a display style that does not contain additional information blocks, or turn off the function completely.
⚠️ Warning: Widgets on the lock screen consume a significant amount of power, especially on the screen. AMOLED-Deleting or disabling them will significantly extend battery life.
Some themes can add their own widgets to the lock screen, ignoring the system settings, in which case you either need to delete the theme or find in its settings (if any) the control point of the lock screen.
💡
Save the default standard launcher. Installing third-party launchers without experience can lead to widget conflicts. If you have a new launcher but the widgets are not working properly, return the standard one through the application settings.