Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones offer users a wide range of features to personalize the desktop, but often this leads to excessive cluttering of the interface. Many gadget owners face a situation where the lock screen or home page is filled with unnecessary weather widgets, calendar or news feeds that cannot be removed with a standard swipe. It is not just visual noise, but also a waste of system resources that can slow down the MIUI shell.
The process of removing widgets on Redmi devices may vary depending on the version of the Android operating system and the HyperOS or MIUI shell installed. Some interface elements are built deep into the system and require special actions to deactivate, while others are removed by simply pressing. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to clean the screen from excess debris.
You will learn how to manage widgets on your desktop, lock screen and notification curtain, and how to turn off intrusive advertising and system recommendations. Proper interface configuration not only improves the appearance, but also improves the performance of the device, making use of the smartphone more comfortable and faster.
Removal of widgets from the desktop
The most common scenario is to remove widgets that a user or system has placed on the home screen. In Xiaomi shells, this process is intuitive, but has its own peculiarities depending on the editing mode.
There are two main ways to enter editing mode: the first is to press your finger on an empty area of the screen or directly on the widget itself, the second is to use a special two-finger pinch gesture that allows you to see all desktops at once, and once you enter editing mode, the icons and widgets begin to shake or shrink, signaling readiness for change.
Once you're in edit mode, look at the top of the screen, and there should be a basket or cross icon, often accompanied by the words "Delete or Remove." Drag the problem widget into this zone. If the widget is part of the system folder or a secure launcher element, the system can request confirmation of action or even prohibit deletion without changing the theme settings.
☑️ Pre-deletion check
It's important to understand the difference between deleting a widget and deleting an application. A widget is just a display interface of a program, so deleting it doesn't affect the data itself or the application installation. However, if you delete the widget of the calculator, the calculator itself will remain in the application menu, which is useful to know when cleaning the space.
Cleaning the lock screen from widgets
The lock screen in MIUI and HyperOS is often oversaturated with information that the user did not request, which can display pedometer widgets, weather conditions, battery status, and even news headlines by default, and removing these elements requires access to specific lock theme settings.
To start, unlock your phone and go to the Settings menu. Find the Lock Screen or Wallpaper and Personalization section, depending on your system version. This is where the settings that control the display of information until you enter your password or fingerprint are displayed, and users often ignore this section, believing it is only a place to change the picture.
Inside the lock screen settings menu, you need to find the widget settings, which can be called Widgets, Lock screen Data, or Cards. When you click on this, you'll see a list of all active elements. To remove the extra widget, you just need to switch the corresponding switch to the off position or press the delete button next to the item name.
⚠️ Note: Some widgets, such as time and date, are system and cannot be completely removed without installing third-party themes or launchers. ADB-commands can cause time to disappear on the lock screen.
Special attention should be paid to the Wallpaper Carousel feature, which is often installed by default on new Redmi devices. It not only changes the wallpaper, but also adds its advertising and news widgets. To completely disable, find the Wallpaper Carousel option in the settings and select Disable, after which all associated widgets disappear.
Setting up widgets in the notification curtain
The top of the screen, known as the notification curtain or control panel, is also prone to widget clutter. Recent versions of Android and Xiaomi shells have introduced interactive widgets that can be added and removed directly from that area, which is convenient for quick access but sometimes interferes with viewing.
To control the widgets in the curtain, lower the notification bar down to the end. In the upper or lower right corner (depending on the version of MIUI) there should be an icon of a pencil, three dots or gears responsible for editing the panel.
In the menu that opens, you'll see two zones: active widgets and addables. To remove the widget from the active zone, find it in the list and click on the minus icon - or just drag it to the bottom of the screen marked as Remove. Changes apply instantly after you leave editing mode.
- 🎵 The Music widget disappears when tracks are not played, but it can be removed forcibly.
Hidden widgets in the curtain
It's worth noting that removing the widget from the curtain doesn't remove the app itself. For example, if you remove the calculator widget, you can still run it through the search or app menu, which is important for those who want to just clear the visual space while retaining functionality.
Removal of the widget "Tape of widgets" (Infinite tape)
One of the most annoying features of Xiaomi’s interface is the so-called “Widget Ribbon” or “Google Discover,” which swipes to the right of the home screen, and consumes traffic, shows news and ads, and many users are eager to get rid of it.
To remove this tape, you need to enter the desktop editing mode. To do this, pinch two fingers on the main screen or keep your finger empty for a long time. In the lower corner of the screen, you will see a Settings button (cogs) or a Widget Ribbon switch immediately.
In the settings menu that opens, look for the Widget Ribbon or Google Discover. You will be asked to select the source of the tape: Widgets or Disabled. Select the option Unplugged, and the next time you swipe to the right, you will remain on the first desktop, and the tape will disappear.
| Interface element | Location. | Deleting method | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weather widget | Desktop | Long pressing → Delete | Reduces battery consumption |
| Google Tape | Swipe left/right | Screen settings → Disable | Saves traffic and RAM |
| Wallpaper carousel | Lock screen | Settings → Carousel → Off | Takes down the adverts. |
| Pedometer widget | Lock screen | Blocking settings → Widgets | Minimum impact |
If standard methods fail to disable the tape, you may have a theme installed that forcefully adds this screen, in which case, try changing the theme to standard Classic or Default through the Themes app.
Problems with undeleteable system widgets
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the widget is not deleted, the delete button is inactive or the item appears again after a reboot, this is typical for system security widgets, security antivirus or Google services that are embedded in firmware.
In such cases, normal deletion is not possible because these components have device administrator rights or are part of a system process. Attempting to delete them through file managers without root rights will not succeed and may lead to errors in the system.
However, there is a way to hide such widgets if they interfere, using third-party launchers such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher, and installing an alternative launcher allows you to completely ignore the system widgets of MIUI and create your own interface.
⚠️ Note: The use of third-party launchers on HyperOS may be limited to the system.You will need to provide the launcher with special permissions through a hidden menu or ADB-The widgets will be constantly on the main screen of Xiaomi, another reason for the "resurrection" of widgets can be system updates or resetting the application to which the widget is attached. If the weather widget appears again, check the settings of the Weather app itself - there may be a tick Add a widget to the desktop that you need to remove. ADB For advanced users who want to achieve maximum interface purity, there is a method for removing widgets and system applications through ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and having basic command line knowledge. Before you start, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI build number 7 times. Then in the Additional → For developers, turn on USB Debugging. Connect the phone to your PC and execute a command to remove the package responsible for the widget. For example, to remove the security widget, the command is used: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miuicenter.Be extremely careful when using this method. Removing critical system packages can lead to the removal of the package (cyclical) and do not overload the phone before you delete the boot. 💡Before use ADB-commands be sure to make a full backup of data via Mi Cloud or locally, as recovering remote system components may require flashing the device. If the widget is gone and the system is stable, it means that the procedure was successful. If there are errors, use the adb install command to return the deleted packet from the backup. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) Can you remove the weather widget if it's built into the theme? Yes, you can. MIUI They're separate items, even if they're part of the theme. Press the widget and select "Delete." If deletion is blocked, change the theme to the standard one in the Themes app. Why widgets disappear after the phone reboots? This can be due to a lack of RAM, when the system forcibly closes the background processes, or a failure in the launcher. Try to clear the launcher cache in the application settings. Is it safe to remove the Security widget through the launcher? ADB? No, it's not recommended. The security app in Xiaomi is responsible for battery life, permissions and memory cleaning. Deleting it can disrupt notifications and system optimization. How do you remove ads in Redmi widgets? Ads often come from the GetApps or Mi Browser app. Turn off receiving recommendations in the settings of these applications, and also turn off personalization of advertising in the settings of the Mi Account. 💡Complete cleaning of widgets is possible only by an integrated approach: removal from the desktop, disabling in the lock screen settings and, if necessary, using the ADB system-waste.