How to remove unnecessary shortcut from the desktop on the Xiaomi smartphone: all ways

Xiaomi’s desktop becomes a mess of app shortcuts, folders, and widgets over time — especially if you’re actively installing programs or syncing data with the cloud. Unnecessary icons not only spoil the look of the interface, but can also slow down the system when it comes to widgets with background activity. In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to remove shortcuts on devices with the MIUI shell (relevant for versions 14 and 15), including hidden features and nuances for different types of icons.

It is important to understand that removing the label from the screen ≠ The label is just a “link” to the program, and the software itself will remain in the phone’s memory, and if the goal is to completely uninstall the application, other actions will be required (we will discuss them in a separate section). We will also consider what to do if the label is not removed in the standard way, for example, due to system limitations or errors. MIUI.

1. Standard shortcut removal: swipe up

The simplest and most versatile method works on all Xiaomi smartphones regardless of the model – from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Suitable for removing app shortcuts, folders and some widgets.

Instructions:

• 📱 Press and hold the finger on the shortcut you want to remove until it “sticks” off the screen (the lift animation will appear).
• 🗑️ Without letting go of your finger, drag the icon to the top of the screen, where a basket will appear with the inscription “Delete” (on some firmware – “Remove»).
• ✅ Release your finger when the basket lights up red. The label disappears from your desktop.

If the cart does not appear, check:

• 🔄 Is screen editing enabled (we will talk about it below).
• 📦 The shortcut is not part of a fixed folder (e.g., Google or Tools.
• 🔒 No child mode or restricted profile is installed on the phone.

Screen editing mode: for mass removal

When you want to remove several shortcuts or rearrange them, it's more convenient to use the editing mode. It activates differently on new and old versions of MIUI:

For MIUI 14/15:

1. Touch the empty space on your desktop and hold for 1-2 seconds.
2. At the bottom of the screen will appear a panel with options – select Screen Settings (icon) ⚙️).
3. Slip on Edit (or Change the layout on some firmware).
4. You can now drag tags into the basket or change them.

For MIUI 12/13:

• 📱 With two fingers, squeeze the screen (the gesture of “pinching” inside).
• 🔧 Or touch the Settings icon (cog) in the dock panel.

In editing mode, you can remove even shortcuts that are not amenable to a standard swipe, such as icons of system applications like Security or Themes, but some widgets (such as weather or calendar) will still remain — removing them requires other methods.

3. Removal of widgets and system shortcuts

Widgets (e.g. weather, watch, music player) and some system shortcuts (e.g. Google Discover or Me-wallet) are not removed in the standard way.

⚠️ Note: Some widgets (e.g., Smart Assistant or Quick Actions) are part of the system software MIUI. Deleting them can cause shell malfunctions. If you have errors after deleting them, try resetting your desktop settings:

Settings → Desktop → Resetting settings → Resetting the layout

4. Removal of shortcuts through application settings

If the label belongs to a third-party application (such as Facebook, TikTok or a banking client), it can be removed not only from the desktop, but also from the system completely.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the app you want in the list (use search if there are many lists).
3. Slip on it and select “Delete” or “Deinstall”.
4. Confirm the action. The label will disappear from the desktop automatically.

If the "Delete" button is inactive:

• 🔒 The application is system (you can only disable it).
• 📱 You don’t have enough rights (you need root access to remove it completely).
• 🔄 The app was updated through Google Play – first you need to roll it back to the factory version.

💡

To hide system applications (such as “Mi-Community” or “Mi-Video”) without root rights, use the Hide Apps function in the launcher settings. To do this, keep your finger on your desktop → Screen settings → Hide apps.

5. Resetting desktop settings

If the shortcuts are not removed by any means or after experimenting with the themes, the desktop has turned into chaos, a complete layout reset will help. This feature will return the standard layout of the icons, but remove all your settings (folders, widgets, wallpaper).

How to reset:

1. Go to Settings. → Desktop.
2. Select Reset (or Restore the Default layout).
3. Confirm action. The phone will reboot (on some models, without restarting).

⚠️ Attention: After discharge:

• 📁 All folders with labels will be deleted (you will have to create again).
• 🎨 Wallpaper and theme of the desktop will be reset to standard.
• 🔄 Widgets (weather, clock) will disappear – they will need to be added manually.

If the reset didn't help (the labels remained), the problem could be the launcher's cache failure.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Louncher app (or MIUI Launcher).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. Reboot the phone.

6. Removal of shortcuts via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work (e.g., the system application shortcut is not removed), you can use the ADB debugging bridge. This method requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → Tap 7 times
2. Activate debugging via USB: Settings → Additional → For developers → Debugging via USB
3. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
4. Enter the command to remove the shortcut (replace com.example.app with the application package): adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.example.app

⚠️ Note: Removing system applications through ADB This could cause the phone to fail:

• 🚨 com.miui.home (launcher) MIUI).
• ⚠️ com.android.systemui (system interface).
• 🔧 com.miui.securitycenter (security center).

If you don’t know the application package, find out through the command:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "appendix name"

7. Frequent problems and solutions

Even after all the methods are applied, some shortcuts may remain on the screen.

If none of these methods worked, the problem could be that the system files were corrupted, and then you could:

• 🔄 Update MIUI Up to the latest version (sometimes bugs are fixed in new builds).
• 🛠️ Reflashing your phone via the Mi Flash Tool (for power users).

💡

Before resetting or flashing, make sure to save your data! Use Settings → About Phone → Backup or Cloud Services (Mi Cloud, Google Drive).

FAQ: Frequent questions