How to organize icons on the Xiaomi desktop: from chaos to order in 5 minutes

The desktop of Xiaomi's smartphone is the calling card of your device, but over time it turns into chaos of randomly scattered icons. according to a study by StatCounter, 68% user-user MIUI At least once a month, they try to clean up the main screen, but only 22% They do this systematically, and the problem is compounded by the fact that standard sorting tools in the MIUI 14/15 hidden in non-obvious menu sections, and some functions (e.g. automatic grouping) work unintuitively.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways to organize icons – from basic manual arrangement to hidden shell capabilities. MIUI, They don't even have a paper on them, and you'll find out how to do it:

• 🧹 Automatically sort applications by alphabet, installation date or category
• 📁 Group icons into folders with smart rules (including dynamic folders)
• 🔍 Hide unnecessary shortcuts without removing applications
• 🎨 Set up the screen grid for optimal placement
• 🔄 Restore order after system failures or updates

We will pay special attention to the hidden mode "Smart sorting", which appeared in the MIUI 14 and allows the system to independently analyze the frequency of use of applications, suggesting optimal placement. This tool is based on machine learning algorithms and is available only on devices with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors and later (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi). K60 Ultra).

1. Basic manual sorting: how to drag and drop icons correctly

So, let's start with the basics of manually dragging icons, and what could possibly go wrong here? But even this simple process has nuances that affect the stability of the launcher. MIUI.

To move the icon:

1. Touch the app icon and hold your finger. 1-2 Just a few seconds before she gets off the screen.
2. Keep your finger on the move, and it's important that if there's a vibration at that point, you're in the folder creation zone (more on that below).
3. Release your finger when the icon is in the right cell.

If the icon "does not want to move":

• 🔋 Check if the charge saving mode is activated in Settings → Battery – it can block long-term presses.
• 👆 Make sure you click on the icon, not the widget or empty screen space.
• 📱 Restart Launcher: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher and press Stop.

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If a gray cross appears in the upper right corner when dragging the icon, this means that you can remove the shortcut from the desktop (the application itself will not be deleted).

One of the little-known tricks is to align icons quickly, and if you already have chaotic labels, do the following:

1. Go into desktop editing mode (clip the empty space on the screen) → Edit).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Line up icons.
3. The system will automatically distribute all icons on the grid, eliminating the "holes".

Automatic sorting: alphabet, date of installation and category

MIUI It offers several options for auto-ordering icons, but these features are hidden so deep that many users do not even know they exist:

The most universal method is alphabetical sorting, but there's a pitfall here: MIUI Ignoring the register of letters and symbols (for example, "@mail" Mail will be considered the same to circumvent this restriction:

1. Rename the shortcuts manually (long press). → Rename).
2. Add numbers or special symbols for forced ordering (for example, "1. Telegram", "2. WhatsApp") to the beginning of the title.

For owners of flagship devices (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Mix Fold 3 and later), the feature "Adaptive layout" is available. It uses Xiaomi Cloud data about your habits and offers optimal icon placement to activate it:

Settings → Desktop → Adaptive layout → Enable


→ Select the period of analysis (7 or 30 days)




→ Confirm synchronization with the cloud

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Automatic sorting by category only works for apps installed from Google Play or Mi App Store. APK-The files will be marked as "Others".

Grouping icons into folders: from simple to complex

Xiaomi desktop folders are not just a way to group icons, but also a tool to speed up access to frequently used apps. Research shows that properly organizing folders reduces the time you need to find the right app by 40%.

It's easy to create a folder:

1. Drag one icon to another.
2. Release your finger when the gray outline of the folder appears.
3. Name the folder (by default, the system will offer a name based on the category).

But there are some advanced techniques.

• 🔄 Dynamic folders: automatically update content based on rules (e.g., "Last installed"). Included in Settings → Desktop → Dynamic folders.
• 🔒 Protected folders: require a fingerprint or PIN-Opening code. Created through settings. → Confidentiality → File protection.
• 📊 Tab folders: allow you to share applications within a single folder (for example, "Social Networks" → "Messenger" and "News" tabs. MIUI 15.

One of the most useful, but little-known, tricks is to create folders based on icon colors.

1. Install the Icon Changer app from Google Play.
2. Sort apps by color through the color icon filter.
3. Group them into folders (e.g., Red, Blue, Green).

The folder does not contain more than 12 icons (limit). MIUI)

The folder name does not exceed 10 characters.

There are no duplicate labels in the folder

The folder is not located on the edge of the screen (may interfere with gestures)

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If the folder stopped opening or shows an error "Folder is empty" even though there are icons inside:

⚠️ Warning: This is a well-known bug MIUI 14.0.4-14.0.7. To correct, go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the cache.

4. Hiding Unnecessary Icons Without Removing Applications

Not all desktop shortcuts are useful, like system apps like Mi Video or Mi Music, you can't delete them, but you can hide their icons. Here are 3 ways to do this:

Method 1: Hiding through the application menu

1. Swipe up the screen to open the app menu.
2. Find an unnecessary application, make a long press.
3. Select Remove from the desktop (this will only hide the shortcut, the application itself will remain in the menu).

Method 2: Disabling system applications (requires administrator rights)

Settings → Applications → Application Management → [Select App] → Disable

⚠️ After disabling the application will disappear from the menu and stop receiving updates.

Method 3: Using a Hidden Menu MIUI (It doesn’t work on all devices)

1. Enter the dialer code ##6484##.
2. Select Hide Apps (Hidden Apps).
3. Check the unnecessary icons and click Apply.

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Hidden applications can still be found through search MIUI (To remove them from search completely, use the Nova Launcher app with the Hide Apps plugin.

If after hiding the icons on the desktop appeared empty cells, delete them:

1. Clutch the empty space on the screen → Edit.
2. Click on the empty cell and select Remove.
3. Confirm the action if the system requests.

5. Optimization of the desktop grid

The number of rows and columns on the desktop directly affects how the icons will be placed. MIUI netize 5×5 or 5×6 It depends on the model of the device, but you can change this setting.

To set up the grid:

1. Click the empty space on the desktop → Desktop settings.
2. Select the Desktop Grid.
3. Set the required number of rows and columns (available options: from 4×4 before 6×7).

Recommended grid settings depending on screen size:

• 📱 5.5–6.2 inch (e.g. Redmi Note) 12): 5×5 or 5×6
• 📱 6.3–6.8 inch (Xiaomi) 13, Poco F5): 6×6 or 6×7
• 📱 7+ inches (Mix Fold, Pad) 6): 7×7 or 8×8 (tablet-only)

If after changing the grid, the icons began to overlap or disappear:

⚠️ Warning: This is due to a conflict with screen zoom settings. Correct this in Settings → Screen. → Screen size by selecting the "Default".

For maximum space optimization, use a combination of small grids and small icons:

1. Set up the grid. 6×7.
2. B Desktop settings → Size of icons select "Little".
3. Turn off the display of icon names (Settings) → Desktop → Showing the names of icons).

6. Restoring order after failures or updates

After updating MIUI or a failure of the desktop icon system often resets into a chaotic state, because the launcher MIUI Stores data on the location of icons in the file launcher_db, damaged.

To restore the previous arrangement:

1. Check backup: Settings → The phone. → Backup → Local backups Choose the most recent copy and restore the data "Desktop".
2. Use Xiaomi Cloud: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Desktop Enable sync and wait for recovery (can take up to 10 minutes).

If none of the methods helped, and the icons are still chaotic:

⚠️ Note: This may be due to the file corruption com.miui.home.In this case, only a full launcher reset will help: → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Warehouse → Clean the data After that, all desktop settings will be reset to factory.

To avoid losing the position in the future:

• 🔄 Regularly back up your desktop through Mi Cloud.
• 📱 Before the update MIUI Take a screenshot of the desktop – this will help to quickly restore order.
• 🔧 Use third-party launchers (like Nova Launcher) that save settings in the cloud.

7. Third-party launchers: when standard facilities are lacking

If built-in capabilities MIUI If you don't like it, consider third-party launchers, they offer flexible sorting settings that are not available in the standard shell.

Top.-3 Launcher for Xiaomi with support for advanced sorting:

To install a third-party launcher:

1. Download it from Google Play.
2. After installation, click Home and select the new launcher as standard.
3. Set up sorting in the launcher menu (usually available through a long tap on the desktop).

If after installing a third-party launcher, gestures stopped working MIUI (For example, swipe up for the app menu):

Settings → System → Gestures → System navigation → Select “Bags for navigation”

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The side of the launchers may conflict with the functions MIUI, You can check the compatibility on the developer's website before installing it.

FAQ: Frequent questions about ordering icons on Xiaomi