How to organize icons on Xiaomi: 7 ways to create the perfect desktop

Chaos from apps on the Xiaomi smartphone screen is a familiar problem for most users. As the desktop fills with dozens of icons, finding the right one becomes more difficult and the interface itself looks sloppy. Fortunately, MIUI offers several built-in sorting tools, and third-party launchers expand the capabilities to a professional level.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods for ordering icons – from basic shell functions to hidden chips and automatic rules. You'll learn how to group apps by folder, sort them by alphabet or frequency of use, and how to get back to factory order if experiments went wrong, POCO and Black Shark on base MIUI 12–16.

Special attention will be paid to the hidden mode "Smart Sort", which automatically distributes new applications into categories (social networks, games, tools) - this feature is accidentally disabled by many users, without even knowing its existence.

1. Basic sorting by built-in MIUI tools

To start with, standard MIUI tools allow you to organize icons in just a few touches, and the main advantage of this method is that you don't need to install additional programs or change the launcher.

To activate automatic sorting:

1. Hold your finger on the free space on the desktop.
2. In the menu that appears, select Screen Settings (or Desktop Settings in older versions).
3. Go to the Application Sorting section.
4. Turn on the automatic sort switch.

After that, all new apps will be added to the end of the list, and existing ones can be dragged manually. If you need to return to factory order, use the Reset icon option in the same menu.

2. Grouping applications into folders

Folders are a classic way to structure a desktop, and in MIUI, they're intuitively created.

• 📁 Drag one icon to another and hold on for 1-2 seconds until the folder outline appears.
• 🎨 Name the folder (for example, “Social networks”, “Games”, “Work”) – to do this, tap the text field under the icons.
• 🔄 To change the order of applications inside the folder, press the icon and move it.
• 🗑️ To remove the folder, drag all applications from it back to the desktop.

Tip: For quick access to frequently used folders, place them on the first screen or in the docking panel (bottom bar with 4-5 icons). In MIUI 14+, folders support up to 16 applications per page, and swipe left/right.

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI folders began to open with a delay, check the animation settings in Settings → Additionally. → Special opportunities → Delete the animations. It'll speed up the interface.

3. Sorting by alphabet, color or frequency of use

A more advanced sorting will require a third-party launcher, and one of the best options for Xiaomi is the Nova Launcher (a free version available on Google Play).

• 🔤 Sort icons alphabetically (including ignoring the articles "The", "A").
• 🎨 Group by color palette (useful for visual harmony).
• ⏱️ Order by frequency of use (most used on the first screen).
• 📦 Automatically hide unused applications in a separate box.

Instructions for setting up Nova Launcher:

1. Install the launcher from Google Play and select it as the main one.
2. Press your finger on the desktop → Settings → App settings.
3. Turn Sorting in alphabetical order or select another criterion.
4. For color sorting, use the Icon Pack module (such as Whicons or CandyCons).

The advantage of this method is flexibility, for example, you can set a rule that all games (PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact) are automatically placed in the folder "Games", and instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) - in the "Social network".

Download Nova Launcher from Google Play

Set as a default launcher

Download the icon package (optional)

Backup the current location of the icons-->

4. Hidden MIUI functions: "Smart sorting"

Few people know, but MIUI has a built-in Smart Sorting mechanism that automatically categorizes new applications, which works at the system level and does not require additional programs.

To activate it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Find the Smart Application Sort option and turn it on.
4. Select categories for automatic grouping (e.g., "Games", "Tools", "Multimedia").

After that, all new apps will automatically fit into the corresponding folders on the desktop, for example, Spotify will go to Multimedia, and Google Maps will go to Tools.

⚠️ Note: If applications are duplicated after enabling (appear both on the desktop and in the folder), check the duplication settings in the screen settings → Additionally. → Show duplicate icons. Turn off this option.

5. Use of gestures and voice commands

Modern Xiaomi smartphones support gesture and voice control, which can be used for quick sorting.

• 🤏 Compression gesture: Press your desktop with two fingers to open the sort menu (works in the MIUI 14+).
• 🎤 Voice Assistant: Say “OK Google, alphabetize apps” (Google Assistant requires settings).
• 🔄 Double swipe: Quickly swipe two fingers down to fold all folders (useful for screen cleaning).

To adjust the gestures:

1. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Gestures.
2. Enable the Desktop Gesture option.
3. Select an action for each gesture (e.g., Crash folders or Show hidden apps).

Voice control is configured via Google Assistant or Alice (for Russian users). To teach the assistant to sort icons, create a routine:

Hey Google, when I say "Set up the desktop,"


Open Nova Launcher → Sort → Alphabetically

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If voice commands don't work, check permissions for Google Assistant in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Microphone. Often the problem is with the microphone access turned off.

6. Reset to factory settings of the location of icons

If triage experiments have led to chaos, you can always revert to the original arrangement of the icons, which is useful if:

• 🔙 You accidentally deleted an important icon (such as a phone or message).
• 🔄 After updating MIUI Apps are scattered across screens.
• 📱 You bought a used smartphone and want to start with a clean slate.

Resetting instructions:

1. Hold the free space on the desktop.
2. Select Screen Settings → Additionally.
3. Reset the location of the icons and confirm the action.

After reset, all icons will return to their original state (as after buying a smartphone).The applications installed by the user will remain in the application menu (All applications), but will disappear from the desktop.

⚠️ Warning: Reset does not delete the apps themselves or their data, only returns the icons to a default state.If you need to completely clean your smartphone, use Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings.

7. Advanced methods: ADB-team-run

For advanced users who are ready to dive into technical details, there are ways to sort through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or custom firmware.

• 📊 Export the current location of the icons to a backup file.
• 🔧 Apply sorting by user rules (for example, by installation date).
• 🖥️ Manage the desktop from the PC via scrcpy.

Example ADB-desk-dropping:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

This command will reset the MIUI launcher settings to factory settings, but will not affect user data.

You can use scripts on Tasker or MacroDroid to automate sorting, for example, the rule:

If a new application is installed → move it to the folder “New” → notify the user.

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For most users, built-in MIUI or Nova Launcher tools are enough. ADB and custom firmware are only needed for specific tasks, for example, mass control of multiple devices.

FAQ: Frequent questions about sorting icons on Xiaomi