How to quickly organize shortcuts on the Xiaomi desktop: from sorting to hiding icons

Chaos of shortcuts on the Xiaomi desktop is a problem that every second owner of a smartphone of this brand faces. Scattered icons not only spoil the appearance of the screen, but also slow down the search for the right applications. MIUI (brand shell Xiaomi) has several built-in tools for ordering shortcuts, which many users do not even know.

In this article, we will look at 5 proven ways to get your desktop in order, from basic automatic sorting to hiding unnecessary icons and creating smart folders. Particular attention will be paid to the hidden features of MIUI 14/15, which allows you to group applications by category or even color of icons - an option not available in standard Android. Instructions will be suitable for all modern models: Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, POCO F5/X5 and others.

1. Automatic sorting of labels: a quick way

If you need to get your icons in order in a few seconds, use the built-in auto sort function, which will distribute shortcuts by alphabet or installation date, depending on the chosen criterion.

How to turn on:

• 📱 Long pressing on the free space of the desktop → Select Screen Settings.
• 🔧 Go to the section Sorting applications.
• 📊 Choose one of the following options: alphabetically (A)→Me: apps will be sorted by name. By installation date, new apps will be at the beginning. By usage frequency, frequently launched programs will move to the first screen.
• 🔄 Click Apply to make the changes effective.

⚠️ Attention: Automatic sorting will reset all folders you created and manually place. If you used a grouping by topic (such as "Social Networks" or "Games"), remember the structure beforehand or take a screenshot of the screen.

2. Manual arrangement: how to drag icons

For those who prefer complete control over the location of the labels, MIUI provides manual adjustment.

• 📲 Drag icons between screens (left to right).
• 🗑️ Remove shortcuts from the desktop (the app will remain in the menu).
• 📁 Create folders for grouping similar applications.

Manual arrangement instructions:

1. Press and hold your finger on any icon until it is “stick” off the screen.
2. Keep your finger in place, drag it to a new place. If you want to move it to another screen, pull it to the edge of the display (on the left or right, you'll see a thumbnail of the next screen).
3. To remove the shortcut from your desktop, drag it up to the Remove label (the app will remain on the menu).
4. To create a folder, drag and drop one icon to another – the system will automatically combine them.

Remove unnecessary shortcuts from the screen |Group similar apps in folders |Identify priority programs for the first screen |Check out if there are any “empty” icons left after uninstallation

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💡 LAIFHACK: MIUI 14+ Icon Fixing has come up, and if you turn it on in your screen settings, the shortcuts won't shift when you add new apps, and it's useful if you've thought through the layout carefully and don't want it to get lost.

3. Creating and configuring folders on the desktop

Folders are the most effective way to group applications by topic (social networks, games, work) and free up space on the screen. MIUI folders support:

• 🎨 Changes in color and style of folder icon.
• 📝 Rename (by default, the system assigns a name by the first letter of the application, for example, "TW" for Telegram and WhatsApp).
• 📱 Multi-level nesting (folder in folder).

How to create and configure a folder:

1. Drag one icon to another and a new folder will appear.
2. Tap the folder name to rename it (for example, “Social Networks” or “Work”).
3. Open the folder and click on its name again → select Change the icon to change color or style.
4. To add an app to the folder, just drag it inside.

⚠️ Note: If there is only one application left in the folder, the system automatically deletes it. To save the structure, add at least two shortcuts to the folder (you can duplicate the same application).

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To quickly open the folder with one hand, tap its name twice (no need to click on the icon).

4. Hiding unnecessary labels and applications

Not all apps need to be kept visible. There are two ways to hide shortcuts in MIUI:

1. Remove from the desktop (the application will remain in the menu).
2. Hide from the menu (the application will be unavailable for launch without special actions).

How to hide the label from the desktop:

• 📱 Press and hold the icon. → Drag it up to the inscription Delete (the app will remain on the menu).

How to hide the app from the menu completely:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Find the right app in the list and tap it.
• 👁️‍🗨️ Choose Hide the App (in some versions) MIUI This option is called Disable).
• 🔄 To return the application, go back to Application Management. → Hidden applications.

📌 Important: Hidden applications continue to work in the background and can consume battery power. To completely stop them, use the function Limit background activity in the application settings.

5.Use of widgets to optimize space

Widgets not only help to decorate the desktop, but also reduce the number of shortcuts. For example, instead of icons of Weather, Calendar and Notes, you can place one universal widget that will show all the information on one screen.

How to add a widget:

1. 📱 Long pressing on the free space of the desktop → select Widgets.
2. 🔍 Scroll through the list and select the one you want (such as Weather, Calendar or Shortcuts).
3. 📲 Drag the widget onto the desktop and adjust its size (stretch the edges if needed).

Useful widgets for MIUI:

• 🌤️ Weather – shows temperature, precipitation and forecast without opening the app.
• 📅 Calendar – displays upcoming events and reminders.
• 📌 Shortcuts – allows you to quickly start frequently used functions (flashlight, calculator, timer).
• 🎵 Music – Playback control without opening the player.

⚠️ Note: Some widgets (such as Google Search or Assistant) may conflict with Xiaomi's branded services and cause lags. If after adding the widget, the system starts to slow down, remove it and restart the smartphone.

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Widgets save desktop space but consume additional RAM. Don't install more than 3-4 widgets at a time if your smartphone has less than 6GB of RAM.

6. Additional life hacks for the Xiaomi desktop

In addition to the standard features, MIUI has hidden opportunities for fine-tuning the desktop.

• 🎨 Change the size of the icons: go to the screen settings → Size icons and choose one of three options (small, medium, large) that are useful if the screen has too many shortcuts or they seem too small.
• 🖼️ Change of style of icons: in MIUI 14/15 You can change the shape of icons (round, square, rounded) through the themes → Some themes support dynamic icons that change color depending on the wallpaper.
• 🔄 Desktop Reset: If you’ve experimented with settings and want to get everything back to factory settings, go to Screen Settings → Reset: This will remove all folders, widgets and shortcuts, but will not affect installed applications.
• 📱 Guest "Double touch": include in the Settings → Additionally. → Gestas option Double tap to lock. Now, to lock the screen, you just need to touch the empty space on the desktop twice.

🔧 For advanced users: If you lack standard features MIUI, install a launcher from a third-party developer (for example, Nova Launcher or Lawnchair:

• Configure gestures to launch applications.
• Hide the names of the icons.
• Use adaptive icons (automatic resizing).

⚠️ Note: When using third-party launchers, some functions may stop working MIUI, For example, Super Wallpapers (live wallpaper) or Second Space (second desktop). Before installing, back up your settings through Settings. → The phone. → Backup.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up Xiaomi desktop