How to set a watch on the main screen of Xiaomi phone: all ways + tips for setting up

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have a default home screen clock and how to fix it

Have you just bought a new Xiaomi or updated your MIUI firmware, but your desktop has suddenly lost your watch? Or want to add it for the first time but don’t know where to look for settings? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones – the manufacturer often hides the widget of the watch in the depths of the interface, and in some versions of MIUI it is completely absent from the box.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 working ways to set your watch to Xiaomi’s home screen, from standard solutions to advanced third-party widgets, how to return your watch after an update, why it might disappear when you change theme, and how to set up a date, stopwatch, or even weather display next to time. And if you encounter a bug when the widget isn’t saved, we have a solution for that.

Before you get to the instructions, check the version of MIUI on your device (path: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version). This affects the availability of certain features. For example, in MIUI 14+, the algorithm for adding widgets has changed, and in MIUI 12, some models require pre-activation of the system clock through Settings → Desktop.

Method 1: Adding a standard watch widget through the desktop menu

The easiest method is to use the built-in Watch widget, which is found in most Xiaomi firmware, which supports several display styles (analog, digital, date) and automatically adjusts to the theme of the design.

Step instructions:

1. Unlock the screen and go to the main desktop (flick to the leftmost screen if you use multiple pages).
2. Make a long tap on any free screen spot until the settings menu appears.
3. At the bottom of the screen, select the Widgets (the icon with squares).
4. Scroll down to the Tools or Systems block – there should be a Watch widget (on some models – Analog Watch or Digital Watch).
5. Hold your widget with your finger and drag it to a vacant space on your desktop. Release your finger to hold it.

If the widget list doesn't have a Watch, it's disabled in the system settings.

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Desktop.
• 🔍 Find the System Widgets or Additional Elements section.
• ✅ Turn on the switch opposite the clock (may be called the System Clock).
• 🔄 Restart your phone if the widget doesn’t appear right away.

Make sure there is free space on the desktop (minimum 2×2 cells)

Check if the widget is hidden in the theme settings

Turn off the power saving mode (it can block widgets)

Update the firmware to the latest version (in the old version) MIUI clocks often bug)-->

Method 2: Using the Information widget with clock and weather

In MIUI 13 and later, the manufacturer has replaced the classic watch widget with a universal unit of information that shows the time, date, weather and even recommendations from the system.

How do you add it?

1. Long press on the desktop → Widgets.
2. Find the Information widget (the icon with the clock and the cloud).
3. Drag it on the screen. The system will suggest you choose a size: 4×1 (compact) or 4×2 (weather).
4. After adding, click on the widget to customize the displayed items (you can remove unnecessary blocks, leaving only the clock).

Advantages of this widget:

• 🕒 Shows the second hand (unlike the standard clock).
• 🌤️ Integrated weather forecast with animation.
• 📅 Displays the date and day of the week in Chinese/English (you can change the language in the settings of the region).
• 🔄 Automatically updates time when changing time zones.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F4 Redmi Note 12 widget Information may conflict with third-party launchers. If after installing an alternative launcher (for example, Nova Launcher) the watch disappeared - return the standard one. MIUI Launcher or use Method 4 (Third-Party Widgets).

Method 3: Activate the clock through the theme settings (for MIUI 12 and below)

In older versions of firmware (MIUI 12 and earlier), the desktop clock was tied to the current theme of the design. If you changed the theme through the Themes, the widget might disappear.

Steps to recover:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to the section My topics → Current topic.
3. Scroll down to the Widgets block and check if the Clock switch is on.
4. If you don’t have an option, try changing the theme to the default one, then return yours.

The following is an alternative method for MIUI 11-12:

Settings → Desktop → Additional settings → System widgets → Clock (include)

If the clock has not appeared after these manipulations, the reason may be:

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If the watch appears but disappears after the reboot, reset the launcher settings. Delete the Launcher app data in Settings → Apps. Attention: this will reset the location of all icons on the desktop!

Method 4: Install third-party watch widgets from Google Play

If standard solutions don’t work or you need watches with advanced features (e.g., on-screen alarm clock, stopwatch, calendar), install a third-party widget. We tested the top 5 apps compatible with Xiaomi:

• ⏰ Digital Clock Widget is a minimalist digital watch with font and color settings. Supports formats 12/24 date-date.
• 🌈 Chronus is a weather, calendar and notification widget. There's a premium version with a theme. MIUI.
• ⚙️ UCCW — widget builder where you can create watches of any shape (requires customization skills).
• 📱 Another Widget - a modern widget with support for Material You (automatically adjusts to wallpaper).
• 🎨 Minimalistic Text - for lovers of minimalism (you can only display time without unnecessary elements).

Installation instructions:

1. Download your favorite widget from Google Play (e.g. Digital Clock Widget).
2. After installation, a long press on the desktop → Widgets.
3. Find the widget in the list (usually in the Downloads section).
4. Drag it on the screen and adjust the size/style.

⚠️ Note: Some widgets (e.g, UCCW) If the clock does not update the time after installation, check the permissions in Settings → Annexes → [Name of the widget] → Permissions and enable Exact Location (needed for time zone synchronization).

Method 5: Manually create a shortcut to the Watch app (alternative)

If the widget doesn't want to be added, you can go for a trick: create a shortcut for a standard Watch app that opens it with a single tap. This won't replace the widget 100%, but it will give you quick access to time.

How to do this:

1. Long press on the desktop → Shortcuts (or Tools).
2. Select Apps → Find the Clock.
3. Drag the label on the screen. If you want, rename it (e.g., "Time").

To make the label look like a widget:

• 🎨 Install an icon without a background (you can download apps like Icon Changer in Google Play).
• 📏 Use the widget. 4×1 Shortcut Maker to make an “empty” icon with time.
• ⏱️ In the shortcut settings (Settings) → Annexes → The clock → Notifications) turn on the time display in the status bar.

Problem Solving: The watch disappears, doesn’t update, or is displayed incorrectly

Even after successfully installing a watch widget on Xiaomi, it can behave unstable.-5 bugs and how to correct them:

Critical information for MIUI 14+ users (HyperOS): In the new HyperOS firmware, the widget algorithm has changed. If the watch stops showing after the update, perform a forced reboot (press Power + Volume up for 10 seconds), which will reset the system cache and return the standard widgets.

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Before updating MIUI, always back up the widget layout! Use the built-in Settings → Desktop → Backup layout.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the watch on the screen Xiaomi