How to Set and Set Time on Xiaomi’s Home Screen: All Ways

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

You just bought a Xiaomi smartphone or upgraded your MIUI firmware, but suddenly you found that your desktop clock was missing? Or maybe it's there, but it doesn't look the way you want it to — too small, with no second hand or in an uncomfortable place? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi devices after switching to new versions of the shell.

Unlike iOS or “pure” Android, where the clock on the home screen is displayed by default, MIUI offers a flexible but not always obvious system for setting widgets. There is no single “show/hide time” switch – instead, the user is asked to choose from five official ways to display the watch, plus hidden features through themes and third-party launchers. In this article, we will analyze all options – from standard to advanced – and also solve typical problems like lost time or disappeared widgets after an update.

Note: the instructions are relevant for MIUI 12, 13, 14 and 15 (including global and Chinese versions).If you have older firmware (for example, MIUI 11), some menu items may differ - we will warn you about this separately. Also note that on devices with POCO Launcher or HyperOS (the new shell for Xiaomi 14), the algorithm may vary slightly.

Method 1: Adding a standard watch widget to the desktop

The most obvious and safe method is to use the built-in Watch widget from MIUI. It supports multiple display styles, including analog and digital variants, and allows you to adjust color and size.

To add a widget:

• 📱 With a long tap (click) on the free desktop space, call the settings menu.
• 🔧 Select Widgets (or Widgets in English version).
• ⏰ Scroll down to the Clock and tap on your favorite style.
• 🖼️ Hold the widget and drag it to the right place on the screen. Release your finger to fix it.

If the widget does not appear in the list, check:

• ⚙️ System settings: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Watch and make sure the app is not disabled.
• 🔄 Updates: Sometimes after an update MIUI The widgets are reset. Reset the phone.

Check if the “Clock” app is disabled in the settings

Update MIUI to the latest version

Reboot your smartphone

Reset the launcher settings (Settings → Applications → Launcher → Reset)

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Method limitations: The standard widget does not support second hand and has a fixed set of styles. If you need more options, read on.

Method 2: Use MIUI themes with integrated clocks

One of the little-known life hacks is changing the theme of the design. Many MIUI themes include not only wallpaper and icons, but also unique styles of displaying time on the home screen. For example, the theme "Dark Mode Pro" adds minimalist watches in the status bar, and "iOS Style" simulates a time widget like an iPhone.

How to apply the theme with a clock:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. In the Recommended or Top section, find a topic marked "With a Watch" or "Widget Support".
3. Tap on the topic. → Wait until the system downloads and installs all the elements.
4. Return to the home screen – the watch should appear automatically (sometimes a reboot is required).

🔍 Tip: Check other users' reviews before installing a theme. Some topics may conflict with the Weather widget or slow down animations.

Important: After resetting or updating MIUI, the theme with the clock may reset. Save your favorite theme to your favorites to quickly restore it.

Method 3: Configure the time display in the status bar

If you don't want a large desktop clock, but a compact display in the top panel is enough, set up the status bar. In MIUI, you can show not only the time, but also the date, the day of the week, and change the font.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Screen → Status Line.
2. Activate the Clock Switch (if it is turned off).
3. Slip on the style of the watch and choose one of the options: 🕒 CH:MM (Time only) 📅 CH:MM, DD MMM (Time) + date) 🗓️ CH:MM, Day of the Week

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⚠️ Note: on some models (Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro after updating to MIUI 14 shows seconds. This is not a bug, but a feature of battery optimization. To return seconds, use a widget (Method 1).

Method 4: Installation of a third-party launcher (Nova, Apex, Hyperion)

If the built-in MIUI capabilities don’t suit you, consider alternative launchers that offer flexible desktop settings, including:

• 🎨 Clock Customization: Size, Font, Color, Animations.
• 📍 Positioning: The watch can be placed in any corner of the screen.
• ⚡ Dynamic widgets: for example, watches that change color depending on the time of day.

The best launchers for Xiaomi:

• Nova Launcher – supports gestures, adaptive icons and its own clock widget with a second hand.
• Apex Launcher is lightweight, with the ability to back up settings.
• Hyperion Launcher – optimized for MIUI, retains branded gestures.

How to install and configure:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play (like Nova Launcher).
2. After installation, click Home and select a new launcher as your primary.
3. With a long tap on the screen, call the widget menu and add a 4×1 or 4×2 Watch (in Nova).
4. Hold the widget to change its size or style.

Nova Launcher

Apex Launcher

Hyperion Launcher

Standard MIUI Launcher

Another (write in the comments)-->

⚠️ Note: when using third-party launchers, some functions may stop working MIUI, for example:

• Swipe gesture down for a search.
• Game Turbo pop-up window.
• Integration with Xiaomi Cloud to synchronize wallpaper.

If these features are critical, go back to the standard launcher or set the watch through themes (Method 2).

Method 5: Hidden Settings for Advanced Users (ADB)

If you're ready to experiment, you can activate hidden time display options through ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

• 🔓 Unlock additional watch styles (e.g. Minimalist or Retro).
• 🔄 Restoring hours after resetting settings.
• ⚙️ Changes in system parameters not available in GUI.

Instructions:

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times according to version, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global status_bar_clock 1 (where 1 — clock, 0 — switch off).
3. To change style, use: adb shell settings put global status_bar_clock_style [meaning] Possible values: 0 — clock 1 — show off 2 — time + date 3 — time + weekday

Reboot the phone.

🛠️ A useful advice: if after ADB-No clocks appear, check for conflicts with the themes set. Reset the theme to standard (Settings) → Registration → Topics → Standard).

💡

Before working with ADB, back up your settings through Settings → Additional → Backup. This will help you recover the system if you make an error.

Problem Solving: The clock doesn't show, get knocked off or blink

Even after setting up the screen time correctly, Xiaomi may not be behaving properly. Let’s look at the typical issues and how to fix them.

Problem 1: The watch is missing after the MIUI update

🔹 Reason: Resetting launcher settings or conflict themes.

🔧 Decision:

1. Add the Watch widget manually (Method 1).
2. Reset the launcher settings: Settings → Applications → Launcher → Storage → Clear the data.
3. Reset the theme (if you used custom).