How to Create a Folder on Xiaomi: A Complete Organization Guide

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are equipped with powerful processors and large screens, allowing you to install dozens of applications for work, games and communication. However, the chaotic layout of icons on the desktop quickly turns the interface into an unreadable porridge where you can not quickly find the right label, which is why competent organization of space is a key skill for any Android device owner.

Foldering is a basic but critical element of customizing the MIUI or HyperOS shell. Properly structured application groups not only speed up the search for the necessary features, but also visually clean the desktop, making navigation intuitive. In this article, we will discuss in detail all aspects of working with folders, from simple icons to advanced visual settings and content hiding.

You don't need to be an IT expert to clean up your gadget. All the tools you need are already built into the default system and are available immediately after unpacking the device. We'll look at standard algorithms for action, and we'll also touch on nuances that even experienced users often miss when first setting up a new smartphone.

Basic algorithm for creating a folder on the desktop

The process of grouping applications into groups on Xiaomi smartphones is as simple as possible and implemented through the drag-and-drop mechanism. You do not need to search for hidden menus or use complex commands. Just find two application icons on the desktop that you want to combine, such as instant messengers or banking applications.

Press one of the icons with your finger and hold it until a slight vibration or a change in the scale of the interface appears. Without letting go, drag the selected shortcut directly over the second app that is supposed to be part of the group. Once the top icon zooms in slightly or a translucent frame appears, release your finger.

The system will automatically create a container, put both apps in there, and assign the folder a default name based on the category of programs (for example, "Tools" or "Social Networks"). If you don't like the automatic name, you can change it at any time by simply clicking on the text box above the icons inside the open folder.

It's worth noting that depending on the firmware version, the animations for creating can vary. On older versions of MIUI, the folder could be created instantly, whereas newer HyperOS updates added smooth transitions. If the folder isn't created the first time, try repeating the action a little slower, making sure you didn't move the icon into the empty area of the screen.

Customization of appearance and renaming of groups

Once you have created the basic structure, it is important to align it with your personal preferences. The standard names that the system assigns are often too generic or contain unnecessary characters. To edit the name, simply open the folder you created and click on the text box at the top of the window that appears.

In the keyboard that opens, type in the name you want, and you can use emoji, which is especially popular among users who want to visually differentiate categories, for example, a folder with games can be called a "game" folder"🎮 Games, and with finances —"💰 Bank. This allows you to instantly read the information in the glance mode.

In addition to the title, you should pay attention to the size of the folder. In the theme or launcher settings, sometimes you can change the display style. Some themes offer square, round or even transparent backgrounds for application containers. To change the style, go to Settings → Themes → Profile → Theme settings.

• 🎨 Changing theme: Globally changing the style of icons and folders through the theme store.
• ✏️ Editing: The ability to change the name at any time without restrictions.
• 📐 Screen grid: Changing the size of the grid affects how many apps fit in a single folder without scrolling.

This is a purely cosmetic feature for user convenience, however, if you use voice search or smart assents, unique titles can help voice commands find the right groups of programs faster.

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Use short 1-2 word folder titles to make them fully appear on the screen without cropping, especially if you have large font enabled.

Adding and removing applications inside the folder

Space organization is a dynamic process. You need one group of programs today, you install a new application tomorrow, and you need to change the structure. Adding a new element to an existing folder is like creating one. Find a new app shortcut on your desktop or in the menu of all programs.

Press the new app icon and drag it to an existing folder, and if you hover it should light up or pulsate slightly, signaling that it is ready to accept the new item, and when you let it go, the app will be inside, and you can also open the folder and drag it in from the bottom panel of the dock if you have it active.

To remove an application from the action group, open the folder, find the unnecessary shortcut, press it and drag it to the top of the screen where the Remove zone or the basket appears. Note: this action will remove the shortcut from the folder, but it will not remove the application itself from the device. It will simply return to the desktop or to the shared menu.

⚠️ Attention: If you drag the application to the Remove zone (red cart) and not just outside the folder, you can start the process of uninstalling the program.

There's also the possibility of mass-moving. In some versions of the shell, when you clamp the folder and select the "Edit" option (if available in your theme), you can quickly change the order of the icons inside the container, just dragging them with your finger, which is convenient for taking the most commonly used programs to the forefront of visibility.

Advanced settings: folder hiding and carousel mode

MIUI is famous for its customization capabilities, and one of the most useful features is hiding apps or entire folders from prying eyes, which is useful for storing banking applications, personal photos or work documents in an environment where other people can use the phone.

To access hidden folders, you use a special gesture: you have to put two fingers in different directions on the desktop main screen (plug out), you have a special space where you can move any folders, and access to this space is protected by a password, a pattern lock or a fingerprint.

Another interesting feature is changing the way folders are opened, which is that when you click on a folder, it opens to the full screen or pop-up, but if you activate certain themes or use third-party launchers that are compatible with Xiaomi, you can adjust the behavior of folders more flexibly.

The second space feature deserves special attention, and in fact, it's creating a second desktop with a completely independent system of folders and applications, and you can switch between them just like you would between regular folders, so you can share work and personal leisure at the software level.

Solution: folder is not created or disappears

Despite the stability of the system, users can experience interface bugs, and one of the common problems is that you can't create a folder or it disappears spontaneously after a reboot, most often not because of a break, but because of a launcher cache overflow or conflict of topics.

If standard actions (dropping icons) don’t work, try clearing the desktop cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Desktop → Memory → Clear. This won’t delete your data, but it will reset the interface display settings.

Another reason is to use third-party themes that aren’t fully optimized for your version of Android. If the problem comes after you install a new theme, return the standard design. Also check if the “Simple Mode” (for older people) mode is on, which limits the ability to create complex structures on the screen.

• 🔄 Reboot: A banal but effective way to reset temporary system errors.
• 🎨 Change of theme: Returning to a standard theme helps eliminate design conflicts.
• 🗑️ Cache Clearing: Deleting temporary launcher files often solves the problem of "sticking" icons.

In rare cases, the problem may be a lack of free memory of the device. If the internal storage is 98-99% full, the system can block the creation of new interface objects. Free up at least 500 MB of space and check again.

Organization of the desktop: best practices

Foldering is just a tool, and the logic you put into it is the key, and the chaotic clumping of all programs into one pile called "Apps" negates the whole point of organization, and usability experts recommend grouping programs by frequency of use or use cases.

The first level (the dock bar and the first screen) should contain only what you need daily: communication, navigation, browser, camera. Everything else can be removed into folders on secondary screens, for example, create a folder "Travels" (cards, taxis, flights) and "Finance" (all banks, investments, taxes).

Use color coding if you're trying to navigate visually quickly, and you can put all the red icons in one folder, and the blue icons in another, and it may sound strange, but for people with visual minds, it makes it much faster to find the right app.

⚠️ Attention: Don’t create too deep nesting levels. MIUI It doesn't support a folder in a pack. Try to keep the structure flat: one screen, multiple themed folders.

Regularly "revise" your desktop, open folders once a month and delete apps you've stopped using, which will not only make room, but also speed up the system, since the launcher will not have to index unnecessary shortcuts.

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Effective desktop organization increases the productivity of using a smartphone by 20-30%, reducing the time to search for the desired functions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)