How to return the disappeared tape widgets on Xiaomi: all working ways

Xiaomi’s widget tape is a key element of MIUI’s interface, which allows you to quickly access the weather, calendar, notes and other important features. However, after updating the system, resetting or randomly manipulating the interface, many users face its sudden disappearance. If you too find that the widget panel has disappeared from the main screen, do not panic: in 90% of cases it can be returned without complex manipulation.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to restore widget tape on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices running MIUI 12-15, including hidden settings, rollbacks and even manual methods for power users. We will pay special attention to the typical errors that lead to the widget disappearing, and give clear instructions for each firmware version. If you have already tried standard methods without success, do not miss the section with alternative solutions!

Why is the widget tape on Xiaomi missing?

Before you start to recover, it is important to understand the cause of the problem, and in most cases, the disappearance of the widget panel is due to one of the following factors:

• 🔄 Update MIUI: After installing a new firmware version (especially when switching to the MIUI 14/15) system can reset the default screen settings by hiding the widget tape.
• ⚙️ Resetting Launcher Settings: Accidentally pressing the "Reset Launcher Settings" option in the Settings menu → Annexes → Launcher returns interface to factory look, removing all widgets.
• 📱 Change theme or style: Some custom themes from the Mi Theme Store may conflict with the display of standard tape.
• 🛠️ Manual removal through ADB: Attempting to optimize the system through commands ADB (For example, removing unnecessary applications, you can accidentally deactivate the system component responsible for widgets.
• 🐞 Launcher failures: If the com.miui.home system application is not working properly, it can lead to the disappearance of interface elements.

Interestingly, on some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12), the widget tape can be hidden when activating the “Simple Mode” mode or using third-party launchers like Nova Launcher.

Method 1: Recovery through launcher settings (the easiest method)

If the widget tape disappeared after an upgrade or accidental reset, the first thing you should do is try to return it through the standard launcher settings, which works on most devices with MIUI 12-15 and does not require root rights or technical skills.

1. Open the settings of your smartphone.
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. In the search bar, type Launcher (or com.miui.home) and select the MIUI Launcher system application.
4. Click Warehouse → Clear Data (not to be confused with Clear Cache!).
5. Confirm the action and restart the device.

After the reboot, the widget tape should appear to the left of the main screen. If this does not happen, try the additional step:

1. Press the free space on the main screen until the settings menu appears.
2. Select Screen Settings → Home screen.
3. Make sure the Widget Tape switch is on (or the Widget Panel, depending on the MIUI version).

Important! Clearing the launcher data will reset the icons on the home screen and in folders. If you have had many customizations, we recommend you pre-photo the current arrangement or use the backup function in Settings → Additional → Backup.

Method 2: Activate via hidden menu (for MIUI 14/15)

In the latest versions of MIUI 14 and MIUI 15, Xiaomi developers have added a hidden menu to manage interface elements, including a widget tape, which is especially useful if standard settings do not work.

1. Open the phone app and enter the combination: ##6484###
2. After entering, the “MTK Engineer Mode” (or “Engineering Menu”) menu will open.
3. Go to the Hardware Testing → Display section.
4. Find the Widget Panel option (or “Widget Panel”) and set the Enabled value.
5. Save the changes and restart the device.

If ##6484## doesn’t work, try the alternative code.

##4636##

In the menu that opens, select Usage statistics → Widgets and turn on the tape switch.

💡

If the engineering menu doesn't open, check if the service codes are blocked by your carrier, in which case try using the codes through the MTK Engineering Mode app from Google Play.

This method doesn’t work on all models, but it’s particularly effective for MediaTek processor devices (like the Redmi Note 11 or POCO M4 Pro). A different approach may be needed on smartphones with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips (like the Xiaomi 12T).

Method 3: Reverse launcher update (if the problem appeared after the update)

If the widget tape disappeared immediately after updating the firmware or launcher, the cause may be a bug in the new version, in which case a rollback to the previous stable build will help.

Here's how to do it:

1. Download. APK-file from a trusted source (e.g. APKMirror) of the previous version of the launcher com.miui.home. Make sure the version is compatible with your model and version MIUI!
2. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → MIUI Launcher.
3. Click Remove Updates (if the button is inactive, skip this step).
4. Set up the downloaded one. APK-file by allowing installation from unknown sources.
5. Reset the device.

Critical information: Installing an incompatible launcher version can result in a cyclical reboot of the device!Be sure to check the compatibility of the version with your model and MIUI version in the settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version) before rolling back.

Method 4: Manual Addition via ADB (for Advanced Users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try to return the widget tape via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and having basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then go back to Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB.
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell pm enable com.miui.home/.launcher.Launcher


adb shell am start -n com.miui.home/.launcher.Launcher




adb shell settings put secure widget_panel_enabled 1

If the tape does not appear after the execution of commands, try an alternative command:

adb shell cmd overlay enable com.miui.home.widgetpanel

This method often helps on devices where tape has been disabled at the system settings level, but beware: incorrect ADB commands can disrupt the interface.

💡

Before using ADB, make sure you have the latest drivers installed for your Xiaomi model, which can be downloaded on the official MIUI Downloads website.

Method 5: Resetting settings to factory (last resort)

If none of the previous methods worked, the last option is a complete reset, which will return the widget tape, but delete all the data from the device, so use it only as a last resort.

Resetting instructions:

1. Back up important data via Settings → Additional → Backup or manually copy files to your PC.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select to erase all data (reset to factory).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-10 minutes).

⚠️ Note: Some models (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra) may require re-assignment of the Mi Account after reset!

Once reset, the widget tape will appear automatically, but you will have to reconfigure the device. If the problem recurs even after the reset, this may indicate a hardware failure or damage to system files, in which case we recommend contacting the service center.

Alternative solutions: if nothing helps

If all of these methods are useless, consider alternative options:

• 📱 Use a third-party launcher: Install Nova Launcher or Lawnchair from Google Play.They support widgets and allow you to customize the interface more flexible than the standard Xiaomi launcher.
• 🔧 Custom firmware installation: Firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience offer an alternative interface with support for widgets, but this requires unlocking the bootloader and may be unwarranted.
• 📧 Appeal in support of Xiaomi: If the problem is massive (for example, after a global update), developers can issue a patch. Write to the official Twitter Xiaomi or through the feedback form in Settings → Feedback.
• 🛒 Buying a new device: As a last resort, if the smartphone is outdated (for example, Redmi 5 or Mi). A1), a the problem is not solved, consider upgrading to a new model with the current version MIUI.

It is also worth checking whether the disappearance of the widget tape is part of the A/B-Xiaomi's testing, sometimes it hides individual features for a fraction of its users to collect statistics, and then you just have to wait for the next update.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi widget tape