How to return Xiaomi desktop settings: the full guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where the usual interface of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS suddenly changes or disappears. This can occur after a failed system update, an accidental reset of the launcher settings or a conflict of established themes.

It's possible to get things back to their normal place, but it's important to understand the nature of the problem. Sometimes it's just a disabled option, and other times it requires a complete reset of the Launcher system application. In this article, we'll go through all the methods available to restore the interface, from simple menu switches to the use of hidden engineering codes.

Don't panic if widgets are missing or icon grids are changed. Xiaomi's system launcher stores the configuration separately from user data, so personal photos and contacts will not be affected when you restore them. Let's go through the steps that will help you reanimate your desktop.

Diagnostics of the problem: why the interface went wrong

Before you start taking action, you need to understand what caused the failure, often the culprit is the update itself, which may conflict with customized topics, and the problem arises when installing third-party launchers that incorrectly integrate with the MIUI shell.

Sometimes the user accidentally activates Pocket Mode or changes the size of the grid thinking it's a bug, and it's important to distinguish between a software failure and a sensor hardware malfunction, although the latter is extremely rare in the context of displaying icons.

If you’ve recently installed new themes from Themes, try removing them first. Often, it’s incompatible resources that cause the com.miui.home process to crash, which results in the interface rebooting or rolling back to factory settings.

Recovery through launcher settings

The safest and first step is to check the internal settings of the desktop itself, allowing you to flexibly manage the display of items, and often the problem is solved by simply reconfiguring the parameters of the grid or hidden folders.

Go to the device settings menu and find the look section. The path may vary slightly depending on the software version, but the logic remains the same. You need to find Desktop or Home screen.

In this section, pay attention to the following parameters:

• 📱 Grid: check if there is a minimum number of rows and columns, which could cause the icons to “shrink” or shift.
• 📂 Folders: Make sure that signature display is enabled and that the mode of hiding rarely used applications is not activated.
• 🔄 Animation: Sometimes disabling interface animations causes visual glitches, try switching this option.

If the grid changes didn’t help, try simply changing the theme to a standard Classic or Default.This will force the interface to reboot resources and often return missing items to their places without the need for deep intervention.

Resetting the system application Launcher

When soft practices don’t work, a more radical approach is required – resetting the launcher app itself – which will return the desktop to a post-purchase state, but will not affect your personal files, contacts or messages.

To do this, open Settings and go to the Apps section. Select All Apps and find Desktop or Launcher in the list. In some firmware versions, it may be called System Launcher.

Inside the app menu, find the Clean button (or broom icon) and select Clean Everything. The system will alert you that your desktop settings will be reset. Confirm the action.

⚠️ Warning: After the launcher reset, all widgets, folders and icon locations return to factory values. You will have to re-arrange them to your liking, but this is guaranteed to eliminate software errors of the interface.

Once cleaned, press the home button or swipe from the bottom up, and you'll see the interface reboot. If the problem was a damaged configuration file, the screen must now display correctly.

Use of engineering menus and codes

For advanced users, there is an option to access hidden testing features. Xiaomi devices have a special engineering menu that allows you to reset certain system components, including the launcher, bypassing standard settings.

Open the Phone app and dial ##6484##. This will open the CIT (Customer Inspection Test) menu. There is no need to change anything, but the login to the menu itself can restart some background services.

A more effective way to reset the interface is to use an ADB or terminal reset command if you have access to debugging. However, there is a simpler code to reset interface preferences that works on many versions of Android:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

This command is similar to manually clearing data through settings, but it is executed instantly. If you don’t have a computer with ADB, you can use terminal apps directly on your smartphone if root rights are granted, but for most users, a standard reset through the app menu described above is enough.

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Before any reset, take screenshots of important folders or record the location of widgets to quickly restore the familiar environment after the reboot.

Problems after MIUI update and HyperOS update

Switching to a new version of the shell, especially from MIUI to HyperOS, often causes chaos on the desktop. The new widget system and the changed logic of the icons can be perceived by the user as a mistake or loss of settings.

HyperOS has changed the way widgets work: they are now more interactive and require separate additions through long-pressing on an empty area of the screen. Old widgets from MIUI 14 may not display correctly or require updating.

If after the update you see standard Android icons instead of branded round icons Xiaomi:

• 🎨 Go to Settings. → Desktop → Icon System and Choose Style MIUI.
• 📐 Check the font size and scale of the display, as new fonts can “disperse” on the old settings.
• 🗑️ Delete the theme app cache, as old cached data may conflict with the new OS version.

Often, it helps to simply restart the device after an update that takes longer than usual.The system performs file indexing and rearranges the interface database.

Alternative launchers and their impact

Many users install third-party launchers such as Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher to expand functionality, but they can conflict with Xiaomi’s system gestures, causing the control panel or home button to disappear.

If you want to use a third-party interface but are experiencing problems, try resetting the default settings for apps. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Menu (three dots) → Reset the application settings.

⚠️ Warning: Resetting app settings will return all default permissions and choices to the original state.You will have to re-allow access to the camera, microphone and choose the default browser when you first start.

Also check if the Simplified Mode (for older people) mode is enabled, which drastically changes the desktop, making icons huge and removing unnecessary features. You can turn it off in Settings → Advanced Settings → Simple Mode.

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Third-party launchers give more freedom, but can disrupt the MIUI/HyperOS system gestures. Use them only if you are willing to put up with possible interface bugs.

Cardinal measures: Complete resetting of the device

If none of the above methods helped to return the settings of the Xiaomi desktop, it is possible that the system files of the firmware itself are damaged, in which case the last option remains – a complete reset to the factory settings (Hard Reset).

This step will remove all the data from the internal drive: photos, contacts, apps and settings, so it is critical to back up your device beforehand via Mi Cloud or your computer.

To perform the discharge:

1. Turn off your smartphone completely.
2. Press the Volume Up and Power buttons simultaneously before the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select English and click Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to end, then select Reboot.

Once turned on, you will get the device in the “out of the box” state. The desktop configuration will start from scratch, which ensures that there are no software interface errors caused by accumulated debris or configuration conflicts.