How to Return Time to Xiaomi Screen: A Step-by-Step Guide to 2026

Why Xiaomi’s Watches Are Losing and How to Fix It

You used to look at your smartphone screen to see the time, but suddenly you found that the watch had disappeared from the home screen? This is a common problem among Xiaomi users, and it's not always related to a breakdown. Most often, MIUI updates, random changes to settings or shell conflicts. In 90% of cases, you can return time to the screen in 2-3 minutes - without resetting your phone or contacting the service.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to return the watch to the Xiaomi screen, from basic settings to hidden MIUI functions. Particular attention will be paid to models with MIUI 14/15 (including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13), where the interface has undergone changes. If you are a Xiaomi user with custom firmware, at the end of the article you will find a separate section with nuances.

Before proceeding to the instructions, check two points: (1) Did the clock only disappear from the home screen or also from the notification bar? (2) Have you recently updated your MIUI or installed a new launcher?

Answering these questions will help to more accurately determine the cause and choose the method of recovery.

Method 1: Enable the clock through MIUI Launcher settings

The fastest method is to check the settings of the standard MIUI launcher. In the latest versions of the shell, the time display option can be reset after updates or changes of topics.

1. Long tap on the free seat of the home screen → select Screen Settings (or Home Screen in MIUI 15).
2. Go to the Lock and Wallpaper Screen → Home Screen Settings.
3. Find the option to Show the Watch (or the Time Widget) and activate it.

If you don't have a "Show the Watch" item, your version of MIUI uses a different mechanism.

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three Points (⋮) → Default settings → Launcher → Launcher Resetting

This reset will bring back the standard MIUI Launcher settings, including time display, and importantly, once reset, the icons and folders on the home screen may change, and you will have to reconfigure them.

Take a screenshot of the current location of the icons

Remember the theme of the design used

Check if you are using a third-party launcher (Nova, Apex)

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Method 2: Change the theme of the design

In MIUI, the clock on the home screen is often tied to the current theme of the design, and if you've recently changed the theme or installed custom wallpaper, it could have affected the display of time.

1. Open Settings → Theme (or the Theme app).
2. Select a standard MIUI theme (e.g. Default or Classic).
3. Restart your phone, the clock should come on.

If the clock is back but you want to use a custom theme, try the following:

• 🔍 Check if your theme supports clock display (this is indicated in the theme description).
• 🎨 Set a theme with the words Clock or Time in the title.
• 🔄 Switch to a different theme and back again – sometimes it drops display errors.

Standard MIUI

Custom from the theme store

Own (created in the editor)

Didn't change the subject.

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On some models (e.g. POCO F4), the watch may be lost due to a conflict between the theme and the MIUI version. If the problem persists after the theme change, try updating the shell via Settings → About Phone → System Update.

Method 3: Set up the watch widget manually

In MIUI 14/15, the clock on the home screen can be implemented as a separate widget, if it was accidentally deleted or disabled, here's how to return it:

1. Long press on the free space of the screen → Widgets.
2. Find the Watch (or Clock) widget in the list.
3. Drag it to the home screen and select the appropriate size (usually 2×1 or 4×1).

If the Watch widget is not listed, it could mean:

• 📱 On your Xiaomi model, the watch is sewn into the launcher (see Method 1).
• 🔧 Widget disabled in system settings (check Settings) → Annexes → Application management → The clock → Permits).
• 🛠️ There was a failure in the application Clock (try to clear its cache).

On some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU), the watch widget may be called Analog Clock or Digital Clock. If you use custom firmware, check its forum for known time-mapping bugs.

Method 4: Reset the launcher settings (without data loss)

If previous methods failed, the problem may lie in the launcher settings: reset MIUI Launcher will return the standard display of items, including the clock, but will not affect your data (photos, messages, applications).

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three dots (⋮) → Show system → MIUI Launcher → Storage → Clear data

After cleaning the data, the launcher will restart and you will see a standard MIUI screen with a watch.

• 📱 Location of icons and folders on the main screen.
• 🎨 Settings of wallpaper and themes (you will have to choose again).
• ⚙️ Parameters of gestures and animations of the launcher.

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Before resetting the launcher, back up the icons with the Home Backup & Restore app (available from the Play Market) and save time for customization after the reset.

If the clock is still missing after reset, check to see if the system app is disabled.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Show system-based.
3. Find the Clock and make sure the app is not disabled.

Method 5: Using third-party launchers (if nothing helps)

If standard methods don't bring back the watch, and the problem is critical, you can temporarily use a third-party launcher, such as a Nova Launcher or an Apex Launcher, which allows you to add watch widgets manually and flexibly adjust the appearance of the watch.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

1. Install Nova Launcher from Play Market and make it the default launcher.
2. Long tap on the screen → Widgets → Select Watch (you can use a widget from Google Clock or Digital Clock Widget).
3. Set the size and style of the watch to your liking.

Advantages of this method:

If you decide to go back to the standard MIUI launcher, just go to Settings → Applications → Default → Launcher and select MIUI Launcher.

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The launcher side is a temporary solution.If the watch doesn't show up in the standard MIUI Launcher, it could indicate deep firmware issues requiring flashing or resetting the phone.

Additional Causes of Clock Disappearance and Solutions

If none of the above methods worked, the problem may be related to less obvious factors.

1. Conflict with the application "Security" (Security)

In MIUI, the Security app sometimes blocks system processes, including the display of the clock, to check this:

1. Open Security → Accelerate → Auto Start.
2. Find the Clock and make sure that auto-start is allowed.
3. Also check the Battery → Battery Optimization section and exclude the Watch from optimization.

2. Damage to system files

If the watch is lost after a failed update or reset, system files may be damaged.

• 🔄 Soft reset: Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings (does not delete data).
• 📥 Firmware Update: Install the latest version MIUI through settings → Updating the system.
• 🛠️ Hand-held firmware: If the phone is warranty, contact the service.

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Before resetting or firmware, check to see if you have USB debugging developer mode on, which in some cases interferes with the proper functioning of system applications.

3. Features of custom firmware (Xiaomi.EU, PixelExperience)

If you use an unofficial firmware, the watch may be missing due to:

• 📌 Incomplete portability of the launcher (for example, in PixelExperience, the clock is displayed differently).
• 🔧 Absence of a system application MIUI Clock (replaced by AOSP-version).
• 🎭 Use of the default alternative launcher (e.g. Lawnchair).

Solutions for custom firmware:

1. Install MIUI Clock manually (APK is available on 4PDA forums).
2. Use the Google Clock or Chronus widget.
3. Switch to the MIUI Launcher (if it is compatible with your firmware).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When trying to return the watch to the Xiaomi screen, users often make mistakes that only make the problem worse.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete the system app Watch (com.android.deskclock) through ADB This can cause a cyclical reboot of the phone, because many processes are involved. MIUI depend on him.

Other common mistakes:

• 🔋 Reset phone without backup: Before any manipulations with settings, make a backup via Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 🔄 Use of outdated instructions: Settings MIUI Don't rely on manuals older than 2023.
• 🛠️ Self-selected firmware without experience: Incorrectly selected firmware can "brick" the phone. If you are not sure, contact the service.

If you still decide to reset your phone to factory settings, remember:

• 📱 This will delete all data, including photos, messages and apps.
• 🔒 After the reset, the phone will require you to enter a Mi Account if it was tied.
• ⚙️ The clock will return, but all personal settings (including themes and wallpaper) will reset.

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Factory reset is a last resort, and 95% of the time, the Xiaomi watch is returned through launcher settings or theme change.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions