How to return a deleted or missing shortcut to the Xiaomi screen: all working methods

Did you accidentally remove the label of your favorite app from your Xiaomi desktop — and now you can’t find it on the menu? Or did the icons disappear on their own after the MIUI update? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO or Mi smartphones. Unlike iPhones, where shortcuts are only removed manually, on Xiaomi they can disappear due to system failures, memory optimization or even virus actions.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to bring the label back to the screen, from basic (beginner’s) to advanced (for crash recovery), how to distinguish a remote app from a hidden label, why MIUI sometimes “hide” icons itself, and what to do if none of the methods worked. All the instructions are relevant for MIUI 12-15 (including HyperOS) and models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

1. Check if the shortcut is hidden in the All Apps folder

In 70 percent of cases, the "disappeared" shortcut is actually simply moved to the general application list, and MIUI automatically removes the rarely used icons from the desktop to make room. Here's how to bring it back:

1. Swipe your finger up from the bottom edge of the screen to open the All Apps menu.
2. Find the app you want in the list (use the search at the top if there are a lot of icons).
3. Hold the icon with your finger and drag it to your desktop, and if you see the words "Delete" just release your finger in the blank space of the screen.

⚠️ Warning: If you drag and drop the icon and you have a basket, you are trying to remove the app completely, not return the shortcut.In this case, cancel the action first, then repeat the drag and drop, but hold your finger for longer than 1 second.

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On some models (e.g. POCO F5), you must first click on the three dots in the top corner of the icon to drag and drop and select Add to the desktop.

2. Recovery through launcher settings (if the shortcut is removed)

If the application is on the menu but does not appear on the desktop even after dragging it, the problem may be in the settings of the MIUI shell. Often this happens after a system update or reset.

1. Click on the empty space on your desktop and select Desktop Settings (or Launcher Settings on POCO).
2. Go to the Application Shortcuts → Hidden Applications section.
3. Check if your app is on the list, and if you have, uncheck the box and confirm the action.
4. Return to the main launcher settings menu and select Reset Settings → Restore default icons.

On HyperOS models (e.g. Xiaomi 13T), the path may be different: Settings → Desktop → Icon Management → Restore the standard ones. After that, all system shortcuts (Phone, Messages, Camera) will return to their places, and custom ones can be added again.

Make sure the application is not completely removed (check in Settings → Apps)

Take a screenshot of the current location of the icons (to restore order after reset)

Close all background apps (click Clean in the Multitasking Menu)

Connect your phone to charge (in case of a long reboot)

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3. Use a backup of the system (if the shortcuts disappeared after the update)

If the shortcuts are missing and you've got a MIUI update or a reset, it helps to recover from a backup, which works even if you haven't done the backup manually, and it automatically creates it once a week.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Local Backups and find the most recent one (look at the date of creation).
3. Click Restore and select only Desktop Settings (don’t restore all data to avoid losing relevant information!).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (can take up to 5 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: If you are recovering data from Xiaomi Cloud, make sure you have enough space on your phone. If you don’t have enough memory, the process will stop and the shortcuts may disappear permanently. Before you restore, free up at least 1 GB by deleting unnecessary files or transferring them to a memory card.

Once a week.

Once a month

Just before the MIUI update

Never do.

I don't know how it works.

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4. Return the shortcut through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods have failed and the app is not removed (check Settings → Apps), you can use the Android debugging bridge (ADB), which is suitable for restoring system shortcuts (such as Settings or Camera) that cannot be returned by conventional drag and drop.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and program ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: Adb devices If the device appears in the list – go further.
2. Find out the name of the application package (for example, for the Camera it is com.android.camera). To do this, type: adb shell pm list packages | grep "application name"
3. Create a shortcut on your desktop: adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.CREATE_SHORTCUT -n com.miui.home/.launcher.ShortcutActivity -d "package: name packet" -e name "Name of label"

Example for returning the Settings shortcut:

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.CREATE_SHORTCUT -n com.miui.home/.launcher.ShortcutActivity -d "package:com.android.settings" -e name "Settings"

5. Elimination of failures through safe mode

If the shortcuts are lost after installing a new app or a virus attack, the problem may be a software conflict. To check this, load your phone in Safe Mode - only system applications work there.

How to turn on:

• 🔄 Press the power button before the turn off menu appears.
• 👆 Hold your finger and hold it on the Turn off point (a suggestion will appear to go to safe mode).
• 🔓 Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (the screen will appear the inscription Safe Mode).

In safe mode:

1. Check if the shortcuts are up. If so, there's a problem in one of the apps installed.
2. Remove recently installed programs (especially optimizers, launchers, or antiviruses).
3. Restart your phone in normal mode.

If the shortcuts appeared in safe mode but disappeared again after the reboot, then it's the third-party app's fault to find it.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by installation date (Recently installed).
3. Remove suspicious programs one by one, checking after each deletion if the shortcuts are back.

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Safe Mode is the only way to check if the problem is caused by a virus or application conflict. If shortcuts are back in this mode, be sure to scan the phone with an antivirus (like Dr.Web or Kaspersky).

6.Extreme measures: resetting launcher or phone settings

If neither method works, there are two radical options:

1. Reset Launcher settings (not affected by application data): Settings → Applications → Application Management → Launcher (com.miui.home) → Storage → Clear Data After that, all shortcuts and widgets will be reset to factory settings. You will have to configure the desktop again, but all applications and files will remain in place.
2. Full phone reset (deletes all data!): Settings → About phone → Backup and reset → Reset Settings Use this method only if: Labels are missing after the MIUI update and are not restored by other means. You are sure you have made a backup of the data. The problem is accompanied by other failures (hangs, overheating).

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS models (e.g. Xiaomi 14), the launcher reset may result in loss of wallpaper and themes. → Registration → My subjects.

FAQ: Frequent questions about missing shortcuts on Xiaomi