How to return a deleted shortcut to the screen of the Xiaomi phone: all ways

Have you accidentally removed the shortcut of your favorite app from Xiaomi’s home screen and now you can’t find it? Or did all the icons “stuck” into a chaotic order after the MIUI update? Don’t worry — you can return the shortcut to the screen of a Redmi, POCO or Mi smartphone in a few seconds, even if you’re a beginner. In this article, we’ll break down 5 proven ways, including hidden launcher features, recovery through the app menu and solving problems after resetting.

It's important to understand that in MIUI, shortcuts and apps are different entities. Deleting an icon from a screen does not mean uninstalling a program (you can find it in All Apps), but if the shortcut disappears after cleaning the cache or changing the theme, additional actions will be required, and we will look at these cases, and also give tips on how to fix important icons so that they do not disappear after rebooting.

1.The fastest way: drag the shortcut from the app menu

If the shortcut has disappeared after a random swipe or screen cleaning, it’s easiest to restore it through the standard MIUI Launcher menu, which works on all models from the Redmi Note 10 to the flagship Xiaomi 14.

Open All Apps (swipe up from the bottom of the screen). Find the app you want in the list, pinch the icon with your finger for 1-2 seconds until it sticks out of the background. Without letting your finger go, drag the shortcut to the home screen or to the folder. If the screen doesn't respond, check if the One Hand mode is activated in the settings (Special features → Control).

• 📱 For POCO: if you have been installed POCO Launcher, after a long tap will appear context menu – select Add to the main screen.

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If the shortcut "does not cling" to the screen, try rebooting the phone first.Sometimes launcher failures block drag and drop.

2.Recovery through the settings of the MIUI launcher

If the standard method didn't work, the problem could be in the shell settings. MIUI Launcher lets you reset icons, hide system applications, and even block the addition of new shortcuts. Here's how to fix it:

1. Open the Settings. → Main screen screen.
2. Check out Hidden Apps option – perhaps the right app is there.
3. Tap Reset layout to return the standard icon layout (this won’t delete your data!).
4. Activate the option to Add new apps to the home screen if it is disabled.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 for the global version), the path may differ: Settings → Home screen → Additional → Reset. If there is no layout reset, then you have a third-party launcher (e.g., Nova Launcher) installed and you need to restore shortcuts through its settings.

3. Search for hidden or disabled applications

Sometimes shortcuts are not deleted because of an error, but because an application has been disabled or hidden by the system, often after a MIUI update, when duplicate services (such as two browsers) are automatically deactivated.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select Show All Apps.
3. In the list, find the desired application and check its status: 🔄 Turned off - tap Include. 👁️ Hidden - click Show.

Once enabled, the app will reappear in the All Apps menu, and you can add a shortcut to the screen. Please note that some system applications (such as Security or Themes) cannot be disabled - they can only be hidden.

4.Use of MIUI backup (if the labels disappeared after reset)

If shortcuts disappear after resetting or flashing, they can be restored from a MIUI backup.This method is suitable if you have previously created a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup (or Settings → Additional → Restore and Reset in Older Versions).
2. Select the latest backup (check the date of creation!).
3. Check the box for Home Screen Data (or Launcher Settings).
4. Click Restore and wait for the process to be completed.

Important: Restore will replace all current screen settings (including wallpaper and widgets) with those that were when you created the backup. If you don't have a backup, try the following method.

Make sure your phone is at least 50 percent charged | Connect to Wi-Fi (backup can weigh a few GB) |Close all apps |Close a new backup of current data (in case of a crash)

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5. Manual shortcut creation via widget (for system applications)

Some Xiaomi system apps (like Settings, Camera or Calls) don’t appear in the All Apps menu, but they can be returned via widgets.This method also works for apps that don’t want to “cling” when dragging.

How to do this:

1. Click the empty space on the home screen and select Widgets.
2. Scroll through the list to the Settings or Tools section.
3. Find the app shortcut widget (or App Shortcut in global firmware).
4. Drag it to the screen, then select the desired app from the list.

This is also suitable for third-party applications if they support widget creation, such as returning the Google Chrome or Telegram shortcut if they disappeared after the update.

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Widgets consume more RAM than regular shortcuts. If the phone starts to "slow down", remove unnecessary widgets through a long press → Delete.

6.Resetting the launcher to factory settings (extreme case)

If none of these things worked, the problem could be that MIUI Launcher crashed, and then you could reset it completely, and it wouldn't delete your data, but it would return the standard screen layout, just like you did after you bought your phone.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the MIUI Launcher (or POCO Launcher for POCO) list.
3. Slip the Warehouse → Clear the data and confirm the action.
4. Reboot the phone.

Once you reboot, all the shortcuts and widgets will disappear, but you can add them again, according to the instructions from the first sections, and if that doesn't work, the system firmware may be damaged, and you will need to flash it through Fastboot or Mi Flash Tool.

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Before resetting the launcher, take screenshots of the current location of the icons - so you will quickly restore the usual layout after cleaning.

Table: Reasons for the disappearance of labels and solutions

If your problem is not described in the table, check if your phone has a child account (Settings → Accounts → Family Sharing) in which some apps are automatically hidden.

FAQ: Frequent questions about shortcuts on Xiaomi

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If you lose shortcuts often, install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) that lets you capture icons and back up the screen layout.