Restore Desktop Settings on Xiaomi: 5 Working Ways

The desktop on Xiaomi smartphones is not just a background image, but an interface with widgets, folders and quick settings. Sometimes after a MIUI update, a failed installation of themes or a system failure, icons disappear, wallpaper is reset to standard ones, and the location of elements randomly changes. If you encounter this problem, do not rush to make a hard reset: in 90% of cases, desktop settings can be restored without losing data.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to return the original view of the screen: from manual restoration through hidden MIUI menus to using backups and resets to factory settings. Note: the methods work on all modern models – Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, POCO F5/X5 and others with the shell of MIUI 12-14. For legacy versions (before MIUI 11), some points may differ.

1. Recovery through theme settings

The fastest way to get back to a standard desktop look is to reset the current design theme, which helps if a problem arises after installing a custom theme from the Theme or a malfunction in its work.

Go to Settings → Topic → My Themes. Here you will see an active theme (checked). Click on it and select Reset to Standard. If there is no such button, try:

• 🔄 Switch to another topic (e.g. Standard) MIUI), then back up.
• 🗑️ Remove the current theme (if downloaded from the store) and apply the standard one.
• 🔍 Check for updates to themes in the Updates section – sometimes bugs get patched.

After resetting the theme, the icons, folders, and widgets should return to their places. If that doesn't happen, move on to the next way.

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Before resetting the theme, take a screenshot of the current location of the icons (click Power + Volume Down) This will help you quickly restore order manually if the automatic reset does not work.

2.Use of a backup copy of MIUI

If you have previously backed up through the built-in MIUI, you can restore desktop settings from it, a method that is suitable for users who regularly make backups (for example, before updating the firmware).

Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backups. All saved copies with creation dates will be displayed here. Choose the latest (until the problem occurs) and click Restore. In the recovery data list, tick the Desktop Settings (or Home Screen in older versions of MIUI).

Important: If the backup was created on another Xiaomi model (for example, with the Redmi Note 10 on the Xiaomi 13), some elements may not display correctly due to different screen resolutions.

Download your phone backup (if it’s stored in the cloud)

Connect your phone to charge (the process can take 5-10 minutes)

Close all applications (to avoid conflicts)

Check the space available (at least 500MB required)

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3.Resetting launcher settings via ADB

For power users, there is a way to reset your desktop settings via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is useful if the standard options don’t work and you don’t want to reset your phone completely.

You'll need:

• 💻 Computer with installed Xiaomi and ADB-tools drivers.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🔧 Included Debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).

Connect your phone to your PC and execute in the command line:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

This command will reset the standard MIUI launcher to the factory settings. Once the phone is rebooted, the desktop will return to its original appearance, but all user settings (folders, widgets) will be lost. App icons will remain, but their location will reset.

Never.

1 time per month

Before each update

Only when changing the phone.

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4 Manual recovery via Safe Mode

If the problem is caused by a conflict with the installed application (for example, a third-party launcher or widget), Safe Mode – a safe boot mode where all third programs are disabled – will help.

To enter Safe Mode:

1. Press the power button before the turn off menu appears.
2. Press and hold the option “Off” (or “Reboot” in new versions of MIUI).
3. Confirm the transition to safe mode (notification will appear).

In Safe Mode, check if the desktop has recovered. If so, a problem in one of the installed applications. Remove recently added launchers, widgets or themes. Start with:

• 🚫 Third-party launchers (Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher, etc.).
• 🎨 Icon Packages (for example, Icon Pack Studio).
• 🧩 Widgets with advanced features (weather, calendars from third-party developers).

Once you delete suspicious apps, restart your phone as normal, and if your desktop is restored, install the programs again one at a time to identify the perpetrator of the conflict.

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Safe Mode does not delete data, but only temporarily disables third-party applications. This is the most secure way to diagnose without the risk of losing files.

5. Full reset of the phone (last resort)

If none of these methods worked, the last resort is factory reset, which is guaranteed to return the desktop to its original state, but deletes all the data on the phone, including photos, messages and installed apps, and only use it after you have backed up!

Instructions for discharge:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Reset settings.
2. Select Erase all data (in some versions of MIUI – Reset to factory settings).
3. Enter the password (if installed) and confirm the action.
4. Wait for the process to be completed (it will take 5-15 minutes).

Once rebooted, the phone will look like new. At the initial setup stage, you can restore data from a backup of the Mi Cloud or a local backup (if it was created in advance).

• 🔄 Recovery from the cloud will only return data that has been synchronized (contacts, notes, some settings).
• 📁 Local copy will recover more data, but you need to create it in advance.
• 🚫 Applications and their data won’t be automatically restored – they’ll have to be reinstalled.

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After reset, take your time to restore everything from the backup immediately. First, check if the desktop is working correctly. If the problem recurs, the firmware itself is to blame, not the settings.

6.Recovery after MIUI update

A common cause of desktop failure is a firmware update. Newer versions of MIUI sometimes conflict with the old launcher settings. If the problem occurs immediately after the update, try:

Method 1: Clearing the launcher cache

Go to Settings → Applications → App Management → All apps. Find the MIUI Launcher (or com.miui.home), open its settings and click Clear Cache. Reboot your phone.

Method 2: Reverse theme update

If the crash occurred after updating the standard theme, roll it back to the previous version:

1. Open Topics → My subjects.
2. Find an active theme and click on the three dots in the top right corner.
3. Select Reverse Update (if the option is available).

Method 3: Manually editing settings

If only the wallpaper disappeared after the update or the size of the grid changed, correct this manually:

• 🖼️ Wallpaper: Clutch the empty space on the desktop → Wallpaper. → Select a standard image.
• 📏 Grid size: Settings → Home screen → Grid size (select the size) 4×5 or 5×6).
• 🔄 Animations: Settings → Additional settings → System animation (enable if disabled).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users make the desktop problem worse by doing the wrong thing.-3 Mistakes and how to avoid them:

⚠️ Note: Never delete the com.miui.home system application through ADB It's going to make the interface completely inoperable, and you're going to have to stream the phone over the Fastboot.

Mistake 1: Using third-party software to clean up

Applications like Clean Master or CCleaner often delete important launcher cache files, causing crashes, and instead use built-in optimization:

• 🧹 Settings → Annexes → Cleaning (built-in tool) MIUI).
• 🗑️ Settings → Warehouse → Clean (to clear the place).

Mistake 2: Change system fonts without backup

Installing custom fonts through Themes or ADB can break the display of text on the desktop.

1. Create a backup in Settings → Additional settings → Backup and reset.
2. Use only fonts from the official MIUI Theme Store.

⚠️ Note: If after changing the font, the inscriptions under the icons disappear, return the standard font through Settings → Screen. → Font. If the menu does not open, reset the theme settings (section 1 of this article).

Mistake 3: Ignoring Security Updates

Failure to update MIUI can lead to conflicts between the old launcher settings and newer versions of applications.

• 🔄 Check for updates to Settings regularly → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 📡 Use a stable firmware branch (not beta) if you’re not ready for bugs.
• 📌 Before updating, reset the theme settings to standard (section 1).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions