How to Restore Shortcuts on Xiaomi Redmi Phone: A Complete 2026 Guide

App icons on your Xiaomi Redmi desktop are missing? Don't panic, it's a common problem that can be solved in 5-10 minutes. Most often, shortcuts disappear after a MIUI update, reset, clear the launcher cache, or accidentally delete. 90% of the time, it's not a system failure, but a malfunction of the MIUI Launcher shell, the standard interface of Xiaomi smartphones.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to return icons to the screen, from elementary (reboot) to advanced (reset launcher settings).We will also discuss why this happens and how to prevent re-disappearance. All instructions are relevant for Redmi Note 10/11/12/13, Redmi 9/10/12C and other devices on MIUI 12/13/14.

If the shortcuts are missing after the firmware update, first check the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. In recent builds (for example, MIUI 14.0.6+), the missing badge bug is fixed, but manual recovery may be required.

1.Rebooting the phone is the first step

In 30 percent of cases, missing shortcuts come back after a banal reboot, because MIUI Launcher sometimes hangs over the background memory optimization, and a forced restart will reset the time errors.

How to properly reboot Redmi:

• 🔄 Soft reboot: press the power button → select "Reset» → Wait. 1-2 minute.
• 🔋 Hard reboot (if the phone freezes): press the power button + volume up 10-15 A few seconds before the Redmi logo appears.
• ⚡ Quick reboot (for the purpose of MIUI 14): swipe down the notification panel → tap on the food icon → «Reboot».

Wait 30-60 seconds after you turn on, the system should automatically restore the shortcuts. If that doesn't happen, move on to the next method.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use a hard reboot more than 1 time per day. this may damage the file system ext4 Some Redmi models with memory UFS 2.2.

2.Resetting the settings of the MIUI launcher

If the reboot didn't work, the problem is with settings on the standard launcher, and resetting it will return to factory settings, but it won't delete your applications or data.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, enter “Launche” (will appear). MIUI Launcher).
3. Slip on it → “Storage” → “Clean data” + “Clear cache”.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Once reset, all the shortcuts will return to their place, but the folders and the order of the icons will have to be reconfigured, and if this method does not work, check if the applications are hidden in the launcher settings.

Remember the location of important labels

Take a screenshot of the desktop

Check the space in memory (need ≥500 MB)

Turn it off. VPN (It can block system processes)-->

3. Recovery of Hidden Applications

MIUI has an app hiding feature that sometimes works by accident, such as clicking on "Remove from desktop" in the context menu of the shortcut, and you can check hidden apps in two ways:

Method 1. Through the launcher settings:

• 📱 Hold an empty space on the desktop → «Settings" (or "Screen settings»).
• 🔍 Select “Hidden Apps” or “Hidden Icons».
• ✅ Uncheck the correct applications and click “Done».

Method 2. Through the application menu:

1. Swipe up to open the menu of all applications.
2. Put three points on it (⋮) top-right.
3. Select “Hidden Apps” and undo the Hidden Apps.

If the list of hidden applications is empty, but shortcuts are still missing, the problem may be due to damage to the launcher database, in which case only reinstallation of the shell (see section 5) will help.

4. Recovery through Safe Mode (Safe Mode)

If the shortcuts are missing due to a conflict with a third-party launcher (for example, Nova Launcher or POCO Launcher), it will help to launch in safe mode.

How to run Safe Mode on Redmi:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the power button until the Redmi logo appears.
3. Immediately after vibration, press and hold the volume button until the loading is complete.
4. In the lower left corner of the screen, the inscription “Safe mode” will appear.

In safe mode:

• 🔍 Check if the shortcuts are back. If so, the problem is in the third-party launcher.
• 📲 Remove recently installed themes or launchers through Settings → Annexes.
• 🔄 Restart your phone in normal mode.

⚠️ Warning: Safe Mode has disabled all custom lock screen settings. Do not install new ones PIN-codes or graphic keys – they will not be saved after leaving the mode.

5. Reinstall MIUI Launcher (advanced method)

If previous methods failed, you'll have to reinstall the system launcher, which requires USB debugging activation and is suitable for power users.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB debugging: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect your phone to your PC and install ADB Tools.
3. Run commands in the terminal: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.home pm install -r /system/priv-app/MiuiHome/MiuiHome.apk
4. Reboot the phone.

If the shortcuts do not appear after reinstalling, check the integrity of the MiuiHome.apk file in the firmware. You may need to reflash the phone through the Mi Flash Tool (see next section).

Extreme measures: resetting settings or flashing

If neither method worked, there are two radical solutions left: resetting to factory settings or flashing through Fastboot.Both options will delete all data from the phone, so back up first.

Reset to factory settings:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Resetting settings.
• 🔐 Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.
• ⏳ Wait until it's finished (taken). 5-10 minute).

Fastboot Flashing (for experienced users):

1. Download the official firmware for your model.
2. Unpack the archive and launch it. flash_all.bat (Windows or flash_all.sh (Linux/Mac).
3. Connect your phone in Fastboot mode (clip the power + volume down).
4. Wait for the firmware to be completed (10-15 minutes).

⚠️ Note: Fastboot flashing deletes all data, including files in internal memory.If the phone was unlocked through the Mi Unlock Tool, it may be necessary to re-unblock the bootloader after the firmware is flashed.

💡

Before resetting or firmware, be sure to remove SIM-This will prevent damage to external media.

How to prevent the re-disappearance of labels

To avoid recurring problems, follow these guidelines:

• 🔄 Update regularly MIUI through settings → System updates. New versions fix launcher bugs.
• 🚫 Don’t use third-party “memory optimizers” – they often kill startup processes.
• 📁 Don't clear the cache. MIUI Manual Launcher (only through settings as in Section 2).
• 🔋 Avoid battery discharge below 10% – this can cause system failures.

If you frequently install custom launchers (like Nova or Lawnchair), back up your desktop through their settings, which will allow you to quickly restore the location of shortcuts after a crash.

💡

To quickly return the missing shortcut, find the app in the menu (swipe up), pinch its icon and drag it to the desktop. This will work even if the launcher is glitzy.

FAQ: Frequent questions about missing labels