Chinese smartphone owners often encounter unusual terminology when looking for information about the functionality of their device. The query “mine menu on Xiaomi that” usually occurs among users who have either heard the term in conversation or encountered automatic interface translation.
Understanding the structure of this space is critical to effectively harnessing the capabilities of the MIUI or HyperOS shell, where shortcuts, widgets, and system tools are accessed daily, and many users are unaware that the standard look can be drastically altered by hiding the extra or adding new features.
In this article, we will discuss in detail what the main menu consists of, how to customize it and what hidden settings will help make working with a smartphone more convenient.
What is hidden behind the term "Main menu"
The term “main menu” is not the official title of the section in the Xiaomi documentation, but it is firmly entrenched in the user environment. In fact, it is a desktop and a list of all installed applications that are opened by swiping up or pressing a special button, and this is the area responsible for the initial navigation and launch of programs.
Unlike standard Android, Xiaomi’s shell offers two fundamentally different modes of displaying the space: the first is like iOS, where all programs are scattered across screens, and the second is a classic list, where applications are sorted alphabetically.
⚠️ Warning: Changing the display mode can be temporarily disorienting if you are used to a particular location of the icons.
So if you can get this space in depth, you can not just change the wallpaper, but you can also make system changes, for example, you can change the size of the grid, which will affect the number of visible elements, and for advanced users, you can have themes that completely redraw the interface, making it unrecognizable.
Display modes: Classic vs iOS
The first thing that a user encounters when setting up a new Xiaomi is the choice of menu style. It is a fundamental decision that determines the logic of working with a smartphone. In settings, this switch is located along the path of Settings → Desktop → Mode.
Classic mode means having a separate button or zone to call a list of all apps, and only select widgets and shortcuts remain on the desktop, ideal for those who like order and minimalism, and it's easier to organize space and avoid visual noise.
No Menu mode (or iOS style) places all icons directly on desktops, and removing the screen shortcut in this mode often leads to the removal of the app itself, if not carefully, a format that is convenient for those who use a large number of apps daily and prefer swipes.
- 📱 Classic style: Separate menu button, apps are only removed via long tap and the "Delete" option, there is an alphabetical index.
- 🍎 iPhone Style: Everything on screens, swipe down opens search, deletion of shortcut can delete the program.
- ⚙️ Flexibility: You can switch between modes at any time without losing data or settings.
The choice depends on your personal preferences and previous experience with smartphones. If you move from the iPhone, the second option will seem native. If you value the functionality of Android in its pure form, the classic will be preferred.
💡
Try both modes for a couple of days, and often users don't realize which one is more effective until they feel the difference in speed in practice.
Hiding applications and privacy
One of the most sought-after features in Xiaomi's ecosystem is the ability to hide apps -- not just cosmetic editing, but a full-fledged security tool -- hidden apps disappear from the general list and don't show up when searched unless you know the special access code.
To activate this feature, you need to go to the Security app (green zipper icon), scroll down to the Hide Apps section, and after activation, the system will prompt you to set a password or use biometrics to access hidden space.
There's also a method of hiding through gestures, and in the concealment settings, you can set a special code, like a set of characters or a sequence of swipes, and if you type that code in the search bar or on your desktop, you'll instantly open the hidden partition.
| Function | Description | Level of protection |
|---|---|---|
| Hiding the label | The icon disappears from the desktop | Low (visible in settings) |
| Hidden space | Separate profile with password | High (code required) |
| Second space | Complete copy of the system with other data | Maximum (Separate Account) |
It's important to understand the difference between simply removing a shortcut and completely hiding it, and in the first case, it's still available on the list of all applications, in the second case, it's completely isolated from prying eyes, and this is especially true for banking applications or personal photo albums.
⚠️ Attention: Forgotten passwords from hidden space are extremely difficult to recover. Xiaomi's system encrypts data, and without a code or a linked Mi Account, access can be lost forever.
Organization of working space and widgets
The main menu is not just a list of programs, it's your personal information center. The right widgets can be accessed without opening the applications. The MIUI shell offers a wide range of widgets, from weather and currency rates to pedometers and notes.
To add a widget, you need to pinch the blank area of the screen or pinch the two fingers, then select "Widgets" where you can find both standard items and downloaded themes from the store. Some widgets require an Internet connection to update data in real time.
Modern firmware versions allow you to resize widgets by stretching them on a grid, so you can create unique compositions, for example, you can combine a calendar and a task list into one large block for maximum productivity.
☑️ Optimizing the desktop
Don't overload the first screen. Smartphone performance can drop slightly if you have too many active widgets on your desktop that are constantly updating content. It's optimal to keep 3-4 of the most important elements here.
Folders and grouping of applications
When you have dozens of installed programs, folders come to the rescue, and it's simple to create a folder, and you just drag and drop one icon to another, and you can put up to a few dozen apps inside the folder, organizing them into categories like Work, Games, Social.
In recent versions of HyperOS, we've introduced Widget Folders, which lets you interact with an application directly from the folder without opening it completely, like pausing a track or marking a task by simply opening a folder.
Folder naming is also customizable, and you can use emoji in titles to make it easier to navigate visually, which is especially useful if you have a lot of folders with similar names.
- 📁 Creation: Drag and Drop of one icon to another.
- 🎨 Design: Selecting background color and style of icons inside the folder through the theme store.
- 🚀 Feature: Support for widget folders for quick access to functions.
Grouping helps not only visually but also logically structure smartphone use, and the brain finds the right program faster if it is in the expected category, saving time and reducing cognitive load.
The secret of big folders
Display problems and their solution
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the main menu is not working correctly: icons are missing, animations are hanging or topics are not applied, most often this is due to a crowded cache of the system launcher, and you can solve the problem by cleaning the data of the Desktop application.
To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, search the Desktop (or Launcher) list, and select Clear. Importantly, this will reset the icons to standard, but it won’t delete the apps or personal files themselves.
If the problem is a third-party theme, it may conflict with the current firmware version, in which case it is recommended to return to the standard theme "Classic" through the "Themes" app. Often system updates require updating themes, otherwise visual bugs are possible.
adb shell pm clear com.miui.homeThe ADB command above allows you to force the launcher data to be cleared if you can't do it through the menu, use it with caution and only if you're confident in your actions, and after you execute the command, the device will restart the interface.
⚠️ Warning: Before resetting your launcher settings, make sure that important shortcuts are not lost. Take a screenshot of the current location of the icons to then restore the folder structure.
Additional navigation settings
Main menu management is closely linked to navigation, and you can use on-screen buttons, gestures, or one-finger control, and switch between these modes is done under Settings → Additional Settings → Full-screen mode.
Gesture controls free up screen space by removing the bottom panel, swipe from the bottom up to the home screen, and swipe from the bottom and hold opens up the menu of running apps, making interaction with Xiaomi more modern and smooth.
You can also set the animation speeds. In the Developer Menu (which you need to activate with a separate tap by build number), you can zoom in on the animation of the windows. Setting 0.5x will make the transitions between the menus instantaneous, creating the illusion of a more powerful processor.
💡
Optimizing navigation and animations is the easiest way to speed up your old smartphone without installing third-party programs and deep interference with the system.
Keep in mind that constantly changing navigation settings can lead to the finger muscles getting used to certain patterns, and abrupt changes can cause discomfort in the first days of use.