Desktop Grid on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Setup and Optimization

Have you ever wondered why your Xiaomi app icons are placed this way instead of the other? Or why when you add a new widget, all the icons suddenly move aside? All these nuances are controlled by the desktop grid, a hidden but critical element of the MIUI interface. It's not just a "background" setting: its parameters depend on how many applications fit on one screen, how convenient they will be to use with one hand, and even how fast the system will process gestures.

In this article, we’ll explore what a Xiaomi desktop grid is (and why it’s often confused with icon size), how to change it across different versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), and what hidden options can be activated through an engineering menu to fine-tune it, and how to get around system limitations if you don’t like standard settings, such as when you need to place 6×7 icons instead of standard 4×5 icons.

What is a desktop grid and why you need it

A home screen grid is an invisible structure that defines:

• 📏 Number of rows and columns for icons (e.g, 4×5 or 5×6)
• 🔄 Step between icons (distance vertical/horizontal)
• 🖼️ Maximum number of screens (in) MIUI default to 9)
• 📱 Adaptability to the screen size (on Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Redmi Note 12 grids will be different)

It's basically a skeleton of your desktop.

• 👆 Easy to use one-handedly (on small smartphones like Xiaomi 13 mini it is better to reduce the number of columns)
• ⚡ The speed of the launcher (the more icons on the screen – the more load on com.miui.home)
• 🎨 Appearance (dense grid looks "loaded", rare - too empty)

⚠️ Note: Change the grid to values higher 5×6 This can cause animations to slow down when swiping between screens. MIUI renders all icons in advance, not as you scroll.

Interesting fact: in the early versions of MIUI (until 2018), the grid was tightly tied to the screen resolution. For example, on the Xiaomi Mi A1 with a resolution of 1920×1080, the maximum possible was a 4×5 grid, and on the Mi Mix 2S – already 5×6. These restrictions are now removed, but some models (for example, the POCO F5) still have hardware limits.

How to change the desktop grid on Xiaomi: the official way

The standard method works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI 12 and later (including HyperOS).

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Go to the Desktop section (or Screen → Desktop on some models).
3. Select the Desktop Grid item.
4. You will be offered 3-5 preliminary options (for example, 4×5, 4×6, 5×5).
5. Click on the desired option and confirm the change.

On some firmware (e.g., the POCO X3 Pro with global MIUI), the path may be slightly different:

Settings → Additional settings → Desktop → Grid

Important: once the grid changes, all icons and widgets will automatically be redistributed. If you used a custom layout, you will have to manually restore it, and some widgets (such as the weather from Xiaomi) can change size, and they will also need to be reconfigured.

Make sure all the icons are in place

Reconfigure widgets (weather, clock, notes)

Check the display of folders with applications

Evaluate the convenience of swipes between screens-->

Hidden grid settings: engineering menu and ADB

If you don't have enough standard grid options (like 6×7 or 3×4), you can use the hidden settings.

Method 1: Engineering menu (without root)

This method works for most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 11-14:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the combination: ##4636###.
3. In the menu that appears, select Phone Information (or Testing).
4. Scroll down and find the Set Home Grid Size.
5. Enter the desired values through a comma (for example, 6,7 net-wise 6×7).
6. Restart the launcher (or the entire smartphone).

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) After changing the grid through the engineering menu, the notification icons on the application icons may disappear. To return them, restart the device.

Method 2: ADB-Teams (for experienced users)

If the engineering menu is not available, you can use ADB.

1. Install Platform Tools on your PC.
2. Connect your smartphone via USB and activate Debugging over USB in the developer settings.
3. Enter the command: adb shell settings put global home_grid_size"6x7" (substitute 6x7 statuary).
4. Restart Launcher: adb shell am force-stop com.miui.home

To reset to standard settings, use:

adb shell settings delete global home_grid_size

Optimal grid settings for different scenarios

The choice of grid depends on your tasks. Here are recommendations for situations:

Professional life hack: if you use navigation gestures (swipe from the bottom), a 5×6 grid or tighter is better combined with disabling gesture prompts (in Settings → Screen → Gestures).

4×5 (standard)

5×6 (dense)

3×4 (large icons)

Another (I will write in the comments)-->

Problems after changing the grid and how to solve them

Even after a successful grid change, bugs can occur, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

• 🔄 Icons overlap with each other Reason: conflict with the theme of the design. Solution: change the theme to the standard (Settings) → Theme → Standard, then return yours.
• ⚠️ Widgets disappeared or changed size Reason: widgets tied to the standard grid Solution: delete and add widgets again.
• 🐢 The launcher slows down with swipes The reason: too dense grid (6×7+) Solution: Reduce the number of icons or turn off animations in the developer settings.
• 📱 No changes are saved after rebooting Reason: resetting settings by launcher.Solution: clear the launcher cache (Settings) → Annexes → Launcher → Kesh. → Clean up).

If after changing the grid through ADB or engineering menu, the launcher stopped starting, do:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

This command will reset the launcher settings to factory settings, but won't delete your apps and data.

💡

If after changing the grid, the notification icons on the icons disappeared (for example, a red circle with a number from WhatsApp), go to Settings → Notifications → Notification icons and turn on the option Show on the application icons.

How to return the standard grid if something goes wrong

If grid experiments have led to unstable system operation, there are several ways to bring it back:

Method 1: Through launcher settings

The simplest method is:

1. Hold your finger on the empty space on the desktop.
2. Select Desktop Settings (or Settings).
3. Find Reset Settings or Restore by default.
4. Confirm the reset.

Method 2: ADB (if the launcher does not open)

If after the changes, the launcher stopped working:

adb shell settings delete global home_grid_size


adb shell am force-stop com.miui.home

Method 3: Complete launcher reset (extreme case)

This method will remove all your desktop settings (including folders and widgets), but will return stability:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Louncher (or com.miui.home).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (such as custom LineageOS for Xiaomi), a launcher reset may result in the loss of wallpaper.

Alternative launchers: if the standard grid is not satisfied

If you don't like the limitations of the standard MIUI launcher, you can install a third-party one. Here are the best options with flexible grid settings:

• 🌟 Nova Launcher supports grids to 12×12, Adaptive icons, gestures, free version limited 5×5.
• ⚡ Lawnchair Lightweight Launcher with Grid Support 10×10 Integration with Google Discover.
• 🎨 Action Launcher Unique “Adaptive Folders” and the ability to configure indentations between icons in pixels.
• 🔧 Smart Launcher 6 Automatic sorting of applications and support of grids to 8×8.

When using third-party launchers, consider:

• Some MIUI features (such as Second Space or App Lock) may not work properly.
• Xiaomi widgets (weather, steps) are sometimes not fully displayed.
• On weak devices (e.g. Redmi 9A), third-party launchers can increase battery consumption by 5-10%.

To return the standard MIUI launcher:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → By default.
2. Select Louncher and install the MIUI Launcher.

💡

The side launchers allow you to customize not only the grid, but also the size of the icons, indentations, transparency of the dock panel and even animations of opening applications - which is not in the standard MIUI launcher.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi desktop grid