How to add a shortcut to the desktop of Xiaomi phone: all ways

Why Xiaomi shortcuts sometimes “disappear” and how to fix it

Have you ever encountered a situation where a newly created shortcut on the Xiaomi desktop suddenly disappears after a reboot? Or noticed that the app icons from the Others folder do not want to stick to the home screen? This is not a system bug, but a feature of the MIUI shell that the manufacturer deliberately implemented to “optimize” the interface.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to add a shortcut to your desktop, from standard drag and drop to hidden MIUI features that aren’t even mentioned in the official documentation. And why some apps (like Telegram or VKontakte) refuse to create shortcuts through the Share menu, and how to get around this limitation. Spoiler: the solution lies in the Special Features settings, but not where you expect.

Before you get to the instructions, check the version of your shell: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI. It depends on which method will work better. For example, in MIUI 14, the option “Add to the Home Screen” disappeared from the browser context menu, but a new gesture appeared to quickly create site shortcuts.

Method 1: Classic drag and drop from the application menu

The most obvious method that works on all Xiaomi smartphones, from Redmi 9A to Xiaomi 13 Ultra. However, even here there is a nuance: if you have the function “App Categories” activated (includes in Settings → Home screen), then some of the icons will be hidden behind tabs, and they will have to be found first.

How to do this:

1. Touch the empty space on your desktop and swipe up to open the app menu.
2. Find the app you want. If it's not on the first screen, search at the top or scroll through tabs (if categories are included).
3. Press the app icon for 1-2 seconds until it is separated from the background. Without releasing your finger, drag it to the free desktop space.
4. If the shortcut is not created, check if Easy Mode is on (Settings → Special Opportunities → Easy Mode) and drag and drop is disabled.

Hold the icon for longer than 2 seconds|Turn off "Application Categories" in the home screen settings|Check if the "Light Mode" is on"|Update. MIUI last-minute-->

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO X3 Pro after updating to MIUI 13, when drag and drop only works in the horizontal orientation of the screen, if you have a problem, turn the phone into landscape mode before creating a shortcut.

Method 2: Browser shortcut (including hidden settings)

You can add a web page shortcut to Xiaomi’s desktop via the standard Mi Browser or Google Chrome browser. However, in MIUI 14, the manufacturer removed the Add to Home Screen button from the browser menu — now it is hidden in Site Settings.

Instructions for Mi Browser:

• 🌐 Open the desired site (for example, vk.com or google.com).
• 🔧 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Select "Site settings».
• 📌 Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen” (if no option, see spoiler below).
• 📝 If necessary, edit the name of the shortcut and click "Add».

For Google Chrome:

• 🌐 Open the site, click on three dots. → «Share».
• 📌 In the list of applications, select "Add to the main screen».
• ⚙️ If you don’t have an option, turn it on in Chrome Settings: Settings → Main page → Add to the main screen.

Mi Browser|Google Chrome|Firefox|Opera|Other-->

⚠️ Note: Site shortcuts added through the browser can open in a miniature window instead of full-screen mode.To correct this, after creating a shortcut:

1. Press it on the desktop → select “Application Information”.
2. Click “Open by default” → select “In the browser”.
3. Go back to your desktop and try to open the label again.

Method 3: Creating a shortcut through “Widgets” (for apps without icons)

Some Xiaomi system utilities (like Game Mode or Second Space) don’t appear in the app menu, but they can be brought to the desktop via widgets.This method also works for hidden features like Equipment Test (#4636###).

Step-by-step:

1. Touch the empty space on your desktop and hold your finger until the menu appears.
2. Select "Widgets" (the icon with squares).
3. Scroll down to the “Settings” or “Tools” section.
4. Find the desired item (such as “Mobile Data Switch” or “Flashlight”) and drag it to the screen.

💡 Useful tip: If you need a shortcut for “Developer Mode” or “Debugging by” USB», But it's not in widgets -- use the code ##284## to quickly access test settings. This shortcut won't disappear after you reboot, unlike widgets.

Method 4: Contact or message label (hidden chips)

Few people know, but Xiaomi can create a shortcut not only to call a contact, but also to send SMS or even send money via SberPay (if the card is attached), which is hidden in the contact menu and works even on older models like the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

How to add a contact label:

• 👤 Open the Contacts app and find the right contact.
• 📌 Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Select "Add to the main screen».
• 📞 Select the shortcut type: “Call”, “Message” or “Video Call».

For the quick SMS shortcut:

• 💬 In the contact menu, select “Send a message».
• 📝 Write text (e.g., “I’m in place”) and click on three dots. → «Keep it as a label».
• 🔄 Now, when you click on the label, a dialogue with the already entered text will open.

💡

If a contact shortcut is not created, check if it is hidden in your sync settings. Go to Settings → Google Accounts → Contact Sync and turn on the “Show all contacts” option.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU) contact shortcuts may be duplicated after the update MIUI. To avoid this, before upgrading the system, export contacts to the.vcf file via Settings. → Contacts → Imports/Exports.

Method 5: Manually create a shortcut through ADB (for experienced)

If standard methods don’t work (e.g., on custom firmware or after resetting), you can manually create a shortcut through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that is suitable for system applications that aren’t displayed on the menu, such as com.miui.securitycenter.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included “Debugging by USB» on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap on the assembly number → Return to "Additional» → «For developers»).
• 🔗 Application package name (you can find out through App Inspector in the Play Market).

Teams for creating a label:

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.CREATE_SHORTCUT \


--es name "Tag name"




--es shortcutType apps \




--es package "com.example.app" \




--es class "com.example.app.MainActivity"

Examples for Xiaomi’s popular system applications:

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause a launcher to crash. Before experimenting, back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup. If the labels are gone after the commands, reboot your phone in Safe Mode. → Hold on to "Switch off» → confirm the transition).

Why labels disappear and how to prevent them

If the shortcuts you create disappear after you reboot or update MIUI, there are three reasons for the problem:

1. Optimization MIUI: The system automatically removes "unused" shortcuts after 30 days. To disable this, go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Settings (cogs) → Reset application settings and disable “Tags Optimization».
2. Launcher Conflict: If you use a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher) but haven’t made it the default launcher, shortcuts will be reset. Go to Settings → Applications → Default → Launcher and select the one you want.
3. Cache error: Sometimes the launcher cache gets corrupted and shortcuts "fly off." Clear the cache through Settings → Apps → Application Management → Launcher → Clear the cache.

💡

To prevent shortcuts from disappearing, open them at least once a week – MIUI considers only those icons that have not been pressed for more than a month “unused”.

💡 Useful advice for POCO: On phones. POCO shelled POCO Launcher shortcuts are sometimes duplicated after an update.To avoid this, before an update MIUI Switch to the standard launcher Xiaomi:

1. Install Activity Launcher from Play Market.
2. Find the activity com.miui.home.launcher.Launcher and run it.
3. Make this launcher standard in the settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about shortcuts on Xiaomi