Desktop design on Xiaomi: how to arrange applications beautifully and functionally

The desktop of a smartphone is your digital face, and on Xiaomi devices with a MIUI shell, the possibilities of customizing it are limited only by imagination. But how to turn chaos from random icons into a convenient and aesthetic system? This article is not about banal tips like “group by colors” – here you will find practical layout schemes, hidden MIUI functions, and even psychological tricks that will make interaction with the phone more intuitive.

We’ll break down 5 proven application organization strategies (from minimalism to advanced functionality), show you how to use Dual Space and Secret Mode to separate the personal from the work, and reveal a unique “invisible folder” technique that less than 1% of Xiaomi users know.

Why the standard placement of applications on Xiaomi annoys

The MIUI shell offers two default options: either all apps on the desktop (like iOS) or part of the app menu (like Android is pure).

• 📱 Screen overload: 20+ Icons on a single screen create visual noise and slow down search for the desired app by 30%, according to Google. UX).
• 🔍 Ineffective search: even with a search bar in MIUI Users spend an average of 4 seconds to launch an application – compared to 1.5 seconds in a competent organization.
• 🎨 Lack of visual hierarchy: The brain perceives all icons to be equally important, which increases cognitive load.

The key problem is that MIUI doesn't offer off-the-shelf solutions for contextual organization, like why are the notifications from messengers and banking applications in the same thread? Or why are games and work tools mixed up on the same screen? You can solve this without installing third-party launchers, just use the hidden capabilities of the system.

Strategy 1: Three Screens for Maximum Productivity

This is a time-management scheme that is suitable for people who use their phones for both work and entertainment, and it's about separating apps by frequency of use and context:

1. First screen (Main): only 6 most used apps + widgets, for example: Phone, Messages, Camera, Browser, Calendar, Music.
2. Second screen (Worker): Productivity applications – Mail, Documents, Tables, Notes, Bank.
3. Third screen (Personal): entertainment - Games, Social networks, Photo editors, Video services.

Important: Each screen should have no more than 12 icons (optimally 8-10), and research shows that with that amount, the brain perceives information as a single block, without wasting time scanning.

⚠️ Note: Do not place messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) on your desktop screen if you use them for personal communication, which violates the principle of contextual separation and increases distractibility by 40%.

Strategy 2: Color hierarchy – how the brain perceives the location of icons

Visual organization works on a subconscious level, and in MIUI, you can use color accents to speed up your search.

• 🔴 Red/orange icons: Urgent Utilities (Bank, Post, Calendar) Color associated with importance.
• 🟢 Green/blue: entertainment and communication (Instagram, Spotify, Messengers) Calm tones reduce stress.
• ⚪ Grey/black: System applications (Settings, Files, Contacts) Neutral colors are not distracting.

How to implement on Xiaomi:

1. Open Themes → Icons and select a pack with multi-colored icons (such as Minimal UI or Colorful).
2. For apps without color icons, use Settings → Apps → Change the icon (available in MIUI 14+).

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MIUI 14 has introduced Adaptive Icons (Settings → Display → Adaptive Icons) which automatically adjusts the color of the icons to the wallpaper. Turn it off if you want manual color sorting.

Strategy 3: Hidden folders and Double Space – How to hide unnecessary folders

Few people know, but MIUI has two levels of application hiding:

1. Normal Hiding: Press the icon → Remove from the home screen → Hide. The app will remain on the menu, but will not appear in the search.
2. Deep concealment (only for the purpose of MIUI 13+): Settings → Annexes → Hidden applications → These apps are not visible even in the menu and search.

For advanced users, there's a dual space feature (Settings → Special Features → Dual Space) that creates two independent desktops with different sets of applications.

• 👔 Space 1 (Work): Office apps only, rigorous design, no games.
• 🎮 Space 2 (Personal): social networks, games, entertainment.

⚠️ Note: When using dual space, notifications from one space are not displayed in another.This can lead to the missing of important messages if you do not configure exceptions to Settings. → Notifications → Double space settings.

Strategy 4: Widgets as a tool, not a decoration

Widgets on Xiaomi are often used for beauty, but they can be a powerful productivity tool.

• 📊 Information widgets (weather, calendar, steps) – only on the first screen.
• 🎵 Control widgets (music, smart home) – on the screen with entertainment.
• 📝 Interactive widgets (notes, tasks) – on the working screen.

An example of the optimal configuration for the Redmi Note 12:

Screen 1:




- Weather widget (top)




- Calendar widget (centre)




- Step widget (bottom)




- 6 icons of the main applications





Screen 2 (working):




- Google Keep widget (notes)




- Taski widget (to-do list)




- Office app icons

Important: Don’t place more than 3 widgets on a single screen – this overloads the interface and increases desktop load time by 15-20%.

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The MIUI Weather and Clock widgets are updated every 30 minutes, even if you don't open them. This consumes up to 5% of the charge per day. Turn off auto-update in the widget settings if the battery is more important than the actuality.

Strategy 5: Gestures and Hot Corners – Hidden Automation

MIUI supports gestures and hot corners that can replace some of the icons on the desktop, such as:

• 👆 Swipe up from the bottom edge: returns to the main screen (you can turn off if it interferes with the main screen).
• 👉 Double-touch screen: unlock (configured in Settings) → Lock screen → Additionally).
• 🔄 Hot corners: swipe from the upper right corner opens the camera, from the left - flashlight (configured in Settings) → Additional settings → Gestures).

How it helps in the organization of the desktop:

1. Remove the Camera and Lantern icons from the screen – they are now available by gesture.
2. Set up a double tap on Google Assistant or Search to avoid holding their icons.
3. Use the “Put the Home button” gesture to quickly start Google Pay (configures in Settings → Buttons and gestures → Home button gesture).

This allows you to free up to 30% of the space on the desktop without losing functionality.

Top.-5 Mistakes in organizing a desktop on Xiaomi

Even experienced users make these mistakes that nullify all efforts to organize:

1. Too many folders: Folders should contain no more than 4 applications, and if more, the brain spends time scanning the contents.
2. Ignoring Frequency: Apps you open 1 time per week should not be on the home screen.
3. No widgets for frequently used features: For example, the Google Search widget saves 2-3 touches per query.
4. Disparity of wallpaper and icons: Dark icons on dark wallpaper or light on light – this is +2 seconds to search for the desired application.
5. Non-use of built-in MIUI tools: Functions like Smart Folder (automatic sorting) or Focus Mode (hiding distracting applications) remain unclaimed.

Fixing at least 2-3 of these errors will reduce your phone interaction time by 25-30%.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the organization of the desktop on Xiaomi