How to find an app in Xiaomi’s phone: a complete guide

Xiaomi smartphone users often face a situation where the shortcut to the desired program disappears from the home screen, which can occur after accidentally moving to a folder, updating the MIUI system or hiding the icon in the privacy settings. Unlike other manufacturers, the Xiaomi shell has a specific menu structure where system and user data can be separated.

Restoring access to a program depends on the reason it disappears. If you just lost the shortcut, it can be easily returned through search or desktop settings. However, if the application was removed or frozen by system utilities, deeper interventions will be required. Understanding the logic of the launcher will help avoid panic and quickly resolve the problem.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible scenarios, from a simple name search to system component recovery via an engineering menu. You’ll learn how to distinguish hidden from completely remote programs, and which HyperOS or MIUI tools can block icon display. Xiaomi system applications often have two components: a background service and a user interface, the disappearance of which does not mean the removal of the program itself.

Using built-in search by system

The fastest and most efficient way to locate the software you want is to use global search, which is integrated deep into Xiaomi’s shells, and indexes not only shortcuts, but also settings, contacts, and files, and it just swipes down the center of the home screen or clicks on the search bar in the widget to activate it.

Type the program name in Latin or Cyrillic. The MIUI search algorithm is smart enough to find applications even by a partial coincidence of the name or key features. If the program is installed but hidden, the search often shows it in the "Applications" section marked with a location.

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If the search doesn’t find the app, try typing in its English name. Many Xiaomi system utilities have English-language internal names, even if the phone’s interface is entirely in Russian.

Search results can be divided into categories. Pay attention to the "On Device" and "On the Internet" sections. If the program is on the phone, it will show up with an icon. Clicking on the result will immediately open the application, even if its shortcut is hidden.

• 🔍 Swipe down the center of the screen to call the search bar.
• ⌨️ Enter the full or partial name of the application sought.
• 📂 Check the category "Applications" in the results of the issue.
• 🚀 Click on the icon for instant launch.

Sometimes a search may not yield results if indexing is interrupted or if the Google or Mi Cloud cache is knocked down, then you should restart the device and repeat the procedure, which will update the shortcut database.

Check folders and hidden sections of the desktop

Often users accidentally drag and drop icons into folders created or into the second pages of the desktop. In the Xiaomi interface, folders can be folded, and the name of the program inside them does not appear in the general list. Carefully review all the groups of applications created.

You also need to check the desktop editing mode, and you need to pinch your two fingers (mix them together) on the home screen, and you'll see a map of all the pages, and you'll swipe left and right to see all the desktops that are available, including those that are outside the visible area.

Pay special attention to the Tools folder. In the global versions of Xiaomi firmware, all system utilities are automatically sorted there: calculator, voice recorder, scanner, compass. If you're looking for a standard application, it's probably right there.

• 📁 Open all folders on the home screen and in the app menu.
• 🖐 Make a pinch with your fingers to view all pages of the desktop.
• 🛠 Check the standard Tools or Tools folder».
• 🔄 In editing mode, make sure the page is not hidden.

If you use a third-party launcher (like a Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher), the search logic may be different, and in such cases, the shortcuts may be hidden in the Hidden Profiles of the launcher itself, rather than in the Android system.

Display settings and hidden applications

There's a Hidden Apps feature in the MIUI and HyperOS shell that allows you to hide programs from prying eyes. If you or someone else has activated this feature, the icon will disappear from the menu, but the application will remain in memory.

To check the hidden software list, go to Settings → Applications → Hidden Applications. This will show all programs that have been forcibly hidden. To return them, you just need to switch to the “Off” position next to the desired name.

⚠️ Note: If you forget the password from hidden applications, you can reset it only through the Mi Account account associated with the device, or by completely resetting your phone settings.

There is also a “Second Space” or “Guest Mode” mode, and if you switch to a different user profile, the apps from the main profile will not show up. You can check the active profile in Settings → Special Features.

Another reason for the disappearance is that it has included Child Mode or Parental Control, which only displays a limited set of permitted apps, and you can log out of it with the pin code set when you activate the function.

Managing installed applications in settings

The most reliable way to check for a program is to look at the application system manager, which displays a complete list of everything that is installed in the phone's memory, including system processes that do not have a user interface.

Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. There is a search bar and a filter at the top of the screen. Make sure you select All Apps, not just Users, which is critical for finding system utilities.

If a program is found on the list but doesn't run or has an icon, it may be disabled. Click on the name of the app in the list. If the Enable button is active (not grey), it's frozen. Press it to activate.

In the same menu, you can see the size of the space you're taking and the version of the program. If the application is 0 bytes, it's probably a website shortcut (PWA) that was removed along with clearing the browser cache.

Recovery of Remote System Applications

Many users accidentally delete Xiaomi’s standard apps (such as Music, Video, Themes) as trash, but they can be easily returned without flashing the phone.

To do this, open GetApps app (Xiaomi app store) or Google Play. In the search, type in the name of the missing system application. Official Xiaomi apps are marked with the developer icon “Xiaomi Inc.”.

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Xiaomi system apps can be reinstalled from the official GetApps store, even if they have been removed by the user. MIUI/HyperOS.

There is also a universal way through settings. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, click on three dots in the corner of the screen and select Restore Remote.The system will offer a list of recently deleted programs available for fast reinstall.

• 🏪 Open the GetApps app store or Google Play.
• 🔎 Find the missing app by name.
• ⬇️ Click the “Install” button or the arrow cloud.
• ✅ Wait for the download to be completed and the icon to appear.

If the app is not in stores, it may have been removed permanently or is a critical system component that has led to instability, in which cases it may need to be reset to factory settings.

Search through computer and ADB (for advanced)

If the phone interface is not responsive or the app is hidden at a deep level, you can use USB debugging, which allows you to see a complete list of packages, including those that do not have a launcher interface, you need a PC and a minimum set of ADB tools.

Connect your phone to your computer, enable USB debugging in the Developer Menu, and enter a command to output a packet list, which will help you find the package name, even if the display name is changed or hidden.

adb shell pm list packages | grep "name"

Replace the name with the part of the application name you want, and the team will give you a line of package:com.miui.calculator, so if you know the exact name of the package, you can force the application to run or restore the label.

⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Forced system processes can lead to conflicts if the application was removed incorrectly.

To run an application by packet name, use the command:

adb shell am start -n com.miui.calculator/.Calculator

This method is useful when you need to check if the application process is alive, even if its icon is not displayed anywhere in the system.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)