How to set up an app menu on Xiaomi: Hiding, Sorting and Optimizing

The app menu on Xiaomi smartphones is not just a list of installed programs, but a powerful tool for organizing the workspace. How you set up this section depends on the usability of the device, the speed of access to the desired functions and even the performance of the system. MIUI 14/15 The new HyperOS menu customization capabilities have expanded significantly, but many users are still unaware of the hidden chips.

In this article, we will discuss all the ways to customize the application menu – from basic (hiding unnecessary programs and creating folders) to advanced (changing the grid, disabling advertising in search and integrating with Google Discover, POCO And Xiaomi after the updates, when the standard settings are reset or not working properly.

1. Basic settings of the application menu

Let’s start with the basics: the menu of applications (or App Drawer) in MIUI You can swipe up from the main screen, and by default, it shows all the programs you've installed, including the system ones:

• 📱 Open menu: swipe up from the bottom of the screen (on the MIUI without launcher) or tap on the icon "All applications" (if you use a launcher type) POCO Launcher).
• ⚙️ Access to settings: click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the menu → Select Settings.
• 🔍 App Search: At the top of the menu is a search bar – it searches not only by names but also by the content of some apps (like Contacts or Notes).

In the basic settings, you can:

• 📊 Change sorting (by alphabet, by installation date or manually).
• 👁️ Hide the applications (more on this in the next section).
• 🔄 Enable/disable automatic addition of new applications to the home screen.

Please note: on some models (for example, POCO F5 Xiaomi 13T) After upgrading to HyperOS, the app menu may look different, with horizontal scrolling instead of vertical. It's not a bug, but a feature of the new shell.

2.How to hide apps in the Xiaomi menu

Hiding unwanted or system applications is one of the most sought-after features, and it eliminates visual debris and random clicks. MIUI HyperOS has two ways to hide apps:

Method 1: Through the menu settings

1. Open the app menu.
2. Stick to three points (⋮) → Settings.
3. Select Hidden Apps.
4. Check the boxes for the programs you want to hide.

Method 2: Through system settings (for system applications)

Some system programs (such as Mi Video, Mi Music or GetApps) cannot be hidden through the menu.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the right app and tap it.
3. Select Disable (this will remove it from the menu and stop background activity).

Check if the application is being used by system processes

Back up your data (if the application is important)

Make sure that a hidden app is not needed for updates

Remember the name so that it can be easily found in the settings.-->

Important: Hidden applications still take up space in memory and can receive updates. To completely remove system software, root or use rights will be required. ADB-However, this is risky and can lead to unstable operation of the device.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 with HyperOS), once the app is hidden through the menu, it may reappear after the reboot.This is a bug that Xiaomi promises to fix in the upcoming updates.

3. Sorting and grouping of applications

By default, the apps in the menu are sorted alphabetically, but it's not always convenient. MIUI HyperOS and several options for ordering are available:

• 🔤 Alphabetical: Standard mode, convenient for quick search.
• 📅 By installation date: new applications are displayed first.
• 🎨 Manual: You can drag and drop icons in any order (hold your finger on the icon). → Move it to the right place).
• 📂 By folders: automatic grouping by category (social networks, games, tools, etc.).

To change the sorting:

1. Open the app menu.
2. Stick to three points (⋮) → Settings → Sorting applications.
3. Choose the right option.

To create folders manually:

1. Keep your finger on the app icon in the menu.
2. Drag it to another icon and a folder will appear.
3. Name the folder (for example, "Work", "Games", "Social networks").

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If you don't like automatic grouping by category, you can turn it off in the menu settings, but that doesn't remove the folders that the system has already created -- you have to manually disassemble them.

HyperOS has a new feature called Smart Folders, which automatically analyzes which apps you use together (like Telegram and WhatsApp) and suggests combining them to enable this option:

Settings → Home screen → Smart folders → Enable

4. Changes to the grid of icons and menu style

V MIUI And HyperOS can customize not only the contents of the menu, but also the appearance of the menu. The options available depend on the device model and the shell version, but in most cases you can:

To change the grid of icons:

1. Open the app menu.
2. Stick to three points (⋮) → Settings.
3. Select the size of the grid or layout (depending on the shell version).
4. Set the right number of columns and rows.

You can also change the animation style on HyperOS when you open the menu.

Settings → Main screen → Animation → Select the effect

⚠️ Attention: On devices with screen resolution FHD+ (For example, Xiaomi 13 Pro, when selecting 5 columns, the icons may look too small, in which case it is recommended to use 4 columns or zoom in the special features settings.

5. Optimizing menu performance

If the app menu slows down or opens for a long time, it can be due to several reasons: cache overload, application background activity or launcher error.

Clearing the launcher cache

The launcher, which displays the main screen and menu, accumulates a cache that can slow down over time to clear it up:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Lawnchair app (for example, POCO Launcher), MIUI Launcher or Hyper Launcher.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. Reset the device.

Disabling unnecessary widgets

Widgets, especially those that update data in the background (weather, currency rates, news), can slow down the menu.

1. Keep your finger on the empty seat of the main screen.
2. Pick the Widgets.
3. Find unnecessary widgets and drag them to the cart or turn off the data update.

Shutdown of animations

The animations that open the menu look beautiful, but they consume resources to make things faster.

Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times to turn on Developer Mode)


Settings → Additional → For Developers → Animation Scale (select 0.5x or turn off)

6 Advanced settings: ADB and third-party launchers

If the standard capabilities MIUI HyperOS is not enough, you can go further – use it. ADB-teams or third-party launchers:

• 🔧 Remove system applications without root rights.
• 🎨 Completely change the menu design (including transparency, fonts, animations).
• 🔒 Block the menu with a password or fingerprint.
• 🔄 Set up gestures for quick access to frequently used apps.

Removing System Applications Through ADB

This will require a computer with installed ADB Tools and included debugging by USB Example of a command to delete Mi Video:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

Important: Before removing, check if the application is critical to the system.A complete list of safe packets to remove can be found on the forums. XDA Developers or 4PDA.

Side of the launchers

Popular alternatives to standard launcher:

• 🌟 Nova Launcher – flexible customization of gestures, icons and animations.
• 🎯 Action Launcher – Support for adaptive icons and smart search.
• 🔄 Lawnchair is an open source lightweight launcher.
• 📱 POCO Launcher – optimized for devices POCO, It works for other Xiaomis as well.

To install a third-party launcher:

1. Download it from Google Play.
2. Open the app and follow the setup instructions.
3. In the system settings, select the new launcher as the main one (Settings) → Annexes → By default. → Launcher).

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) A2 or POCO M5) After installing a third-party launcher, navigation gestures may stop working, in which case return the standard launcher or adjust the gestures directly in the launcher itself (for example, in Nova Launcher).

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The side launchers allow not only to change the appearance of the menu, but also to significantly speed up its work by optimizing the code, especially on low-cost devices with a small amount of RAM.

7. Solving common problems

Even after setting up the app menu correctly, Xiaomi users sometimes encounter bugs. Let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Problem 1: App menus are not open

Reasons:

• Launcher failure.
• Lack of RAM.
• Conflict after the update.

Decision:

1. Reset the device.
2. Clear the launcher cache (see Section 5).
3. Set up a third-party launcher.

Problem 2: Apps disappear from menu after reboot

This is a well-known HyperOS bug that's associated with data synchronization, to fix:

Settings → Accounts and Synchronization → Disable MIUI Synchronization

Problem 3: Searching the menu doesn’t work

If the search bar does not find the application:

1. Check if Google App is enabled in the settings (Settings) → Google → Search).
2. Clear the cache of the Google app.
3. Update the Google Play Services.

Problem 4: App icons are being reset

If after the update, the icons return to the standard form:

• Check if the launcher settings have dropped.
• If you use a pack of icons, reinstall it.
• Disable Battery Optimization for Launcher (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery → Find the launcher. → Shut down).

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions