How to hide the app icon on Xiaomi: all the ways from simple to hidden

Are you tired of the chaos on the home screen of Xiaomi’s smartphone, where dozens of icons are hard to find? Or do you want to hide the track of certain apps from prying eyes? There are several ways to remove program icons in the MIUI shell, from standard features to little-known launcher tricks. But not all of them work the same: some just hide the shortcut, others completely block the display in the menu.

In this article, we will discuss 5 current methods (including the hidden MIUI 14/15) settings, their pros and cons, and explain why some applications can still “leak” to the screen. Importantly, some methods require pre-configuring the resolution for special features — without which they will not work. Ready to get the desktop in order?

1. Standard Hiding via MIUI Settings (without root)

The easiest way is to use the built-in Hidden Apps feature, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, but has a limitation: hidden programs will still appear in the All Apps menu (available by swiping up from the dockboard), but they will not be visible on the home screen and in search.

How it works:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Main screen screen.
• 🔍 Scroll down to the Hidden Apps section and tap it.
• ➕ Click Add and select programs from the list (you can note a few).
• 🔒 Confirm the choice – icons will disappear from the desktop.

⚠️ Note: This method does not hide applications from system processes. For example, if you hid Telegram, its notifications will still come, and the messenger itself will remain in the list of “Recent” (available via swipe down from the center of the screen).

2. Use of the second space (double desktop)

The MIUI's Second Space feature is designed to separate personal and work data, but it can be adapted to hide applications, so you put "unnecessary" programs into a separate profile, and you leave only the necessary ones on the main screen, and you switch between spaces by password or gesture.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings. → Second space.
2. Create a new space (you will need to create a password).
3. Return to the home screen, swipe down to call the notification bar and tap on the User Avatar (in the upper right corner).
4. Select “Second Space” and move the apps you want to hide to there.

💡 Useful Tip: If you want to completely remove the trail of the second space, but still save hidden apps, first move them back to the main space, and then remove the second through Settings. → Second space → Delete.

3. Hiding through third-party launchers (Nova, HyperOS)

The standard MIUI launcher is limited in settings, but third-party shells like Nova Launcher or HyperOS Launcher allow you to flexibly manage the display of icons. For example, Nova allows you to not only hide applications, but also group them into folders with a password or replace icons with empty ones.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

Install Nova Launcher from Google Play|Open the Long Press. → Settings → Hidden applications|Select programs for concealment|Apply changes (no reboot required)-->

⚠️ Note: After installing a third-party launcher, some functions MIUI (For example, Smart Assistant or Quick Commands may not work properly, and note that applications hidden through the launcher will still be visible in the All Apps system menu (available through search).

For maximum privacy, combine this method with disabling notifications for hidden programs:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the desired application and tap “Notifications”.
3. Turn off the “Show notifications” switch.

4. disabling system applications (requires caution)

Some Xiaomi pre-installed programs (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music, GetApps) can’t be removed by standard means, but they can be disabled. This will hide their icons and stop background processes, but will not delete files completely.

Safe way to shut down:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select Show all processes».
• ⚙️ Find an unnecessary app (e.g. com.miui.video for Mi Video) and tap it.
• 🚫 Click “Disable” (if the button is inactive, the application is critical to the system).

Critical information: Disabling applications like com.miui.securitycenter or com.android.phone will result in a smartphone reboot cycle, and you can only recover it by resetting it to factory settings.

5. Hiding through ADB (for power users)

If the previous methods are not suitable, you can use ADB-This is a way to hide applications at the system level, but requires a PC connection and enable debugging by USB». Advantage: Hidden programs will not even appear in the All Apps menu».

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable “Debugging by USB”.
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC, install ADB-tools, and execute the command: adb shell pm hide com.example.app (replace com.example.app with the batch name of the application, for example, com.whatsapp).
4. To return the icon, use: adb shell pm unhide com.example.app

🔍 How to find out the batch name of the application? Install App Inspector from Google Play or use the command:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "appendix name"

💡

ADB-Teams only work on smartphones with unlocked bootloader or root rights. Some Xiaomi models (such as Redmi Note 12) require additional permission in Settings. → Special facilities → Permits for ADB.

Frequent problems and solutions

Even after the icons are hidden, users face unexpected consequences, and here are the most common situations and ways to fix them:

Problem 1: The hidden app reappears after the MIUI update.

Solution: Updates often reset the launcher settings. After the update, repeat the hideout procedure or use Nova Launcher with backup settings.

Problem 2: Notifications from the hidden app still come.

Solution: Turn off notifications manually through Settings → Applications → [name] → Notifications. For MIUI 14+, also check the Special Access section - some programs bypass standard restrictions.

Problem 3: You can’t hide the system application (button is inactive).

Solution: Use ADB or Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools (PC utility). Alternatively, install custom firmware with de-bloat support (e.g. LineageOS).

@echo off


adb shell pm hide com.whatsapp




adb shell pm hide com.facebook.katana




pause

Run it with a double click for quick cover-up.-->

FAQ: Answers to popular questions