How to create a Xiaomi app shortcut on your desktop

Users of the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem often face the need to navigate their smartphone quickly. The standard set of icons provided by the manufacturer is not always convenient for all use cases. For example, you may need to access a specific feature within a program or run a website as a standalone application. Creating a shortcut is an easy way to optimize your workspace and reduce the time you need to find the right tool.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods of personalizing the interface, and you will learn not only to move icons, but also to create new entry points, which is especially true for owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices, where the shell offers advanced customization capabilities.

We'll look at the standard tools, widgets, and shortcuts for web resources, and understanding these processes will allow you to turn your lock screen and desktop into a powerful smartphone management tool, and being willing to experiment with settings is the only requirement to start with.

Basic principles of working with the MIUI desktop

Before you start to get into complex manipulations, you need to understand the architecture of the Xiaomi desktop. The system allows you to move objects freely, but has its own limitations on the number of elements in the grid. The standard application sorting algorithm can hide frequently used programs in the depths of the menu.

To effectively manage space, it is important to distinguish between “application” and “shortcut.” An application is an installed program code that occupies space in memory; a label is only a reference to an executable file or a specific action; removing a shortcut does not lead to uninstallation of the program, which often causes confusion among beginners.

The MIUI shell allows you to create folders, change grids, and hide unnecessary items. However, the basic functionality often limits the user to only moving existing icons. To create truly unique links, you will need to use additional system tools or a browser.

⚠️ Note: When you delete an icon from your desktop, the system always refines the action. If you see the "Delete" option, it will erase the program completely.

Understanding these differences is critical to keeping order in the file system. Chaotic deletion can lead to data loss if you accidentally uninstall the system component, thinking that you are removing only a shortcut.

Creating a shortcut for an installed application

The most common scenario is to take the program from the All Apps menu to the home screen. Unlike some launchers, in Xiaomi’s stock shell, this process is intuitive, but has its own nuances depending on the version of Android.

To do this, open a menu with a list of all the programs installed. Find the icon you want and hold your finger. The system will go into editing mode, allowing you to drag the object to any free space. If you use No Menu mode (when all the apps are on desktops at once), the process is even easier - just move the icon to a new page.

Sometimes users want to create a duplicate shortcut for the same program to place it in different folders or on different screens. With regular MIUI tools, this cannot be done without using third-party launchers.

But there's a workaround for some system applications, and if you pinch the icon and select "Application Information," and then find "Add to the home screen" (if available), you can create an additional link, but not all programs have that option.

But if you decide to delete the program completely, all the links you create to it will disappear automatically. This is standard behavior of the Android operating system.

Use of widgets as extended labels

Widgets in the Xiaomi ecosystem are not just decoration, but feature shortcuts with advanced capabilities. They allow you to perform actions without opening the application itself. For example, the Music widget allows you to switch tracks, and the Weather widget shows detailed information without starting a browser.

To add a widget, you need to pinch the empty space on your desktop or pinch it with two fingers. In the bottom menu, select "Widgets." You will see a library of all available items, sorted by application, and you can find both standard watches and specific tools from Google or Xiaomi.

Some widgets allow you to create dynamic shortcuts, such as the Notes widget can display the last recorded you've created, and the Calculator widget can prompt you to make the latest calculations right away, which greatly speeds up the work with frequently used functions.

You can change the size of the widget by stretching its boundaries after you add it to the screen, but not all elements support this feature. Standard MIUI widgets usually have a fixed set of sizes, whereas Google widgets are more flexible in setting.

⚠️ Attention: A large number of active widgets on the desktop can significantly reduce the autonomy of the device. They constantly update data over the network and load the processor, even when the screen is turned off.

Optimizing the number of widgets is key to making your smartphone work faster. If you notice that the device has started to slow down when you scrolle through the screens, try removing the heavy animated widgets.

Creating shortcuts of web pages through the browser

One of the most useful but little-known features is the ability to create shortcuts for specific websites, which turns the browser into a platform for running web applications, and you can bring an Internet bank, a news portal, or a web version of a messenger to your desktop.

The process of creating such a shortcut depends on the browser used. In Google Chrome, you need to open the desired page, click on the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and select "Add to the home screen." In the browser from Xiaomi (Mi Browser), the algorithm is similar: menu → "Add to the desktop."

The system will suggest renaming the shortcut to take up less space on the screen. Once confirmed, an icon will appear on the desktop that, when clicked, immediately opens the site in full screen mode, hiding the browser's address bar, which creates a sense of using a native application.

This approach is especially relevant for sites that do not have official apps in the App Store or Google Play, or for those cases where you do not want to clog your phone memory with unnecessary programs.

Web page shortcuts can be grouped into folders just like regular applications, which allows you to create a separate zone for online services, separating them from installed software.

Setting up hidden and special labels

The MIUI and HyperOS shell hides a lot of system features that can be accessed through special shortcuts, one of the most useful being the Quick Settings or hidden engineering menu, although the latter requires caution.

You can use the standard Settings widget to create a quick access shortcut to your settings, but there is a more advanced way to use the Shortcuts app, which is often built into the system or available in GetApps, and allows you to create shortcuts for specific menu items, such as opening "Wi-Fi" or "Bluetooth" right away.

Also worth mentioning is the Second Space feature, which is a full-fledged copy of the system inside your phone, so you can create a shortcut to switch between spaces on the home screen, which actually creates a shortcut to access a hidden profile with other apps and data.

Using the shortcuts app allows you to get to features that are usually hidden in the depths of the Settings menu, for example, you can create a button to reset network settings or check the status of a MIUI account.

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Use the shortcuts app to link to the hidden test menu. Type the word "test" or "cit" in your shortcut search to find your smartphone's diagnostic tools.

Don’t overuse the creation of shortcuts to system features such as reboots or data resets if you’re not sure what you’re doing.Accessive clicking can cause data loss or interruption of your phone at the wrong time.

Solving problems with displaying icons

Often users are faced with a situation where the created shortcut does not appear on the desktop or is displayed incorrectly, this can be due to crowded memory of the launcher or errors in caching graphics.

The first step should always be to clear the launcher cache. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, find System Launcher (or Desktop) and select Clear Cache. This action will not delete your data, but update the graphical shell.

If the problem is that the icon looks like a white square or a standard Android, it means that the system can't find the original application, which can happen if the program was deleted but the label is still there, or when installing unofficial mods.

⚠️ Note: If after updating the system all the icons are lost or lost, do not rush to reset. Often it helps to simply switch the theme in the "Themes" app to the standard and back.

In some cases, changing screen resolution or scale in the For Developers settings helps, but this is the last resort.Standard restores usually solve 95% of display problems.

It’s also worth checking if the Simple Mode (for older people) mode is turned on, which hides many possibilities and changes the way shortcuts work. You can turn it off in Settings → Advanced Settings → Simple Mode.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)