How to Create a Site Shortcut on Xiaomi’s Desktop: The Complete Guide

Modern Xiaomi smartphones have evolved into powerful handheld computers that allow you to solve most tasks without installing heavy native applications from Google Play or GetApps. Many users often face the need to quickly access certain web resources, whether it is an online bank, a news portal or a specialized service.

Creating a website shortcut on your desktop is the perfect solution to save time and internal memory of your device. Instead of opening your browser, entering an address or searching for a page in history every time, you get an icon that works almost like a full-fledged application.

Owners of devices running MIUI shells and the new HyperOS have several ways to implement this feature, depending on the browser used. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods in detail so that you can choose the most convenient for yourself.

Benefits of Using Web Shortcuts on Xiaomi

The main reason users prefer to create shortcuts for web pages is to optimize workspace: Native applications often take up hundreds of megabytes, require regular updates, and can slow down the system by consuming resources in the background.

Web shortcuts are devoid of these disadvantages. They are just a link that launches the browser in full screen mode, hiding the address bar and creating the effect of a native application. This is especially true for services that you rarely use, but access to them should be instantaneous.

In addition, the use of PWA-Progressive Web Apps (Progressive Web Apps) allows some sites to work offline and send notifications, which blurs the line between site and app. For Xiaomi owners, it is also a way to avoid the intrusive advertising that developers often introduce into free versions of software.

• 🚀 Instantly launch your favorite resources in one tap without searching history.
• 💾 Saving tens of gigabytes of internal memory of the smartphone.
• 🔋 Reducing battery consumption due to the absence of background processes.
• 🛡️ Increased security as sites operate in an isolated browser environment.

However, it is worth considering that the functionality of the web version may be limited compared to a full application. Some complex functions, such as working with NFC or accessing specific sensors, may not be available through the browser.

Creating a shortcut through Google Chrome on MIUI and HyperOS

The most common way, available to the vast majority of users, is to use the Google Chrome browser, which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones and provides the best compatibility with the system.

The shortcut process takes only a few seconds to create, so you have to open the site, wait for the page to load fully, and click on the settings menu. Depending on the browser version, the interface may vary slightly, but the logic remains the same.

It is important to understand the difference between the options “Add to the home screen” and “Install the application”. The second option appears only if the site supports PWA technology and has an installation manifest, which allows it to behave like full-fledged software.

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If you don’t see the “Add to Home Screen” option, try updating the page or switching to PC Version in your browser settings, sometimes it helps activate hidden site features.

Once you do that, Xiaomi can ask permission to create a shortcut, which is a standard security procedure to prevent spam from clogging your desktop, and just confirm the action, and the icon will appear among your apps.

It’s worth noting that an icon created through Chrome will have a small browser logo in the corner or a specific background indicating its origin, which helps visually distinguish web shortcuts from installed programs.

Use of Yandex.Browser and other alternatives

Xiaomi smartphone owners in Russia and CIS countries often use Yandex.Browser due to its optimization for local services and built-in Turbo mode. The procedure for creating a shortcut here is also intuitive, but has its own nuances.

Unlike Chrome, Yandex.Browser can offer “lightweight apps” for popular services such as government services or online banking, which shortcuts often look more presentable and integrate deeper into the system than conventional links.

⚠️ Note: When creating shortcuts through third-party browsers on the shell MIUI Sometimes, there is a "failed to create a shortcut" error, which is due to an aggressive security policy that blocks other applications from doing so.

To solve this problem, you need to go to your phone's settings, find the Apps section, select your browser, and open the Other Permissions box, and activate the "Create and Remove Shortcuts" box.

Alternative browsers like Opera or DuckDuckGo also support this feature, but their shortcuts may not automatically update the icon (favicon) if the site changes the logo, in which case you will have to remove the old shortcut and create a new one.

• 🦊 Firefox: Menu → Add → Add to the main screen.
• 🦉 Opera: Menu → Add a label → Main page.
• 🦆 DuckDuckGo: Menu → Add to Home Screen.
• 🌐 Samsung Internet: Menu → Add a page to.

Regardless of the browser you choose, the way it works is the same: you create a link that leads to a specific URL, the difference is only in the user-friendliness of the interface and additional features such as widgets or quick access.

Comparative table of methods for creating labels

To make it easier for you to choose the best way, we have compiled a comparative description of the main methods, each of which has its advantages depending on your needs and smartphone model.

As you can see from the table, standard browser methods are suitable for 90% of cases, and PWA or third-party launchers are only required in specific scenarios where deep integration or unique design is needed.

The choice of method may also depend on the version of Android installed on your device.On newer versions of Android 13 and 14, security mechanisms have become stricter, making some old ways of creating shortcuts unworkable.

Solving problems with the display of the icon and the name

A common problem faced by Xiaomi users is that the label is created with the name “Untitled” or with a standard globe icon instead of the site logo.

In such cases, you can try to manually edit the shortcut, if the launcher allows, or use special shortcut generator applications from Google Play. These utilities allow you to specify any name and select any picture from the gallery.

Another common problem is the disappearance of shortcuts after a phone reboot or system update.This may be due to the operation of the Memory Optimization feature, which removes rarely used items.

⚠️ Warning: Don't create too many shortcuts on one screen. MIUI It can start to work more slowly if there is more on the desktop. 50-60 dynamic widgets and labels.

If the icon is not displayed correctly (for example, cropped or stretched), try clearing the browser cache. Accumulated temporary files can interfere with the proper loading of the favicon image of the site.

Also worth checking is the theme settings. Some third-party themes can change the style of all shortcuts, making them indistinguishable. Switch to a standard theme to return the original look.

Organization of labels and grouping in folders

When you have a lot of website shortcuts on your desktop, it's time to clean up your mess, and the chaotic layout of the icons reduces productivity and makes it difficult to find the right resource in the moment.

MIUI and HyperOS allow you to create folders in a standard way: just drag and drop one shortcut to another. You can create thematic groups, like Finance, News, or Stores.

For advanced organizations, you can use browser widgets, and many of them offer quick access widgets that display a list of frequently visited sites directly on the desktop as a list or grid.

• 📁 Sorting: Arrange folders by frequency of use.
• 🎨 Design: Use widgets with transparent background for aesthetics.
• 📂 Nesting: Create folders inside folders for deep structure.
• 🔍 Search: Use App Search to Launch Quickly.

Remember to periodically remove shortcuts of sites you have stopped using, which will not only free up space, but also speed up desktop indexing by the system.

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Proper organization of shortcuts turns a smartphone into an effective tool where the desired site opens faster than the screen unlocks.

Grouping is especially useful if you use your phone for work. Separate a separate screen or folder for work resources, separating them from entertainment content.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)