How to Remove Applications from Xiaomi’s Home Screen: Hiding, Deleting, and Optimizing Your Desktop

A cluttered home screen on Xiaomi is a problem that every second user faces. Even after buying a new Redmi or POCO smartphone, unnecessary icons appear on the desktop: duplicate system utilities, MIUI advertising services, or applications that you have not used for a long time. Unlike iOS or pure Android, the MIUI shell has its own nuances of managing the workspace - and not all of them are intuitive.

Many people mistakenly think that it is enough to click "Delete" - but this is not how it works on Xiaomi. System applications (for example, Mi Video, Mi Music or GetApps) can not be removed in the standard way, and some icons are even a widget, not a shortcut. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to clean the home screen, from basic to hidden features of MIUI 14/15, including bypassing the restrictions for system programs.

If you want to not just remove the icon, but completely uninstall the application (including system ones), you need root or ADB rights. But in 90% of cases, it's enough to hide unnecessary elements - it's safe and does not require technical skills. Let's start with the simplest methods and gradually move to advanced ones.

1. Standard removal of shortcuts from the main screen

The most obvious way is to remove an unnecessary icon with a long-term press, but there are pitfalls that not everyone knows about.

To remove the app label:

1. Touch the icon and hold it for 1-2 seconds.
2. At the top of the screen will appear basket (or the inscription "Delete") - drag there the icon.
3. If the cart is not active (grey), then the application is system and you can not remove its label in the standard way.

Important! This method only works for custom applications (installed from Google Play or APK). MIUI system utilities (e.g. Calendar, Notes, Themes) cannot be removed, they can only be hidden or disabled.

If the icon appears again after deleting (for example, after a reboot), then it is tied to the widget or the MIUI folder. In this case, a different approach will be required - we will talk about it in the next section.

2. How to remove MIUI system applications (without root)

MIUI system applications cannot be removed completely without superuser rights, but they can be:

• 📱 Hide from the main screen (they will remain in the app menu).
• ⚙️ Disable (they will not work and will not be updated).
• 🔍 Hide in a folder (visually reduce their visibility).

To hide the system application:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the right app (e.g. Mi Pay or Mi Community).
3. Click Disable (if the button is active) or Hide (in newer versions of MIUI 14+).

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system applications may cause malfunctions MIUI. For example, if you turn off Security, the fingerprint scanner and face unlock will stop working.

If you don't have a Disable button, it means that the application is critical to the system, and then you just have to hide it in the folder:

1. Press the icon on the main screen.
2. Drag it to another icon and create a folder.
3. Name the folder neutral (e.g., “Rarely use”) and move it to the second screen.

Check the version of MIUI (Settings → About the phone)

Backup of important data

Remember the name of the application (for recovery)

Do not disable Security, Launcher, System UI-->

3. Removal of widgets and “unremovable” icons

Some of the elements on Xiaomi’s home screen are not apps, but widgets. They can’t be removed in the standard way, but can be removed through the launcher settings.

How to determine what widget is in front of you:

• 🔄 The icon is updated automatically (for example, weather or calendar).
• 📌 With a long press, a menu appears with the inscription Settings of the widget.
• 🚫 The icon cannot be moved to a folder or to another screen.

To remove the widget:

1. Touch and hold the widget.
2. In the menu that appears, select Remove the widget or Remove from the screen.
3. If there is no item, go to Settings → Home screen → Widgets and disable unnecessary ones.

Especially often problems are caused by:

• Weather widget (set by default on Redmi).
• Google Discover widget (left of the main screen).
• Mi Fit widget (unless you use Xiaomi smartwatches).

In MIUI 14 and later, the Google Discover widget can only be disabled via ADB or third-party launchers (e.g., Nova Launcher).

Use of alternative launchers (Nova, Lawnchair)

If standard methods don't work, you can install a third-party launcher, which will allow you to:

• 🎨 Completely customize the main screen.
• 🚫 Hide system applications and widgets.
• 🔄 Change animations, icons and markup.

The best launchers for Xiaomi:

To hide apps in Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Click the free space on the main screen → Settings.
3. Go to App Settings → Hide Apps.
4. Check the boxes for unnecessary programs.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party launchers, some functions may stop working MIUI, For example: Xiaomi navigation gestures, Floating Windows, System themes and fonts, to return a standard launcher, go to Settings → Annexes → By default. → Launcher.

💡

Before installing a third-party launcher, back up the main screen in MIUI: Settings → Home Screen → Backup layout.

5. Remove applications via ADB (for power users)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, you can uninstall system applications through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and knowing the commands, but gives you complete control of MIUI.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB driver.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode).
• 🔌 USB-Type C Cable (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm access via USB.
2. Open the command prompt (CMD) and type: Adb devices Make sure the device is defined.
3. To see a list of all applications, follow: adb shell pm list packages
4. Find the name of the unneeded package (e.g. com.miui.videoplayer for Mi Video) and delete it: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

⚠️ Note: Removing system applications through ADB This may lead to: Mistakes in the work MIUI (For example, the notification bar will disappear. OTA. Reset to factory settings the next update.Be sure to back up through Mi Cloud or before experimenting. TWRP.

💡

ADB allows you to remove even those applications that do not turn off through the MIUI menu, but this is an extreme measure – first try to hide or disable unnecessary programs in the standard ways.

6.Resetting the MIUI launcher settings

If after all the manipulations on the home screen left chaos — the icons are gone, but there were empty cells, or the markup was lost — reset the launcher will help, it will return the standard look of the desktop without losing data.

How to reset the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher (or MIUI Launcher).
3. Click Warehouse → Clear the data and Clear the cache.
4. Reboot your smartphone.

After discharge:

• ✅ All user folders and widgets will disappear.
• ✅ The standard icon markup will return.
• ❌ The saved wallpaper and themes will remain unchanged.

Important! If you used a third-party launcher, resetting MIUI Launcher will not return its settings. You need to reset the alternative launcher settings separately (for example, in Nova Launcher: Long Press → Settings → Backup / Restore).

7.How to prevent automatic icon addition

One of the most annoying things about MIUI is that it automatically places new applications on the home screen, and you can turn that off.

Instructions for MIUI 12-15:

1. Open the Settings. → Main screen screen.
2. Find Add icons of new apps (or Autoplacement).
3. Turn off the slider.

After that, new apps will only appear in the app menu (swipe up from the dock), and the main screen will remain clean.

Additional settings for order:

• 📂 Sorting applications: In the application menu, click ⋮ → Sorting → By alphabet or frequency of use.
• 🔒 Icon fixing: To avoid accidentally shifting the markup, turn on Settings → Main screen screen → Secure the layout.
• 🎨 Hiding Pages: Keep an Empty Space on the Screen → click on the screen thumbnail. → select Delete.

FAQ: Frequent questions