Xiaomi widgets are a convenient tool for quick access to information, but sometimes they take up too much space on the home screen or start to slow down the system, especially after upgrading to MIUI 14 or the new HyperOS, where the interface has undergone changes. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to remove widgets, from standard to hidden functions that are not written in the official instructions.
Many users have a problem when the widget is not removed in the usual way or returns after a reboot. This is due to the features of MIUI, where some system widgets (such as weather or calendar) are integrated deeper than it seems. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Xiaomi 13T models, the results are summarized in the table below.
If you tried to remove the widget with a long press, but it didn’t work, don’t rush to reset the settings. 90% of the time, the problem is solved through the launcher menu or by turning off the automatic addition of widgets. And for the most persistent cases, we have prepared instructions for manual editing configuration files (for power users only).
1. Standard removal of widgets by long press
The simplest method that works for most custom widgets (e.g. from Google, Yandex or third-party apps) is the same algorithm for all versions of MIUI and HyperOS:
Step 1: Find the widget you want to remove on the home screen.
Step 2. Hold your finger for 1-2 seconds until the menu or basket icon appears at the top of the screen.
Step 3: Drag the widget into the basket that appears (usually located at the top or bottom of the screen).
⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 12.5 for Redmi 9), the basket may not appear, in which case, after a long press, a menu will appear with the Remove - press button.
- 🔹 Works for: widgets from third-party applications (Telegram, VK, Spotify)
- 🔹 Not working for: System widgets (Weather, Calendar, Steps)
- 🔹 Feature: HyperOS remove animation is smoother, but the principle is the same
If the widget appears again after deleting, it means that it is tied to the system application. For example, the Weather widget can automatically recover if the weather display on the home screen is enabled in the settings.
💡
To speed up the process, turn on Screen Editing (clip the empty space on the home screen → Widgets). In this mode, all widgets are illuminated with a red cross for quick removal.
2. Remove via launcher settings
When the standard method doesn't work, the launcher menu will help, a method that is suitable for removing system widgets that don't want to disappear after a long press.
Instructions:
- Click the empty space on the home screen → select Settings (cog in the upper right corner).
- Go to the section Additional → Management widgets.
- Find the widget you want in the list and turn off the slider next to it.
- Confirm the action if a warning appears.
On HyperOS, the path is a bit different:
Screen settings → Home screen → Widgets → Control| Firmware version | The path to settings | Does it support disabling system widgets? |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI 12-12.5 | Settings → Additional → Management widgets | Partially (not all) |
| MIUI 13-14 | Screen settings → Widgets → Control | Yeah (except for the weather) |
| HyperOS | Screen settings → Home screen → Widgets | Yeah (all except search) |
⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO F4, Xiaomi 11T) After turning off the widget can remain on the screen in a "frozen" state, in this case, you need to restart the smartphone.
Disable automatic update of the widget in the application settings
Check for MIUI/HyperOS Updates
Backup the main screen (Settings → Home screen → Backup)
Reboot your phone after the changes-->
3.Resetting launcher settings
If the widget persists, resetting the launcher to factory settings will help, which removes all user settings on the home screen, but saves applications and data.
How to drop the launcher:
- Open the phone settings.
- Go to the Apps → Application management.
- Find the MIUI Launcher (or HyperOS Launcher for New Models) in the list.
- Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
- Confirm the action and restart the phone.
After reset, all widgets will disappear, but you will have to reconfigure:
- 📱 Location of application icons
- 🎨 Wallpaper and themes
- 🔄 Control gestures
Important: On HyperOS models, resetting the launcher can cause the always-on display (AOD) settings to reset. Keep your favorite display styles in advance.
What to do if the widget returns after resetting?
4. Removal via ADB (for power users)
This method requires connecting the phone to a computer and knowing ADB commands. It is suitable for removing system widgets that cannot be removed by standard methods.
Step-by-step:
- Enable Developer Mode (Settings → About Phone → 7 times click on MIUI Version).
- Activate debugging over USB in the developer settings.
- Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: Adb devices (you should display your device).
- To remove the widget, first find the application package: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i "weather" (replace "weather" with part of the name of the desired widget).
- Disable the app: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.weather2
⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause system instability.Before experimenting, backup your system via Mi Cloud or Google Drive.
- 🛠️ Works for: All System Widgets
- 🔧 Demands: PC, USB-cable, developer rights
- ⚠️ Risks: Possible disruptions to connected services
💡
Disabling ADB is the most radical method, and only use it if other methods have not worked, and you understand the consequences.
5.Use of a third-party launcher
If standard methods do not help, installing an alternative launcher (for example, Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) will allow you to fully control the display of widgets.
Advantages of third-party launchers:
- 🔄 Ability to hide any widgets, including system
- 🎨 Flexible configuration of the appearance
- 🚀 Smooth animation (on weaker devices like Redmi) 10A)
How to hide the widget through Nova Launcher:
- Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
- Click the empty space on the screen → Settings.
- Go to the Application Settings → Hidden Applications.
- Add to the list the app you want to hide.
- Return to the main screen and remove the widget with a long press.
On HyperOS, third-party launchers may conflict with system gestures. If the swipes to call Google Assistant stop working after installing Nova Launcher, turn off conflicting gestures in the launcher settings.
6. Features of removing widgets on different Xiaomi models
MIUI and HyperOS firmware behave differently on different devices, and we tested removing widgets on popular models -- the results are in the table:
| Model | Firmware | Removal by long press | Does the launcher reset help? | Is ADB required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 12 | HyperOS 1.0 | Yeah (except for the weather) | Yes. | No. |
| POCO X5 | MIUI 14 | Partially. | Yes. | For system widgets |
| Xiaomi 13T | HyperOS | Yeah. | No. | No. |
| Redmi 10C | MIUI 13 | No (bugs) | Yes. | Yes. |
Nana POCO-In the case of devices, there is a common problem when the widget returns after a few hours after removal. MIUI for POCO, It automatically restores useful widgets to avoid that:
- Turn off POCO Recommendations in the launcher settings.
- Disable the POCO Launcher application from auto-starting (Settings → Applications → Permissions → Auto-Run).
On HyperOS, widgets are smarter, adapting to your habits, for example, if you check the weather often, the system can automatically add the weather widget back, and to avoid this, turn off personalization:
Settings → Special features → Personalization → Disable “Adaptive widgets”