How to Remove an Unnecessary Shortcut from Xiaomi Screen: From Simple to Hidden Techniques

Why Xiaomi has too many shortcuts on its screen and how to fix it

Have you noticed that there are duplicates of applications, empty icons or file shortcuts on Xiaomi’s home screen that are not deleted in the standard way? This problem is familiar to many smartphone users on Xiaomi’s MIUI, the company shell, and often unnecessary shortcuts arise after a system update, transferring data from another device or installing third-party launchers.

Unlike Android in its pure form, where removing a shortcut is reduced to simply dragging it to the cart, MIUI sometimes complicates this process. For example, system applications (Security, Themes, Mi Video) can create shortcuts that are not deleted in the usual way, and files with the.apk or.lnk extension (links) generally require a separate approach.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods to remove the shortcut from a Xiaomi phone, from basic actions to hidden shell features, and learn why some icons return after a reboot and how to prevent it.

Method 1: Standard shortcut removal (for most applications)

Let's start with the simplest method that works for 90% of user applications (like WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Chrome), which does not remove the app itself, but only removes its icon from the home screen.

Instructions:

• 📱 Press and hold your finger on the label you want to remove.
• 🗑️ At the top of the screen, a basket (or "Delete" will appear. Drag the icon there.
• ✅ Confirm the action if a pop-up window appears.

If the cart does not appear, check:

• 🔄 Is screen editing mode enabled (double touch on empty space) → Edit).
• 📁 It may not be a shortcut, but a widget — its deletion is different (see Method 3).
• 🔒 The label belongs to the system application (for example, Camera or Phone) – they need a different method.

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If the shortcut appears again after removal, check the launcher settings: go to Settings → Home Screen → Home Screen and turn off the option to automatically add new apps.

Method 2: Removing System Application Shortcuts (without root)

Xiaomi system apps (e.g. Mi Music, Mi Browser, Cleaner) often create shortcuts that are not removed by dragging into the cart.

How to remove the system label:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the app you want (such as Mi Video) and tap it.
3. Select Disable or Remove Updates (if the button is active).
4. Return to the main screen, the label should disappear.

If the option to disable is not available:

• 🔧 Use Developer Mode: Enable it in Settings → About the phone (7 times tap on the version) MIUI), then in Settings → Additionally. → For developers, find the option to Disable MIUI-optimisation.
• 📦 Install a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher) where system shortcuts are easier to hide.

Method 3: Removal of File Shortcuts (APKs, Documents, Links)

Sometimes, file shortcuts appear on Xiaomi’s home screen — for example, after downloading.apk from a browser or creating a link to a document — which are deleted differently than apps.

Step-by-step:

1. Press and hold the file shortcut.
2. In the menu that appears, select Delete or Information.
3. If the shortcut leads to a file in the phone’s memory, select Delete the file (this will delete the file itself!).
4. If it is just a link (for example, to a web page), select Remove the shortcut.

For.apk shortcuts (installation files):

• 📁 Go to the Files. → Download and delete the file manually.
• 🔄 If the shortcut remains, clear the Files app cache in the settings.

Method 4: Reset the launcher settings (if the shortcuts are duplicated)

If you have duplicate shortcuts or app icons on the screen that are not on the phone for a long time, the problem may be a launcher failure, in which case resetting its settings will help.

How to drop the launcher:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher app (or MIUI Launcher).
3. Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

After discharge:

• ⚠️ All shortcuts and widgets on the home screen will disappear – they will have to be reconfigured.
• 📱 Application folders will also be removed.
• 🔄 Wallpaper and theme of the launcher will be reset to standard.

Take screenshots of the current location of the labels|Remember the names of important folders|Save the wallpaper to the gallery if it is non-standard|Make sure all apps are installed (not just shortcuts)-->

Method 5: Removing shortcuts via ADB (for power users)

If none of the above methods worked and the label interferes with the work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for removing system shortcuts that cannot be removed by standard means.

What you need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 📱 Initiated Debugging Mode USB phone-on.
• 🔌 USB-plug-in.

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and open the command line (cmd).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
3. Find out the name of the app package you want to remove (for example, through the App Inspector from the Play Market).
4. Run the command to disable the application (the label will disappear): adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.example Replace com.xiaomi.example with the real name of the package.

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The pm hide command does not remove the application, but only hides it from the system. To return the label, use adb shell pm unhide com.xiaomi.example.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB It can cause a phone to malfunction. Don't turn off system components unless you're sure they're there.

Table: Comparison of shortcut removal methods on Xiaomi

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When removing shortcuts on Xiaomi, users often face typical problems, and here’s how to prevent them:

⚠️ Note: If the shortcut appears again after deleting, check if sync with Mi Cloud is enabled. → Accounts. → Mi Cloud and turn off Home Screen Sync.

Error 1: Remove the shortcut instead of removing the app.

• 🗑️ Drag and drop in the cart removes only the icon, but not the app itself.
• 📲 To remove the application completely, go to Settings → Apps and select Delete.

Mistake 2: Trying to remove the widget as a shortcut.

• 📊 Widgets (weather, clock, notes) are removed differently: press and hold → Remove the widget.
• 🔄 If the widget is not removed, restart the phone.

Error 3: Using third-party cleaners.

• 🚫 Applications like Clean Master or CCleaner often remove not shortcuts, but cache, which does not solve the problem.
• ✅ Better to use built-in tools MIUI.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions