How to bring a site to the desktop of the Xiaomi Redmi phone: all methods for MIUI

You want to quickly open your favorite site from the Xiaomi Redmi home screen, but don’t know how to do it? Unlike iOS, where the “Home screen” feature is built into Safari, on Android devices (especially shells). MIUI) The process may vary depending on the browser and firmware version. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of 2026, including bypassing restrictions for sites without any restrictions. PWA-support.

The problem is that not all Xiaomi browsers offer the default “Add to Home Screen” option, such as the standard Mi Browser, which can be hidden, and Chrome can work with errors on some versions of MIUI 14/15. We have tested all methods on Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Redmi 11 Prime and POCO X5 Pro models, and we are ready to provide working solutions.

1. The standard way through Google Chrome

The most reliable method is to use Google Chrome, as it supports Progressive Web Apps (PWA), but Xiaomi has a caveat: if the site is not optimized for PWA, the Add to Home screen button may not appear.

1. Open your site in Chrome (update your browser to the latest version!).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner → select Add to the main screen.
3. If there is no option, try clicking on the Share icon (arrow up) → Add to the main screen.
4. Confirm the name of the label and click Add.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI 14 (for example, on the Redmi Note) 10S) After adding the shortcut, it can open in a miniature browser window, rather than as a separate application:

⚠️ Attention: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application Management, find the shortcut created and in the Open by Default section, select App Window instead of In the browser.

2.An alternative method through Mi Browser

The standard Mi Browser browser on Xiaomi Redmi doesn’t always offer to add the site to the home screen directly, but there is a workaround by creating a bookmark on the desktop:

• 📌 Open the site in Mi Browser and click on the icon ⋯ → Bookmarks → Add a bookmark.
• 🔖 In the bookmark list, find the saved page, hold it with your finger. → Select Add to the main screen.
• 🎨 If necessary, change the name and icon of the shortcut (click on the icon to select another from the gallery).

This works even for sites without PWA, but has a disadvantage: the shortcut will open in the browser, not as a separate application. For some resources (for example, Vkontakte or Telegram Web), this is not critical, but for gaming platforms like GeForce NOW can cause inconvenience.

Make sure your browser is updated|Clear the browser cache (Settings) → Warehouse)|Turn it off. VPN (can block PWA)|Check if the site supports PWA (for example, through [PWABuilder](https://www.pwabuilder.com/))-->

3 Use of Firefox or Opera: When Chrome is not working

If Chrome or Mi Browser refuse to add a site to the home screen, try alternative browsers, such as Firefox and Opera, which offer more flexible settings for creating shortcuts:

🔹 Tip: If the site is not added via a browser, check if it blocks antivirus (such as Avast or built-in). MIUI Turn off the protection for 5 minutes and try again.

4. Manual shortcut creation through the "Tags" widget

If browsers refuse to cooperate, you can manually create a shortcut through the system widget of Shortcuts (available on MIUI 12+):

1. Hold the empty space on the home screen → select Widgets.
2. Find the shortcut widget (the icon with four squares) and drag it to the screen.
3. In the app list, find a browser (like Chrome) → select a New tab or Open URL.
4. Enter the site address (e.g. https://vk.com) and save.

This method is universal, but it has a drawback: the shortcut will open the site in the browser, not as a separate application, but it works even for blocked or unoptimized resources.

5. Creating a shortcut through "Developer Mode" (for advanced)

If you’re willing to dig into the settings, you can create a shortcut through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that is suitable for sites that block the addition via a browser (such as some banking portals).

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Developer Mode on Xiaomi enabled (click 7 times on Version) MIUI phone-setting).
• 🔗 USB-cable.

Instructions:

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "https://example.com" --activity-clear-task

Replace https://example.com with the desired URL. After completing the command, a shortcut will appear on the home screen (a reboot may be required).

⚠️ Note: This method creates a shortcut that opens a site in WebView, not in a browser. Some features (such as login via Google) may not work properly.+ 5G s MIUI 14.0.6.

6 Problems and Solutions: Why the Label Doesn't Work

Even after successfully adding a site to the home screen, there may be problems, and here are the most common ways to solve them:

🔹 Important: On some firmware MIUI For global versions (e.g. Redmi Note 12) 4G s MIUI 13.0.5) Site shortcuts can be automatically grouped into the Internet folder. To avoid this, once you create a shortcut, hold it and drag it to the right place on the screen.

💡

If the site requires permanent authorization (for example, Public Services), add it to the main screen via Chrome in incognito mode, so that cookies will not be reset after closing.

FAQ: Frequent questions

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The most reliable way is to use Google Chrome for PWA-enabled sites, and for others, manual creation through the Shortcut Maker widget or app will be suitable.