How to display the app icon on the screen of the Xiaomi smartphone: all working methods

Have you installed a new app on your Xiaomi, but you can't see its icon anywhere? Or did the desktop shortcuts disappear after the MIUI update? This problem is familiar to many smartphone owners of the brand - especially after resetting or switching to a new version of the shell. Unlike "pure" Android, where icons appear automatically, MIUI often requires manual actions.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to return the icon to the screen, from basic to hidden shell functions. You will learn how to add a shortcut through the app menu, MIUI settings, and what to do if the icon disappeared after an update or reset. The instructions are relevant for all modern models: Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, Poco X5/F5 and others on MIUI 14/15.

Before you start, make sure the app is actually installed. To do this, check the list in Settings. → Annexes → App management. If it's not there, install it first through Google Play or APK-file.

1. Standard method: Adding through the application menu

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI menu, which works on all versions of the shell and does not require additional settings.

Open the app menu (swipe up the home screen or click on the dot/square icon in the dockboard). Find the app you want in the list, pinch the app for 1-2 seconds until the context menu appears. Most versions of MIUI will have options:

• 📱 Add to the main screen – create a shortcut in the selected location.
• 🔄 Add to the docking panel - fix the icon in the bottom panel of quick access.
• 📂 Create a folder – combine several applications into one group.

If the context menu does not include the “Add to the home screen” option, try dragging the icon up beyond the app menu – on some models (Redmi 9A, Poco M3) this works as an alternative way.

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On smartphones with MIUI 14+, you can add shortcuts to the second/third screen immediately. To do this, drag the icon to the right or left edge of the screen and hold for 1-2 seconds until a new desktop appears.

2. Through the theme settings: if the icon disappeared after the update

After major MIUI updates (e.g., version 13 to version 14), users often experience shortcuts disappearing, due to a theme reset or cache conflict, and icons can be restored through the personalization menu:

1. Open Settings → Theme.
2. Go to the Application Icons section.
3. Select the current icon theme (usually “Standard” or “MIUI”).
4. Click Apply and restart your smartphone.

If this doesn't work, try changing the theme of the icons to another one (like Round or Minimalist), apply it, and then return the standard one, which will force the icon cache to be updated.

3.Use of widgets: an alternative for system applications

Some Xiaomi system applications (e.g. Security, Themes, Software Update) do not have separate icons, but they can be displayed through widgets. This method is also suitable for applications that are not displayed in the menu (e.g. hidden MIUI services).

Instructions:

1. Press and hold the empty space on the main screen.
2. In the bottom menu, select Widgets.
3. Scroll through the list to the Tools or Systems section.
4. Find the widget of the desired application (for example, Quick Security Settings for Security).
5. Drag it on the screen and adjust the size.

For Google apps (e.g. Play Store, Gmail) widgets are available in the Google section. If the widget you need isn't, try updating the app through the Play Store - sometimes this adds missing elements.

4.Resetting launcher settings: if nothing works

If previous methods have not worked, the problem may be the launcher (the program responsible for displaying the desktop) crash. MIUI has a hidden feature to reset its settings, which returns all icons to place without losing data.

Follow the following steps:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show All Apps.
3. Find the MIUI Launcher (or Lawnchair if you use a custom launcher) in the list.
4. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
5. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

Take screenshots of the current location of the labels|Remember what apps were in the dock panel|Make sure that important widgets are not lost.|Make sure you have a backup copy of the wallpaper.-->

After the reboot, all standard icons (Phone, Messages, Camera) will return to the screen, and user applications can be added again through the menu (see the first method).

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Resetting the launcher doesn't delete apps or personal data, it just returns desktop settings to factory settings, but widgets and folders will have to be reconfigured.

5. Manual shortcut creation via ADB (for power users)

If the application is installed but not on the menu (e.g. hidden system utilities or developer apps), you can create a shortcut manually through ADB. This method requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm access to debugging.
3. Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "appendix name"

Replace the application name with a part of the name (e.g. com.miui.calculator for calculator).

adb shell am start -n com.android.launcher3/.Launcher -a android.intent.action.CREATE_SHORTCUT -e package "name packet" -e class "name class"

For most applications, the class is the same as the package name +.MainActivity. For example, for Google Chrome, the command will be:

adb shell am start -n com.android.launcher3/.Launcher -a android.intent.action.CREATE_SHORTCUT -e package "com.android.chrome" -e class "com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main"

Once you execute the command, a window will appear on the screen asking you to add a shortcut, and you can confirm the action, and the icon will be created, and this method works even for hidden system applications that are not in the standard menu.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even after successfully adding a shortcut, Xiaomi users are faced with new challenges, and the most common mistakes and solutions are:

• ❌ The badge disappears after the reboot → Check the optimization settings in Settings → Battery → Battery optimization. Turn off optimization for launcher (Luncher) MIUI).
• ❌ The shortcut does not open the app → Remove the shortcut and recreate it. If the problem persists, reinstall the app.
• ❌ It is not possible to add a system application → Use the method with ADB (Section 5) or find an alternative launcher (e.g. Nova Launcher).
• ❌ Icons are knocked down after the update → Before the update MIUI Make a backup copy through Settings → The phone. → Backup.

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If you often experience shortcuts disappearing, install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) that offers more customization options and less likely to reset icons.

Another common problem is icon duplication, which occurs when the application is installed in both the user's memory and the system partition (e.g., the Google Play Store can be duplicated after manually updating the GMS) to eliminate duplicate:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Find a duplicate application (usually marked as “System”).
3. Click Disable (Do not delete!).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions

If none of the methods worked, the problem could be the system files being damaged.

1. Update MIUI to the latest version via Settings → About Phone → System Update.
2. Do a reset (but it will delete all the data!).
3. Contact the Xiaomi service center if the smartphone is warranty.