How to display the app icon on the screen of the Xiaomi phone: all ways for MIUI

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have an app icon on the screen and how to fix it

Did you install a new app on your Xiaomi Redmi, POCO or Mi, but its icon doesn't appear on the home screen? Or did all the shortcuts disappear after the MIUI update? This problem is familiar to many Xiaomi smartphone users - and it has at least 5 solutions. Unlike "pure" Android, the MIUI shell has its own nuances of working with application shortcuts that are not always obvious.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to add icons to the screen, from basic to hidden MIUI 14 features. You’ll learn how to return missing icons, why some apps aren’t displayed on the menu, and how to get around system limitations. And we’ll also tell you what to do if, after resetting settings or updating the firmware, all shortcuts have disappeared from the desktop.

Before you go to the instructions, check two things: 1 Make sure the app is actually installed – sometimes users confuse the installation with the download. APK-file. 2) Open the settings → Annexes → Manage applications and find the application you want in the list. If it's not there, it's not finished.

Method 1: Adding a shortcut through the application menu

The simplest method that works on all versions of MIUI is 12 to 14, and it works for 90% of the time when the app icon doesn’t show up on the default home screen.

Instructions:

1. Touch the free space on the home screen and hold for 1-2 seconds until the menu appears.
2. Select Widgets (or Shortcuts in older versions of MIUI).
3. Scroll down to the App section.
4. Find the desired application, pinch its icon and drag it to a free space on the screen.

Check the Hidden Apps folder in the menu

Make sure the app is not disabled in the settings

Restart your phone and try again.

Update. MIUI last-minute-->

If the app is not in the general list, try to find it through a search:

1. Swipe your finger down the main screen to open a MIUI search.
2. Enter the name of the appendix.
3. When it appears in the results, press the icon and drag it to the screen.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO X3 Pro) after dragging the icon, a pop-up with a choice of action may appear. Choose to create a shortcut rather than Open.

Method 2: Recover Hidden Icons through MIUI Settings

The MIUI shell has an app hide feature that sometimes works by accident — for example, after a system update or reset. If you don't find an icon on the screen, check the list of hidden apps.

How to get back hidden badges:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three-point menu in the upper right corner and select Hidden Apps.
3. Find the desired application in the list and uncheck it.
4. Return to the main screen – the icon should appear in the app menu.

If the application was not hidden, but still does not appear, try resetting the launcher settings:

Settings → Main screen → Additional → Resetting the launcher settings

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On some MIUI firmware, hidden applications can be returned via Security → Application Lock. Check this section if the standard method didn't work.

Method 3: Use the "Duplicate Application" function (for cloned versions)

If you created a duplicate of the application through the Duplicate function (for example, for a second account in messengers), its icon may not appear automatically, in which case you need to manually add a shortcut for the cloned version.

How to do this:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Duplicate applications.
2. Find the desired application in the list with the mark (2).
3. Slip on it and select Create a shortcut on the home screen.

If this option is not available, try an alternative method:

• 📱 Open the menu of all apps (swipe up from the bottom of the screen).
• 🔍 Enter the name of the application in the search bar.
• 🖱️ Press the cloned app icon (it will be marked with an icon) 👥) and drag it on the screen.

⚠️ Attention: POCO F3 and POCO X4 Pro with firmware MIUI 13 cloned applications may not appear in the search, in which case only resetting the launcher settings will help (see Method 2).

Method 4: Manually create a shortcut through ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can manually create a shortcut using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for system applications that don’t appear on the menu, or for applications that are manually installed via APK.

What you need:

• 💻 A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 🔌 USB-cable.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to the computer and confirm debugging on the smartphone screen.
2. Open the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type: adb shell pm list packages | grep "application name" This will help you find the exact package name (for example, com.whatsapp).
3. Create a shortcut by the command: adb shell cmd shortcut create-home --package "name package" --activity "name activity" To find out the name activity, use: adb shell cmd package resolve-activity -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER "name packet"

Example for WhatsApp:

adb shell cmd shortcut create-home --package com.whatsapp --activity com.whatsapp.HomeActivity

Method 5: Reinstall the application with data cleaning

If the app icon disappeared after the update or it doesn't work properly, a complete cache-cleaning reinstallation will help, and this method also solves the problem when the app is installed but not displayed in the MIUI menu.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find a problem app and tap it.
3. Choose Delete (or Disable if it is a system application).
4. Reboot the phone.
5. Install the app again from Google Play or via APK.
6. After installation, check the app menu – the icon should appear.

For system applications (e.g. Camera or Gallery) that cannot be removed:

1. Open the application settings.
2. Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.
3. Reboot the phone.
4. Check if the icon appears on the menu.

What to do if none of the methods work

If you’ve tried all the methods, but the app icon never appears on the Xiaomi screen, the problem could be deeper.

• 🔄 Resetting: Return the phone to factory settings via Settings → The phone. → Setting reset. Attention: it will delete all data!
• 🛠️ Firmware failure: If the problem has occurred after the update MIUI, Try to revert to the previous version via Fastboot.
• 📱 Third-party launcher: Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) – it can display hidden launchers MIUI icons.
• 🐞 Model-specific bug: On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) There are some famous icon-picture bugs. Check the forums. 4PDA or XDA for your model.

On Xiaomi models with a MediaTek processor (for example, Redmi Note 11 or POCO M4 Pro), after resetting, the folder with system application shortcuts may disappear, in which case only a complete flashing through the Mi Flash Tool will help.

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If the problem is only one application, it is likely that its settings or conflict with MIUI are to blame. If ALL icons are gone, it is a system failure that requires resetting or flashing.

FAQ: Frequent questions about shortcuts on Xiaomi