How to return the main screen on the Xiaomi smartphone: from simple ways to radical solutions

You've turned on a Xiaomi smartphone, but instead of the usual home screen with app icons, you see a black screen, endless boot or an unfamiliar interface? This problem is familiar to many MIUI users - especially after updates, crashes or experiments with launchers. In 80% of cases, the main screen can be returned in 5 minutes without resorting to complex manipulations.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible causes of the home screen disappearing on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, from the banal (randomly installed third-party launcher) to the critical (damage to system files), how to restore functionality without losing data, when reboots are enough and when you have to do a reset, and why some “tips” from the Internet can only exacerbate the problem.

Important: If the screen doesn't respond to touch at all, the problem may be in the touch module or firmware, in which case, first check if the touchscreen is working in Recovery mode (press Power + Volume up when turned on). If yes, follow the instructions below. If not, this is a question for the service center.

1. Checking the Obvious: Third-Party Launchers and Temporary Failures

Most often, the main screen disappears after installing alternative launchers (Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher, Action Launcher) or their conflict with MIUI Launcher. The system may “forget” which launcher to use by default, or even block it altogether.

The first thing to do is:

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone. Press the power button for 10 seconds, wait for the switch to turn off, then turn it on again. 30 percent of the time, that solves the problem.
• 📱 Check the notification bar. Swipe down from top to bottom -- if there's a notification like "Select Default Launcher," click on it and select it. MIUI Launcher.
• 🔍 Search through the taskbar. Swipe your finger up from the bottom of the screen and hold it, and the latest apps will open up. Find the settings there (the gear icon) and go to them.

If after the reboot, the home screen is marked with "No Launcher" or a black screen with a cursor, the system launcher is disabled.

1. Connect your smartphone to your computer via USB.
2. Download. APK-file MIUI Launcher for your model.
3. Transfer the file to your phone’s memory and install it through any file manager (such as FX File Explorer).

⚠️ Note: Do not remove system launchers through Settings → Applications, even if they appear to be duplicate, can cause the interface to be completely inoperable without the possibility of recovery without resetting.

2.Reset the launcher settings without data loss

If the main screen is working but is not displayed correctly (no icons, widgets, or they are lost), resetting MIUI Launcher will help. This does not affect user data, but will return the standard desktop look.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search bar, enter Laun and MIUI Launcher (or System Launcher) will appear.
3. Click on it, then select Warehouse → Clear Data and Clear Cache.
4. Reboot your smartphone.

After the reboot:

• 📱 The main screen will return to factory settings (icons in standard order, without widgets).
• 🔧 All your apps and files will remain in place.
• ⚙️ Themes and wallpaper settings can reset – they will have to be reconfigured.

Take screenshots of the current location of the icons

Remember the widgets used

Check if important labels are tied to the home screen

Make sure you have backup enabled in Mi Cloud-->

If the launcher still does not start after cleaning the data, try to turn off the battery optimization for it:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Optimization.
2. Find MIUI Launcher in the list and select No Limits.
3. Reset the device.

3. Recovery through safe mode

If the problem is caused by a conflict with the installed application (often third-party launchers, optimizers or “cleaners”), Safe Mode will help, it only loads system applications, which allows you to identify the culprit.

How to run Safe Mode on Xiaomi:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the Power button and hold it until the MI logo appears.
3. As soon as the logo appears, release Power and immediately press Volume down.
4. Keep Volume down until the words "Safe mode" appear in the lower left corner.

In safe mode:

• 🔍 Check if the main screen is up. If so, there's a problem in the third-party app.
• 🗑️ Remove recently installed launchers or optimizers through Settings → Annexes.
• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone in normal mode.

If the main screen is not working in safe mode, the reason lies in the system files or firmware, in which case only resetting or flashing (see sections 5 and 6) will help.

4. Recovery via Mi Cloud (if backup is enabled)

If you have previously set up a backup in Mi Cloud, you can try to restore the launcher settings from the cloud.

• 🔒 You have a Mi Account linked to your phone.
• 📱 A backup copy was created before the problem occurred.
• 🌐 Internet access (Wi-Fi or mobile network).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Restore from Mi Cloud.
2. Sign in to your Mi Account (unless you are automatically logged in).
3. Select the last backup where the main screen worked fine.
4. Check System Settings and Application Data, then click Restore.
5. Wait for the process to be completed and restart the smartphone.

Important: Recovery from the cloud can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the copy, and don't interrupt the process even if the screen doesn't respond for a long time.

⚠️ Warning: If you have a “failed to recover” error when you recover from Mi Cloud, check: Is there enough space in your phone’s memory (needs at least 1 GB of free space) and is your Internet connection stable (better use Wi-Fi). Have you changed your Mi Account password after you created a backup.

5 Hard Reset – When nothing helps

If all previous methods failed, you'll have a complete reset, which will delete all the data from your phone, including apps, photos and settings, but it will bring the system back to work. Use this method only as a last resort!

How to make Hard Reset on Xiaomi:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press Power + Volume up at the same time and hold for 10-15 seconds until the Recovery menu appears (the Mi logo with android robot).
3. Use volume buttons for navigation and power button for selection.
4. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (or Clear Data in older versions).
5. Confirm the action, then select Reboot.

After discharge:

• 📱 The phone will turn on as new, with factory settings.
• 🔧 You will be asked to configure it again (select a language, connect to Wi-Fi, log into your Mi Account).
• 📲 The main screen will return to the standard view MIUI Launcher.

💡

Remove before resetting SIM-This will save them from random formatting in some Xiaomi models (for example, the Redmi Note 8 Pro or the Redmi Note 8 Pro). POCO X3).

If the main screen does not appear after reset, this may indicate:

• 🛠️ Firmware damage (reflashing via Fastboot is required).
• 🔧 Hardware failure (damage to memory or motherboard).
• 📱 Conflict with custom recovery (if you install it) TWRP).

6.Fastboot flashing is a last resort

If the reset doesn't work, you have to reflash the smartphone through Fastboot, which is suitable for advanced users, because it requires a computer, USB-The wrong actions can turn the phone into a brick»!

What you need:

• 💻 Windows computer (or Mac/Linux driverless ADB).
• 🔌 Original. USB-cable (preferably from the set).
• 📥 Firmware for your model (download from the official Xiaomi website).
• 🛠️ Mi Flash Tool (or Fastboot Tools for advanced users).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Power + Volume down for 10 seconds to enter Fastboot mode (a hare in a hat-eared hat will appear).
3. Connect the phone to the computer.
4. Start the Mi Flash Tool, select the downloaded firmware (file with the extension.tgz or.zip).
5. Press Refresh – your smartphone should appear in the list of devices.
6. Select Clean All (complete clean) or Save User Data (data retention, but not always stable).
7. Press Flash and wait until it is completed (usually 5-15 minutes).

After flashing:

• 📱 The phone will be switched on with a clean system (like after purchase).
• 🔧 The main screen will work in standard mode.
• ⚠️ All data will be deleted if you choose Clean All.

💡

Fastboot flashing is the only way to get the main screen back if the system partition is damaged, but it also removes the warranty if the phone has not been officially unlocked through Mi Unlock.

7.Alternative solutions: third-party launchers and ADB-team

If the system launcher never worked, but the phone turns on and reacts to touch, you can install a third-party launcher as a temporary solution.

• 📱 Nova Launcher – lightweight and customizable.
• 🔧 Microsoft Launcher – Integration with Windows.
• 🎨 Action Launcher – Support for gestures and themes.

How to install a launcher without the main screen:

1. Download. APK-Launcher file to computer (for example, with APKPure).
2. Connect the phone to the PC and transfer the file to memory.
3. Install any file manager (e.g. Solid Explorer) via ADB: adb install solid-explorer.apk
4. Through the file manager, find and install the launcher's APK.
5. After installation, click Home and select the new default launcher.

For advanced users, there is a way to enable the system launcher through ADB:

1. Connect your phone to your computer and enable USB Debugging (if the screen is partially working).
2. Open the command line and type in: adb shell pm enable com.miui.home adb shell am start -n com.miui.home/.launcher.Launcher
3. Reset the device.

Frequent Questions (FAQ)