How to return missing icons on the screen Xiaomi: 7 working ways

You took your Xiaomi and you found that all the apps or individual icons were gone from your desktop, and it's more common than you think -- and it's not always the fault of the system. In 70 percent of cases, the culprit is a random change in the launcher settings, not a hardware breakdown. But how do you tell a software failure from a major malfunction and get the icons back on the screen without losing data?

In this article, we will look at all the possible causes of icon disappearance, from the banal hiding of folders to the consequences of a failed MIUI update. You will learn how to restore icons in 2 minutes (if the settings are a problem) and what to do when standard methods do not help. And for owners of Redmi, POCO and Black Shark, we have prepared separate recommendations based on the peculiarities of their firmware.

Why Xiaomi screen icons are missing: 5 main reasons

Before you start to recover, it is important to understand what exactly happened, because icons are rarely accidentally destroyed, usually due to a specific user action or system process.

• 📱 Resetting launcher settings: MIUI automatically resets the location of the icons after updates or when cleaning the cache of system applications. Often this happens after installing updates through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 👤 Manual concealment: B MIUI There is a function of hiding applications (for example, through Settings) → Annexes → Hidden apps: Many users accidentally activate it in an attempt to free up the desktop.
• 🔄 Sync failure: If you use a Xiaomi account to sync data, version conflict can cause icons to disappear. MIUI 13/14.
• 🦠 Viral software: Some malware disguises itself as system utilities and blocks the display of icons, most often after installation APK unverified.
• 🔧 Damage to system files: Critical update errors or incorrectly shutting down your phone can damage launcher files (com.miui.home).

Interesting fact: on POCO devices with custom firmware (such as Pixel Experience), the problem is often related to conflicting design themes. Owners of such smartphones should first check the theme settings in Settings → Decoration → My Themes.

⚠️ Note: If all widgets are missing along with the icons and the desktop background has changed, this may indicate a launcher reset to factory settings. In this case, only a complete reboot of the device with the power button holding for 15 seconds will help.

Method 1: Reboot your phone – why it works 60% of the time

It sounds trivial, but forced reboot solves the problem of missing icons in most situations, because the MIUI launcher (com.miui.home) runs in the background and sometimes freezes for no apparent reason. With a normal shutdown / turn on, the process does not restart completely, and with a forced reboot, it does.

How to Reboot Xiaomi to Reset the Launcher:

1. Press the power button for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out and the MI logo appears.
2. Wait 2-3 minutes (don’t turn on your phone right away!) This is the time it takes to clear the RAM cache.
3. Turn on the device in the standard way.

If the icons did not appear after the reboot, check:

• 🔍 Whether the notification bar is displayed (pull down from the top edge of the screen) If it's not, the problem is deeper than the launcher failure.
• 📁 Are there icons in the app menu (swipe up from the bottom of the screen) If the menu is empty, maybe all the apps are hidden.

Method 2: Recovery through launcher settings

The MIUI launcher has a hidden recovery menu that allows you to return the standard icon layout without resetting your phone, which works even if you don’t remember which apps were on your desktop.

Step instructions:

1. Touch and hold the empty area on the desktop with your finger.
2. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a toolbar, and you'll tap the Settings icon.
3. Scroll down and select Restore the default layout.
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If the item Restore layout is not in the menu, it means:

• 📌 You have a third-party launcher installed (like Nova Launcher or Apex). → Annexes → By default. → Launcher.
• 🔄 Your version. MIUI It is outdated (relevant to Redmi Note) 8/9 on MIUI 11). Update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

Make sure your phone is at least 30 times charged%|

Close all background apps through the recent menu|

Turn off the VPN (if used) |

Check for free space (minimum 500 MB)-->

⚠️ Note: Some devices (Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 11) will lose weather and watch widgets after the layout is restored and will have to be added again via a long press on the desktop. → "Widgets".

Method 3: Checking Hidden Applications

The hidden app feature in MIUI works in a non-obvious way: hidden programs not only disappear from the menu, but also cease to appear in search results. Many users do not suspect for years that their icons are not missing, but simply hidden.

How to find and return hidden applications:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select Hidden Apps.
3. In the list, tick the programs you want to return.
4. Click Display at the bottom of the screen.

Features for different models:

Important for MIUI 14+ users: In this version, hidden apps are not just disappearing from the desktop, but are also excluded from battery optimization, which can lead to their spontaneous closure.

Method 4: Clearing the launcher cache and system applications

If rebooting and restoring the layout didn’t work, the next thing to try is cleaning the system component cache. Unlike data, the cache doesn’t contain important information, but damage to it can lead to visual glitches, including the disappearance of icons.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search bar, type com.miui.home (this is a system launcher).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. Repeat the action for the following applications: com.miui.securitycenter (Security Center) com.android.systemui (System interface) com.miui.gallery (Gallery - if the icons of the photo / video are missing)

Reboot the phone.

After cleaning the cache:

• 🔄 The signs may not appear immediately, but through 1-2 Minutes (launcher needs time to re-index).
• 📱 If the icons are back but look “downed” (incorrect colors, cropping) is a sign of damaged theme files. → Registration.

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If the phone is slowing down after cleaning the cache, don't worry, it's temporary. It's rewiring the background. Give the device 10-15 minutes to stabilize without opening heavy applications.

Method 5: Resetting launcher settings to factory

When standard methods don't work, but you're sure the launcher is the problem (not the system failure), you can do a partial reset, which will bring all display parameters back to factory settings, but will not affect personal data.

How to drop the launcher:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find com.miui.home (launcher).
3. Select Warehouse → Space Management → Resetting.
4. Confirm the action.

What happens after the reset:

• ✅ All standard icons and widgets will return.
• ❌ Disappear user folders and icon location.
• ⚠️ On some devices (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3) The reset may cause the wallpaper to be changed to standard.

If after resetting the launcher icons and did not appear, but the phone is stable, the problem may lie in:

• 🔐 Parental Control Limitations (check in Settings) → Accounts. → Family security).
• 🛡️ Antivirus that blocks the display of “suspicious” applications (turn it off temporarily).
• 🔧 Damaged firmware (up to date after unofficial updates).

Method 6: Recovery through Safe Mode

If the icons disappear after installing a new app or update, Safe Mode will help identify the culprit, in which only system components are loaded, and all third-party programs are blocked.

How to get into Safe Mode on Xiaomi:

1. Press the power button until the shutdown menu appears.
2. Touch and hold your finger on the Turn off option.
3. In the window that appears, confirm the transition to safe mode.

In safe mode:

• 🔍 Check if the icons are showing up. If so, there's a problem in one of the apps installed.
• 📌 If the icons are still missing, the system is to blame (maybe the files are damaged). MIUI).
• 🔄 To get out of Safe Mode, just restart your phone.

How to find the culprit among the applications:

1. Get back to normal.
2. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Sort the list by installation date (Recently installed).
4. Remove suspicious programs (especially launchers, optimizers, antiviruses).

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and later in safe mode, biometric authorization is disabled (Face) ID You'll need to unlock the phone to get a print. PIN-code.

Method 7: Extreme measures - reset to factory settings

If none of the previous methods worked, the last thing you can do is reset your phone completely, and that will bring all the settings back to factory, but it will delete all the data from your internal memory.

• 🔋 Battery level at least 50%.
• 📁 Important data (photos, contacts) synchronized with Google Drive or Xiaomi Cloud.
• 📋 You remember the username and password from the Xiaomi account (after reset, you will need confirmation).

How to perform the reset:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select to erase all data (reset to factory).
3. Enter the password from your Mi Account (if you request it).
4. Confirm the action.

After discharge:

• 📱 The phone will reboot and start setting up as new.
• 🔄 All icons will return to their places (standard layout) MIUI).
• ⚠️ Applications will remain on the menu, but their data will be deleted (for example, save in games).

Critical: On devices with an unlocked bootloader (for example, after installing a custom recavator), resetting through the settings can lead to a "brick" (impossibility to turn on).In this case, only reset your phone via Fastboot using the Mi Flash Tool.

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Factory reset should be the last option. 95% of the time, the problem is solved by methods 1-6. If you get to that point, your phone probably has serious system damage that might require firmware reflashing.

FAQ: Frequent questions about missing icons on Xiaomi