Having your phone's home screen well organized can mean the difference between quickly navigating through your apps or wasting valuable seconds searching for what you need. Within the HyperOS ecosystem, especially on Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco devices, there are a multitude of options to customize and organize your desktop to your liking, from the classic app drawer to new grid modes and smart features that make your daily life easier.
If you've ever felt lost among dozens of apps, pointless folders, or the chaos of icons after each installation, discovering all the organizational possibilities offered by HyperOS can completely change your user experience. Below you'll find a detailed guide to help you get the most out of all the tools available, both in current versions and in upcoming releases.
What is the app drawer on Xiaomi and how do I activate it?
The app drawer is a feature that allows you to have all your installed apps collected in a panel separate from your main desktop, automatically grouped into categories. This way, your home screen only displays the shortcuts you've chosen, while the rest are organized and accessible by swiping up.
- Open the adjustments from your Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco.
- Go to Starting screen and select the same option.
- Active With the App Drawer.
Once enabled, simply swipe up from the home screen to access the drawer, where you'll see your apps organized into categories like Communication, Entertainment, Tools, etc. These categories are automatically generated and adapt based on what you download, although you can later customize them to your liking.
Advanced customization: edit categories, colors, and transparencies
HyperOS and MIUI not only allow you to use the drawer, but also to modify it thoroughly. You can create new categories, decide the order, select which apps go in each group, and adjust visual details to make them stand out or blend in with the background.
Access the app drawer settings and explore:
- Manage application categories: Choose the order of the categories, add new ones (for example, “Networking” or “Work”) and decide which apps are included in them.
- Visual customization: Change the drawer's color and transparency. If you prefer full integration with the background, you can make it semi-transparent, leave it opaque, or adapt it to the system colors.
- Sidebar Options: Choose between alphabetical scrolling or a color bar to move faster between all your apps.
Icon layout and grid: the new Dense mode and more
With the arrival of HyperOS 2.0, Xiaomi introduces a A new way to organize your desktop thanks to “Dense Mode”. While until now the usual distribution was 4x5 icons, the new system allows grids of 5×6 icons, showing up to 30 apps per screen.
This option is ideal for users who prefer to have everything at hand and take advantage of every space on the desktop, especially if you combine this mode with the XXL folders and longer widgets, achieving a practical and visually organized experience.
The grid is set up like this:
- Sign in Settings > Home screen > Customize layout.
- Select your preferred grid: 3, 4, or 5 columns, and up to 6 rows with Dense mode.
- Choose the icon size: XS, S, M, L or XL, to suit your vision or aesthetic preferences.
Folders: Organize your apps by topic, usage, or frequency
One of the most effective ways to maintain control is to use thematic folders.This way, you can group apps of the same type (social networking, work, multimedia, productivity, etc.) and clean up your desktop of scattered icons.
- Long press on an app and drag it over another to create a new folder.
- Add more icons by dragging them into the folder.
- You can rename the folder and move icons in or out by dragging them.
Choose the default home screen
you can decide which desktop page is displayed when unlocking the phone, very useful for those who use multiple screens on the MIUI/HyperOS desktop.
- Pinch in on the home screen to enter editing.
- Tap the button Settings (bottom right) and select Set default screen.
- Choose from the existing pages which will be the main one.
This way, you'll have faster access to your favorite apps, widgets, and shortcuts.
Avoid clutter: lock layout and control app movement
One of the most common problems when organizing the desktop is that apps move by themselves. or fill in gaps after deleting something. HyperOS and MIUI allow you to lock the layout and decide whether the system should automatically reorder icons.
- En Settings > Home screen you can deactivate Fill in gaps from uninstalled apps so that nothing moves without permission.
- Active Lock Home Screen Layout to prevent accidental changes to both apps and the grid. To move or uninstall apps, you'll need to disable it first.
This way, you decide the order, not the system. There's even an extra option: shake the phone to fill in empty spaces automatically, which is handy when you don't want to waste time rearranging icons one by one.
Smart gestures and quick swipes to organize and search apps
El HyperOS launcher incorporates intuitive gestures to organize applications more quickly and access key features with little effort:
- Swipe with two fingers on the home screen open the app finder immediately.
- Group or move multiple apps at once: Press and hold on an empty space to enter edit mode, use the pinch gesture and select multiple apps to create a folder or move them as a group.
- Custom gestures: You can assign actions like swiping up with three fingers to create automatic folders, or double-tapping to hide specific apps.
These shortcuts allow create a clean, organized, and quick-to-manage desktop, without sacrificing customization or wasting time on repetitive tasks.
Visual customization: wallpapers, icons, and text
Visual identity is key to feeling comfortable with your phone.
- Change wallpaper: Go to Settings > Wallpaper, choose from the pre-installed images or select one from your gallery, and define whether you want it for the home screen, the lock screen, or both.
- Remove text under icons: From the Personalization menu (pinch down on the desktop and select the Settings button), activate the "Don't show text" option for a more minimalist look. Doing so will give you more room for icons, although they may move or resize automatically.
Hide apps for more privacy
Privacy is another of its strong points. HyperOS (and MIUI 13 onwards) allows you to easily hide apps from the drawer and desktop. if you don't want anyone who picks up your phone to see certain tools, games, or utilities.
- Sign in Settings > Privacy or Security > Hide apps.
- Select which apps to hide using a switch.
- To access them, simply pinch in on the home screen and they'll appear in a private window.
- If you want to show them again, repeat the process and deactivate the option to hide them.
Second space: two phones in one
One of the most advanced features is the Second SpaceWhich enables create two completely separate profiles within the same device, each with their own apps, files, preferences, and even different unlocking methods.
- To activate it, open Settings > Privacy > Second Space and follow the instructions.
- You can switch between spaces from the lock screen or using the shortcut in the notification bar.
- Each space can have its own backgrounds, names, and apps, and moving files between them is easy.
Extra tips: moving app groups, shortcuts, and animations
Don't limit yourself to the basics: HyperOS saves you a lot of time with little-known features.
- Move multiple apps at once: After selecting apps, you can use the temporary clipboard to move them in bulk to another screen.
- Smart color grouping: Available in recent versions, this feature groups icons of the same color (red, blue, green, etc.) and adds animations when you group them.
- XXL Widgets and Folders Settings: allows you to have shortcuts to key functions or favorite apps in a single touch, and folders with much more content than usual.
All these tricks and features allow you to have a more efficient, organized, and personalized desktop, tailored to your needs and usage style, optimizing every corner of your phone for smoother performance and a consistent look.
