How to turn on the app drawer on a Xiaomi phone (HyperOS 3)

Device

Android

Shown on

Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro 5G (25080RABDG), HyperOS 3.0.308.0, Android 16

App

Settings

Path

Settings › Home screen › Home screen › With App drawer

Real screenshots

4 of 4 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open Home screen settings

   Go to Settings, Home screen. The first row, Home screen, read Classic on ours. Tap it.

   Done

2. 

   See the layouts

   Three layouts are shown: Classic, With App drawer and Lite mode. Classic was selected on ours.

   Done

3. 

   Choose With App drawer

   Tap With App drawer. New options appear below it. On ours App suggestions was on, Backgrounds Auto, Scroll bar Original layout, and Place new apps on the Home screen on.

   Done

4. 

   Swipe up for the drawer

   Go to the home screen and swipe up. The drawer opens with category tabs at the top (All, Communication, Entertainment) and Search for apps at the bottom.

   Done

If you do not see this option

• No category tabs? The tabs come from Manage app categories, which appears with With App drawer. Group icons by colour is a separate switch on the same page; it was off on ours.
• Using another launcher? These layouts are for Xiaomi's own home screen. Home app was System launcher on ours.

If this does not work

• New apps still land on the home screen? With App drawer has Place new apps on the Home screen, which was on on ours. Turn it off to keep new apps in the drawer only.
• Want it back how it was? Choose Classic on the same page. Source: Generic User Guide for HyperOS 3.0
• Want bigger icons and text instead? Lite mode, the third choice, gives bigger UI elements. Xiaomi says it also gives more accessible calling and enhanced security. Source: Generic User Guide for HyperOS 3.0

About this guide

Our Redmi came set to Classic, with every app on the home screens and no drawer.

The screenshots are from our Redmi Note 15 Pro 5G with Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0.308.0 and Android 16, in Light mode. We switched to With App drawer for two pictures and back to Classic.

Good to know

Tidy the swipe-down menu too: how to edit Control Centre.

In short: Settings, Home screen, Home screen, With App drawer. Swipe up on the home screen.