What is the multitasking menu on Xiaomi phone and how to set it up

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to use multiple applications at the same time, whether it is navigation, messenger or watching video. The central element of the management of open processes in the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS is a multitasking menu that goes far beyond simply switching between windows. It is a powerful memory optimization tool that allows you to monitor the operation of background services, block unwanted closure of important programs and even hide confidential information from prying eyes.

Understanding how this interface works gives the user full control over the device’s resources, allowing them to extend battery life and speed up the system’s response. Unlike stock Android, where task management is minimal, Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers deep customizations accessible through hidden engineering menus and advanced settings.

In this article, we will discuss in detail how the task management system works, how it is activated, and how to configure parameters for different use cases, how to fix applications in memory so that the music does not interrupt and the navigator does not reset the route, and also learn how to hide content.

The basics of the MIUI and HyperOS task management system

The multitasking menu is a visual interface that displays applications running in the background. Unlike classic Android, where the list can be infinite, Xiaomi's shells default to a limit on the number of cards displayed. This is done to optimize RAM, but for powerful devices, this limitation is often unnecessary. The resource allocation algorithm in the system decides on its own which processes to keep active and which to complete when there is a shortage of free memory.

There are two main ways to call this interface, the choice between which depends on the type of navigation installed in the system. When using on-screen buttons, you need to press a special key with a picture of three bars. If full-screen navigation is activated with gestures, you need to swipe from the bottom up to open the list and hold your finger in the center of the screen. In both cases, you open a panel where you can close the application, go to it or call additional options.

⚠️ Warning: Forcing applications to swipe or close everything is not always helpful. MIUI They're designed to keep frequently used programs in memory for quick start-ups, and continual cleaning can actually increase battery consumption, because the processor has to reload applications.

Importantly, newer firmware versions have changed the visual style of cards, and if they were classic rectangles, the interface is now smoother, with rounded corners and animations reminiscent of iOS, and HyperOS adds the ability to resize and position cards, making it more ergonomic on larger screens.

How to change the number of apps on the list

One of the most popular features for advanced users is to increase the limit of displayed cards in the menu of recent applications. By default, the system can show from 4 to 6 programs running, after which the oldest ones close. For devices with a large amount of RAM (8, 12 GB or more), this restriction does not make physical sense, since the phone is able to store dozens of applications in memory without losing performance.

To access the advanced settings, you need to activate the hidden engineering menu. To do this, open the Security app, go to the Advanced Settings section and find the Memory item. If there is no such item, you can find it by searching for settings by typing in the Memory query. In the menu that opens, you will see a slider or a list of options for the number of applications, and you can select a value of up to 18 or even 20 cards, depending on the shell version.

• 📱 Go to memory settings via the "Security" app".
• ⚙️ Find the Advanced Settings section at the bottom of the screen.
• 🔢 Select "Memory" or "Memory Extension".
• ✅ Set the desired number of apps displayed in the list.

Once you change the setting, the system may need to reboot or simply apply the settings instantly. Now, as you scroll through the multitasking menu, you'll see a lot more open windows, which is especially convenient for those who work in multitasking mode, such as holding an email client, messenger, browser with many tabs and music player open at the same time.

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If you can’t find memory settings in the Security app, try searching for phone settings to type the phrase “Extended Memory Settings” – this often leads directly to the menu you want.

Application Blocking: Closing Protection

The application lock feature in the multitasking menu is critical for stable background tasks. When you block an application, the system flags it as a priority and prevents memory cleanup algorithms from closing it even when resources are scarce. This is ideal for navigators, fitness trackers, voice recorders or music players that need to run continuously.

To activate this feature, open the multitasking menu, find the desired application, and click on the lock icon, usually located in the upper right corner of the card (or calling the additional menu with a long tap). Then a closed lock symbol will appear next to the application icon. Now, even if you click the Close All button or the system begins aggressively cleaning the memory, the blocked application will remain running.

However, be careful with the number of blocked programs: if you block too many applications, it can lead to overflow of RAM and slowdown of the interface, the system will be forced to work in a situation of resource shortage, which will negatively affect the performance, it is recommended to block no more than 2-3 really important programs.

Split screen mode and floating windows

Multitasking on Xiaomi is not limited to simple switching. Split Screen allows two apps to be displayed simultaneously on the same screen. This is convenient, for example, for watching YouTube videos in parallel with correspondence in Telegram or for copying text from the browser into notes. You can activate this mode through the multitasking menu by clicking on an icon resembling two rectangles, or by long clicking on the application card.

In addition to standard splitting, MIUI and HyperOS have floating windows, which allow you to run an application in a small window on top of another active application, which can be moved around the screen, resized or folded into a sidebar, and floating windows are ideal for quick response to a message or calculator checks without interrupting the main process of work.

To control split-screen window sizes, use a split-screen slider in the middle of the screen. Drag and drop it, you can give more space to one application at the expense of another. Some firmware versions also offer a Pin-Up feature, where one application is attached to a narrow band on top or bottom, and the second takes up the main part of the display.

Hiding applications and Second Space mode

Privacy issues often require hiding certain apps from the public. Xiaomi’s multitasking menu includes a hidden feature that removes an app card from the list of running tasks, making it invisible to the casual observer. However, a deeper tool is Second Space, which creates a completely isolated environment inside a single phone.

The second space is like the second phone inside your device, it has its own desktop, its own apps, its own accounts, and its own gallery, and it switches between the main and the second space instantly through a special gesture or password, and it's ideal for separating work and personal life, or for handing the phone over to children without fearing for their data.

To hide a particular application from the multitasking menu without creating a second space, you can use the Hide Content feature in notification settings or use third-party launchers, although MIUI system tools offer a sufficient level of protection.

⚠️ Warning: Do not confuse locking an application with hiding. Locking protects against closing, but does not hide content. For complete privacy, use Incident or Second Space mode with a separate password.

Optimizing memory and cleaning background processes

Despite the powerful processors, RAM is a finite resource; MIUI is equipped with an aggressive memory manager that constantly monitors running processes. When there is little free memory, the system automatically closes the least used applications, and understanding this mechanism helps the user not to interfere with the system, but to help it work more efficiently.

A clean-up button (usually a cross or a “clean all” button) is also available in the multitasking menu, and pressing it forcibly ends all processes except those that are blocked. Sometimes it is necessary if an application is “hanging” or consumes too much resources, causing the device to heat up. Regular manual cleaning is not required unless you encounter specific problems in your work.

• 🚀 Use the cleaning button only when the system is clearly lagged.
• 🔒 Block only those applications that need to work constantly.
• 🧹 Don’t be afraid to close down heavy games after the session is over.
• 📉 Watch the indicator of free memory in widgets.

Also worth mentioning is the memory extension feature, which allows you to use part of the embedded memory (ROM) as RAM, which is activated in the same settings as changing the number of cards. While it does not give you a speed boost comparable to physical memory, it helps to keep more background applications open on devices with low RAM.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Xiaomi’s multitasking menu is not just a list of windows, it’s a resource management center. Properly setting the card limit and blocking important apps greatly improve the smartphone experience.