How to remove Drag Down to Dismiss on Xiaomi: 5 working methods

The Drag Down to Dismiss gesture appeared in MIUI as part of optimizing one-finger management. For many Xiaomi users, it has become a handy feature, but some find it annoying - especially when a random swipe closes an important app at the most inopportune moment. If you're in the second group, this article will help you completely disable or customize this gesture on your smartphone.

The problem is complicated by the fact that in the new versions MIUI 14/15 The developers have removed the direct switch for this gesture from the interface, and now turning it off requires either hidden settings or use of the switch. ADB-We tested all the current methods on Redmi Note models. 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and POCO F5 — and willing to share working solutions.

Attention! Some methods will require unlocking the bootloader or developer rights. If you are a beginner, start with the simplest methods (sections 2 and 3) and then move on to the advanced ones (sections 4-5).

1. Verification of the MIUI version and available settings

Before you try to disable Drag Down to Dismiss, make sure your version of MIUI supports this at all. In older builds (before MIUI 12.5), the gesture may be missing or have a different trigger algorithm.

Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI

If you have MIUI 13/14/15, the gesture is probably active by default. In MIUI 12.5 and below, it could have been turned off via Settings → Additional → Gestures, but now this path is not working.

Also, pay attention to the regional firmware:

🌍 Global – gesture is usually enabled, but there are hidden settings.
🇨🇳 Chinese (China) - may not be present in some assemblies.
🇪🇺 EEA (Europe – similar to the global, but limited by Google.

If your smartphone is on MIUI 14+, go to the next section. For MIUI 12.5 and below, try upgrading or use the ADB method (Section 5).

📊 What version? MIUI you have installed?

MIUI 15

MIUI 14

MIUI 13

MIUI 12.5 or lower

I don't know.

In MIUI 13-15, the developers hid the gesture setting in the function lab to find it.

Open the Settings. → The phone.
Tap 5-7 times on the MIUI version line until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
Activate the Function Lab switch (if not, skip this step).
Go back and find a new section called MIUI Lab (may be called Special Features or Additional Features).
Inside, look for the downward swipe gesture or Drag Down to Dismiss option and turn it off.

If you don't have an option, your firmware doesn't support this method.

Search by settings:

Open the settings and tap on the magnifying glass icon (search).
Enter drag down or swipe down in English/Russian.
If the system finds the appropriate switch, turn it off.

Enable the developer mode

Check out the MIUI version

Find a function lab

Disable Drag Down to Dismiss-->

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (POCO Launcher, HyperOS) Features lab may not be available. ADB (section).

3. Use of third-party launchers

If the system settings don't disable the gesture, you can bypass the restriction with an alternative launcher, which doesn't remove the Drag Down to Dismiss at the system level, but makes it inactive by changing the control logic.

The best launchers for this task:

📱 Nova Launcher – Supports gesture customization, including swipe blocking.
🎨 Lawnchair – a lightweight open source launcher with flexible settings.
⚡ Hyperion Launcher – Optimized for Xiaomi, but requires MIUI 14+.
🔄 Microsoft Launcher – blocks system gestures in the background.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
Set it with the default launcher (Settings → Applications → Default → Launcher).
Open the Nova settings, go to Gestures and Control → Gestures on the desktop.
Find the Swipe option down and assign it the action No.
Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: Some system applications (e.g. Camera or Phone) may ignore launcher settings and continue to respond to Drag Down to Dismiss. ADB.

4. editing the configuration file (for advanced)

This method requires root rights or access to system files through ADB. It is suitable for users who are not afraid to manually edit MIUI configs.

The Drag Down to Dismiss gesture is controlled by the parameter in the file:

/system/build.prop

or (in new versions):

/vendor/build.prop

Instructions:

Download Root Explorer or Solid Explorer (with root support).
Open the build.prop file in the text editor.
Add a line to the end of the file: ro.miui.drag_down_to_dismiss=false
Save the changes and restart the phone.

If you don’t have root, you can try changing the file through ADB:

adb pull /vendor/build.prop

Edit the file locally, add a line



adb push build.prop /vendor/




adb reboot

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of build.prop can lead to bootloop ( looped download:

adb pull /vendor/build.prop build.prop.bak

What if the phone doesn’t turn on after editing build.prop?

If after the changes, the smartphone is stuck on the MIUI logo, try: 1. Log in Fastboot (press Power + Vol Down). 2. Connect to the PC and execute: fastboot flash vendor.img (you need an original firmware image). 3. If there is no backup, you will have to refashion the phone through the Mi Flash Tool.

5. Disconnection through ADB (Universal Method)

If the previous methods didn’t work, the most reliable option is to disable via ADB. This method works on MIUI 12.5-15 and does not require root, but requires developer and computer rights.

Step 1: Preparation

🖥️ Install Android SDK Platform Tools on PC.
📱 Turn on Debugging. USB on the phone (Settings) → For developers).
🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm your trust in the device.

Step 2: Execution of commands:

Open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools.
Check the connection: Adb devices (should display the serial number of the device).
Use the command to disable the gesture: adb shell settings put global drag_down_to_dismiss_enabled 0
Reboot your phone: adb reboot

To return the gesture, use:

adb shell settings put global drag_down_to_dismiss_enabled 1

Important: Some firmware (e.g. HyperOS) may have a different name for the parameter. If the command doesn't work, try:

adb shell settings put secure swipe_down_to_close_enabled 0

1. Reinstall Xiaomi drivers via Mi PC Suite.

2. Use another USB-cable (preferably original).

3. Enable Debugging by USB (security parameters in the developer settings.-->

6. Reset gesture settings (last resort)

If none of these things worked, you can try resetting all your gesture settings to factory-based gestures, and it won't delete your data, but it will return all your system gestures to default.

Instructions:

Open Settings → System → Resetting settings.
Select Reset App Settings (not to be confused with a full reset!).
Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After reset, check if the Drag Down to Dismiss gesture is still there. If so, it will be sewn into the firmware, and only:

🔄 Reflash your phone to custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience).
📵 Use a launcher with a gesture lock (section 3).
🛠️ Contact the Xiaomi service center for a firmware rollback.

⚠️ Note: Resetting gesture settings can turn off other useful features, such as:

👆 Double touch to wake up gesture".
🔄 "Turn to turn on camera".
🎵 "Musical gestures” (on POCO).

Comparison of Drag Down to Dismiss Disablement Methods

Method	Root is required.	PC required	It's working on MIUI 15.	Risk to the system
Hidden menu	❌ No.	❌ No.	⚠️ Partially.	✅ Low.
Third-party launcher	❌ No.	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	✅ Low.
Editing by build.prop	✅ Yes.	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	⚠️ Medium.
ADB-team	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	✅ Yes.	✅ Low.
Resetting settings	❌ No.	❌ No.	⚠️ Partially.	⚠️ Medium.

💡

The safest method is using a third-party launcher (Nova Launcher — ADB-team, but requires a computer.

FAQ: Frequent questions

❓ Why Drag Down to Dismiss is still working?

You may have changed the wrong setting in ADB or the firmware ignores the settings. Try: run adb shell settings list global | grep drag and find the right parameter name; use a gesture-blocking launcher; update MIUI to the latest version (sometimes bugs are patched).

❓ Can Drag Down to Dismiss be disabled for individual applications only?

No, it's not possible at the system level, but you can: Use Nova Launcher with exception settings, install Fluid Navigation Gestures (requires ADB), disable the gesture completely and control the closure of applications through the back button.

❓ Will this method work for POCO F6 Pro?

Yes, POCO F6 Pro's working on it. MIUI 15 (HyperOS, or HyperOS, so all of the methods described are applicable, but HyperOS may require other methods. ADB-Adb shell settings put secure swipe_down_to_close_app_enabled 0

❓ How to Recover Drag Down to Dismiss After Disabling?

Depending on the method: If you've turned it off through the MIUI lab, just turn the switch back on. If you've used ADB, run a command with 1 instead of 0. If you've edited build.prop, delete the added string or replace false with true.

❓ Why After Updating MIUI gesture re-engage?

The firmware update resets some custom settings, including ADB and build.prop settings. To avoid this: Before upgrading, backup your current settings via adb pull. After updating, repeat the shutdown command. Use a launcher (like Nova) that is independent of system updates.