Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which run MIUI and HyperOS shells, have enormous processing power that is often underestimated by ordinary users. In the pursuit of beautiful animations and high-resolution cameras, many forget about the fundamental functions of the operating system, such as multitasking. This is where Freeform mode, or as it is often called by enthusiasts, “free windows,” comes to the scene. It’s not just a beautiful picture, but a full-fledged working tool that turns a smartphone into a desktop computer.
Many users confuse split screen and free windows, although technically they are completely different approaches to organizing the workspace. If the first option rigidly divides the display in half, the second allows you to create floating thumbnails of applications that can be moved, scaled and folded at any time. Understanding what Freeform is, will give you access to more efficient use of the gadget in everyday tasks.
In this article, we will explore in detail the mechanics of floating windows, how they are activated on different versions of firmware and nuances that are rarely written about in official manuals. You will learn how to turn your Xiaomi into a powerful productivity center without buying additional accessories. Ready to unlock the potential of the device? Then we will begin to dive into the system settings.
Freeform Technology and Split Screen Distinction
Freeform is based on the Android architecture, which allows you to run applications in independent containers. Unlike the classic interface, where one application occupies 100% of the screen, free windows allow you to run several programs simultaneously in the form of floating widgets. This is especially true for owners of large screens and tablets Xiaomi Pad, where the display area allows you to comfortably work with three to four windows at once.
The main difference from Screen Split is the flexibility to control, and in Split Screen you're limited to two active zones, the ratio of which can only be slightly adjusted, while Freeform gives you complete freedom: you can open the messenger, run YouTube videos on top of it, and hold a calculator or notes with a third layer. Each window lives its own life and does not depend on the orientation of the main application.
It's important to understand that not all apps perform equally well in this mode. Some programs, especially old or poorly optimized ones, can be forced to turn on the full screen or refuse to run in a floating window. However, most popular services, such as browsers, navigators and social networks, support window mode without any complaints from the system.
⚠️ Warning: Running a lot of heavy applications in Freeform mode can significantly increase RAM consumption. On devices with less than 4 GB of RAM, this can lead to the system forcibly closing background processes.
Technically, activating this mode often requires tampering with system settings or using special gestures that can be hidden from the user by default. Xiaomi, in implementing these features in MIUI, tries to balance between the simplicity of the interface and advanced features for advanced users.
How to activate free windows on MIUI and HyperOS
Enabling free windows depends on the version of the shell installed. In newer versions of HyperOS and newer MIUI 14 builds, this functionality is integrated deeper and more accessible. First, make sure that the system settings include the option of advanced multitasking. It is usually along the Settings path → Advanced Settings → Multitasking.
There are several ways to run an app in a floating window. The easiest way is to use the recent app bar. Open the app, swipe from the bottom up and hold your finger to open the action menu, then select a two-rectangle icon or window icon. If there is no such icon, try pulling the app from the corner of the screen inwards if this feature is activated in your firmware version.
For more subtle controls, use hidden developer flags. Go to Settings → About the phone and quickly tap 7 times on the MIUI version to unlock the developer menu. Then, under Advanced Settings → For developers, find the item associated with forced free-form startup, although in newer versions Xiaomi often hides these options by relying on system gestures.
- 🔹 Pull the corner of the open app down to roll it into a floating window (not working on all models).
- 🔹 Use the sidebar if it is activated in special features settings.
- 🔹 Launch the app, open the recent task menu and click on the window icon above the program preview.
- 🔹 In some versions, a long click on the app icon in the menu of recent tasks helps.
If standard methods don’t work, it’s possible that your smartphone model doesn’t support native Freeform at the system level, or that the carrier/regional firmware limits this feature, and users often resort to third-party launchers or specialized utilities, although this can have a negative impact on the stability of the interface.
Using the sidebar for quick access
One of the most convenient tools for working with Freeform on Xiaomi is the sidebar. It is a narrow bar hidden at the edge of the screen that allows you to instantly run applications in floating mode on top of any other program. To activate it, go to Settings → Special features → Sidebar and turn on the switch.
In the sidebar menu, you can set up a list of apps that will show up there by default. These can be a calculator, voice recorder, notes or instant messengers. When you're in a game or watching a video, calling the sidebar and dragging the app icon to the screen will automatically launch it in free window mode.
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Add to the sidebar the applications you use most often in the background, such as a translator or a notebook, which will save time switching between tasks.
The convenience of this method is that you don't have to close the main app every time or use complex gestures. The sidebar is always at hand and adapts to the current context. For example, when watching a video on YouTube or Netflix, the panel can suggest running a chat or browser without interrupting the playback of content.
It's worth noting that the sidebar consumes system resources because it keeps processes ready. If you notice that your smartphone is starting to discharge or heat up faster, try turning off the panel or reducing the number of applications active in it. Optimizing background processes is the key to long-term Android devices.
Size and position of floating windows
Once an application is launched in Freeform mode, it can be controlled almost like a full window on a computer. The top of a floating window usually has a thin control strip. Dragging that strip allows you to change the position of the window at any point on the screen, allowing you to position the information so that it does not overlap important elements of the main application.
Size change is even easier: you can grab any corner of a floating window and pull it. You can stretch it halfway through the screen to make it a full-fledged app, or you can shrink it down to the size of a widget. In some versions of MIUI, double-pressing the top strip turns the window over the entire screen or returns it to its original size.
| Action. | The result | Where applicable |
|---|---|---|
| Drag over the top of the line | Moving the window | All versions of MIUI/HyperOS |
| Stretching around the corner | Change of size | All versions of MIUI/HyperOS |
| Swipe down from the bottom edge | Wrapping into a ball/icon | |
| Double tap by title | Full screen reversal | Depends on the OS version. |
An important feature is that you can roll the windows, and if you pull the floating window down to the bottom of the screen, it can curl up into a small floating ball, or it can disappear into a special zone, while remaining active, and it allows you to quickly remove the app from your eyes without completely closing it, and just as quickly return it back.
☑️ Checking the settings of windows
Compatibility issues and bugs in different versions
Despite its convenience, Xiaomi’s Freeform mode is not without its drawbacks: Users often face a situation where the app refuses to run in floating mode, ignoring system commands, and this is especially true for banking applications, document programs, and some games that require a certain orientation of the screen or full focus.
Another common problem is the loss of touch events, where you can see the window but it doesn't respond to the presses, or you can tap through it, activating the underlying application, which is a software bug that involves misallocating input priorities in the operating system, often by simply closing and re-starting the window.
⚠️ Note: When using Freeform with navigation apps (maps), monitor battery consumption. GPS, screen and main application can cause overheating of the smartphone body.
MIUI 12 and 13 had a scaling problem: some applications in the free window looked too small or giant because the system couldn’t correctly determine the pixel density for this mode, and HyperOS partially solved this problem by implementing smarter scaling algorithms, but it still occurs on older models.
Hidden Application Conflicts
Alternative solutions and third-party utilities
If Xiaomi's built-in tools don't meet your needs or are not working smoothly, you can always turn to third-party developers. There are many floating-window apps in the Google Play Store that can run on top of the system interface, providing additional management options.
Be careful, though: third-party launchers and window utilities often require extensive permissions, including access to display on top of other applications, which can be a security breach or cause system instability.
For advanced root users, there are modules for Magisk that force Freeform to be activated for any application, even if the developer has banned it.It is a powerful tool, but using it requires a deep knowledge of Android, as a bug can lead to a cyclical reboot of the device.
- 🔸 Floating Apps (multitasking) – a popular solution with many settings.
- 🔸 X-Mouse - mouse control emulator for easy work with windows.
- 🔸 Taskbar – a utility that adds Windows-style taskbar for quick start-up.
- 🔸 Mods for MIUI — Patches that change system files to unlock hidden functions.
Using third-party software is always a compromise between functionality and stability. Xiaomi’s built-in tools, even with limitations, usually work more optimized and interact better with the hardware of the smartphone than versatile solutions from the market.
Freeform’s Impact on Performance and Battery
Multitasking is not only a convenience, it's a resource load. When you run multiple applications simultaneously in Freeform mode, the CPU has to switch between them, and RAM is filled with data from each process that is running. On flagship models with 8-12 GB of RAM, this is almost invisible, but budget devices can start to slow down.
An app that hangs in a floating window is often considered active even if you're not using it at this moment, which means it continues to consume traffic, update content and consume battery power. If you want to keep the charge, try to close unnecessary floating windows.
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Freeform is a great productivity tool, but on weak devices it can cause interface lags and quick battery drain.
Temperature also plays a role: Long-term operation with multiple active windows, especially if one of them plays video or uses navigation, leads to heating of the case, in which case the system can automatically reduce the frequency of the processor (trottling), which will cause a noticeable drop in performance in all open windows.