Many users who have switched to Xiaomi smartphones from other operating systems or earlier versions of Android often have the problem of finding the usual tool for managing running programs. In the standard shell of MIUI and its new version of HyperOS, the classic Task Manager, which everyone is used to on Windows or old Android smartphones, is visually absent or integrated into other menus. This is not a system bug, but a thought-out philosophy of the company’s resource management, which, however, can confuse the beginner.
The absence of an explicit Task Manager icon on the desktop is often puzzling, as users start looking for third-party apps, unaware that all the necessary functionality is already built into the system menu and hidden behind several swipes. Understanding how memory cleaning and closing background processes in the Xiaomi ecosystem works is key to fast-paced device operation.
In this article, we will look at where Task Manager functionality hides, how to force applications to close, and whether it is worth doing it all the time, and we will look at both standard methods through the multitasking menu, and deeper settings through the engineering menu and special security applications.
Multitasking system and menu of recent applications
The most obvious and affordable way to manage running processes on Xiaomi smartphones is through the recent app menu, which is where the main analogue of the Task Manager, available for daily use, hides, and to get there, you need to swipe from the bottom up and hold your finger (when navigating gestures) or press the Menu button (three stripes), if you have classic navigation buttons on.
At the top of this screen, usually in the center or left, is a button with a cross or broomstick, and pressing it forcibly closes all applications that are in RAM but are not currently in use, which releases RAM, which can temporarily speed up the device if it starts to slow down.
But just closing apps is just the tip of the iceberg, and in the same menu, if you click on the application preview for a long time (swipe down or click three dots next to it), you open the context menu, and here you can see the "Strike" option, which prevents the system from automatically unloading the application from memory, or "Split screen" to work with two programs simultaneously.
It's important to understand the difference between freezing and closing completely. When you just swipe an app card, Android flags it as inactive, but the process can stay in memory for quick start. Complete cross-cleaning forcibly kills the process. For heavy games or navigators, it's useful, but for instant messengers it can cause notifications to arrive late.
Security app as a central control hub
If you're looking for a true system tool for deep cleaning and task management, you'll want to look at the standard Security app, which is pre-installed on every Xiaomi device, and is the equivalent of Task Manager in its full sense. The icon of this app is a green lightning shield.
Inside the Security app, there's the Cleanup module, which scans the device for temporary files, app cache, and residual debris when it starts up, but most importantly, it displays the current RAM load, and by clicking on the Cleanup button in this section, you start the process of forcing background tasks to close and freeing RAM, which is often more effective than just swiping cards.
In addition, the Security app has a Boost section that works in a similar way to game accelerators, freeing up the maximum amount of resources for an ongoing task, especially before launching demanding games or video calls, when you need to ensure connection stability and no lags.
☑️ Memory status check
⚠️ Warning: Don’t fanatically clean your memory through the Security app every 5 minutes. Android manages free memory efficiently by filling it with frequently used data to speed up your work. Constant forced cleaning can, on the contrary, increase battery consumption, as the processor will have to reload applications.
Hidden functions and engineering menu
For advanced users who don’t have enough standard tools, Xiaomi has access to a hidden developer menu, where the functions of the task manager are presented in a more technical form. To activate this mode, you need to go to Settings → About phone and quickly click on the version of MIUI or HyperOS 7 times.
Once activated, a new option will appear in the settings menu, "Advanced Settings" or "Additional", where you need to select "Developers" and here we are interested in "Running Services" section. Unlike a simple list of recent applications, it shows real system processes and applications that are currently consuming CPU and memory resources.
And you can see detailed statistics on this menu, how many megabytes does a process take, how long does it last, how much CPU resources it consumes, and you can force a service to stop it, and it's a powerful tool for finding voracious applications that are imperceptibly planting a battery.
Is it dangerous to touch the system?
There's also a "Do Not Activity" feature on the developer menu, which, if you turn it on, will destroy the app as soon as the user leaves the screen, a radical method that turns the smartphone into a device with permanent "clean" memory, but it puts a lot of stress on the battery and the processor due to constant restarts of programs.
Comparison of application management methods
Once you've figured out the basic ways to interact with running programs, you need to organize your knowledge. Different methods are suitable for different situations: somewhere you need to quickly free up memory before playing, somewhere you need to find and remove the hanging process. Below is a table that helps you choose the best tool.
| Method | Where to find out. | Cleaning efficiency | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card swiping | Menu of recent challenges | Low (partial) | Minimum |
| Clear button (cross) | Menu of recent challenges | Medium | Average. |
| Annex "Security" | Desktop / Tools folder | High (deep) | High (with frequent use) |
| Stoppage of service | Developer menu | Maximum | Depends on the process. |
As you can see from the table, the regular multitasking menu is more suited to fast-navigation between programs than to a real struggle for resources. If your phone is slow, it's better to use the Security app once than to wave a finger ten times on the lock screen.
It is also worth noting that on newer versions of the firmware with Memory Extension algorithms, the system decides which data to keep in quick access and which to unload, and user intervention in this process is often unnecessary.
Managing Autoboot and Background Processes
The real control of Xiaomi's task manager is not to shut down what's already running, but to prevent it from running too much. Many apps are prescribed to boot by starting to work immediately after you turn on your phone, even if you're not using them. It's a hidden layer of task management that's available in the settings.
To control this mechanism, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Select the desired application and find the "Out-Start" option. If you disable it, you will prevent the program from activating itself. However, this does not always completely stop the process, since some services may be linked to each other.
The more stringent control is through battery settings. In the charge saving menu → activity control, you can choose a strategy like "No Limits", "Save Charge" or "Strict Limitation". Set "Strict Limitation" effectively turns the application into an object that the system will "kill" immediately after the screen is turned off, which is the analogue of a manual task manager operating in automatic mode.
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If you want your messenger (WhatsApp, Telegram) to be online and receive instant messages, never give it a “Strictly Limit” battery and allow auto-run, otherwise the messages will only come after the application is opened.
There's also a Freeze feature in some versions of MIUI for game mode, but it works differently. It doesn't close the process, it puts it into sleep mode, saving state, but freeing up CPU resources. It's convenient for heavy games that you want to put on pause without shutting them down completely.
Third-party alternatives and the need to use them
In the Google Play Market, you can find hundreds of task manager apps (Task Managers, Clean Masters, etc.) Should you install them on Xiaomi? In most cases, the answer is no. Modern versions of Android (starting with the 9th and especially the 12th and above) have a very aggressive memory management policy.
Third-party task managers often work on a “crowd-out” principle: they take up space in memory themselves to constantly monitor other applications, and periodically kill them. This creates a cycle: the application is killed → the user opened it → it is downloaded again (after spending a charge) → it hangs again in the background → the dispatcher kills it again. This leads to increased energy consumption.
The only time that third-party software can be useful is with specialized developer or monitoring tools, such as SystemPanel 2GSam Battery Monitor. They don't so much manage tasks as they show detailed statistics, helping you understand which application is "eating" resources. But for a normal memory cleaning, Xiaomi's built-in tools are more than enough.
⚠️ Note: Avoid installing apps with names like "RAM Booster, "Super Cleaner" from unknown developers, often overloaded with ads, collecting data on your activities, and not giving you any real performance gains over the built-in Security tool".
So, Xiaomi’s Task Manager is not just one place, but a collection of multitasking menu features, security apps, and developer settings, and using these tools to keep your smartphone in top shape without the need to install additional software.
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The MIUI/HyperOS built-in hardware is optimized for Xiaomi hardware better than any third-party application. Use it to keep the system from overloading.