How to divide the screen in 2 parts: the complete guide

Multitasking in modern smartphones has ceased to be just a marketing term and has become a necessary tool for productive work. Owners of Xiaomi devices often wonder how to split the screen into 2 parts on Xiaomi to simultaneously chat in the messenger and watch video or copy text from document to browser. The split screen function in the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS is implemented quite flexibly, allowing you to run two applications side by side, which significantly saves time.

However, despite the apparent simplicity, users often face the nuances of activating this mode. Standard gestures may not work in some versions of the firmware, and in others - the desired menu item is hidden deep in the settings. Xiaomi provides several ways to activate split-screen mode, and the choice of the optimal option depends on the specific model of your device and the version of the Android operating system. In this article, we will discuss all available methods so that you can customize the workspace as conveniently as possible.

Not all apps are window-based, social networks, browsers and video players are usually uncompromising, while some games or specialized utilities can be forced to deploy to the entire display. Understanding the limitations of the system will help avoid confusion and adjust the interface to suit your needs. Let's look at how there are ways to run two applications at once.

Activate through the menu of recent apps

The most common and intuitive way to run two apps at once is to use the task menu.This method works on most Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices, whether you have an old MIUI 12 installed or an up-to-date HyperOS installed. First, you need to open the first app you plan to use, such as YouTube or a browser, and then fold it or go to the desktop.

Then call the recent app menu. Depending on the type of navigation you choose, this is done either by swiping from the bottom up with a delay or by pressing a square button at the bottom of the screen. In the list that opens, you will see cards of all the running programs. Find the card of the desired application and look at the top of this card or the area called the program. There should be a special icon that resembles two brackets or a divided rectangle.

Click on this split screen icon. The screen will change instantly: the app you select will occupy the top half of the display, and the bottom part will show a list of frequently used programs or desktop. Here you select a second application that will work in parallel. If the desired program is not in the list of recent, just find it in the menu of all applications and launch it — it will automatically open in the bottom zone.

• 📱 Open the menu of recent apps with a swipe or button.
• 👆 Find the split screen icon on the app card.
• 🖥️ Select the second app from the list or find it in the menu.
• ⚙️ If necessary, change the size of the windows by pulling the dividing line.

In some versions of the MIUI shell, it is located right on the preview of the application, and in others it only appears when you press the card for a long time. If you don't see this symbol, it may be disabled in the system settings or not supported by a particular application at the moment.

⚠️ Note: If the split screen icon is not on the application card, this may mean that the program is not optimized for multi-window mode or has system limitations from the developer.

Using the sidebar for quick access

The second, more advanced way that power users appreciate is Sidebar activation, which allows applications to run in floating window or split screen mode right on top of the current task without interrupting the main process. To use this method, you first need to make sure that the sidebar is enabled in the settings.

Go to Settings → Special features → App Sidebar. Here you need to activate the Sidebar of the applications and select the scenarios in which it will appear (for example, “Always” or “Video of the application”). Once turned on, you can call the bar swipe from the edge of the screen at any time. This is especially convenient when you need to quickly open the calculator, notes or messenger without closing the current application.

To split the screen using this method, run the main application. Then call the sidebar swipe from the edge. In the list, find the desired program. Key point: not just click on the icon, but select the option to Run in split screen (usually a separate button or drag and drop action). If you just click on the icon, the application will open in a floating window, which is also convenient, but is a slightly different mode of operation.

And the sidebar gives you a huge advantage in speed, because you don't have to fold apps every time and look for them on your task list, you just swipe, you pick a tool, and you keep going, and it's ideal for people who often copy data from one source to another or follow the streams as they're chatting.

• 🔧 Include a sidebar in the section "Special features».
• 📂 Set up a list of apps that will be displayed in the panel.
• 👉 Call the swipe bar from the edge of the screen while using any app.
• 🪟 Drag apps from the panel to create a split screen.

It's worth noting that the new versions of HyperOS have expanded the sidebar functionality significantly, adding not only apps, but also widgets, as well as tools to create screenshots or record screens, and the flexibility of customization allows you to adapt your smartphone to any task, whether it's document work or entertainment.

Customization of gestures and window management

Once you've launched two apps, you have to manage them effectively. Android and Xiaomi's shell allow you not only to fix applications in a 50-50 ratio, but also to resize them and quickly change places, which is critical for comfortable use on screens of different sizes.

There's a dividing bar between the two apps that are running, and if you click on it, you'll see three dots or special control buttons, and you can choose the proportions of the display, the top app can take up two-thirds of the screen, and the bottom app can take up one-third of the screen, or vice versa. This is convenient when, for example, you're watching video in a large window, and in a small one, you're just monitoring the chat.

There's also a quick-switch feature available, so if you started with a text editor on top and a browser on the bottom, but then you realized it was easier to do the opposite, you don't have to close the windows. Use the position button (usually like two arrows swapping places) in the split-screen control menu, and you can also roll one of the windows into a floating one, which gives you even more freedom.

Windows also depend on the type of navigation you use. If you use a classic three-button process may be different from gesture control. In gesture mode, swipe from the bottom edge of the screen (in the separator area) can cause an extra menu or close one of the windows. Experiment with movements to find the most convenient rhythm for you.

If you're afraid of accidentally closing an important application or want a particular program to always remain active in one of the windows, use a fix, which is useful for example when navigating or viewing an important instruction that can not be lost sight of.

Features of work in MIUI 14 and HyperOS

With the release of new firmware versions from Xiaomi, in particular MIUI 14 and the successor to HyperOS, the logic of multitasking has changed. Engineers are striving to make the interface more similar to a tablet, even on smartphones. HyperOS has improved switching animations and added new ways to interact with windows.

One of the key features has been a more intelligent allocation of resources, which is the system itself tells you which apps work best in pairs. If you often use a certain bunch of programs (like Maps and Phone, or YouTube and Telegram), the system can suggest running them in a split screen automatically or put them in quick access, which is part of the ecosystem approach that Xiaomi is implementing.

HyperOS also offers the ability to fine-tune the behavior of floating windows, which are closely related to split-screen mode.You can customize how windows behave when you turn the device, whether they retain their size or adapt to a new orientation. These settings are located in the Settings menu → Desktop → Multitasking (the path may vary slightly depending on the region).

Users note that HyperOS has reduced the number of bugs when switching between applications. In the past, MIUI had a situation where one of the windows “hangs” or no longer responds to touch. In the new system, the stability of the multitasking framework is much higher, which makes the use of split-screen mode enjoyable and predictable.

• 🚀 Improved animations for switching between windows.
• 🧠 Smart Tips for Starting Frequently Used App Pairs.
• 🔄 Flexible setting of window behavior when turning the screen.
• 🛡️ Increased stability of the multitasking framework.

However, moving from MIUI 13 to newer versions may require getting used to, some controls may have shifted, some older activation methods may have stopped working, and always check the relevance of the methods on your version of the software.

What to do if the screen split doesn’t work

Despite the fact that the system is smart, users can run into problems, and most often it looks like this: you do everything right, but the screen is not divided, or one of the applications is closed. The first thing you need to do is check whether the selected applications support this mode. As mentioned earlier, some programs, especially banking applications or games, block work in the background or in the window for security and optimization reasons.

The second common reason is a lack of RAM, which is that if you have a lot of heavy applications running in the background, the system can force one of the windows to close when you try to split, in order to free up resources for the active process, in which case it will help to clean the memory or reboot the smartphone before starting an important task.

It's also worth checking the developer's settings, and sometimes users accidentally change the minimum screen width or other interface settings, which can break the logic of the windows. If you're not sure what you're doing, you'd better reset the developer's settings to factory values. Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI/HyperOS (7 once), then settings → Extended. → For developers.

⚠️ Warning: Do not change the Smallest width settings in the developer settings unless you understand the consequences.This can make the interface unreadable or disrupt split-screen operation.

If the problem is systemic and not solved by rebooting, it may have malfunctioned, and the effective method is to clear the cache of system applications that are responsible for interface and multitasking, but you need to be careful not to knock down desktop personalization.

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If the split screen stopped working after the upgrade, try clearing the cache of the Security app and system launcher, but save important data beforehand.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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Separating the screen into Xiaomi is a powerful productivity tool that requires minimal customization and understanding of the logic of how windows work in your firmware version.