How to permanently disable floating windows on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Floating windows (or Pop-up View) on Xiaomi smartphones are a useful feature for multitasking, but not everyone likes it. Suddenly appearing miniature windows interfere with work, distract from games or videos, and sometimes even lead to accidental clicks. Especially annoying when the system automatically folds applications into floating mode when you press the Home button or gesture.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can turn off your floating windows, from standard MIUI settings to hidden settings and commands for power users, and learn how to remove this feature on Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4/X5, Xiaomi 11T/12/13, and other devices with MIUI 12-15. And if standard methods don’t work, we’ll show you how to solve the problem through ADB or third-party utilities.

What are floating windows on Xiaomi and why do they appear?

Pop-up View (or Floating Windows) allows you to open apps in a small window on top of other tasks, such as watching YouTube videos and texting to Telegram at the same time.

🎮 Interfering with games – windows appear on top of gameplay, blocking controls.
📱 Accidental taps – when swiping on the screen, you can accidentally open a floating window.
🔋 Increased battery consumption – background window processes consume additional resources.
🚫 Incorrect operation – some applications (for example, banking) block the work in floating mode.

By default, MIUI includes this feature for most applications, but it can be adjusted or completely disabled, the main thing is to understand that different versions of the firmware (MIUI 12, 13, 14, HyperOS) paths to settings may differ.

📊 How often do you use floating windows on Xiaomi?

Constantly, very convenient.

Sometimes when you need to.

I tried it before, but I turned it off.

Never used it.

Method 1: Disconnect via standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in system settings, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models on the MIUI 12-15.

Instructions:

Open Settings → Features and settings (or Additional settings on older versions).
Select Floating Windows (on some firmwares – Application Windows or Multitasking).
Transfer the floating window slider to the off position.
Optionally, you can configure exceptions for individual apps in the same menu (for example, leave windows only for Google Maps or YouTube).

If the Floating Windows item is not on the menu, try an alternative route:

Settings → Appendices → Application Management → Triplets (⋮) → Special permissions → Show over other windows

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Close all floating windows before changing settings

Restart the phone after disabling the function

Check the work of the gestures (they may get lost)

-->

Method 2: Disconnect for individual applications

If you only need floating windows for certain programs (like Google Maps or VK Music), you can turn them off selectively.

How to do this:

Start the application for which you want to remove floating windows.
Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold your finger to open the latest task menu.
Find the card of the desired application and click on its icon (not on the preview!).
In the menu that appears, uncheck the box from Allow Floating Windows (or Show in Pop-up View).

You can also manage permissions through settings:

Settings → Applications → [Select App] → Additional → Show over other windows → Prohibit

💡

If the app starts to work incorrectly after switching off the floating windows (for example, YouTube Premium stopped playing video in the background), try clearing its cache in the settings.

Method 3: Using Developer Mode (for Power Users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use developer mode, which requires caution, because incorrect changes can disrupt the system.

Steps:

Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on the MIUI Version until you become a developer!

Settings → Additional settings → For developers

USB debugging

Drawing

Show them over other windows (if any).
Animation of windows (optional, to speed up work).

Once reset, all the shortcuts and widgets on the home screen will return to standard, and the floating window settings will reset to default values, which helps in 80% of cases when other methods have not worked.

💡

Before resetting the launcher, take screenshots of the main screen to quickly restore the location of the icons.

Table: Compatibility of methods with MIUI versions

Method of disconnection	MIUI 12	MIUI 13	MIUI 14	HyperOS	Notes
Standard settings	✅	✅	✅	✅	The path may be different: Features → Floating windows or additionally → Multitasking.
Disconnection for individual applications	✅	✅	✅	✅	Works through the latest task menu or app settings.
Developer mode	✅	✅	✅	⚠️	On HyperOS, some parameters may be hidden.
ADB-team	✅	✅	✅	✅	Requires USB Debugging rights and PC connection.
Launcher reset	✅	✅	✅	✅	Remove all settings of the main screen.

If your version of MIUI is not listed in the table, try upgrading to the latest stable version. Floating window bugs are often fixed in new builds.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after the shutdown, the floating windows can reappear, and we'll look at the reasons and ways to fix them:

🔄 Windows return after resetting → Check if Auto Restore is included in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud.
📱 Disconnection for a specific application does not work → Clear the cache and data of this application in the settings.
🚨 System windows (calls, notifications) are also missing. → Return the developer mode settings to the original state.
🔧 ADB-commands are not applied → Make sure the debugging is done USB included and the drivers installed correctly.