How to turn off the floating windows Xiaomi MIUI 12: step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi smartphone users often experience intrusive MIUI behavior when apps suddenly open on top of other windows, a phenomenon known as floating windows or "Picture-in-Picture" can be annoying, especially when playing games or watching videos. In MIUI 12, the multitasking functionality has been significantly redesigned, leading to a change in the logic of the background processes.

The main reason for the unexpected windows is because of the aggressive optimization of applications in the background, which is trying to speed up access to frequently used programs, but sometimes it does it too literally, and to regain full control of the screen, you need to perform a series of settings in the hidden and standard menus of the device.

In this article, we'll look at all the ways that we can block this behavior, how to configure specific applications and global system settings, and it's important to understand that completely disabling all features can reduce usability, so you need to be careful.

The reasons for the appearance of floating windows in MIUI 12

Android

MIUI 12

Often the culprits are the apps themselves, which request permission to display on top of other windows, and social networks and instant messengers use this to display incoming calls or new messages, and without proper control, this turns into a chaotic window appearance on every notification.

• 📱 Control gestures: Mismooding your finger when folding the application activates the miniature mode.
• 🔔 Notifications: Apps like Telegram or Viber can deploy a response window over an ongoing task.
• ⚙️ System settings: The option "floating window" in the parameters of a particular application is enabled.

It is worth noting that some Xiaomi system services also use this mechanism to quickly adjust parameters, such as changing the volume or brightness can be displayed in a floating form, and understanding the source of the problem is the first step to solving it.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system windows may affect the way video calls are performed in instant messengers. Make sure you don't need a response feature while using other apps.

Disconnection through specific application settings

The most effective way to combat intrusive windows is to set the permissions for each application. In MIUI 12, there is a detailed permission menu where you can prevent a program from overlapping the interface. This method takes time, but it gives a point result.

To start, you need to go to the application management menu, which stores all the access rights of the installed programs, and find the application that causes problems most often, such as a browser or video player.

Inside the app settings menu, find the item that displays on top of other windows. In different versions of the MIUI translation, it may be called differently, but the essence remains the same. Disabling this slider will prevent the program from creating floating windows.

After making the changes, it is recommended to restart the device, which will allow the Android system to fully recalculate access rights and apply new restrictions. If the problem persists, check the settings inside the application itself, as some of them have their own built-in players.

Global settings of multitasking system

There are global switches in the MIUI shell that control the behavior of all windows at once, and they're in advanced settings, and access to them can be hidden, so you sometimes need to activate additional developer options.

To get to the menu, go to Advanced Settings, and look for the option associated with the sidebar or floating windows. In MIUI 12, this functionality is often integrated into the Floating Windows or Sidebar menu.

Disabling the sidebar often solves the problem of accidental launches, which allows you to quickly open applications in the form of thumbnails, and users often touch it when holding a smartphone. Completely disabling the sidebar is guaranteed to eliminate the risk of accidentally opening a floating window by swipe.

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Use Do Not Disturb mode during games so that system notifications do not provoke windows.

Using the Developer Mode to Disable

For advanced users, a deeper level of customization is available through the developer menu, where you can control animations and window behavior at the kernel level, and be careful, changing the wrong settings can lead to unstable smartphone performance.

To activate the developer menu, you need to click seven times on the build number in the About Phone section. Once the corresponding notification appears, a new item will appear in the settings menu, and you need to find the section on windows and multitasking.

The parameter we're interested in might be called "Force activities to be resizable," or similarly, and changing this parameter forces the system to force the windows to change size, which sometimes breaks the floating window mechanism, but this method is not guaranteed on all versions of MIUI 12.

If you're not sure what you're doing, you should refrain from experimenting with the developer menu. Standard settings are usually enough to solve everyday problems. Xiaomi's system is flexible enough to do without deep code interference.

Limiting application background activity

A common cause of windows is background activity, applications continue to work and try to interact with the user even when they are closed, and MIUI 12 has a powerful power saving mechanism that can be used to block such activities.

Go to the battery settings and select a specific application. Set "No Limits" mode only for programs that need to run all the time (such as instant messengers). For everyone else, especially video players and browsers, set strict limits.

• 🔋 Energy saving: Enable Ultra mode for maximum blocking of background processes.
• 🚫 AutoRun: Turn off autoRun for all unnecessary apps in the appropriate menu.
• 📉 Memory Limitation: Lock important applications in memory and leave the rest to the cleaning system.

It's also worth checking permissions to use data in the background, and if an application can't access the Internet, it's less likely to try to open a window with ads or updates, which is especially true for free versions of programs.

⚠️ Warning: Excessive restriction of background activity may cause you to stop receiving notifications of messages or calls on time.

Third-party launchers and alternative solutions

If standard MIUI methods don't work, you might consider installing a third-party launcher, replacing the standard shell with a pure Android or custom theme, which completely changes the logic of how windows work, a radical but effective step.

Popular launchers like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher have their own multitasking settings. They can ignore Xiaomi's system commands to create floating windows. However, it's worth remembering that replacing the launcher changes the entire look of the smartphone.

Another solution is to use special ad-blocker applications that can filter pop-ups, which work at the network or system level to prevent unwanted content from being displayed, which is especially useful if the windows are caused by ad modules.

Before installing any third-party software, make sure it is safe to download it only from trusted sources such as Google Play. Otherwise, you risk getting viruses instead of solving the window problem.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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A comprehensive approach, including setting up application rights and disabling the sidebar, solves the problem in 95% of cases.