Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone users often face a situation where the system interface behaves unpredictably. Instead of the usual full-screen mode, applications fold into small windows, interfering with normal navigation. This phenomenon, known as floating windows or Floating Windows, is part of the MIUI’s proprietary shell, but not always convenient in everyday use, especially annoying those who accidentally activated the feature and now do not know how to return to the standard look.
The problem may be not just casual touch, but specific settings of special features. The system offers many ways to control windows, which creates confusion. There are several ways to turn off floating windows, and the choice of the particular one depends on the firmware version and model of your device. In this article, we will discuss all the available solutions, from simple gestures to deep system settings.
It's worth noting that the feature is useful for multitasking, allowing you to watch videos and chat at the same time, but if it turns on on itself or interferes with work, it needs to be deactivated. Below are detailed instructions to help you get back to the familiar interface.
What are floating windows in MIUI and why do they need them?
A floating window is a separate interface layer that is displayed on top of other running applications. Unlike standard splitting screens, where the display is split in half, the app only occupies a small part of the screen and can be moved by the user, a feature that was introduced to improve productivity and user-friendliness of the content.
The main purpose of Floating Windows is to provide quick access to messengers, calculators or video players without having to fold the main application. For example, you can watch a broadcast or video lesson while flipping through the social network tape. The system allows you to zoom in, pin them in corners or deploy them to the full screen in one motion.
But there's a downside to this, and on small-screen devices or heavy-weight applications, floating windows can cause slowdowns, and random activation through gestures often causes the user to get lost in the interface, and understanding how this tool works is the first step to managing it properly.
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Use floating windows only on devices with a screen diagonal of more than 6 inches for comfortable control.
The main reasons for the appearance of windows on the screen
Before you start shutting down, it's important to understand why this feature was activated. Most often, special control gestures that the user performs unconsciously are to blame. The MIUI shell has several triggers that trigger the floating window mode. Knowing these triggers will help avoid accidental activation in the future.
Here are the main ways the system puts the application into window mode:
- 🖱️ Long-term retention of the finger at the bottom of the screen (in the navigation bar area) when swiping up.
- 📱 Swipe three fingers up the screen (if the function is activated in the settings).
- 🔘 Clicking a special button in the menu of recent apps.
- 📲 Select the appropriate item in the side menu (Sidebar) for selected applications.
It can also be a launcher malfunction or application version conflict. Some programs, especially those optimized for tablets, can be forced to run window-mode on smartphones. If none of the gestures help to reproduce the situation, it may be a software bug in a particular version of Android or MIUI.
Disconnecting from the menu of recent applications
The fastest way to remove the window is to use the task menu, which works in most shell versions, starting with MIUI 11, and it doesn't require any deep system settings and takes only a few seconds.
To do this, you need to fold the problem app to keep it in the background. Then call the menu of recent apps by swiping from the bottom up and holding your finger (or pressing the box button if you use classic navigation).
In the upper right corner of the app card, you'll see an icon that resembles two rectangles or a button that says "Window." When you click on it, you'll see a menu with display options. Select "Full screen" or just close the app if you don't need it. If you don't need it, try pinching the app card itself - the context menu that appears may also have the option to change the display mode.
☑️ Action algorithm in the task menu
Set up special features and gestures
If windows are constantly popping up and disrupting work, it's likely that certain gestures are activated in the system settings, and you can turn them off to prevent accidental activation, which is the most radical but effective way to solve the problem.
Go to the Settings menu, then select the Additional or Advanced Settings section. Find Accessibility. Here we are interested in the section related to window management. Different versions of MIUI may call it floating windows, Windows management, or be part of the Sidebar settings.
Inside this menu, turn off the gesture activation options. Look for switches with names like Three-Finger Swipe or Long-Tap. It's also worth checking the sidebar settings. Go to Settings → Special Features → Sidebar. Make sure the switch is always off, or edit the list of apps by removing those that shouldn't be running in floating mode.
⚠️ Caution: Disabling gestures may deprive you of a convenient way to quickly access the calculator or voice recorder. Before turning off all options, check what actions cause the window to appear in your case.
Control via sidebar (Sidebar)
The sidebar is a handy tool for Xiaomi to quickly launch applications in the form of floating windows. Often users add programs to it themselves, unaware that this will change their behavior at launch.
To set up the panel, open Settings and search for Sidebar or find this item in Special Features. Here you will see a list of application categories and specific programs. If an application is added to this list, it gets priority to run in window mode when swiped from the edge of the screen.
You can completely remove the app from the panel list or disable the panel itself. To do this, move the master switch to the off position. This is guaranteed to prevent the system from opening applications in floating mode through this interface. After changes, it is recommended to restart the device to reset the launcher cache.
Hidden Sidebar Settings
Solving problems with specific applications
Sometimes the problem is not the system, but the application itself. Some programs, especially video players or navigators, have their own display settings on top of other windows. Check the settings inside the application itself, which is behaving incorrectly.
Pay attention to the following parameters within the applications:
- 🎥 Picture-in-Picture Mode – often enabled by default in YouTube or video players.
- 📍 Display permission over other windows – checked in the application access rights settings.
- 🔄 Auto-start in the background – can initiate the opening of the window at the start of the system.
To check access rights, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Select a problem application, click Other permissions (or Permissions). Find Display over other apps and disable it. This will prevent the program from creating floating windows regardless of the user's actions.
| Method of disconnection | Difficulty | Efficiency | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through the task menu | Low. | Temporary. | Minimum |
| Turning off gestures | Medium | Tall. | Average. |
| Setting up the sidebar | Medium | Tall. | Minimum |
| Restriction of access rights | Tall. | Maximum | Limits functionality |
Frequent errors and additional recommendations
When trying to turn off floating windows, users often make common mistakes: one is a complete reset of the system settings, which is unnecessary; another common mistake is to remove updates to system components, which can lead to unstable MIUI operation.
If standard methods don’t work, try clearing the system app’s cache Security or MIUI Services. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find the service app you want, select Memory and click Clear Cache. Don’t confuse it with the Clean Everything button, as this will reset your personal settings.
Also worth checking for system updates: new versions of MIUI 13 and MIUI 14 have reworked the logic of how windows work, and many bugs from previous versions have been fixed. Go to Settings → About Phone and check for updates.
⚠️ Warning: Do not use third-party window management apps downloaded from unverified sources, which can conflict with system processes and lead to a cyclical smartphone reboot.
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A comprehensive approach, including gesture settings and application access rights verification, ensures complete disposal of unwanted floating windows.