How to Remove Swipe Up on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Disabling the Return Gesture

The swipe gesture up from the bottom of the screen is one of the key innovations in the MIUI interface, designed to replace the traditional “Back” button. However, for many Xiaomi users, this gesture becomes a source of constant irritation: random clicks when scrolling through social media feed, conflicts with games or just a strange navigation logic. If you too are faced with this problem, you are not alone: according to surveys, up to 40% of Xiaomi smartphone owners try to disable or modify this gesture in the first months of use.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn off swipe upwards. MIUI — from standard settings to hidden functions and ADB-We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions of the firmware (from the MIUI 12 to MIUI 15), and consider alternative solutions for devices where the manufacturer has limited the flexibility of settings. Importantly, some methods require unlocking the bootloader or superuser rights - we will honestly warn about the risks and consequences of each approach.

Why Swipe Up interferes: typical scenarios

Before we get to the instructions, let's figure out where the return gesture becomes a problem, and this will help you choose the best way to turn off:

• 🎮 Games with lower controls: in PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty or Genshin Impact swipe up is often perceived as an attempt to get back on the menu, resulting in a loss of control at a critical moment.
• 📱 Social networks and instant messengers: when scrolling through TikTok tape or chats in Telegram, a random swipe can close the application or return you to the home screen.
• 📝 Documents: In Google Docs or Microsoft Word, gestures often conflict with scrolling, especially on small-screen devices.
• 🔄 Multitasking: When you try to switch between apps, swipe up can act as a return gesture instead of opening the menu of recent tasks.

Interestingly, the problem is exacerbated on devices with curved screens (such as the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra or Black Shark 5 Pro), where touch sensors are more sensitive to edge presses. In some cases, the gesture works even when you touch the body with your palm - this is a sign of incorrect calibration of the sensor, which can also be corrected (we will talk about this in one section).

Method 1: Standard MIUI settings (without root)

Starting with MIUI 12.5, developers have added limited options for customizing gestures, which is the most secure method, but doesn't work on all devices and firmware versions.

1. Open the Settings → Display.
2. Select Full-screen Mode (on some devices it may be called Gestures or Navigation).
3. Slip on the Gesture Setup (or Additional Settings).
4. Find the swipe sensitivity option up and move the slider left to the stop.

If there is no such item, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings → System → More.
2. Select buttons and gestures → Full-screen gestures.
3. Turn off the Swipe Back Up switch (if any).

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Make a backup copy of important data

The battery should be at least 30% charged.

Close all background applications-->

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Nana MIUI 13/14 For global firmware versions, the option to disable the gesture is often missing.
• ❌ Even with minimal sensitivity, swipe can work in games.
• ❌ Some models, for example, POCO F4 Redmi Note 12 has a reduced settings.

💡

If your MIUI version doesn't have the option to turn off swipe, try upgrading to the latest stable version of the firmware. Sometimes new builds return hidden settings.

Method 2: Use of the ADB-commands without root)

If the standard settings didn’t work, the next step is to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that doesn’t require superuser rights, but requires connecting the smartphone to a computer, and benefits from running most versions of MIUI (including MIUI 15).

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original)
• 🔧 Installed Xiaomi and ADB-tools drivers

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Activate USB Debugging.

Connect your phone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.

Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell settings put global force_fullscreen_gestures 1


adb shell settings put global force_fsg_nav_bar 1




adb shell settings put secure sysui_nav_bar "space,back;home;recents"

These commands force full-screen gestures with classic three-button navigation. Once executed, restart the device.

Possible problems and solutions:

Important: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi K50) after-use ADB-The animation of transitions between applications may be lost to the commands:

adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 1.0

Method 3: Applications for customizing gestures (with or without root)

If the previous methods didn't work, third-party apps will come to the rescue, and we tested 5 popular utilities and selected the two most effective ones:

1. Fluid Navigation Gestures (no root)

• ✅ Allows you to completely disable standard gestures MIUI.
• ✅ It works on most versions of Android 10+.
• ❌ Requires customization ADB granting special permits.
• ❌ On some devices, it may conflict with system animations.

Instructions for setting:

1. Install Fluid NG from Google Play.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell pm grant com.fb.fluid android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
3. In the app, select Hide pill (hide the navigation bar) and turn off Back gesture.
4. Reset the device.

2. Xposed Edge (requires root)

• ✅ Maximum flexibility in gesture settings.
• ✅ The ability to assign a swipe up to other actions (for example, opening the notification bar).
• ❌ Requires an unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk.

💡

Apps for customizing gestures can conflict with system updates MIUI. After the firmware update, their settings are often reset, and the configuration procedure will have to be repeated.

If you decide to use Xposed Edge, note that it will require:

1. Manually configure exceptions for banking applications in MagiskHide.

⚠️ Note: Use of Xposed or Magisk on devices with MIUI It may lead to a blockage. OTA-Before installation, make a full backup through TWRP Or Mi Flash Tool.

Method 4: Edit system files (for power users only)

This method is suitable for advanced users who are ready to work with system files, it allows you to completely remove the gesture handler, but requires root rights and can lead to unstable system operation.

Tools required:

• 📱 Device with unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk.
• 💻 System file editor (e.g., Mixplorer or Root Explorer).
• 🔧 Backup copy of section /system.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Root Explorer and go to /system/usr/keylayout.
2. Find the Generic.kl file and make a copy of it.
3. Open the original file in the text editor.
4. Find the line with the key 158 BACK and replace it with #key 158 BACK.
5. Save the changes and restart the device.

Alternative path (for MIUI 14+):

On newer firmware versions, gestures are processed via /system/vendor/overlay.

1. Go to /vendor/overlay.
2. Find files called navigation (e.g. FrameworkResOverlay.apk).
3. Remove or rename them (add the.bak extension).
4. Clear the cache via TWRP or command: adb shell su -c 'rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*'

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped reboot).If the phone doesn't turn on after the changes, you'll need to flash it through Fastboot with total loss of data. Always check backups!

Method 5: Alternative launchers with their own navigation

If all previous methods seem too complex or risky, consider using an alternative launcher.Many of them have built-in navigation systems that completely replace standard MIUI gestures.

Top.-3 launcher:

How to set up gestures in Nova Launcher:

1. Install Nova Launcher and make it the default launcher.
2. Go to Settings Nova → Gestures and controls.
3. Select the swipe gesture up and assign it the action No.
4. To completely disable the system gesture, use Nova along with Fluid NG (see Method 3).

Important: Alternative launchers do not cancel system gestures in games and some applications. ADB-commands or editing system files.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you turn off the swipe up, users often face typical problems, and we've collected the most common errors and ways to solve them:

• 🔄 The gesture has disabled, but now it doesn't work back: Check if you've disabled all navigation modes. → Display. → Full screen mode must be active at least one circuit (e.g. Navigation buttons). NG, Make sure that an alternative gesture is assigned to the application settings for return.
• 🔌 After ADB-commands phone stopped responding to touch: This means that the wrong setting has been changed. Connect the device to the PC and execute: adb shell settings delete global settings force_fullscreen_gestures If this doesn’t help, reset your settings via Fastboot with the command: fastboot erase userdata
• 📱 On some screens, swipe still works: This is typical for apps with their own navigation systems (like Facebook or Instagram), the solution is to use Xposed Edge to block gestures in specific applications, check if your launcher conflicts with system gestures. Try disabling optimization for launcher in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Battery → No restrictions.

Advice for POCO and Black Shark owners:

Xiaomi gaming devices often use the proprietary shell of the POCO Launcher or Black Shark Launcher, which can block gesture changes.

1. Remove the brand launcher via ADB: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.home
2. Install an alternative launcher (like Nova) and set up gestures in it.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions