Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones have powerful processors and large displays that allow them to be used not only for simple calls, but also for full-time work with several tasks at once. However, the standard display mode, when one application overlaps another, often becomes a narrow neck for productivity. Users often wonder how to run a video, navigator or messenger on top of another active window, so as not to interrupt the main process. Implementation of the floating window function allows you to turn your gadget into a desktop computer where you can text to Telegram while watching YouTube or checking online currency.
With the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, this feature is implemented deep enough, but sometimes hidden from the eyes of the average user. Many device owners do not even realize that their phone can run applications in the form of miniature widgets that can be moved around the screen and scaled. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways to activate the floating window, analyze gesture settings and answer frequent questions when trying to set up multitasking.
It’s worth noting that window mode capabilities can vary depending on the version of the Android operating system and the specific firmware modification. While the flagship Xiaomi 14 or Mix Fold models run as smoothly as possible, budget devices may have small limits on the number of processes running simultaneously.
Using the menu of recent apps to launch windows
The easiest and most affordable way to run an app in a small window is to use the regular menu of running tasks, which does not require the inclusion of hidden developer settings and works out of the box on most current devices, and first you need to open the desired application, then fold it or go to the menu of recent applications.
Depending on the type of navigation (buttons or gestures), the action is performed differently. If you use three virtual buttons at the bottom of the screen, you press the Menu button (square or three stripes). If you configure gesture control, you swipe from the bottom up and hold your finger in the center of the screen for a split second, and open up the open-source carousel.
Find the app card in the list. In the upper right corner of the card (or sometimes in the center on top, depending on the version of MIUI), a small icon that resembles two rectangles or a dotted window will appear, and clicking on this symbol instantly transforms the app into a floating window on top of the desktop or other program.
- 🔍 Find the icon of two squares on the preview of the application in the multitasking menu.
- 📱 Make sure the app supports multitasking (not all games work in the window).
- 🖐 Use the long tap on the app card if the window icon does not appear immediately.
It is important to understand that not all installed programs can work in this mode. Android system restrictions sometimes block the launch of heavy games or specific banking applications in a floating window for the sake of security and stability of the system.
⚠️ Warning: When you start a heavy application in a floating window on budget models with a small amount of RAM (3-4 GB) the background application can be downloaded from memory. This is normal system behavior to prevent freezes.
Activation of the extended window mode through settings
If the standard method doesn’t work, or you want to gain more control over the behavior of windows, you need to turn to advanced system settings. In Xiaomi shells, this feature is often called “Extended Windows” or “Smooth transitions and windows”, which is where the keys to full multitasking lie.
To access these options, go to the main settings menu of the phone. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but it's usually in the "Special Features" or "Additional Settings" section. You need to find the window management item.
Inside the menu, you'll see the Advanced Windows switch, which, when activated, will allow the system to run applications that aren't normally mobile-friendly in window mode, which is especially useful for older versions of apps or specific software.
You can also customize the behavior of the sidebar here, and the sidebar is a handy tool that lets you display a list of frequently used apps on top of any screen, and you can add a calculator, a voice recorder, or notes to it so you can access them instantly in a small window.
Once all the switches are turned on, it is recommended to restart the device so that the changes take effect at the system services level. Now, when you run applications through the sidebar, they will automatically open in floating mode, rather than unfolding to the full screen.
☑️ Setup of extended windows
Work with side panel and widgets
The Sidebar is the central element of multitasking management on Xiaomi smartphones, and it's not just an app list, it's a full-fledged floating window tool, and to call it up, you swipe your finger from the edge of the screen (left or right, depending on your settings) inside and pause a little.
In the menu that appears, you'll see a list of the applications that are attached. If you click on the app once, it will run in a floating window. If you press and hold it, the system will suggest options: open in full screen, split screen or run as a widget. For our purpose, choose to launch in the window.
You can control an already open window with a special marker. There are two stripes at the bottom of a floating window. You can pull the left window, you can change the size of the window to make it larger or smaller. You can pull the right strip or the center part, and you can move the window around the display.
| Action. | Control element | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Relocation | The central part of the bottom of the window | The window follows the finger |
| Change of size | Lower left corner/strip | Scaling the window |
| Curtailment | Lower right corner (arrow) | The window turns into a round icon. |
| Closure | The cross in the corner of the window | The app is closed completely. |
The Smooth Transition mode deserves special attention, and if you pull a floating window to the edge of the screen, it can curl up into a narrow strip or turn into a thumbnail that can be quickly turned back, allowing you to momentarily free the screen without closing the application.
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Secure frequently used applications (Calculator, Translator, Notes) in the sidebar for instant access, which will save time to search and run programs in full screen mode.
Screen split and window mode: what is the difference
Often users confuse split screens with floating windows, although these are two different multitasking mechanisms: splitting the screen divides the display exactly in half (or 70/30), locking the two apps statically, and the floating window, in turn, floats freely above the interface.
The advantage of a floating window is obvious: you can use more than two apps at once, like YouTube opens at the bottom, WhatsApp chats in the middle, and a floating browser on top of them, and split-screen mode makes it technically impossible to run three apps simultaneously without using third-party launchers.
And it's also easier to control, and you can quickly push it back into a corner to look at the content of the main application, or you can roll it into a bubble that hangs over all the windows, and a split screen requires a more rigid anchor to the geometry of the display.
However, it is worth considering the resource consumption: simultaneous operation of several active processes in windows can lead to faster battery discharge and heating of the case, the processor is forced to render the graphics of several applications at once, which creates additional load.
⚠️ Warning: It is not recommended to keep open heavy games or navigation in floating windows in the background for a long time.This can lead to overheating of the device and accelerated wear of the battery.
Set up gestures for quick access
For those who appreciate speed, Xiaomi offers gesture customization. Although a direct gesture to “draw the letter O to open the window” is absent, you can use swipe combinations. For example, a three-finger-down swipe is often set to create a screenshot, but in some regions and firmware versions, this gesture can be reassigned or used to call the window menu.
In the section “Special opportunities» → «Check the available combinations, check the shortcuts, and sometimes it's helpful to use Quick Notes, and if you swipe a quick note, you get a floating window where you can write text on top of any other application.
Also worth mentioning is the “Swing notifications” feature, which allows you to turn on the notification settings of a particular application (for example, messenger) to display messages in the form of floating bubbles, which is essentially a small window that allows you to respond to messages without opening the application completely.
For advanced users, you can log in to the developer menu, and you can find the option "Forced Size Change for Multitasking," which allows you to run even applications that developers have banned for this mode in a floating window, but the stability of such programs is not guaranteed.
How to get into the developer menu on Xiaomi?
Solving floating window problems
Despite the convenience, users may encounter situations where an application does not open in the window or behaves incorrectly, most often the problem lies in optimizing the application itself for mobile screens, and some programs simply do not know how to scale.
If the window opens but closes or freezes, try clearing the app's cache. The accumulated temporary files can conflict with multitasking processes. Rebooting the smartphone itself also helps, which clears the system debris from the RAM.
In rare cases, the problem may be the theme of the design. Third-party themes downloaded from Themes store may not handle system windows correctly. If you notice glitches after changing the theme, return the standard MIUI/HyperOS design for verification.
Another reason may be the power saving mode on, in which the system aggressively restricts background activity, which can prevent floating windows from operating normally, and switch the performance mode to Balanced or Performance.
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If the app doesn’t want to work in the window, try to enable the option “Forced Size Change” in the developer menu, but be aware of the risks of unstable work.