How to make two screens on Xiaomi Redmi: the secrets of multitasking

Today’s Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have powerful hardware that often sits idle while you flip through the news feed.Sharing allows two apps to run simultaneously, making Android a desktop-like experience, especially for those who are used to doing multiple tasks at once without switching between tabs every five seconds.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how to activate two windows on different versions of the MIUI and HyperOS shell. You’ll learn about hidden settings, hotkeys, and ways to get around limitations if the standard method doesn’t work on your model.

Before we get to the instructions, it’s worth noting that the functionality may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the basic principles of working with windows remain unchanged for most devices of the brand.

Preparing a smartphone to work with multiple windows

The first step before activating any advanced features is to check the software's relevance.Older versions of MIUI may have bugs or missing functionality that was added in later updates.Go to Settings → About phone and make sure you have the latest version available.

It also needs to free up RAM, and split-screen mode requires resources to render two active applications, and if there are a dozen heavy games or a navigator running in the background, the system can force one of the windows to close.

Some users are faced with the fact that the feature is not activated in certain applications, which is a security limitation of Google itself or software developers, which cannot be circumvented by standard means without obtaining root rights.

⚠️ Note: Some banking applications and secure messengers may block split-screen operation for data security reasons.

For comfortable work, it is recommended to install a large font or rescaling the display, which will help the interface elements not to "ram" on each other when the display space is divided in half.

Standard activation method through the menu of recent applications

The most common way to run two screens on Xiaomi Redmi is to use the task menu, which works on 95% of devices without having to dig into hidden engineering menus.

Open the first app you want to use, like a browser. Then swipe from the bottom up (or click Menu if classic navigation is enabled) to the list of recent apps. Find the app icon at the top of the card or click and hold the card itself until the action menu appears.

In the menu that appears, select an icon that resembles two rectangles or a divided line. The screen will instantly split into two parts: the top and the bottom. Now you need to choose the second application from the list of frequently used or find it in the general list.

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If the split screen icon doesn’t appear with a long press, try clicking on the three dots in the corner of the app card (if this option is available in your version of MIUI).

The window sizes are controlled through a special tug bar located between the two applications, and you can change the proportions, making one window larger than the other, which is convenient for reading text or watching videos.

Use of floating windows and side panel

Unlike the strict splitting of the screen in half, Xiaomi offers a more flexible tool – floating windows, which allows you to run the application on top of another, creating a picture-in-picture effect, but with full functionality of the program.

To activate this feature, you need to turn on the Sidebar. Go to Settings → Special features → Sidebar and activate the switch. Here you can configure a list of applications that will be available for quick launch.

To use the panel, swipe your finger from the edge of the screen (usually on the top or side, depending on the settings) to the center, and a semi-transparent icon menu will appear. Click on the desired application, and it will open in a floating window that you can move around the screen and resize it.

Floating windows are ideal for messaging while watching videos or working with documents, and you can roll that window to the edge of the screen, leaving it active, and turn it back with a single touch.

Configure hidden features through the engineering menu

If standard methods don’t work well or you want to access advanced multitasking features, you can use the engineering menu, which requires caution, as changing the wrong parameters can lead to unstable system operation.

To enter the debugging menu, open the Phone app and dial the combination ##6484##. From the list that opens, select Single-Handed mode or Forced MS (Multi-Window Support) if such items are present in your firmware version.

adb shell settings put global force_resizable_activities 1

This command, entered through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) on your computer, compulsorily allows any applications to run in split-screen mode, even those that do not officially support this feature by the developer.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB commands require a connection to the PC and install drivers. Inexperienced users are better off limiting themselves to standard system settings.

After applying the changes, you need to restart the device. If after rebooting you notice strong lags or heating, return the settings to the original state via the same menu or command with the delete prefix.

Comparison of operating modes on different versions of MIUI

The MIUI shell is constantly evolving, and the algorithms for working with windows change every year, and owners of older models can notice a significant difference in response speed and availability of functions compared to new flagships.

The table below compares the multitasking capabilities at different stages of system development:

Newer versions like HyperOS add the ability to group windows, so you can save a couple of apps (like Maps and Music) as a script and run them simultaneously with a single tap from the recent task menu.

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Owners of devices with less than 4GB of RAM are advised not to keep more than two heavy applications open at the same time to avoid rebooting background processes.

Problem Solving and Frequently Asked Questions

Despite the convenience, users often face technical difficulties, such as one window being able to lock spontaneously, due to Xiaomi’s aggressive energy saving policies, which kill background processes to save charge.

To fix this, go to the battery settings, find the problem app, and select No Limits mode. It’s also worth pinning the app to memory by pulling the card down from the recent task menu before the lock icon appears.

Another problem may be the incorrect display of the interface, some applications are not adapted to work in a narrow format, which can "move" buttons outside the visible area, in which case, changing the orientation of the screen or forced rescaling in the developer's settings helps.

If after all the manipulations, the function never worked, it's possible that your CPU doesn't support hardware acceleration for two GUIs at the same time, which is typical for low-end entry-level models.