How to Make a Separate Screen in Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi’s current smartphones, including the Redmi and POCO brands, have powerful hardware that is often underutilized. Many users don’t even realize that their device can display two apps simultaneously, significantly speeding up content. The split-screen feature is not just a toy, but a working tool for those who value time.

Enabling this option allows you to, for example, chat in the messenger while watching YouTube videos, or copy text from one document to another without constantly switching between tabs. The activation process may vary depending on the version of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, but the basic principles remain the same for the entire ecosystem.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the ways to activate multitasking, from standard system settings to hidden developer menu capabilities, and learn how to manage window sizes and understand why some applications may not support this mode.

System preparation and compatibility check

Before you start setting up, make sure your smartphone is technically ready to multitask.Although most current Xiaomi models support this feature out of the box, in some budget segments or on older versions of Android, it can be limited by the manufacturer for the sake of saving RAM.

First of all, check which version of the operating system is installed on your device. For comfortable work, it is desirable to have Android 10 and above, as well as the current shell MIUI 12+ or HyperOS. Older versions may require additional manipulations through the engineering menu, which we will discuss later.

⚠️ Note: If your device has less than 3GB of RAM installed, split-screen operation may result in periodic application departures or a noticeable decrease in system performance.

It’s also worth updating all key apps in advance through the Google Play store or GetApps. Software developers often optimize their products to new display standards, and an outdated version of the program may simply not launch in the second window.

Activation through the interface settings menu

The most reliable and secure way to enable split screen is to use the standard system settings menu, which is guaranteed to work on all Xiaomi certified devices and does not require superuser rights.

To start, you need to go to the main menu of smartphone settings. Find a section that is usually called “Additional” or “Extended settings”, although in new versions of HyperOS it can be placed in a separate category “Special features”.

Inside this menu, look for the full-screen option, and that's where the switch that allows the system to run applications in floating or split windows is hidden, and when the toggle is activated, the changes take effect immediately.

• 📱 Open the settings of your smartphone.
• 🔍 Go to the Additional or Special Opportunities section.
• 🖥️ Find the Full Screen Mode item.
• ✅ Activate the switch split screen.

Once you do that, the system will remember your choices, so you can now move on to using the function directly in your daily life, and if you don't have a point in that location, try searching for settings by typing in "split."

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In newer versions of HyperOS, settings search is faster if you type a request through voice via Xiao AI or Google Assistant.

Use of the menu of running applications

The main method of window management on Xiaomi devices is tied to the menu of recent tasks, this is the screen that appears when swiping from bottom to top with a delay or when you press the virtual square button if the navigation bar is turned on.

To split the screen, first run the first app, which should occupy the top or left of the display. Then roll it up and open the menu of running tasks. Above the preview of each open application, you will see a small control panel.

In the standard MIUI interface, you need to click on an icon resembling two rectangles located above the program thumbnail. If there is no such icon, try making a long tap (tap and hold) on the preview of the application - this action can also cause a context menu with the desired option.

Sequence of action:


Launch Annex A.




2. Open the menu of recent tasks (swipe up with a delay).




3. Click on the "Share the screen" icon above Appendix A.




4. Select Appendix B from the task list or menu.

Once you select the second app, the screen will split into two parts, and you can move the boundary between the windows by changing the proportions of the space you display, which is especially convenient for adjusting the comfortable size of the keyboard or video player.

Window management and navigation

When two applications are running simultaneously, managing them requires a certain skill, and the central dividing line is a key interface element that allows you to adjust the area allocated to each window.

Drag the line up or down (in portrait orientation), you can give priority to one of the applications. For example, when watching a video at the top and typing at the bottom, you can make the video window minimal so that it does not interfere, but remains visible.

If you close one of the windows, you just drag the dividing line all the way to the edge of the screen, and if you take the line to the top or bottom, one of the apps will close and the other will take up the entire display, and that's a quick way to get out of multitasking mode.

It's important to note that the navigation bar works differently in split-screen mode, the Back, Home and Menu buttons may behave differently. The Home button usually folds both apps, and the Back button acts on the window that was active last.

⚠️ Warning: Sharp closing of split screen by swipe can cause unsaved data to be lost in the active window, so use standard methods to close applications.

Setup through the developer menu

If standard methods don't work or you want to access advanced features, you can use the developer menu, which is designed for testing, but contains useful tools to force the system to change its behavior.

To enter the developer menu, you need to quickly click on the build number in the About Phone section seven times. Once you notice that you have become a developer, a new option will appear in the settings menu “Additional” or “Extended Settings”, where the desired option is hidden.

Inside the developer menu, find Force activities to be resizable, which forces the system to try to run split-screen applications that don’t officially support the feature.

• 🛠️ Activates hidden interface capabilities.
• 📱 Allows you to share the screen for any application.
• ⚙️ It requires caution when using.
• 🔄 May require rebooting the device.

Using this feature can lead to incorrect display of interface elements in some programs, as they were not adapted by developers to work in a reduced window, but for advanced users, this opens up a wide range of customization opportunities.

Application Solutions and Compatibility

Not all applications support split-screen mode, and users often find themselves in a situation where when they try to activate a second window, the system reports an impossibility, a limitation that is not imposed by Xiaomi, but by the developer of the particular application.

Social media, banking apps, and some games often block the possibility of working in the background or in split mode for security reasons, and this limitation can only be circumvented with the help of third-party utilities or the developer menu described above, but no guarantees of stable operation will be provided.

If you notice that one of the applications in split mode is constantly restarting or "hanging", try to clear its cache.

It's also worth considering the orientation of the screen, and some apps are tightly tied to portrait mode, others to landscape mode, and when you split the screen, the system tries to compromise, but if you have a priority conflict, one of the windows may not be displayed correctly.

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The compatibility of applications with split-screen mode depends primarily on the policy of software developers, and not on the capabilities of the Xiaomi smartphone.