Multitasking in Xiaomi smartphones has long ceased to be just a switch between tabs, becoming a full-fledged workflow. Device owners often wonder how to turn on floating windows on Xiaomi to simultaneously watch videos, chat in the messenger and control notifications. Modern shells MIUI and the new HyperOS offer powerful tools for this, but their activation is not always obvious to the average user.
The Chinese giant’s firmware-based Android system allows applications to run as miniature windows on top of the main interface, which makes it much faster and more comfortable to use a smartphone, but standard settings may obscure some features that require deeper immersion in menus or special gestures.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can activate window mode, learn about the hidden developer settings that open up access to advanced functionality, and explore the features of working in different versions of the operating system.
Basic ways to activate through the menu of recent applications
The simplest and most affordable method doesn't require you to plug in debugging or typing complex commands. In the latest versions of the Xiaomi shells, multitasking is built deep into the system. To get started, you need to open the application and roll it into the background.
Next, go to the running task menu by swiping bottom-up with a delay or clicking the navigation button. Find the application card you want to turn into a floating window. Long-term clicking on the preview or swipe in the direction (depending on the version of MIUI) will call the context menu.
⚠️ Note: In some regions and firmware versions (especially Global) ROM) If you drag a card up, the window doesn't appear, your region doesn't support this feature out of the box without additional manipulation.
Once activated, the app will fold into a small window that can be moved around the screen, the size of the window is often adjustable, but the basic functionality depends on the developer optimizing the application itself. Some programs, such as YouTube or Instagram, can behave unstable in this mode.
To control, use the special buttons that appear when you touch a floating window. This is usually a cross to close, a full-screen unroll icon and a sidebar fold button. The side app bar is another tool that we'll look at below.
Activation through settings for developers
If standard methods don't work, you should go to the engineering menu, which is a hidden part of the system that's designed for testing, but it's also useful for ordinary users. To get there, open Settings → About your phone and quickly click 7-10 times on either the MIUI version or the OS version.
Once you've become a developer, go back to the main settings menu. Find the Additional section and select Developer's. Here we're interested in Forced Activity. Turn on a switch called Forced Activity of Off-Full-screen Activity.
- 🚀 Forced Activity: allows you to run windowed applications that do not officially support multi-window.
- 📱 Minimum width: Changing this setting can affect how the system recognizes tablets and phones, sometimes opening up new interface features.
- 🔄 Saving activities: It is not recommended to change unnecessarily as this can lead to increased resource consumption.
Once you've activated the forced activity, go back to the recent app menu, and now if you press the app icon for a long time, you should have a button with two rectangles in the preview, or a "Window Mode" button, and clicking on it will start the program in a floating window.
⚠️ Attention: Enabling developer features may cause some system applications to run in an unstable way. If you notice strange interface behavior, just turn off the Developer Toggle in the settings.
Use of sidebar and function "Soaring windows"
HyperOS shell and the latest versions of MIUI offer a handy tool called "Soaring Windows" or "Sidebar." This mechanism allows you to quickly call frequently used applications on top of others. To customize, go to Settings → Special Features → Soaring Windows.
Here you can select the apps that will be displayed in the sidebar. After activating the function on the side of the screen (left or right, depending on the settings), a semitransparent bar will appear.
Running an application from the sidebar instantly creates a floating window, which is perfect for a calculator, notes, or instant messengers, and you can continue to type text in a document while there's a video call or video streaming in a small window.
It is important to note that the number of floating windows running simultaneously can be limited by the amount of RAM your device has. On budget models with 4 GB of RAM, the system can force the background floating windows to close to maintain performance.
Comparison of capabilities in MIUI and HyperOS
With the release of the new HyperOS shell, the approach to multitasking has changed, while MIUI has focused on gestures and hidden settings, the new system offers a more visual and intuitive interface, not only in terms of appearance, but also in terms of the background work.
HyperOS has improved application folding animations, and Windows are now more physically correct, easier to drag and resize, and has the ability to group windows, which is similar to working on tablets or desktop operating systems.
| Function | MIUI 13/14 | HyperOS |
|---|---|---|
| Activation by gesture | Often hidden or dependent on the region | Standardized and operating stably |
| Sidebar. | Basic functionality | Advanced settings and widgets |
| Memory management | Aggressive closing of background tasks | Improved algorithm of memory retention |
| Size of windows | Fixed or restricted | Flexible border change |
Users who have upgraded from older versions may notice that some of the usual menu paths have changed.The logic of hyperconnection of Xiaomi devices also implies that floating windows may in future sync with the brand’s tablets and laptops, although this feature is currently in active development.
Size and position of windows
Once you've managed to turn on the floating windows on Xiaomi, it's a question of usability. The standard size may not be suitable for reading text or watching videos. Fortunately, the system allows you to scale the active window.
Touch the bottom of the floating window, and you'll see markers that you can pull around, you can change the height and width of the display area, and some versions of the software have a change of proportions, which is useful for viewing vertical videos in TikTok or Shorts in parallel with horizontal content.
☑️ Optimization of the working space
The position of the window is also captured by the system. If you drag it to the bottom of the screen, it can automatically roll into a bubble (like Chat Heads on Facebook Messenger) so as not to interfere with the view, but to remain available for rapid deployment.
On high-pixel density devices, small windows may look fuzzy or too small. Adjusting the interface scale in the developer settings (Less Width) can help make controls more convenient.
Solving Application Problems and Conflicts
Despite the advanced system, users may encounter difficulties, often because the app simply refuses to run in floating mode, returning to the full screen immediately, due to the limitations of Android itself or the security policies of a particular software.
Secure Content Banking and DRM applications can block windows, a normal behavior designed to protect your data from screenshots or interception by other running processes, and this restriction cannot be circumvented by standard means.
Another common problem is desynchronization of sound, where when you switch between windows, the audio can disappear or switch to the phone speaker, in which case restarting the Audio service or simply restarting the smartphone completely helps.
⚠️ Note: Using third-party software from the Play Market to create floating apps can lead to a leak of personal data.