Xiaomi 8 Pro multitasking menu: how to open in 1 second

Why can’t the menu of recent apps open?

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro’s multitasking menu (or “recent apps”) is a key tool for quickly switching between tasks. However, many users face the problem of having standard gestures or buttons stop working after updating MIUI, resetting settings or installing custom firmware.

Disabled system gestures (especially after manually changing settings in Settings → Display → Full-screen mode);

shell conflict (for example, when using launchers like Nova Launcher or HyperOS);

Hardware limitations (wear of the sensor layer in the swipe zone, typical for devices 2018-2019).

In this article, we’ve covered the latest ways to call the MIUI 10–14 multitasking menu, including hidden button combinations and ADB debugging. If your smartphone is running an older firmware version, some methods may not work – check the version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.

Method 1: Standard swipe up (MIUI 12 and later)

Starting with MIUI 12, Xiaomi switched to gesture control by default, to open up the menu of recent apps:

1. Unlock the screen and open any application (such as Settings).
2. Make a quick swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold your finger for 0.5 seconds.
3. Let go, and a list of the latest tasks will appear.

⚠️ Warning: If the swipe doesn't work, check your gesture settings:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.
2. Select Gesture Control (not Navigation Buttons).
3. Make sure that the swipe up option for multitasking is enabled.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 13 Global), the swipe sensitivity is adjusted to Settings → Additional → Special Features → Touch Sensitivity. If the screen is late, increase the value to High.

Method 2: Menu button (for MIUI 10–11 or with virtual buttons)

If virtual navigation buttons are activated on your Mi 8 Pro (three dots at the bottom of the screen), the multitasking menu opens differently:

• 🔘 Press the right button once (square or three horizontal lines).
• 🔘 Hold it 1-2 seconds to fix the current application (the “pin” icon will appear").

⚠️ Warning: If the button doesn't respond, the system may have disabled the "Recent Apps" function to return it:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → System permissions.
2. Find MIUI Launcher and enable permission to display over other windows.

Method 3: Hidden button combination (for got stuck systems)

If the smartphone does not respond to touch or the multitasking menu is gone after the update, try the hardware combination:

• 🔧 Press the power button at the same time. + Reduce volume by 5-7 seconds.
• 🔧 When the reboot menu appears, release the buttons and tap the screen – sometimes this “wakes up” the system interface.

This method does not guarantee that recent apps will open menus, but it often helps to return the screen response.

• 📱 Integrity of touch glass (microcracks can block swipes).
• 🔄 Firmware updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

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If the button combination does not work, connect your smartphone to your PC and follow the command adb shell input keyevent 187 – this will programmatically call up the menu of recent applications.

Method 4: Using Voice (Google Assistant)

If physical buttons or gestures don’t work, use the voice assistant:

1. Activate Google Assistant with the phrase “OK, Google” or by holding the Home button (if any).
2. Say “Open recent apps” or “Show multitasking.”

⚠️ Note: The function only works when:

• 🗣️ Google Assistant enabled (Settings) → Google → Settings for Google apps → Search, Assistant and Voice).
• 🌐 Active Internet connection (voice commands require cloud processing).

On the Mi 8 Pro with Chinese firmware (without Google services), this will not work. Alternatively, use the Mi AI Assistant, but its options are limited - it does not support direct commands for multitasking.

Method 5: ADB-commands to restore function

If the multitasking menu is lost after updating or resetting, it can be returned via USB debugging.

• 💻 Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Connect Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro to your PC and execute:

adb shell settings put global swipe_up_to_switch_apps_enabled 1

If that doesn’t help, try resetting the launcher settings:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

⚠️ Note: The pm clear command will remove:

• 📁 Location of icons on the desktop.
• 🎨 Wallpaper and themes settings.
• 🔄 History of recent applications (but not the data of the applications themselves).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro users often face typical problems when working with the multitasking menu:

1. The menu opens, but the apps don't close, because the background is limited in Settings. → Battery → Application power management. Add the right apps to the exceptions.
2. The swipe only works on the third try, and the culprit is a protective film or a cover covering the bottom of the screen, and wipe the sensor with an alcohol napkin.
3. After the update, the animation disappeared. In Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version, check if the beta version of the firmware is installed. The rollback to the stable version solves the problem 80% of the time.

If none of the methods helped, reset the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find MIUI Launcher → Storage → Clear the data.

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Before resetting the launcher, export contacts and application data – the procedure does not affect user files, but can remove widgets and shortcuts.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions