Second Space on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Setup and Use

What is the second space on Xiaomi and why is it necessary?

The second space feature in Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones allows you to create a completely isolated user profile with separate apps, settings and data, which is ideal for those who want to share personal and work information on one device without having to buy a second phone or use complex solutions like Android for Work.

Imagine if you use your smartphone to work, but you don't want your colleagues to see your personal photos, messaging, or games, or vice versa, you need to hide your work chats and documents from the prying eyes of the house. Xiaomi's second space solves this problem at the operating system level, creating two completely independent accounts with different passwords, wallpapers, and even application versions, and both spaces work on the same physical device without losing performance.

The feature is available on most devices running MIUI (starting with version 8) and HyperOS, including Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, POCO F5/X5 and others. It is important to note that the second space is not just “guest mode”, but full virtualization with separate storage, making it more secure and functional.

How to Enable Second Space on Xiaomi: Step-by-step Instructions

Activation of the second space takes no more than 5 minutes and requires no special knowledge. The main thing is to make sure that your device has an up-to-date firmware version (at least MIUI 8 or HyperOS 1.0). If the function is not in the menu, update the system through Settings → About Phone → System Update.

To create a second space:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to Special Opportunities (in some versions of MIUI – Additional).
3. Select the second space (Second Space).
4. Click Create a second space and follow the instructions on the screen.
5. Set a separate password, fingerprint, or pattern lock for the second profile.
6. Wait for the setup to be completed (the device will reboot).

After the reboot, you can switch between spaces by swiping your finger across the lock screen up and selecting the desired profile. Note that the second space takes up additional space in memory (usually 2-5 GB depending on the number of applications installed). If there is little free space on the device, the system may prevent the creation of a second profile.

Make sure you have ≥10 GB of free memory

Update MIUI/HyperOS to the latest version

Remember the password from the main space

Disable VPN (may interfere with settings)

Backup of important data-->

Differences between the second space and the guest mode and the multi-user

Many people confuse the second space with guest mode or the standard multiplayer feature in Android, but there are fundamental differences between them that are important to understand before setting up:

The key advantage of the second space is complete autonomy, for example, you can install the same messenger (say, Telegram or WhatsApp) in both spaces with different accounts, while notifications will come independently, and the history of correspondence will not overlap, in guest mode or using a standard multiuser, this level of isolation is impossible.

Separation of work and personal life

Hiding Data from Other Users

Application testing

Other-->

How to Set Up Second Space: Personalization and Security

Once you've created the second space, you can customize it to your needs, and here are the key points to consider:

• 🔒 Security: Set a separate password, fingerprint or pattern lock, and this will prevent accidental switching between spaces. MIUI 12+ HyperOS can also configure to hide notifications on the lock screen for the second profile.
• 🎨 Appearance: Change wallpaper, theme and icons to visually distinguish spaces, for example, for a work profile, you can choose a minimalist theme, and for a personal one, bright wallpaper.
• 📱 Apps: Install only the programs you need in the space, save space and reduce the system load, for example, in the workspace, you may not need to play games or social networks.
• 🔔 Notifications: Set notification priority for each space separately, for example, in your personal profile you can turn off work emails, and in your work profile you can turn off notifications from games.

Pay special attention to the privacy settings (Settings → Privacy section).

• Prohibit geolocation access for individual applications in each space.
• Restrict access to contacts, photos and files.
• Set up the microphone and camera resolutions (useful if you use working video calls in one space and personal calls in another).

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with corporate email (such as Microsoft Exchange), the administrator can block access to work data in the second space through security policies. In this case, it is better to use a standard Android multiplayer or specialized solutions like Samsung Knox.

Synchronizing data between spaces: what can and can not

One of the key issues when using the second space is the sharing of data between profiles. By default, MIUI and HyperOS completely isolate spaces from each other, but there are several ways to share:

• 📁 Files: Use cloud services (Mi Cloud, Google Drive, Dropbox) or send files to yourself by mail. Direct sharing through Explorer is not possible.
• 📇 Contacts: Export contacts to a.vcf file in one space and import them to another through Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports.
• 📅 Calendar: Sync with Google Calendar or Mi Account by adding the same account to both spaces (but this will break the isolation!).
• 💬 Messages: For exchange SMS You can use services like Pulse. SMS Or MightyText, which synchronize messages over the Internet.

What can't be done:

• Direct access to files of another space through Explorer.
• Synchronize notifications between profiles (they are completely independent).
• Using one Mi Account to automatically synchronize data (you will have to manually export/import).

Problems and Errors in Second Space: How to Solve the Problems

Despite its convenience, the second space may not work smoothly on some devices, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

If the second space stopped working after the MIUI/HyperOS update, try:

1. Remove the second space and recreate it.
2. Reset the settings to factory (pre-reverse!).
3. Contact Xiaomi via the official Mi Community website or forum.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi) A1/A2 With pure Android One, the second space feature may not be available due to firmware limitations, in which case the alternative would be profile cloning apps such as Parallel Space or the like. 2Accounts, But they're less safe.

💡

If the second space starts to slow down, try turning off the interface animation. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate developer mode), then to Settings → Additional → For developers and set Windows Animation, Transition Animation and Animation Duration on Disabled.

How to remove second space from Xiaomi without losing data

If the second space is no longer needed, it can be deleted, but it is important to do it correctly so as not to lose data. The deletion process is irreversible - all applications, files and settings of the second profile will be erased.

To safely remove the second space:

1. Save all important data (photos, documents, contacts) from the second space to the cloud or to an external drive.
2. Open Settings → Memory → Second Space
3. Click Remove the second space.
4. Confirm the action by entering the password from the main profile.
5. Wait for the process to be completed (the device will restart).

When removed, space will be freed up from the second space (usually 2-5 GB). If you plan to recreate it, note that some settings (such as wallpaper or allowed apps) will have to be configured from scratch.

💡

Deleting the second space does not affect the main profile data, but all files and settings of the second space will be lost without the possibility of recovery. Always back up before deleting!

FAQ: answers to frequent questions about Xiaomi's second space