Modern Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI shells or the new HyperOS have an aggressive memory management policy. The system automatically tries to clean up background processes to save battery power, but users often need to force specific programs to terminate, which may be necessary if the application is getting stuck, consuming too much resources or simply interferes at the moment.
There are several ways to do this, from standard gestures to the use of special developer tools. Understanding how to close applications on shaomi will help you not only free up RAM, but also extend the battery life of the device in critical situations. In this article, we will discuss all available methods for managing running processes.
Standard methods of closing through the menu of running tasks
The most common and intuitive way to manage active programs on Xiaomi smartphones is to use the menu of recent apps. Depending on the navigation style chosen, access to this menu is either by swiping from the bottom of the screen up with a delay (gesture control), or by pressing a special button in the bottom navigation bar (three buttons).
To close one particular application, just find his card in the list and swipe it up or down, depending on the interface settings. If you want to clear all open windows at once, which is often required for quick memory optimization, you need to click on the cross located at the top of the screen or at the bottom of the task menu, this action will forcefully complete processes that were not marked by the system as important.
However, it is worth considering that the Android operating system in conjunction with the MIUI shell smartly manages resources, some system services and frequently used programs can automatically restart immediately after closing, this is a normal behavior aimed at speeding up the launch of applications the next time you access them.
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If the application is constantly restarted after closing, check the autorun settings in the Apps section» → «Permits» → «Autostart and turn it off there.
Users often wonder if the constant shutdown of all applications affects battery life. In most cases, the forced shutdown of background processes causes the system to spend more energy restarting them than if they were simply in sleep mode in RAM.
Using the Security Menu to Force Stop
The built-in Security app is the central control node on Xiaomi devices, providing deeper access to process management than a simple task menu. Not only can you close the application, but you can also stop its service completely, which is equivalent to the command "Forced Stop" in desktop operating systems. → Annexes → All applications.
Select the application you want from the list. In the program information menu that opens, you will find the Stop (or Close) button, and clicking on it will force all the processes associated with the software, including background services, notifications and widgets, which is especially useful if the program has stopped responding or is not using traffic correctly.
⚠️ Warning: Forced shutdown of system applications (such as Phone, Messages, or System) UI») This feature can cause unstable smartphone operation, interface errors, or even cyclical reboot.
Additionally, the Security app has a Cleanup section that allows you to (in a single touch) free up RAM, and the tool’s algorithm analyzes the current state of RAM and closes down the processes that the system considers to be the least important at the moment.
☑️ Checking before cleaning
Set up autostart and background activity
To prevent apps from opening or running in the background without your knowledge, it’s not enough to just close their cards. You need to configure background permissions. There’s a separate autorun control mechanism in the MIUI and HyperOS shells that’s different from standard Android. Go to Settings → Apps → Permissions → Autorun.
This list shows all programs that are allowed to run on their own when you turn on your phone or on a schedule. Disabling the slider in front of the application will prevent it from starting without the user's participation. However, this can also affect the receipt of notifications: messengers and email clients can stop sending messages in real time.
It is also important to pay attention to the charge saving settings for specific applications. The system can limit background activity to conserve energy. To change this, go to the application information, select Activity Control (or Charge Saving) and select No Limits mode if you need constant work, or Limit Background Activity if you want the application to close completely.
Configuring these parameters correctly allows you to create a balance between performance and autonomy, for example, for a navigation or activity tracker, you should leave the background work, and for games or heavy editors, you should ban it.
Expanded opportunities for developers
For power users who want to have full control of their processes, there is a Developer Menu, and to activate it, you need to go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI or HyperOS seven times. Once you have become a developer, a new section will appear in the settings.
In the developer menu, we are interested in items related to background processes. Find the Applications section and select the Background Process Limit. Here you can set a strict limit on the number of applications running simultaneously in the background (for example, “No more than 2 processes” or “No background processes”). This is a radical method that is guaranteed to close unnecessary programs, but can negatively affect multitasking.
| Parameter | Description of action | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|
| Standard limit | The system decides how many processes to keep. | Optimal balance of speed and memory |
| No background processes | The application closes immediately after exit | Maximum RAM savings but slow start-up |
| No more than 1 process | There is only one last application left in the background. | High load on the processor when switching |
| No more than 4 processes | Limiting the pool of background tasks | Moderate impact, useful for older devices |
Using these settings requires caution, and changing the settings on the fly can cause the system to start killing the services you need, such as downloading files or playing music.
Specifics of work in HyperOS mode
The new HyperOS operating system, which replaces MIUI, has brought changes to memory management algorithms. Now the system freezes background applications even more aggressively using the mechanisms of the Linux kernel and the company's own development. Visually, the closure process remains the same, but the changes are significant under the hood.
HyperOS has improved its work with live widgets and windows, and if you fold an application, it can go into deep sleep, taking up minimal resources, and forced closure of such applications is now less necessary, because the system itself effectively manages their state.
⚠️ Note: In HyperOS, cleaning memory through a desktop widget may work differently than in older versions.
Also worth noting is the appearance of advanced settings in the task manager. When swiping the application card down (in some versions of the firmware), you can see additional options, such as locking the application from closing (lock) or quickly switching to settings.
Frequent problems and their solution
Users often face a situation where the application cannot be closed by standard methods, or it opens again immediately after closing, this can be a sign of malware, an error in the application itself, or aggressive advertising, in which case it is recommended to check the installed programs for suspicious permissions.
If the app is stuck and doesn't respond to touch, and the task menu doesn't open, you can try rebooting the interface. On some models, this is done by long pressing the power button, then selecting "Reboot." A softer method is using the power button. ADB-commands to force the process to stop if a computer is connected.
For the command line (ADB), the command will look like this:
adb shell am force-stop com.example.packageWhere com.example.package is the name of the problem application package, and it's the most radical and effective method, but it requires a computer and a configured debugging bridge.
How to find out the name of the application package?
In conclusion, regular manual memory cleaning on modern Xiaomi smartphones is often unnecessary and even harmful, and the system itself is great at allocating resources, and it is only necessary to intervene in this process when there are specific performance or autonomy problems.
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Modern systems based on Android and MIUI/HyperOS independently manage RAM more efficiently than the user manually, so frequent cleaning of "all windows" is not recommended without the need for a single device.