Modern Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with powerful processors and large screens, which allows users to run several programs at once. In the process of active work, it often becomes necessary to quickly switch to another window without closing the current task completely. Understanding how to fold an application is a basic skill for effective use of the device in everyday life.
The Android operating system, in conjunction with the MIUI branded shell or the new HyperOS, offers several window controls, such as classic screen buttons, modern swipes, or even specialized keys on the device body, and the choice of the specific method depends on the model of the gadget and the personal preferences of the interface owner.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways to minimize active windows, you will learn about the hidden functions of the system, the features of working with a floating window and methods of forcing processes to terminate if the program stops responding to commands.
Using the navigation panel to fold
The most common method of managing windows in Android is using the bottom navigation bar, which in the classic version consists of three buttons: Back, Home and App Menu. To fold the current program, you need to click on the central Home button, which is usually indicated by a circle or house.
Once you click on the active application, it instantly goes into the background, and the user enters the desktop, while the program does not close, but continues to consume a minimum amount of RAM resources, which allows you to instantly return to the task by opening the menu of running processes.
⚠️ Warning: If the app closes instead of folding after pressing the home button, check the energy saving settings. Aggressive optimization can force the background processes to save battery power.
In some Redmi and Poco smartphones, the buttons can be changed by the user. To make sure the configuration is correct, go to the Settings menu → Additional settings → Full-screen mode. Here you can choose the option with three buttons or completely disable them in favor of gestures.
- 📱 Pressing the Home button turns the active window onto the desktop.
- 🔄 The Menu button (square or three bars) opens a list of all running tasks.
- ⚙️ The location of the navigation buttons can be changed in the system settings.
Using physical or touch navigation buttons is considered the most reliable way, as it does not require remembering complex finger movements, but this method takes up a portion of the usable screen area, which can be critical on devices with a diagonal of less than 6 inches.
Controlling windows with full-screen gestures
Modern Xiaomi smartphones are increasingly coming with default gesture controls enabled, with the navigation bar hidden and all actions swiped from the edges of the screen. To roll the app, you need to swipe quickly from the bottom up the center of the screen.
The amplitude of the finger's motion matters. A short swipe from the bottom edge to the middle of the screen usually folds the app and returns it to the desktop. If you swipe it further to the top of the display, the system will open a multitasking menu with all the windows running.
For users accustomed to classic navigation, switching to gestures can take some time, allowing you to hold the device with one hand and quickly switch between tasks.
⚠️ Attention: Sensitivity may vary across different models. If the swipe doesn't work the first time, try increasing your finger speed or changing the swipe start area.
The HyperOS shell has improved transition animation, making the folding process visually smoother.The system renders the desktop in advance, so returning to the home screen is without delay, even if a heavy load is running. 3D-play-off.
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For a quicker return to the last app, try swiping horizontally at the bottom of the screen (above the virtual bar or in the button area).
Gesture controls free a large portion of the screen from interface elements, especially when watching videos or reading books in a horizontal orientation, when navigation buttons can overlap the content.
Working with a floating window and splitting the screen
MIUI and HyperOS shells are famous for their advanced multitasking features, so in addition to simply folding, the user can turn an application into a floating window or start split-screen mode, which allows you to work with two programs at the same time.
To activate a floating window, open the running app menu (a bottom-up latency swipe or menu button). At the top of the app card, click on an icon that resembles two rectangles or dots. In the menu that appears, select the option "Floating window".
The app will shrink to the size of a small widget that you can move around the screen and resize, which is ideal for watching videos while chatting in the messenger or using a calculator when working with tables.
| Function | How to activate | What's the point? |
|---|---|---|
| Floating window | Task menu → Window badge | Video, calculator, translator |
| Screen splitting | Task menu → Separation badge | Document comparison, chat + browser |
| Sidebar. | Swipe from the edge of the screen | Quick tool launch |
Split screen mode divides the display in half. One app runs on the top, the bottom one has another. You can move the boundary between the windows, adjusting the area of each of them, and you just drag the dividing line to the edge of the screen to get out of this mode.
The secret of the sidebar
Multitasking requires more CPU resources. If you notice a device slowing down with multiple windows open, it is recommended to close unused browser tabs or background games.
Setting up the sidebar for quick access
One of the most convenient features for working with windows is the sidebar, which is a narrow stripe hidden behind the edge of the screen that exits when you touch, and you can instantly launch the application in floating window mode.
To activate this feature, go to Settings → Additional Features → Sidebar. Turn on the Show Sidebar switch and select the scenarios in which it should appear (for example, All Apps or specific ones only).
Inside the panel, you can configure a list of commonly used programs, which can be messengers, voice recorders, document scanners, or calculators, and when you call the panel and click on the icon, the app will open on top of the current window without turning it down completely.
- 🚀 Instantly launch tools on top of other applications.
- 🎨 Possibility to change the transparency and position of the panel.
- 📂 Support for launching multiple floating windows.
The sidebar is particularly useful for gamers, and while playing, you can quickly open a chat or browser without interrupting the gameplay, and the system automatically adjusts the size of the window to the game area so that important controls do not overlap.
☑️ Setting up the sidebar
It is worth noting that on some global firmware versions, this feature may be called “floating windows” or hidden in the “Special features” section.
Forced Closure and Restart of Applications
Sometimes an application doesn't just have to be folded, it has to be completely stopped if it's stuck or it's consuming too much resources, and unlike folding, closing off off the process from RAM.
To force you to stop, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the program you want, click on it, and select the Stop button. The system will warn you of the possible consequences, after which the process will be completed.
The quicker way is to use the running task menu. Hold your finger on the application card or swipe it up (depending on the interface settings) to close. To close all windows, you usually have a "Clean" button (cross or broom) in the multitasking menu immediately.
⚠️ Attention: Constant closure of applications ("killing processes") can negatively affect autonomy. The system has to restart applications, which consumes more energy than storing them in the background.
If the application is not responsive to touch and closed by standard methods, you can use the engineering menu or ADB, but for the average user, you can use the task manager. In extreme cases, rebooting the device helps.
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Crowding saves the state of the application for quick returns, and closing completely clears the memory, which may require re-downloading data the next time you run.
New versions of HyperOS have an extended memory cleanup mode that not only closes applications, but also clears the cache, freeing up additional space for current tasks.
Frequently encountered problems and their solution
Users may experience a situation where a folded application does not open again or does not work correctly, often due to energy saving settings that aggressively restrict background activity.
To allow an application to run in the background, open its card in the running task menu and click on the lock icon, which will lock the application in memory and prevent the system from closing it when cleaning.
In Battery and Performance, find the problem app and set the No Limits mode, which ensures that the system won’t interrupt it even if you swerve the window and use the phone for hours.
- 🔒 Fixing the application in memory prevents it from being unloaded.
- 🔋 No Limits mode turns off energy savings for the program.
- 🔄 Resetting the app settings can help if it freezes when folding.
If the folding problems are system-specific (interface lags, long responses), try clearing the Security system app cache or resetting the interface settings. In rare cases, you need to update the firmware to the current version.