How to Close Applications on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to All Versions of MIUI

Closing applications on Xiaomi smartphones seems like a simple task, but many users face unexpected nuances: for example, why does the application continue to work in the background after swiping up the multitasking menu? Or what if the system automatically restarts closed programs? These questions are especially relevant for devices with a MIUI shell, where background management has its own peculiarities.

In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to close applications on Xiaomi, Redmi and other platforms. POCO — From a standard swipe to a forced stop through the developer's settings, you'll learn which methods actually free up RAM and which only hide an application from the active list. MIUI 12-15 The nuances of working with popular models such as Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 or POCO F5.

Why are Xiaomi apps not shutting down completely?

The MIUI shell is optimized for maximum performance, but this often leads to paradoxical situations. For example, when you swipe an app up in the multitasking menu, it can:

• 🔄 Go to sleep mode – stay in memory, but suspend activity (saves battery).
• 🔙 Automatically restart if the system considers it “important” (messaging devices, music players).
• 🚫 Lock down. MIUI — Some applications (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter) cannot be closed by standard methods.

This is due to the MIUI optimization service (com.miui.optimizer), which analyzes the frequency of use of applications. If you regularly open Telegram or YouTube, the system will keep them in the background for quick launch. However, this can lead to unnecessary battery consumption (up to 15% per night) on weak devices (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO M3).

Another reason for non-killable applications is auto-run, and many programs (especially Chinese ones like Mi Video or Mi Browser) are listed as auto-run and are restored even after a forced shutdown. You can check this in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Auto-run.

Method 1: Standard Closing through the Multitasking Menu

The most obvious method is to use a multitasking gesture, and on all modern Xiaomi (since MIUI 10), the algorithm is the same:

1. Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold your finger for 0.5 seconds to open the multitasking menu.
2. Find the card of the desired application.
3. Swipe it up (on MIUI 12+) or left/right (on MIUI 9-11).

Some models (such as the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra or POCO X4 Pro) support the “close everything” gesture:

• 👆 Click on the cross icon" (✕) at the bottom right of the multitasking menu.
• 👆 Or swipe left/right on the screen with two fingers held (configured in Settings). → Special facilities → Gestures).

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 13+ and the Snapdragon processor 8 Gen 1/2 (for example, Xiaomi 12S Ultra, a standard swipe may not kill the process completely. 10-15 to quickly reopen.To avoid this, use a forced stop (see Method) 3).

Method 2: Closing through the notification panel

Some apps (e.g. Google Maps, Spotify, or Mi Fit) continue to work in the background even after swiping in multitasking, and can be closed through the notification bar:

1. Pull down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Find a notification from the desired app (e.g., Spotify’s Music Playback).
3. Swipe the notification left or right.
4. Click on “Close” or “Stop” (if a pop-up appears).

This method is effective for:

• 🎵 Music players (Spotify, YouTube Music, Mi Music).
• 📍 Navigation applications (Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator).
• 🏃‍♂️ Fitness trackers (Mi Fit, Zepp Life, Strava).

💡

If the notification doesn't disappear after the swipe, then the application has the "Work in the background" rights. Turn them off in Settings → Applications → Application Management → [App name] → Battery → Background work.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 And more recently, some system notifications (e.g., from com.miui.securitycenter) can't be closed in the standard way. 1-2 In this case, only disabling notifications for a specific application in the settings will help.

Method 3: Forced stop through settings

If the application does not close with standard methods, use a forced stop. This is guaranteed to kill all processes, but can lead to the loss of unsaved data.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the desired application from the list (or use the search).
3. Press "Forced Stop" (button at the bottom of the screen).
4. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

On MIUI 12-15, the path may be slightly different:

💡

Forced stops reset all unsaved data in the app, for example, in Google Docs you lose unsaved text, and in Instagram - a draft of the story.

⚠️ Note: On devices with a MediaTek processor (e.g., Redmi Note 11 or POCO M4 Pro) Forced shutdown can cause freezes if the application is integrated into the system (e.g., com.miui.gallery).In this case, it is better to use autostart lock (see Method 5).

Method 4: Use of the "Distractless" (DND) mode

If the app is constantly sending notifications and disrupting work, but you don’t want to close it completely (for example, WhatsApp or Viber), use the “Do Not Disturb” (DND) mode.

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → No distractions.
2. Select "Setting up the rules."
3. Create a new rule or edit an existing one.
4. In the "Applications" section, add the necessary programs to the blacklist.
5. Activate the mode through the notification panel (icon) 🌙).

Advantages of this method:

• ⏸️ The application remains in memory, but does not consume the battery for background tasks.
• 🔔 Notifications are blocked, but you can see them in the Notification Journal".
• 🔄 Easy to cancel - just disconnect DND.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI For the global market (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Pro regime DND This may conflict with Google Play Services, causing delays in delivering push notifications (up to 30 minutes).To avoid this, add com.google.android.gms to the exclusion list.

Method 5: Block Autostart and Background Activity

If the app is constantly restarting itself, you need to turn off auto-start and background activity, which is especially true for “heavy” programs like Facebook, TikTok or AliExpress.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the appropriate application.
3. Open the Battery section.
4. Turn off the options: 🔄 Auto-start; 🔋 Working in the background; 📶 Mobile data in the background (if used).

Return to the main menu of the application and click "Limit background activity".

For mass shutdown of autostart:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Autorun.
2. Sort the applications by the date of last use.
3. Turn off autoplay for unnecessary programs (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Browser, Cleaner).

💡

On the POCO F4 GT and other gaming devices, disable autoplay for com.miui.gamebooster if you are not using game mode. This will free up to 200 MB of RAM.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling autoruns for system applications (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter or com.android.phone) may result in:

- Loss of push notifications;

Incorrect operation of the mobile network;

- Mistakes in updating MIUI.

Settings → About the phone → Backup

Method 6: Using ADB for deep closing (for advanced)

If standard methods do not help (for example, on Xiaomi Black Shark or the other hand, the same is true). POCO F3 GT with customized firmware, you can use ADB-This is a way of coercing the killing of processes, and it requires a computer connection.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in the device.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

FAQ: Answers to popular questions