How to turn off the app on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi’s mobile devices are famous for their performance and rich functionality of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS. However, even on powerful smartphones, sometimes there are situations when the running program stops responding to touch, “hangs” or consumes too many resources in the background. At such moments, a simple click of the home button or swipe does not help, and the user wonders how to forcefully complete the process to return the gadget to normal operation.

There are several effective ways to force malfunctioning software to stop, such as a standard multitasking menu, a system settings section, or even using special commands for advanced users, and understanding how to turn off the app correctly will not only help to eliminate the current failure, but also save battery power by preventing the device from heating up.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods of stopping processes, from simple one-touch actions to using engineering menus, where you should simply close the tab and when you need a full forced stop through system parameters, and we will discuss why some processes cannot be completed in the usual ways and the risks of interfering with system services.

Using the Multitasking Menu to Close Programs

The most obvious and frequently used method is to refer to the menu of recent tasks. On Xiaomi smartphones with the shell MIUI and HyperOS, this interface allows you not only to switch between running programs, but also completely close them.

Once you open the list, you'll see cards of all active programs. To close one of them, just swipe the card up or click the cross in the corner if it's displayed. However, it's worth considering that this is not always "forced" in the full sense of the word. The system can automatically restart background services after a while if they're important for notifications or synchronization.

For deeper closure, some firmware versions have an extended menu available, and if you hold your finger on your app card or click on the lock icon (if any), you can access additional options, including locking from closing or going into settings, which is useful when you need to quickly free up RAM before launching a demanding game.

• 📱 Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to call the task menu.
• ❌ Find the card of the hung application and swipe it up.
• 🔒 Use a lock to protect important programs from accidental closure.
• 🧹 Click the Clean button (broom) to close all background processes at once.

⚠️ Closing all applications via the clean button can lead to increased battery consumption in the first minutes after that, as the system will have to reload the necessary components into RAM.

Forced Stop through System Settings

When the program interface is completely locked and the multitasking menu does not respond, the only reliable way is to access the system settings. This method allows you to execute a forced stop command, which breaks all the connection of the process with the system. To go to the desired section, you need to open the Settings of the smartphone and find the "Applications" item.

In the list of installed programs, find the problem application. This can take time if you have a lot of software installed, so you can use the search bar at the top of the screen. Once you log in to the application card, you will see a Stop or Forced Stop button, and clicking on it will cause a system warning, as this action may cause the program to malfunction the next time you start.

It's important to understand the difference between a routine shutdown and a forced shutdown. In the first case, the app is simply removed from the active task list, but its services can continue to work. In the second case, the Android operating system completely kills the process, clears the RAM it occupies and stops all related services. This is a radical measure that helps with the interface freezes.

• 🛠 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
• 🔍 Find the name of the problem program in the list.
• 🛑 Press the red “Stop” button and confirm the action.
• 🔄 After stopping, the “Open” button will become active, allowing you to restart the software.

Sometimes the Stop button may be inactive, meaning that the process is not currently running or is a critical system component that MIUI protects against closing, and may require a device reboot or more complex debugging tools.

Use debugging over USB and ADB commands

For advanced users who want to gain full control of the device, there is a method of using the Android debugging bridge (ADB), which allows you to send commands directly to the operating system, bypassing the graphical interface, and is especially useful when the touch screen is unresponsive or the system menu is not available.

To start, you need to activate the developer mode. → About phone and seven times quickly click on the build number (version) MIUI). Once you have a "You've become a developer" message, go back to the main settings menu, open "More" and find "Developers" and activate the "Debug by" switch. USB».

adb shell am force-stop com.example.package

Once you connect your smartphone to your computer and install the drivers, you can use the console to input the stop command. The key here is knowing the exact package name, which is often different from the name the user sees. For example, the system launcher may have the name com.miui.home, and the application store may have the name com.android.vending.

Using ADB requires caution. The wrong command can stop a critical system process, which will lead to a phone reboot or a “boot” (cyclical reboot).

• 💻 Connect your phone to your PC through the original USB-cable.
• ⌨️ Enter the adb device command to check the connection.
• 📦 Use the am force-stop command with the packet name.
• ✅ Wait for the command to be executed and check the result on the screen.

Comparison of closing methods of applications

The choice of how to close the program depends on the specific situation and the degree of “hang”. It is not always necessary to immediately resort to radical measures like debugging over USB. The table below compares the main methods, their effectiveness and potential risks to the device.

As you can see from the table, for everyday use, the best combination is swipes and a standard stop through settings. The ADB method should be left for emergency cases when the phone turns into a brick due to a single process. It is also worth considering that constant forced stop of applications can disrupt their normal operation, for example, stop receiving notifications from messengers.

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The optimal balance between performance and stability is achieved using MIUI tools, without the frequent use of third-party memory cleaners.

Cleaning cache and data when hanging

Often the reason for the freeze is not in the execution of the code itself, but in the accumulated temporary files or the damaged application database. In such cases, simply stopping the process may not help - the next time the error will repeat, and here comes the cache and data cleanup function located in the same settings menu as the stop button.

Clearing the cache removes temporary files that speed up the loading of frequently used items.This is a secure operation that does not affect your personal data, logins or passwords. However, clearing the data (or “Reset”) returns the application to a “post-installation” state, removing all settings, authorizations and stored information within the program.

⚠️ Note: Before performing a Clear Data reset, make sure you remember the password from your account in the app, as all local information will be permanently deleted.

To do the cleaning, go to Settings → Apps → [Application needed] → Memory. There you will see two buttons: Clear Cache and Clear Everything (or Reset). If the application is unstable, start by cleaning the cache. If that doesn't work, use a full reset. After that, it is recommended to restart the smartphone for correct application of the changes.

• 🗑 Click on “Clean Cache” to Remove Temporary Garbage.
• 💾 Use “Clean Everything” only if the cache doesn’t help.
• 🔁 Restart the device after the data reset.
• 📥 If necessary, re-authorize in the application.

Automation and third-party utilities

Xiaomi’s ecosystem allows not only manual control of processes, but also automate their closure. The built-in Security app has a “Acceleration” function that automatically closes background processes when a certain memory filling threshold is reached.

In the Battery and Performance section, you can select the mode of operation for each application: No Limits, Battery Savings, or Hard Savings. Selecting Hard Savings mode effectively equates to permanently turning off an application when it's not on the screen, which is useful for programs that you rarely use, but that are constantly hanging in the background.

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Set up AutoRun: Go to Security → Permissions → AutoRun and disable unnecessary programs so they don’t start themselves after the restart.

There are also third-party utilities from Google Play, such as Greenify or various Task Killers. However, experts do not recommend their active use on modern versions of Android and HyperOS. The system itself effectively manages memory, and aggressive “process killers” can, on the contrary, drain the battery, constantly forcing the processor to restart the stopped services.

The best approach is to properly configure the built-in MIUI mechanisms. Regularly check the autoload list, turn off unnecessary notifications and use energy saving mode for heavy gaming. This will ensure the stable operation of the smartphone without the need for constant manual intervention in the work of processes.