How to Close Background Apps on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Why are the background apps slowing down Xiaomi?

Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi and POCO lines) are known for their MIUI optimization, but even they are slowing down over time, mainly because of the background apps that continue to work after closing, they consume RAM, processor and battery power even when you are not using them.

Unlike iOS, where the system aggressively suspends unused programs, Android (especially on Xiaomi) often leaves them in “sleep” mode, which is done for convenience — so that applications open faster when they are re-started. But if there are too many of these processes, the phone will spontaneously reload pages in the browser, lie down when scrolling and warm up for no reason.

In this article, we’ll break down all the working ways to close your Xiaomi background apps, including hidden MIUI settings that are not obvious to most users.

Method 1: Standard Closing through the Multitasking Menu

The easiest method is to use the built-in menu of recent apps, which works on all Xiaomi models, from the Redmi Note 8 to the Xiaomi 14 Pro:

1. Open the multitasking menu – swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold for 0.5 seconds (on older versions of MIUI – click on the square navigation button).
2. Find an unnecessary app – scroll the list left/right.
3. Close it - swipe the card up (on some firmware - down or sideways).

⚠️ Important: This method does not guarantee complete shutdown – some system applications (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter) will automatically restart in a few minutes.

Close all applications in multitasking|Reboot the phone|Disable Auto-Run for Unnecessary Programs|Check the Battery section for active processes-->

The newer versions of MIUI (14+) have a Clean Everything button in the bottom right corner of the multitasking menu, which closes all user applications at once, but does not touch system services (such as Google Play Services or Mi Cloud).

Method 2: Forced Stop through Application Settings

If an application persists in not closing through multitasking, it can be forced to stop in settings, which works even for system utilities (but beware - some of them are critical for the phone to work).

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want from the list (use search if it’s not in the visible area).
3. Press Forced Stop (the button will only be active if the application is running in the background).
4. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

⚠️ Note: Do not stop system processes with the names android., miui. or com.qualcomm. – this can lead to the crash of the interface or loss of the mobile network.

Once forced to stop, the app won’t work until you open it again or the phone restarts, a method that is effective for “heavy” programs like Facebook, Instagram, or games that continue to consume resources even when they’re folded.

Method 3: Clean RAM through the notification panel (MIUI 12+)

In MIUI 12 and later, a quick way to free RAM right from the notification panel has emerged, which doesn’t shut down applications completely, but only frees up the memory they’re occupied, which is sometimes enough to speed things up.

How to use:

1. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Find the RAM Cleanup widget (if there isn’t one, click on the pencil in the top right corner and add it manually).
3. Touch the widget – the system will show how much memory can be released.
4. Press Clean (usually released 300-800 MB).

This method does not replace the complete closure of applications, but it is useful for quick refreshment of the system without rebooting, for example, if the phone began to slow down while watching YouTube videos.

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If the "RAM Cleanup" widget disappears after the reboot, fix it: press and hold the icon, then drag to the "Accessed widgets" section in the notification panel editor.

Method 4: Disable Auto-Run for Unnecessary Applications

Many apps (especially social media and instant messengers) are automatically triggered when you turn on your phone or connect to the Internet, which is one of the main reasons why background processes accumulate so quickly. MIUI has a hidden setting that allows you to disable auto-runs for individual programs.

How to do this:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as TikTok or AliExpress).
3. Go to the Battery section (or Auto Run on some firmware).
4. Turn off the options: 🔄 Auto-start 🔌 Secondary Launch (allows launch from other applications) 📶 Working in the background

⚠️ Warning: Disabling autorun for instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) will delay notifications (they will only come when you manually open the application.

Once you turn off auto-run, you can still open apps manually, but they won't hang in the background after you close, which greatly reduces the load on the system.

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Turning off autoplay is the most effective way to reduce the number of background processes in the long run, repeating the procedure for all unnecessary applications (especially games and social networks).

Method 5: Use of No Distractions (MIUI 13+)

Newer versions of MIUI have introduced a No Distraction mode (analogue to Focus Mode in pure Android), which not only blocks notifications, but also suspends background applications, except for critical ones (calls, SMS).

How to turn on:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Mode “No Distractions”.
2. Choose Set up the rules.
3. Activate options: 🛑 Suspend background processes 🔔 Disable all notifications (optional) ⏳ Set a timer (for example, for 2 hours)

Start

In this mode, the phone will work much faster, since most applications are completely frozen.

• 📵 Messengers will not update chats in the background.
• 🎵 Music apps (like Spotify) will stop playing tracks after the screen is locked.
• 📍 Maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator) will not track the location.

The mode is useful when you need to free up resources urgently, for example, before launching a heavy game or shooting a video in 4K.

Additional tips for experienced users

If standard methods don't work, you can use advanced tools, they require caution, but they give you better results.

Another advanced method is to use applications to monitor processes such as:

• 📊 Greenify (requires root for full functionality) – freezes unnecessary apps.
• 🔍 Simple Task Killer – allows you to close processes on schedule.
• 🛠️ SD Maid – clears cache and stops background services.

⚠️ Warning: Forced process closure apps can increase battery consumption as Android will constantly restart stopped services.

For Xiaomi models with root rights (for example, after unlocking the bootloader), even deeper settings are available through the Xposed Framework or Magisk. However, this is a topic for a separate article - wrong actions can lead to a device "brick".

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many Xiaomi users make the same mistakes when trying to close their background apps.

1. Closing all processes in a row leads to restarting system services, which only increases the workload.
2. Using Google Play "optimizers" - most of these apps (Clean Master, DU Speed Booster) become the source of background activity themselves. MIUI already has built-in cleaning tools.
3. Turn off the cache for all applications – cache speeds up the re-run of programs. Clear it selectively (in Settings → Storage).
4. Constant cleaning of RAM – if you do this too often, the system will waste resources on rebooting processes.

Another common problem is that apps reappear in the background after cleaning up.

• 🔄 Auto-start (see Method 4).
• 🤝 Secondary launch (when one app launches another, for example, Facebook opens Facebook Messenger).
• 📱 Push notifications (they activate the application even if it is closed).

If after all the manipulations the phone still brakes, check:

• 🔋 Battery condition (worn battery causes performance drawdowns).
• 📉 Loading the CPU to Settings → The phone. → Status of the system.
• 🦠 Viruses (use Mi Security or Malwarebytes).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions