How to Take a Big Screenshot on Xiaomi: 5 Ways to Work

Taking a long screenshot on a Xiaomi phone is a challenge that many users face. A standard screenshot captures only the visible part of the screen, but what if you want to save an entire web page, correspondence in the messenger or a long list in the application? In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to create extended screenshots on devices with a MIUI shell (versions 12-15), including hidden functions and third-party solutions.

It's important to understand that not all methods work equally well on different models. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 and POCO X5, the algorithm may differ from the Xiaomi 13 Ultra because of the differences in firmware. We tested each method on several devices and collected only those that are guaranteed to work in 2026. If you tried to swipe a screenshot and nothing worked, don't worry, then you will find alternatives.

Also note that some applications (such as banking or DRM-protected) can block the creation of screenshots, in which case only manually saving information or using a second device to take pictures of the screen will help.

1. Standard method: Scrolling screenshot in MIUI

The simplest method is the built-in long-screenshot feature, which was introduced in MIUI 9 and works on most modern devices, and it automatically captures scrollable content, but only in supported applications.

How to do this:

• 📱 First, take a regular screenshot: simultaneously press the power buttons + Reduce volume (on some models - power supply) + Home).
• 🔄 And right after you take the picture, you'll see a thumbnail at the bottom of the screen.
• 📜 In the top bar, find the Scrolling icon (or Long Screenshot) and click on it. The system will automatically scroll down the page and add new parts to the screenshot.
• ✂️ If necessary, cut off the extra elements and save the result.

It doesn’t work in all apps — for example, on Telegram or WhatsApp, it can only capture the visible chat area, and in Chrome or Mi Browser, it can capture the entire page. If the scrolling icon is inactive (grey), then the application does not support this method.

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If a long screenshot is incorrectly cropped, try scrolling the page manually to the end before creating a shot – this helps the system correctly determine the boundaries of content.

2.Use of gestures for a long screenshot

On devices with MIUI 12 and later, there is an alternative way to create extended images through gestures, which is convenient if the physical buttons on your Xiaomi do not work or you are used to running your phone with swipes.

Algorithm of action:

1. Open the desired application and scroll through the content before the beginning of the area you want to capture.
2. Swipe your finger across the screen from top to bottom as if you were opening the notification bar, but don’t let go of your finger after touching.
3. In 1-2 seconds, you'll see an animation of the screenshot, and don't take your finger away, and it'll start scrolling automatically.
4. When you get to the end of the content, release the screen. The screenshot will be saved in the gallery.

This method doesn't work on all models -- for example, on POCO F4, it might not work if the gestures in the settings are disabled.

1. Go to Settings → Special features → Gestures.
2. Enable the Screenshot swipe down option (the title may differ).

3. Long screenshot via Scrolling Screenshot mode in MIUI tools

The latest versions of MIUI (starting with 14) introduced an advanced screenshot tool that allows you to manually control the capture process, a method that is suitable for applications where automatic scrolling is unstable.

Step-by-step:

• 📸 Take a regular screenshot in any convenient way.
• 🖼️ Slip on the thumbnail at the bottom of the screen to open the editor.
• 🔍 In the bottom panel, find the More icon (three dots) and select Scroll.
• 👆 The system will suggest you scroll through the content manually, slowly point your finger down the screen, holding it down, and let it go when you get to the end of the desired area.
• ✅ Click Ready to save the result.

The advantage of this method is that you can control the boundaries of the screenshot more precisely, for example, if automatic scrolling captures extra items (advertising or the bottom menu), manual mode allows you to exclude them.

4. Third-party apps for advanced screenshots

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t work, third-party tools come to the rescue, offering additional features such as latency capture, editing, cloud storage, and even recording scrolls in video.

Top.-3 Proven applications for long screenshots:

Before installing, check the permissions the application requests. If the utility requires access to Special Features or Overlays over other windows, that's fine, that's how the screen capture function is implemented. However, if the application requests access to SMS or contacts, that's a reason to be wary.

Make sure that the security settings allow sources outside of Google Play (if you download APK)

Check the reviews and rating of the application (minimum 4.0)

Turn off battery optimization for the app (Settings → Apps → Permissions → Battery Optimization)

Backup important data before installation

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5. Screenshot via ADB (for advanced users)

If you need to take a long screenshot on Xiaomi without root rights, but the standard methods don’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: go to Settings → About Phone and tap on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC through USB-cable and install drivers ADB (You can download from the official website).
4. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell uiautomator dump /sdcard/window.xml


adb pull /sdcard/window.xml




adb shell rm /sdcard/window.xml

This command will save the current state of the screen to a window.xml file. To create a screenshot of the scrollable area, you will need an additional script in Python or AutoHotkey that will emulate swipes and take a series of pictures.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB The wrong commands can cause system failures, do not connect your phone to unverified PCs to avoid data leakage.

6. Alternative methods: when nothing works

If none of the above methods helped, try the workarounds:

• 📸 Screen photography: Use a second phone or camera to take a picture of the screen. For better quality, turn on Document mode in the camera and use good lighting.
• 🖥️ Emulation on PC: Connect your phone to your computer via Mi PC Suite or Scrcpy and take a screenshot from the monitor. Scrcpy allows you to even record scrolling videos.
• 🔄 Plugging Screenshots: Take a few simple scrolling screenshots and glue them together into a single image via Photoshop, Paint.NET or online services like Img2Go.

For owners of Xiaomi with root rights, another way is available - using the Magisk module called ScreenShot_XL. It extends the standard system capabilities, but requires an unlocked bootloader and an installed Magisk Manager.

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If you often need long screenshots, consider buying a stylus-enabled phone (like the Xiaomi Pad 6).The stylus allows you to control the capture area more accurately and adds features like highlighting text directly in a screenshot.

FAQ: Frequent questions about long screenshots on Xiaomi