Long screenshot on Xiaomi MIUI 12: 4 proven ways

Making long screenshots (or scrolling screenshots) on Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 smartphones is a challenge that many users face, a feature that is indispensable when you need to save an entire web page, a correspondence in a messenger or a long list in an application. However, not everyone knows that MIUI 12 has several ways to create such screenshots at once, from embedded tools to third-party solutions.

In this article, we’ll go through all the available techniques, including the hidden features that work even on the budget models of Redmi and POCO. You’ll learn how to get around the limitations of the standard tool, which applications are best used for advanced features, and why sometimes a long screenshot is cropped, and also how to keep the result in high resolution without loss of quality.

If you've tried to take a scrolling shot before, but you didn't, it's probably the settings or firmware version that's the problem. MIUI 12 supports this feature on most devices, but with some nuances. For example, models with 4GB of RAM and below, you might experience slowdowns when processing long pages. We'll show you how to avoid this.

Before you go to the instructions, make sure that your smartphone has the current version of MIUI. Check this in the Settings menu → About Phone → MIUI version. If updates are available, install them, as new builds often fix bugs with screenshots.

1. Standard method through the notification panel

The easiest way to capture a long screenshot in MIUI 12 is to use a built-in tool that appears immediately after a normal screenshot, which works on most models, including the Redmi Note 9, POCO X3 and Mi 10T, but has a length limit on the content you capture.

To take a scrolling screenshot:

1. Open the desired page or app (for example, a website in Chrome or a chat in Telegram).
2. Take a regular screenshot with a combination of buttons Volume down + Nutrition.
3. Right after the shot, there's a thumbnail at the bottom of the screen.
4. In the editor that opens, click on the Scroll icon (two arrows down).
5. Wait until the system automatically scrolls through the page and collects a screenshot.
6. Save the result with the Ready button.

⚠️ Note: If the Scroll button is inactive or not, the app does not support this feature, for example, in Instagram or some games, long screenshots cannot be taken due to developer restrictions.

Also, consider that the standard MIUI 12 tool captures content only within one screen + a little scrolling. For very long pages (for example, a VKontakte feed or a Wikipedia article), it is better to use alternative methods, which will be discussed later.

2. Long screenshot via Reading mode

Few people know, but MIUI 12 has a hidden feature to create scrolling screenshots through Read mode, which works in Mi Browser and some other text-based apps, and the main advantage is that you can capture the full version of the page, including the part that hasn't yet been loaded onto the screen.

Step instructions:

1. Open the desired web page in Mi Browser.
2. Slap the icon. ⋮ (three points) in upper right corner.
3. Select Read Mode (if not, update your browser).
4. Take a regular screenshot with a combination of buttons.
5. In the screenshot editor, click on the scroll icon – the system will capture all text content.

This is especially useful for saving articles, news or instructions, where it is important to capture all text without cropping, but it is not suitable for social networks, instant messengers or applications with dynamic content.

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If the Read mode is not displayed, try turning it on in the browser settings: Settings → Additional → Read mode

3. Use of third-party applications

When the built-in MIUI 12 tools fail, third-party tools come to the rescue, offering advanced features like capturing ultra-long pages, editing screenshots, saving to PDF, and even text recognition, and we tested some popular apps and selected the best ones for Xiaomi users.

Top.-3 long-screen applications:

• 📱 LongShot — supports automatic scrolling in most applications, there is a feature of stitching several screenshots into one.
• 🌐 Scroll Capture, which specializes in web pages, saves screenshots in high resolution, even works with a very high-resolution screenshot. AMP-page-page.
• 📝 Stitch & Share – allows you to manually select areas to capture, suitable for non-standard scrolling applications (such as TikTok or YouTube).

Before installing, check the permissions of the application. Some utilities require access to Special Scrolling Opportunities to provide it:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Special Opportunities Services.
2. Find the name of the application for screenshots in the list.
3. Activate the switch.

⚠️ Note: Apps from unverified sources may contain malicious code. Install software only from Google Play and check user reviews. On Xiaomi smartphones with a lock installation from unknown sources (Settings from unknown sources) → Confidentiality → Install Unknown Applications – First Allow Installation APK-file.

Check reviews and rankings on Google Play

Download only the official version

Provide access to “Special Opportunities”

Disable battery optimization for the application

Create a backup copy of important data-->

4. Hidden method through ADB (for advanced users)

If you need to take a long screenshot in an application that blocks standard methods (such as banking programs or some games), you can use USB debugging and ADB command. This method requires a connection to a computer, but it works in 90% of cases.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and package ADB Tools.
• 📱 Smartphone with enabled debugging USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times on the build number, then return to Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command line (Win + R → cmd) and type: Adb devices Make sure the device is defined.
3. Run screen capture with a scrolling command: adb exec-out uiautomator dump /sdcard/window.xml && adb pull /sdcard/window.xml This will save the current screen structure to the window.xml file.
4. Use specialized utilities (such as Android Screen Monitor) to convert the dump into a screenshot.

This is more complicated than others, but it's the only one that works in secure applications, but note that some banks block access to their programs when USB debugging is enabled.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, MIUI 12 users sometimes encounter errors in long screenshots, and we've collected some of the most common problems and ways to fix them.

Another common complaint is that long screenshots are not saved to the gallery, due to the features of MIUI 12, where temporary files sometimes remain in the Pictures/Screenshots/temp folder.

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Explorer).
2. Go to /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots/.
3. Check the temp folders or long_screenshot.

If the screenshot is not saved anyway, try changing the format of the save in the camera settings or disable the storage optimization (Settings → Storage → Free up space → Optimization).

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Before you create a long screenshot of important information (such as bank data), turn off cloud sync in the gallery to avoid leakage.

6. Optimizing and editing long screenshots

Taking a long screenshot is only half the battle, often cutting off the extra elements, adding notes, or converting the image into a convenient format, and MIUI 12 has a built-in editor, but it's limited. Let's look at how to improve the result.

Built-in editing tools:

• ✂️ Trimming: available immediately after you take a screenshot, you can remove unnecessary parts from the top or bottom.
• 🖍️ Drawing – adding arrows, text, or highlighting in color (useful for instructions).
• 📄 Keeping in PDF — If you need to send a screenshot by mail or print.

For advanced editing, we recommend:

• 🎨 Adobe Photoshop Express – allows you to adjust brightness, contrast and add filters.
• 📏 Photo & Picture Resizer – Reduces the weight of the file without loss of quality.
• 🔍 Google Lens – recognizes text in a screenshot for copying or translating.

If you need to combine multiple screenshots into one (for example, to create a step-by-step instruction), use:

1. Photo Grid (Collage mode) application.
2. The online service img2go.com (supports the JPG/PNG/PDF format).
3. Built-in Google Photos editor (Create → Collage function).

⚠️ Note: When trimming long screenshots in format JPEG You can lose quality. Always use the small text to save details. PNG.

7. Alternative methods for specific cases

Sometimes standard methods don't work because of content or system limitations, like how to take a long screenshot in Instagram Stories or in a vertical scrolling game? There are workarounds for these cases.

Methods for non-standard situations:

• 🎮 Games and 3D-Applications: Use screen recording (Settings) → Additionally. → Screen recording), then extract the footage through the video editor. AZ Screen Recorder allows you to take pictures while recording.
• 📊 Tables and documents: Google Docs/Sheets export the file to PDF, Then convert to an image. In Microsoft Office, use Screenshot in the Insert menu.
• 📱 Restricted social media: On Instagram or TikTok, take a series of normal screenshots, then merge them into LongShot. For Stories, use the second account and the Save As feature (but this violates the platform's rules).

Another method available for Xiaomi root-rights owners is the use of a Magisk module called ScreenMaster, which allows you to take screenshots of any length, including secure applications, but requires an unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk Manager.

If you often work with long screenshots, consider buying a stylus (such as the Xiaomi Smart Pen), which makes it easier to highlight the desired snippets and add notes manually.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions