Long screenshot on Xiaomi Redmi 8: from standard features to hidden chips

How many times have you tried to capture an important correspondence, table or long web page on the Xiaomi Redmi 8 screen and got a cropped frame? A standard screenshot captures only the visible area of the screen, but a long (scrollable) screenshot allows you to save all the content as a whole, a feature that is especially relevant for owners of budget smartphones, where the manufacturer does not always pay attention to “advanced” chips.

In this article, we’ll look at all the working ways to create long screenshots on Redmi 8, from built-in MIUI tools to third-party applications with advanced capabilities, how to get around system limitations, what settings affect the quality of the final image, and why the feature sometimes fails to work, and a unique life hack to save screenshots in PDF format directly from a phone that few people know about.

1. Standard MIUI function: how to enable and use

Xiaomi Redmi 8 runs on the proprietary shell MIUI, where the function of long screenshots is implemented at the system level. However, not all users know how to activate it correctly. The main condition is that the function works only in applications with scrolling (browser, instant messengers, social networks) and requires pre-configuration.

To take a long screenshot in the standard way:

• 📱 First, take a regular screenshot: press the power buttons + Turning down the volume by 1-2 seconds.
• 🔄 Immediately after the appearance of the thumbnail in the lower right corner of the screen, tap it on it.
• 📜 In the editor that opens, select the Scrolling option (or Long Screenshot depending on the version). MIUI).
• ✅ Wait until the system automatically scrolls through the page and combines the frames.

Make sure the content is fully loaded (no white spots)

Turn off traffic savings in the browser

Close all pop-up windows and banners

Check the available space on the device (minimum 50 MB)

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Important: the feature may not work in some apps (like Instagram or TikTok due to developer restrictions), nor does MIUI support scrolling upwards - just downwards from the current screen position. If you need to capture content above, first scroll manually to the desired location.

⚠️ Attention: In versions MIUI below 12.0.3 long screenshots are saved in.jpg format with loss of quality. To save in.png, update the firmware or use third-party utilities.

2 Why a long screenshot doesn't work: Common mistakes

If you click on the Scrolling option and nothing happens or the screenshot ends in the middle, the problem is one of three things: MIUI version, source app, or hardware constraints. Let's look at each case.

Another common mistake is to try to take a long screenshot in Google Maps or Yandex.Maps, which blocks scrolling because of the protection of map data, in which case only manually combining several screenshots in a graphics editor (for example, Photoshop Mix or PicsArt) will help.

MIUI 12 and higher

MIUI 11

MIUI 10 or lower

I don't know.

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Third-party applications: TOP-3 utility for long screenshots

If the built-in MIUI feature is not good for quality or functionality, look at third-party applications. We tested dozens of utilities and selected three of the most reliable solutions that work on Redmi 8 without root rights.

1. LongShot — Scrolling Screenshot (🌟 Rating 4.7)

• 🔹 Automatic and manual scrolling with speed setting.
• 🔹 Support for.pdf and.png without loss of quality.
• 🔹 Built-in editor for cropping and adding annotations.
• 🔹 It works even in secure applications (for example, in Telegram Secret Chats).

2. Stitch & Share (🌟 Rating 4.5)

• 🔹 Combining multiple screenshots into one long frame.
• 🔹 Support for vertical and horizontal orientation.
• 🔹 Export to Google Drive and Dropbox directly from the app.
• 🔹 Free version without ads (limited to 5 screenshots per day).

3. Screen Master (🌟 Rating 4.3)

• 🔹 Capture the entire web page (including dynamic content).
• 🔹 Smart Scroll option for adaptive scrolling.
• 🔹 Built-in OCR screenshot.
• 🔹 Support for gestures (such as shaking for quick grip).

💡

Before installing third-party apps, check permissions in Settings → Apps → Permissions. Disable contact and SMS access – for long screenshots, it is not necessary, but some utilities request it “just in case”.

All three apps are available on Google Play, but for Redmi 8, we recommend downloading them via APKMirror to get the latest versions without regional restrictions. Remember that some utilities may conflict with the built-in MIUI feature, so restart your phone before using it.

4 Hidden Chips: How to Save a Screenshot in a PDF or Manually Combine It

Few people know that Xiaomi Redmi 8 can save long screenshots in.pdf format without third-party applications.

1. Take a long screenshot in the standard way (see section 1).
2. Open it in the gallery and tap it to edit.
3. Select the option Export as PDF (in some versions of MIUI it is called Save as a document).
4. Specify the folder to save (we recommend choosing Documents for convenience).

This method allows us to create PDF-files that save hyperlinks (if the screenshot is from a web page) and text layers to search, but there is a limitation: maximum size PDF — 10MB. For large documents, you will need to use Adobe Scan or CamScanner.

If you need to combine multiple screenshots manually (for example, because of blocking scroll in the app), use the built-in tool Collage in the Xiaomi Gallery:

1. Open the gallery and select screenshots (click the first, then mark the rest).
2. Slip again. → Collage.
3. Select the vertical template and adjust the order of frames.
4. Save the result as a single image.

5. Quality Optimization: Settings for the Perfect Screenshot

Even if you managed to take a long screenshot, the quality of the screenshot can be disappointing: blurry fonts, compression artifacts or incorrect colors, due to automatic MIUI settings. To improve the result, follow the following steps:

1. Change the format of the save:

• Go to Settings → Additional → Screenshots.
• Choose the PNG format over JPEG (even if it takes up more space).
• Activate the High Quality option (can be called Lossless).

2. Adjust the screen resolution:

• In Settings → Display → Screen resolution set FHD+ (2340×1080).
• Turn off adaptive brightness – it can distort colors in screenshots.

3. Optimize productivity:

• Close all background applications before capture (use RAM Cleanup in the notification curtain).
• Activate Performance Mode in Settings → Battery and Performance.

💡

For screenshots with small text (such as tables or code), zoom in before capture. In Chrome, this is done by a pinch gesture or through a menu. ⋮ → Scope.

If you often take screenshots for print or professional use, consider connecting Redmi 8 to a PC via scrcpy - this software allows you to capture the phone's screen in maximum resolution without loss of quality.

1. Install scrcpy from the official website (https://genymotion.github.io/scrcpy/)


2. Connect Redmi 8 to USB with debugging enabled (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap → Back to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging by USB)




3. Run scrcpy in the terminal:




scrcpy --bit-rate 8M --max-size 1920

6. Alternative methods: without root and without applications

If you do not install additional utilities, and the built-in MIUI function does not cope, there are two workarounds:

Method 1: Use of Google Assistant

• 🗣️ Activate Google Assistant with a voice command: OK, Google, take a screenshot".
• 📄 After the capture, say: "Share how to share." PDF" — The assistant automatically converts the screenshot into a document.
• 🔗 Send the file to your email or save it to Google Drive.

Method 2: Web services for capturing pages

Online tools like Webpage to Image or Screenshot Guru are suitable for web pages:

1. Open the desired page in the browser.
2. Copy. URL-address.
3. Insert it on the service website and select the Full Page Screenshot option.
4. Download the results to your phone.

⚠️ Note: Online services may store copies of your screenshots on their servers, and do not use them to capture sensitive information (logins, passwords, bank details).

Another trick to capture instant messaging (like WhatsApp or Viber) is to turn on Developer Mode and activate the option Don’t Turn Off the Screen. Then manually scroll through the chat, taking screenshots at regular intervals, and combine them into Google Photos (Animation or Collage).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions