How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi Redmi 9: all ways

Smartphone owners are constantly faced with the need to save information displayed on the display, whether it is a correspondence in the messenger, an interesting post on the social network or an error in the application, sometimes you need to instantly capture the image. Xiaomi Redmi 9 offers many options for solving this problem, far beyond the standard combination of buttons, which users of old Android devices are used to.

The MIUI interface on this device provides flexible tools for multimedia. You can use swipes, voice commands, or even finger-drawing, and understanding all the techniques available will allow you to act as efficiently as possible in any situation, whether it's taking a quick one-handed shot or taking a long scrolling shot of a web page.

In this article, we will take a look at every available way to create screenshots, and we will also look at the settings that will help automate the process. We will find out where the received files are stored and how to edit them right at the time of creation. It is important to note that some functions may require pre-activation in the system settings menu. Let's move from theory to practice and master all the nuances of working with the screen of your gadget.

Classical method using physical buttons

The most reliable and time-tested method, even when the touch layer is temporarily unresponsive or the system is unstable, requires the use of mechanical elements of the smartphone body to implement this method, a universal solution that is relevant for the vast majority of Android devices, including models of the Redmi line.

To take a screenshot, you need to press two buttons at the same time: the volume down button and the power button. The location of the keys on the Xiaomi Redmi 9 is standard: both are on the right side of the case. The press should be brief and synchronous. If you press them too long, instead of a screenshot, the device switch off or restart menu will start.

The success of the operation is confirmed by the characteristic sound of the camera shutter (if the sound is not turned off) and a visual flash of the screen. In the upper corner of the display, a thumbnail of the image will appear that can be immediately edited or sent, this method is especially convenient when the phone is in a horizontal position, for example, while playing or watching a video.

If you are actively using the cover, make sure that the material is not too thick and allows you to clearly feel the click. In some cases, security accessories can make it difficult to press simultaneously, requiring more effort. Regular cleaning of the space around the keys from dust will also prolong their life.

Use of gestures and swipes in MIUI

The MIUI shell is famous for its clever gestures that dramatically speed up the interaction with the smartphone. One of the most convenient is the Three Fingers method, which is simple: you swipe three fingers down the screen, and the system instantly takes a screenshot, which is ideal for use with one hand or when the other is busy.

However, by default, this feature can be disabled. To activate it, go to the settings, select "Additional Features", and then find "Screenshots" and check the box against the "Three fingers" option. Once enabled, try swiping your fingers through any menu, and you'll see the convenience of this method immediately.

⚠️ Attention: The three finger gesture may conflict with other actions in some applications, such as graphics editors or multi-touch games. If you notice random screenshots while playing, it is better to temporarily disable the function.

And you can also activate the Floating Window in the same settings menu, and when you take a screenshot by any method, you get a thumbnail on the screen, and if you click on it, you open an editing menu where you can immediately crop the image, draw an arrow, or add text, and you don't have to open the gallery and search for the file separately.

There's another hidden gesture that's available on some versions of the firmware, and if you have screenshots on the screen, you can tap your knuckle on the screen, which requires a certain amount of skill and doesn't always work with thick protective glass, but it's a great alternative if you don't have other tools.

Voice control via Google Assistant

Modern smartphones, including the Xiaomi Redmi 9, have powerful voice control capabilities, not just a fashion homage, but a real working tool, especially when the user’s hands are busy or dirty, and call the assistant with the phrase “OK, Google” or a long push of the button home (if configured).

Once you activate the voice assistant, simply say "Take a screenshot" or "Screenshot of the screen." The system recognizes the request and performs the action automatically, a technique that is particularly useful for people with disabilities or in situations where physical interaction with the screen is difficult.

To properly operate voice control, you need to make sure that the Google account settings allow the use of an assistant on a locked screen (if required) and that the microphone is working properly, and it is also worth checking whether there is a stable Internet connection, since voice commands are often processed on the company's servers.

Voice input saves time in complex scenarios. Imagine you're reading a long article and you need to capture a particular moment, but the buttons are busy holding the device. Voice command solves this problem instantly. However, in noisy places or quiet libraries, this method may be less convenient because of the need to speak out loud.

Extended screenshot and multitasking menu

One of the features of MIUI is the ability to create long screenshots, or scrolling shots, which is essential when you want to save the entire correspondence, the long web page or the contact list. The standard image captures only the visible area, but the advanced mode allows you to "scroll" the content down.

To use this feature, first take a regular screenshot in any convenient way. Immediately after that, a thumbnail plaque will appear in the upper right corner. Click on it, and in the edit menu that opens, select the button with the down arrow or the words "Scroll". The phone will automatically start scrolling the page and glue the image.

You can stop it at any time by touching the screen, it can determine the end of the content, or the moment you decide to interrupt the capture, and the resulting long image is stored in the gallery as a single file, which is very convenient for later reading or printing.

Also worth mentioning is the multitasking menu, which is that if you click on the Menu button (the box at the bottom of the screen or the latency swipe), the open app list may have a scissors or camera icon next to the application window, and if you click on it, you'll also get a screenshot of the current status of the app, which is less popular, but is eligible as a backup.

Set up and edit screenshots

Once an image is created, the system offers basic editing tools. In Xiaomi Redmi 9, the built-in editor allows you to framing, draw figures, add text and blur sensitive data, which are available immediately after you create a picture via a pop-up notification.

To get a deeper setup of the screenshot creation process, go to the settings section. The path usually looks like: Settings → Additional Features → Screenshots. Here you can change the save format (although it is JPG by default), set the capture area for the Three Fingers mode, and turn on the audio.

Editing is not just aesthetically important, it's also security-related. Before you send a screenshot of your correspondence or map data to a chat, make sure you use a blur or cut tool to prevent personal information from leaking. The built-in MIUI tools do it in a high-quality and fast way.

⚠️ Note: When editing screenshots with sensitive information, make sure that the blur layer completely covers the text. Sometimes, with a strong zoom, the source data can shine through if a translucent brush was used.

The file path to it in the file system is usually /DCIM/Screenshots or /Pictures/Screenshots. Knowing this path, you can quickly find the desired images through any file manager by connecting the phone to your computer, or set them up to automatically sync with the cloud.

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Use the PNG format for text screenshots. You can choose the save format in the settings. PNG provides better font quality and fine detail clarity compared to JPG, although it takes up a little more space.

Where to find and how to manage saved images

All the screenshots you create are automatically fed into the Gallery app, and they're usually grouped into a separate album called Screenshots, which makes it easier to search, because you don't have to go through the shared feed of all the photos that the camera took, and the system sorts them by date.

Inside the album, images can be sorted, deleted or moved to other folders. If you use cloud services like Google Photos or Mi Cloud, screenshots can also sync with them, ensuring that even if you lose or break the Xiaomi Redmi 9, important information is not lost.

It's useful to watch this album periodically for memory management. Screenshots often take up a significant amount of space, especially if you take long, high-resolution scrolling shots. Regularly cleaning this section will help make room for new apps and photos.

If you don't like the standard gallery, you can use third-party file managers to see the exact size of each file, the date of change, and other technical information, which is useful when looking for a specific screenshot taken months ago when visual memory is already failing.

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Regularly cleaning the folder with screenshots is the best way to maintain order in the gallery and save space on the internal drive of the smartphone.