How to take a screenshot on a smartphone Xiaomi Mi: all ways from A to Z

Contents

• Standard method: power and volume buttons
• Screenshot gesture in MIUI: how to set up and use
• Google Voice Assistant: Handless Screenshots
• Quick Ball: A Floating Tool for Quick Access
• ADB-Teams: for advanced users
• Problem Solving: If Screenshots Are Not Saved
• Top.-3 applications for extended screenshots
• Frequent questions about screenshots on Xiaomi

Taking screenshots on Xiaomi Mi smartphones only seems like a simple task. In practice, users face nuances from broken keyboard shortcuts to missing screenshots. This article covers all the current ways to take a screenshot, from basic to hidden features of MIUI firmware, including solutions for models with physical buttons and fully touch controls.

We will focus on the unique Scrolling Screenshot feature in MIUI 14+, which automatically captures long pages (such as chats on Telegram or Instagram feeds) without having to glue images manually, and we will also discuss why standard methods may not work on some devices (such as Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra or POCO F4) and how to fix it.

1. Standard method: power and volume buttons

The classic method, which works on all Xiaomi models – from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Mi 13 Pro.

1. Open the screen that you want to capture.
2. At the same time, press the Power button (on/lock) and the Volume Down button.
3. Hold for 1-2 seconds until you hear the shutter sound or see the save animation.

On touch-button models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3), the combination remains the same, but requires more precise pressing due to lack of physical impact.

• 🔧 Check if the buttons are locked in the settings → Special facilities → Physical buttons.
• 📱 Make sure there are no low battery system notifications on the screen (they can block keyboard shortcuts).
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes crashes in the MIUI interfere with the correct operation of hot keys.

Where to look for saved screenshots? By default, they are placed in the DCIM → Screenshots or Pictures → Screenshots folder. On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global), the path may be different - use the built-in Explorer and search for the keyword "Screenshot".

⚠️ Note: On devices with encrypted storage (for example, after resetting to factory settings), screenshots may not appear in the gallery until you unlock the phone with a password.

2.Gestural for screenshot in MIUI: how to set up and use

MIUI offers a unique way to create screenshots without buttons, a three-finger gesture that is available on all devices starting with MIUI 9, but can be disabled by default.

To activate:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Button Gestures (on new versions, the path: Settings → Special features → Gesture for a screenshot).
2. Turn on the screenshot switch with three fingers.
3. Test: Swipe down the screen with three fingers at the same time.

Advantages of this method:

• 👆 Works on devices with faulty physical buttons.
• 🎯 More specifically, to capture specific moments (e.g., in games or videos).
• ⚡ Faster than the standard keyboard combination when trained.

On some models (such as the Xiaomi Mi 10T or POCO X3 Pro), the gesture may conflict with other features, such as the Swipe for Returns.

3. Google Voice Assistant: Handless Screenshots

If you need to take a screenshot without touching your phone (such as while cooking or playing sports), use voice commands via Google Assistant. This method works on all Xiaomi devices with Google services preinstalled.

Instructions:

1. Activate the voice assistant with the phrase “OK, Google” or hold the Home button (on older versions of MIUI).
2. Say, "Take a screenshot" or "Photograph the screen."
3. Confirm the action (if required).

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Does not work in applications with screenshot blocking (banks, some messengers).
• 🔇 Requires an active internet connection to process voice commands.
• 📵 On devices without Google services (e.g. Xiaomi for the Chinese market), replace the assistant with Xiao. AI (team: "").

💡

If the voice assistant doesn’t recognize the command, add it manually to Settings → Google → Assistant Settings → Commands.

For models with MIUI for Russia (for example, Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite NE), voice screenshots are also available through Alice from Yandex. However, there is a caveat: Yandex saves screenshots in its cloud, not locally on the device.

4.Quick Ball: Floating tool for quick access

Quick Ball is a floating panel from Xiaomi that provides quick access to key features including screenshots. Especially useful for devices with large screens (such as the Xiaomi Mi Max 3 or POCO M4 Pro 5G).

How to set up:

1. Open Settings → Special Options → Quick Ball
2. Turn on the switch and select Screenshot in the list of features.
3. Set up the transparency and position of the ball on the screen.

Use:

• 🎯 Tap Quick Ball and select the screenshot icon.
• 🔄 For a scrolling screenshot, hold the icon for 2 seconds.
• ⚡ Add other features (like Screen Recording or Quick Settings) for maximum efficiency.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI EU), Quick Ball may not be available. In this case, install it via Settings → Additional → Function Lab (reboot required).

💡

Quick Ball saves up to 40% of the time to take screenshots compared to standard methods (according to Xiaomi Lab tests).

5. ADB-Teams: for advanced users

If standard methods don’t work (e.g., on custom firmware or after resetting), you can take a screenshot via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires USB debugging enabled and is suitable for models like Xiaomi Mi A3 (with pure Android) or devices with an unlocked bootloader.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command in the terminal: adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screenshot.png
4. Download the file to your computer: adb pull /sdcard/screenshot.png

For scrolling screenshots through ADB, use scrcpy with the --capture option. Example command to capture a long page:

scrcpy --capture=/path/to/save.png --scroll

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB on devices with a locked bootloader (for example, the new Xiaomi) 13T) This could lead to data reset due to Xiaomi’s security policy.

6. Problem Solving: If Screenshots Are Not Saved

Typical reasons why screenshots may not be saved on Xiaomi:

• 🗑️ Memory Lack: Clear the cache in Settings → Storage or transfer files to SD-map.
• 🔒 Application Blocking: Banking programs (e.g. SberBank Online) or instant messengers (e.g. Snapchat) may prohibit screenshots.
• 🔧 Failure in MIUI: Reset the Gallery app settings in Settings → Annexes → Application management.
• 📱 Damaged File System: Run verification through Settings → Memory. → Verification and correction.

If screenshots are saved but not displayed in the gallery:

1. Check the DCIM/Screenshots folder through Explorer.
2. Update the media database with the team in ADB: adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE -d file:///sdcard/DCIM/Screenshots/
3. Install an alternative gallery (e.g. Google Photos or Simple Gallery).

On dual-devices SIM-For example, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+) Screenshots can be saved to different accounts. Check your sync settings in Settings → Accounts. → Xiaomi.

7. Top.-3 applications for extended screenshots

Standard MIUI tools are limited to basic features. For advanced tasks (such as delayed screenshots, annotations, or video capture), use third-party apps:

Before installing, check application permissions in Settings → Apps → Permissions. Some utilities (like Screenshot Easy) require access to Special Gesture Features.

⚠️ Note: Apps for screenshots from unofficial sources (APK-files) may contain malicious code. Install only from Google Play or Mi App Store.

8.Frequent questions about screenshots on Xiaomi