How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi 11: all the ways + mistake-making

Xiaomi 11 smartphones (including 11 Lite modifications, 11T, 11 Pro and 11 Ultra offer several built-in ways to create screenshots, from classic button combinations to innovative gestures. However, many users face difficulties: the key combination does not work because of the case, the gesture conflicts with other functions. MIUI, This is a screenshot that is saved to a folder that is not clear, and in this article we will look at all the current methods, including hidden firmware chips, and also solve typical problems, from the lack of a sound of a trigger to the inability to take a picture in games or banking applications.

The Xiaomi 11 lineup features scrollable screenshots (long screens) and integration with the Mi Cloud for automatic sync, but these features are often disabled by default or not working correctly. We will show you how to set them up, and we will also talk about third applications that extend the capabilities of the standard tool (for example, you can edit screenshots immediately after creation or add watermarks).

If you’ve just switched from an iPhone or other Android smartphone, note: in Xiaomi 11, button combinations may differ from the usual ones, and gestures depend on the version. MIUI (at the time of writing the article is relevant MIUI 14 based on Android 13. All instructions are verified on real devices - without theoretical assumptions.

1. Standard method: button combination

The most reliable and versatile method is the use of physical buttons, which works always, even if the touch screen is locked or not responding. On Xiaomi 11, you need to simultaneously press the screenshot:

• 🔘 Power button (right) + volume-reduce button (left).
• 🕒 Hold at least 0.5 seconds, but not longer than 2 seconds - otherwise shutdown / reboot will work.
• 🔊 You will hear the characteristic shutter sound (if not turned off) and see the save animation in the upper right corner.

This method is suitable for all Xiaomi 11 modifications, including 11 Lite. NE and 11T Pro. There are nuances, however:

• 🛡️ Some of the firmware (e.g. Global) ROM) Longer retention is required – up to 1 second.
• 🎮 In games (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile combination may conflict with game controls. The solution is to use gestures (see next section).
• 🔋 If the battery is under 5%, the screenshot function can be blocked by the system.

⚠️ Note: On the Xiaomi 11 Ultra with an optional display on the back, the button combination can accidentally activate the functions of the second screen.To avoid this, hold the smartphone face-up when creating a screenshot.

2.Gestural screenshots in MIUI

MIUI It offers two alternative methods for creating screenshots without buttons: a three-toed swipe and a touch of the back panel.

2.1 Three-toed swipe down.

The most popular gesture among Xiaomi users.

1. Open the Settings. → Special facilities → Gestures and movements → Screenshot with three-toed swipe.
2. Activate the switch.
3. Choose the direction of the swipe: down (recommended) or up.

Now, just swipe your three fingers across the screen from top to bottom (or bottom to top if you choose a different direction).

• ⚡ Faster than the button combination – especially handy for the Xiaomi 11 Lite with a small body.
• 🎯 Works in any application, including games (unless disabled in game settings).
• 🔄 You can take a long screenshot (scrollable), if immediately after the swipe tap on the thumbnail in the upper right corner.

⚠️ Warning: If you have a oleophobic-coated protective glass, a three-toed swipe may be triggered by accident with wet fingers. Turn off the function or reduce sensitivity in gesture settings.

Double touch of the back panel

Exclusive feature for Xiaomi 11 with Dual Touch sensor (available on 11 Pro and 11 Ultra) allows you to take a screenshot by touching the back cover of the smartphone twice.

1. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Touch and gesture → Double touch.
2. Select the "Screenshot" action.
3. Adjust sensitivity (medium is recommended to avoid false positives).

Features of the method:

• 👆 It works even with the screen turned off (if the option is enabled in the settings).
• 🚫 Does not work in cases with metal inserts or magnetic fastening.
• 🔋 Consumes a little more energy than other methods (rear sensor remains active).

Make sure that gestures are included in the settings|Check the sensor sensitivity.|Remove the cover if the gesture does not work.|Reboot your smartphone if you make mistakes-->

3. Voice Assistant and Google Assistant

If physical buttons or gestures are not available (for example, when the screen breaks), you can take a screenshot with a voice, both the built-in Xiaomi Voice Assistant and the Google Assistant will do this.

3.1 Voice assistant Xiaomi

Activated by "OK, Google" or "Hi, Mi" (depending on regional settings).

• 🎤 "Take a screenshot - a standard screenshot.
• 📜 "Take a long screenshot" - Scrolling screen (does not work in all applications).
• 🔍 "Find my last screenshot" - the assistant will open the folder with the saved files.

Limitations:

• 🔇 Requires an internet connection to process the command.
• 📵 Does not work in Do Not Disturb mode or with the microphone turned off.
• 🛠️ On some firmware (e.g, MIUI EU) Voice assistant can be disabled by default.

3.2. Google Assistant

A universal method for all Android devices, to take a screenshot:

1. Activate the Assistant with your voice (OK, Google) or hold the Home button.
2. Say, "Take a screenshot" or "Photograph the screen."
3. Confirm the action (if required).

Advantages:

• 🌍 It works in any language (unlike the Xiaomi assistant, which supports a limited set).
• 🔄 You can integrate with Google Photos to automatically back up screenshots.

⚠️ Note: In banking applications (e.g. SberBank Online or Tinkoff), voice assistants may be blocked for security reasons.

4. Long (scrollable) screenshots

The long screenshot feature allows you to capture the content of the screen that does not fit into one frame - for example, correspondence on WhatsApp, a page in the browser or a list of tracks in Spotify. On Xiaomi 11, it works differently depending on the application.

4.1 How to take a long screenshot

1. Take a regular screenshot of any of the above methods.
2. Immediately after the miniature appears in the upper right corner, tap it.
3. In the editor that opens, select the option “Scroll” (an icon with two arrows down).
4. Wait for the automatic screen scrolling and press "Done".

Limitations:

If the "Scroll" option is inactive, check:

• 📱 Version MIUI — in old firmware (below) MIUI 12.5) the function may not be.
• 🔄 Application settings - some programs (for example, VK) Block long screenshots for privacy purposes.

💡

If a long screenshot is cropped unsuccessfully, try scrolling through the contents manually before saving - sometimes this helps capture more information.

5 Where screenshots are stored and how to find them

By default, all screenshots on Xiaomi 11 folder Pictures/Screenshots. However, the path may differ depending on the:

• 📁 Versions MIUI (into MIUI 14 folder added DCIM/Screenshots Compatibility with Google Photos).
• 🔄 Cloud storage settings (if sync with Mi Cloud is enabled).
• 📱 The method used (e.g., screenshots via Google Assistant may be saved to the Pictures/Assistant).

To quickly find the screenshots:

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Go to the Albums section.
3. Select the Screenshots folder (or Screenshots in English firmware).

If the screenshots are not displayed:

• 🔍 Check hidden folders – sometimes files are saved to.thumbnails.
• 🗑️ Make sure that files have not been deleted by the memory optimizer (in Settings settings) → Memory. → Cleanup).
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes indexing files in the Gallery is lost.

6.Part of the annex for extended screenshots

If the built-in features of Xiaomi 11 are not enough, you can install specialized applications.

• 🎨 Editing screenshots immediately after creation (stripping, blurring, adding text).
• 📊 Automatic organization of folders / tags.
• 🌐 Download to the cloud (not only Mi Cloud, but also Google Drive, Dropbox).
• 🔍 Search for text in a screenshot (OCR).

Top.-3 apps 11:

How to install and configure (Screenshot Easy example):

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Run and provide all requested permissions (including “Overlapping Other Applications”).
3. In the settings, select:

Activate the floating button for quick access.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (such as Screen Master) may conflict with MIUI Optimizations, causing lags. If after installation the smartphone started to slow down, turn off optimization in the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap to unlock the developer mode).

7. Solving screenshot problems

If screenshots are not created or saved with errors, check the following points:

7.1 Screenshot not saved

• 📁 Check the available space on the device (minimum 500MB required).
• 🔧 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (in old firmware there are bugs with preservation).
• 🛠️ Reset the settings of the Gallery application (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Drop it).

7.2 No sound when taking a screenshot

• 🔊 Check if the system sound is turned off in the sound settings.
• 🎵 Make sure no "no sound" or "vibration" mode is activated".
• 🔧 In some firmware, the screenshot sound is turned off by default. → Sounds and vibrations → System sounds → Screenshot.

7.3 The three-toed swipe gesture is not working.

• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes the touch driver gets knocked down.
• 📱 Check if the gesture conflicts with other features (e.g. Swipe for Returns in navigation).
• 🛠️ Reset your gesture settings in Settings → Special facilities → Gestures and movements → Drop it.

Screenshots blurred or of poor quality

If the screenshots are saved in poor resolution:

• 📸 Check the screen settings – if the charge saving mode is enabled, the resolution can automatically decrease.
• 🔧 In some firmware MIUI screenshots are saved in JPEG instead PNG. Change the format through Settings → Additionally. → Screenshots → File format.
• 🖥️ If the problem is only in a particular app (like a game), try taking a screenshot through Google Assistant – it uses a different capture mechanism.

💡

If none of these methods work, check the integrity of system files through Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Checking for updates (sometimes helps repair damaged components) MIUI).

8 Screenshots in games and secure applications

Many games and banking apps block the ability to take screenshots for security reasons. 11 This is done through the flag. FLAG_SECURE Android, which prohibits screen capture, can be circumvented in a number of ways.

Use of screen recording function

If the screenshot is blocked, try recording the screen and then extracting the frame from the video:

1. Open the Notification Panel and find the Screen Record icon (or add it to the panel via Settings). → Notification panel).
2. Start recording, then stop it in 1-2 seconds.
3. Open the video in the Gallery and take a screenshot of the desired frame.

Limitations:

• 🎮 In some games (such as Call of Duty Mobile), screen recording is also blocked.
• 📹 The quality of the video will be lower than that of a direct screenshot.

8.2. ADB-circumvention

For advanced users: you can temporarily disable the flag FLAG_SECURE through ADB. Attention! This can disrupt some applications.

adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1

After the command is executed:

1. Reset the device.
2. Try to take a screenshot in the blocked application.
3. Return the settings back to the command:

adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 0

⚠️ Note: This method may result in account bans in some games (e.g., in PUBG Mobile or Free Fire) for using "unofficial" screen capture techniques!

FAQ: Frequent questions