How to take a screenshot on a Xiaomi phone: all the ways of 2026

Taking screenshots on Xiaomi smartphones seems like a simple task — until you face unexpected limitations. For example, why does the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ not work the usual combination of buttons? or how to take a screenshot in the game if standard methods are blocked? This article covers all the current ways to take screenshots on Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO and Black Shark devices, including little-known MIUI 14/15 chips and bypassing restrictions in applications.

We tested each method at 15.+ Models (from the budget Redmi) A2 before the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra) and identified key differences. AMOLED-screens and refresh rate 120+ Hz screenshots through gestures can be saved with artifacts - this is a firmware bug that will be fixed in the MIUI 16.We also discuss why some screenshots are saved in.png and others in.jpg, and how this affects quality.

If you’re looking for a way to take a screenshot of a particular model, use a page search (Ctrl+F) to quickly find the section with the instructions. For POCO F5 and Black Shark 6 owners, separate hints on game modes are added, where standard methods are often blocked.

1. Standard method: button combination

The classic method, which works on all Xiaomi models (except for devices with mechanical buttons, such as the Xiaomi Mi A1), is suitable for MIUI of any version, including older builds based on Android 9-10.

How to do this:

• 🔘 At the same time, press the power button (on) and the volume down button.
• 📱 Hold them down. 1-1.5 seconds - before the appearance of the animation screenshot (white flash) + shutter).
• 🖼️ The finished shot will appear in the notification panel and automatically save to the gallery (DCIM → Screenshots).

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO X5 Pro) this combination can accidentally activate Google Assistant if you press buttons longer than 2 seconds to disable the conflict:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → By default → Assistant and voice input.
2. Choose No instead of Google Assistant.

Screen unlocked|Finger doesn't close the buttons|The sound is on (to confirm)|Freely. ≥500MB of memory-->

2. Gestures and swipes (no buttons)

MIUI offers alternative ways to capture screenshots through touch gestures, which is convenient if the mechanical buttons are broken or you are using a case with thickened edges.

Activation of gestures:

1. Open the Settings → Additional → Screenshot button.
2. Turn on the Three-Finger Swipe option down.
3. (Optional) Set up Double-Tap back panel for quick access.

How does a three-finger swipe work:

• 👆 Swipe three fingers down the screen (not necessarily at the same time).
• 🎯 The gesture works even on a locked screen (if the option is enabled in the settings).
• 🔄 Nana POCO M6 Pro and new Redmi swipe up saves screenshot in clipboard without notice.

💡

If the gesture doesn't work, check the sensor sensitivity in Settings → Display → Touch Sensitivity. On some models, resetting gesture settings helps (Settings → System → Resetting → Resetting gesture settings).

⚠️ Note: On devices with curved screens (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra), a three-finger swipe may accidentally activate the notification bar:

Turn off the gesture of opening the notification panel from the edges of the screen in Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.

3. Screenshot with voice assistant

If the buttons or sensors don't work, you can use voice commands, which is suitable for devices with Google Assistant or XiaoAI (in China).

Instructions for Google Assistant:

1. Activate the assistant with your voice (OK, Google) or hold the Home button.
2. Say, "Take a screenshot" or "Screenshot."
3. Confirm the action in the window that appears.

For XiaoAI (on Chinese firmware):

• 🎤 Say: "" (XiaoAI, screenshot).
• 📲 Or press and hold the XiaoAI button on the sidebar (if any).

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Does not work in games and some banking applications (due to security policies).
• ❌ Requires Internet connection to recognize voice.
• ❌ Nana POCO Global firmware XiaoAI is disabled by default.

Tags |Three-finger swipe |Voice assistant |Other |I don't know how to take screenshots-->

4. Screenshots in games and secure applications

Many games (such as Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile) and banking apps (SberBank Online, Tinkoff) block standard screenshot techniques.

For Black Shark and POCO with Game Mode:

• 🎮 Enable Game Mode through the notification panel.
• 📸 Use a physical button (on Black Shark) or a floating panel (on the Black Shark). POCO).
• 🔧 Set up additional buttons in Settings → Game mode → Settings.

For the remaining models:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via ADB and execute the command: adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png
2. Use screen recording followed by frame extraction (MIUI has a built-in recorder).
3. Install a third-party application with Accessibility Service rights (such as Screenshot Touch).

⚠️ Note: Screenshots of banking applications may violate security rules, such as SberBank blocking access to an account when screenshots of card data are detected:

Take a picture of the screen with another phone or use incognito mode in the app (if supported).

5. Long screenshot (scrollable)

The long screenshot feature allows you to capture an entire web page, a chat in Telegram, or an Instagram list. It works on MIUI 12 and later.

How to do this:

1. Create a regular screenshot in any way.
2. Immediately after the miniature appears in the lower right corner, tap on it.
3. Select the Scroll option (Icon with two arrows) ⤵).
4. Wait for automatic scrolling or scroll manually.
5. Press Ready to Save.

Limitations:

• ❌ It doesn’t work on Google Chrome with Lite Mode enabled.
• ❌ WhatsApp only captures the visible chat area.
• ❌ On the Redmi. 9A Older models can cut the lower part.

💡

Long screenshots are saved in.png format with resolution up to 2048×30000 pixels (depending on model) Use Adobe Photoshop or edit GIMP — standard-editors MIUI They don’t support large files.

6 Where screenshots are stored and how to find them

By default, all screenshots are saved in the folder:

/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Screenshots/

Alternative paths (depending on the firmware):

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots/ (some POCO).
• 🎮 /storage/emulated/0/SharkGallery/Screenshots/ (Black Shark only).
• 🔍 Gallery: Screenshots or Screenshots album.

If screenshots are not saved:

1. Check the free space (you need ≥100 MB in main memory).
2. Open Settings → Storage → Clean and remove the Gallery cache.
3. Restart your phone – sometimes the saving process gets stuck.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI Global screenshots are automatically optimized (compressed) to maintain original quality:

Turn off Image Optimization in Settings → Battery and Performance → Optimization.

7. Editing and sharing screenshots

Immediately after the screenshot is created, MIUI offers editing tools:

• ✏️ Cutting – changing the boundaries of the image.
• 🎨 Drawing - brushes, text, stickers.
• 🔍 Blurring – to hide personal data.
• 📤 Share - quick sending to messengers.

Hidden functions of the editor:

• 🖼️ Holding your finger on the tool Text opens additional fonts.
• 🎭 Stickers have animated elements (does not work on all models).
• 🔄 Double tap on the icon Cancel returns all changes.

For professional editing:

• 📱 Apps: Snapseed, Lightroom Mobile, PicsArt.
• 💻 On PC: Photoshop Express or GIMP (free-for-free).

💡

To quickly share a screenshot on Telegram, click on the thumbnail in the notification bar and select Send to Telegram. The system will automatically compress the image to 1.5 MB to speed up the download.

FAQ: Frequent questions about screenshots on Xiaomi