How to save a screenshot on your Xiaomi phone: all ways + where the files are located

Taking a screenshot on a Xiaomi smartphone seems like a simple task — until you encounter surprises. The combination of buttons does not work because of the case, the picture is saved in the wrong place, then disappears after the reboot. And if the phone has custom firmware installed or navigation gestures activated, standard methods may not work.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to create screenshots on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices (including the models from 2023-2026), explain where to look for saved files, and reveal nuances that are not written about in the official instructions, such as why screenshots are sometimes saved in.png format, and sometimes in.jpg, and how to fix this.

1. Standard method: button combination

The classic method works on all Xiaomi models, regardless of the version of MIUI or the type of navigation (buttons/gestures). However, there are pitfalls here: if you press buttons out of sync, the system can perceive this as an attempt to turn off the screen or start Google Assistant.

How to do it right:

• 📱 At the same time, press the power button (on) and the volume down button.
• ⏱️ Hold them 1–1.5 seconds until the screenshot animation appears (white flash) + shutter).
• 🔍 If nothing happens, check if the case blocks access to the buttons. Especially relevant for the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Redmi Note 12 Pro.+ curved.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F5) Long-term button retention can activate Fastboot mode. If the screen goes out and a bear logo appears that says FASTBOOT, Reboot the phone with the power button.

Screenshots taken by this method are saved in the Pictures/Screenshots folder in.png format (without compression). If you need to save space, the Later in the camera settings can be changed to.jpg - this is discussed in the optimization section.

2. swipe gesture (only for MIUI 12 and newer)

With the release of MIUI 12 in 2020, Xiaomi added an alternative way to swipe three fingers across the screen, which is convenient if the power or volume buttons are faulty or you use your phone with one hand.

How to turn on and use:

1. Open Settings → Special features → Gestures → Screenshot swipe.
2. Activate the switch. By default, the gesture works when you swipe down with three fingers.
3. Check your sensitivity: If the screenshot doesn’t work, try swiping your fingers faster or slower.

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Faster than the button combination (especially on larger screens like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra).
• 🎯 It works even with the hardware buttons turned off.
• 🔧 You can configure the swipe direction (up/down) in the same settings.

⚠️ Note: The gesture may conflict with other functions, such as Split Screen Swipe (in the case of a split screen). MIUI 14). If the screenshot does not work, turn off conflicting gestures in Settings. → System system → Gestures.

Three finger swipe enabled in settings|The screen is not locked (the gesture does not work on the lock)|Conflicting gestures are disabled (e.g., split screen)|The fingers touch the screen at the same time.-->

3. Notification panel and quick settings

If you don't like remembering button combinations or gestures, you can take a screenshot through the notification panel, which works on all versions of MIUI, but requires pre-setting.

Instructions:

• 🔽 Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
• 🔧 Click on the icon. ⚙️ (Edit) in upper right corner.
• 📱 Find a screenshot tile in the list (usually hidden) and drag it to the active area.
• 📸 Now, when you open the notification bar, you will see the screenshot button – click on it to take a picture.

This method is useful if:

• 🧪 You are testing the app and you need to take many screenshots in a row.
• 🔋 The battery is drained and you are afraid that the phone will turn off while holding the buttons.
• 👶 You give your child a phone and you want to restrict access to hardware buttons.

4. Voice commands (Google Assistant and XiaoAI)

If you have busy hands or just like to control your phone, you can take a screenshot using Google Assistant or built-in XiaoAI assistant (available on Chinese firmware).

For Google Assistant:

1. Activate the assistant with a voice (OK, Google) or hold the home button.
2. Say, "Take a screenshot" or "Take a screenshot."
3. Confirm the action if necessary.

For XiaoAI (on Chinese firmware):

• 🎤 Twice press the power button to activate the assistant.
• 🗣️ Say: "" (screenshot in Chinese).

⚠️ Note: Voice commands may not work if: 🔇 The microphone for the assistant in the privacy settings is disabled. 🌐 No Internet connection (required to process commands). 🔒 The screen is locked (unlock the phone before using it).

💡

If the voice assistant doesn't recognize the command, try saying it more clearly or adding the word "please" at the end, for example, "OK, Google, take a screenshot, please."

5 Where screenshots are saved and how to find them

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

• 📱 Phone models (on some devices, for example, POCO X3 Pro, the folder is called DCIM/Screenshots).
• 📁 Versions MIUI (into MIUI 14 folder added Media/Screenshots for compatibility with Android 13).
• 🔧 Storage settings (if you have changed the save path manually).

How to quickly find screenshots:

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Go to the Albums section.
3. Scroll down to Screenshots (or Screenshots) folder.

If the screenshots are not displayed:

• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes the gallery doesn’t update the media base.
• 🔍 Check the folder through the Explorer (File app).
• 📂 Make sure the folder is not hidden (in Explorer, enable the display of hidden files in the settings).

6. Editing and optimizing screenshots

After you take a screenshot, MIUI offers you to quickly edit it, and at the bottom of the screen, you can see a toolbar:

• ✏️ Cutting – Removing unnecessary parts of the screen.
• 🖌️ Drawing – adding arrows, text or notes.
• 🔍 Blurring – Hiding confidential information.
• 📤 Share – fast sending to messengers or the cloud.

If standard tools are not enough, install third-party apps:

• 🎨 Snapseed – for professional processing (color correction, filters).
• 📝 Markup Hero – to add annotations and arrows.
• 🔒 Blur Photo – to blur personal data before posting.

Optimization Council:

• 📉 If screenshots take up a lot of space, convert them to.jpg via Explorer → Allocate files → convert.
• ☁️ Upload screenshots to Google Photos or Mi Cloud to free up your phone’s memory.
• 🗑️ Clean Screenshots folder regularly – hundreds of unnecessary files accumulate over time.

💡

Edited screenshots are saved as new files, and the originals remain in the folder.To avoid duplicates, delete unnecessary versions manually or use cleaning apps like Files by Google.

7. Screenshot problems and their solutions

Sometimes screenshots are not saved or not correctly taken, and let's look at the typical problems and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Screenshot is not saved (no notification and no file).

• 🛑 Check if there is enough space on the device (minimum 50-100 MB of free space is required).
• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes system processes freeze.
• 📁 Make sure the Screenshots folder is not deleted or renamed.

Problem 2: Screenshots are black (on some apps, such as Netflix or banking).

• 🔒 This is Android Limitation – Screenshots are Blocked for Protected Apps DRM.
• 📱 Try taking a picture with another phone or using the Screen Record function (in the MIUI It's circumventing some of the limitations).

Problem 3: Screenshots are stored with artifacts or poor quality.

• 🔧 Check the screen resolution in the settings (Settings) → Display. → Permission, if necessary HD+, switch over FHD+.
• 🎨 Turn off energy saving mode – it can reduce the quality of rendering.

Problem 4: The swipe gesture does not work after the MIUI update.

• 🔄 Reset gesture settings: Settings → System system → Gestures → Reset the settings.
• 📲 Check if the gesture is disabled in Special Opportunities.

FAQ: Frequent questions about screenshots on Xiaomi