How to save slow-motion video on Xiaomi smartphones: all ways and life hacks

Slow-motion on Xiaomi smartphones allows you to capture moments that usually go unnoticed: a drop of water, a bird flapping its wings or a pet jump. However, many users face the problem: the recorded video is either not saved in the gallery or played at an accelerated pace. In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to save slow-motion videos on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices, including hidden camera settings and bypassing typical errors.

The feature of time-lapse shooting on Xiaomi is that the smartphone records video with a high frame rate (from 120 FPS to 960 FPS depending on the model), but when playing it can automatically accelerate the video to the standard 30 FPS. This is not a bug, but a feature of processing - and it can be avoided. Next you will learn how to export slow-motion, which applications will help convert files without loss of quality, and what to do if the video "disappears" after shooting.

Why Xiaomi’s slow-motion video isn’t saved or played fast

The problem with saving timed rollers on Xiaomi is related to how the system handles high frame rate files.

🔍 Automatic compression: MIUI By default, optimizes video to save space, reducing FPS preserve.
📱 Model limitations: Budget smartphones (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) Record slow-motion only in low resolution (480p), which can lead to errors.
💾 File format: Video is saved in a container.mp4, but with non-standard time stamps that players (including the standard Gallery) ignore.
🔄 Caching error: Sometimes the video is temporarily stored in the camera buffer and not transferred to permanent memory.

Another nuance is the difference between “real” and “software” slow-motion: On top-end models (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Mi 11 Pro), slowing is achieved by hardware support for high FPS, whereas on budget devices, the camera simply stretches the frames programmatically, in the latter case, the video can “shiver” or play jerks.

⚠️ Note: If you are shooting slow motion in 960 mode FPS, Make sure your smartphone has enough free memory: a single 10-second video can take up to 1-1.5GB!

Method 1: Saving through a standard MIUI Gallery

The easiest way is to use the built-in Gallery app, but there are pitfalls: by default, MIUI can not show slow-motion videos in a separate folder or play them in accelerated mode.

Open the Camera app and switch to Slow-motion (usually marked with a snail icon or the words Slowly).
Record the video. After you've finished shooting, click on the thumbnail in the bottom right corner of the screen.
In the preview that opens, tap the Save icon (floppy disk or tick) and if it's not there, the video is already saved automatically.
Close the camera and open the Gallery → Albums → Video. Slow-motion videos can be in a separate Slow Motion or Camera folder.

If the video is played too fast, try the following:

📌 Open the video in Gallery, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Details. FPS — If it says 30, the system has compressed the file.
🔄 Reboot your smartphone and check the video again – sometimes cache MIUI obstruction.

💡

If the Gallery doesn’t have a Slow Motion folder, try finding the video through the file manager (like Explorer) along the way: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera/. Files are usually in the title. SLOW_ or HV_ (High Velocity).

Method 2: Export via Camera (hidden function)

In the newer versions of MIUI (13 and above), the Camera app has a hidden option to force slow-motion to be saved without compression, to activate it:

Open the camera and go to Slow-motion.
Tap the Settings icon (cog) in the top menu.
Scroll down and find the item "Save the original" (or Save Original in firmware with English interface).
Record the video. Now the file will be saved in two versions: standard (compressed) and original (with full FPS).

The original file will be marked as ORIG_SLOW_ It's going to take up a lot more space. You can find it in a folder. DCIM/Camera/ or through a filter by date of shooting.

Xiaomi model	Max, FPS in slow-motion	Permission	Support for “Preserve the Original”
Xiaomi 13 Pro	960 FPS	720p	✅ Yes.
Redmi Note 12 Pro+	480 FPS	720p	✅ Yes.
POCO X5 Pro	240 FPS	1080p	❌ No.
Redmi 10A	120 FPS	480p	❌ No.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F4) Save Original may not be available in the menu, but it can be enabled through the configuration editor. MIUI (Requires unlocking of the loader).

📊 What Slow Mode You Use More Often?

120 FPS (standard)

240 FPS (for sport)

480 FPS (for water/rain)

960 FPS (experiments)

I'm not taking slow-motion video.

Method 3: Using third-party conversion applications

If standard methods don't work, you can use third-party tools to extract the original FPS or convert video.

🎬 Slow Motion Video FX (Android: Allows you to manually set playback speed and export videos with correct time stamps.
📱 CapCut: Free editor with speed change function. Import video, select Speed → 0.25x (960 FPS) or 0.5x (240 FPS).
💻 Shotcut (PC): Professional editor for fine-tuning FPS. Suitable if you need to save the video in high resolution.

Instructions for CapCut:

Import slow-motion video into the project.
Slip on the clip on the timeline and select "Speed".
Set a value of 0.25 (for 960 FPS) or 0.33 (for 480 FPS).
Export video with a resolution of 1080p and a bitrate of at least 15 Mbps.

For Shotcut (on PC):

1. Import the file through Open File.


2. Drag to the timeline.




3. Right-click → Properties → change the “Frame rate” to the original value (e.g., 240).




4 Export with the H.264 codec and High profile.

Check the original FPS video through the file properties

Select an app with manual speed setting support

Export with a bitrate of at least 10 Mbps

Save a copy of the original file-->

Method 4: Saving through ADB (for advanced users)

If the video is recorded but not displayed in the gallery, it can be retrieved via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that is suitable for users familiar with the command line.

🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-driver.
📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI (7 times to tap) → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Instructions:

Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux).
Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices must appear serial number of the device.
Copy the video from the device to PC: adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/ /path/to/folder/to/pc
If the video is not visible in DCIM/Camera, check the other folders: adb shell ls /sdcard/DCIM/

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) K50) slow-motion videos are stored in a hidden folder /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails/ You can copy them and rename them to.mp4.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Do not delete or rename system files - this can cause the camera to crash!

On Xiaomi smartphones with MediaTek processors (such as the Redmi Note 11 or POCO M4 Pro), you can activate hidden camera settings through an engineering menu, which will save slow-motion without loss of quality.

Instructions:

Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##36446337###
Go to Camera (or Hardware Testing → Camera).
Find the “Slow Motion Frame Rate” option and set the Max value.
Return to the standard camera and record the video – it will now be saved with the original FPS.

After changing your settings, restart your smartphone, otherwise the changes may not take effect. Note: this method does not work on all models and may reset after the MIUI update.

What to do if the engineering menu is not opened?

If the code ##36446337### doesn't work, try alternatives: - ##4636## → go to the Phone Information tab and find the camera section. - Install the MTK Engineering Mode app from Google Play (requires root rights on some firmware). - On models with Snapdragon, the camera engineering menu is usually not available through the codes.

Problem Solving: Video is not saved or is lost

If the slow-motion video doesn’t appear in the gallery or disappears after shooting, check out the following points:

📁 folder DCIM damaged: Connect your smartphone to your PC and check the target files in /DCIM/Camera/. If the folder is empty, try recording a regular video – if it is not saved, the problem is in the device’s memory.
🗑️ Autocleaning the cache: B MIUI There's a garbage cleanup feature that can delete temporary camera files. Turn it off in Settings. → Annexes → Cleanup.
🔋 Lack of memory: Slow-motion video takes up a lot of space.Make sure at least 5GB is free on the device.
🔄 Application conflict: Some optimizers (such as Greenify or Battery Doctor) can block the camera's background processes.

If the video is saved but reproduced with artifacts:

🎥 Check the permit and FPS For example, on the Redmi Note 10 Pro at 960. FPS accessible 720p — shoot-in 1080p lead to a "teared" video.
🌡️ Overheating of a smartphone can limit the performance of the camera.

💡

If the video disappears after shooting, first check the /DCIM/.thumbnails/ folder – sometimes files are temporarily stored there with the.tmp or.dat extension.

FAQ: Frequent questions about slow-motion on Xiaomi

Can you shoot slow-motion video in 4K on Xiaomi?

No, at the moment (2026) no Xiaomi model supports slow-motion in 4K resolution. Maximum resolution for slow-motion: 1080p at 120-240 FPS (on flagships like Xiaomi 13T Pro). 720p at 480-960 FPS (on most models). 4K is available only standard shooting with 30/60 FPS.

Why does slow-motion video twitch when playing?

This is a typical slow-motion software problem, where the smartphone artificially stretches frames. Solutions: Shoot video in lower FPS mode (e.g. 120 FPS instead of 960 FPS). Use CapCut or Premiere Rush to stabilize speed. On some models, turning off HDR in the camera settings will help.

How to transfer slow-motion video from Xiaomi to iPhone without losing quality?

When transmitted via AirDrop or Messenger, video can be compressed. Best ways: Use Google Drive or Dropbox to download the original file. Connect Xiaomi to a Mac via cable and copy the file manually. Install the VLC app on your iPhone, which correctly plays video with non-standard FPS. Avoid sending it via WhatsApp or Telegram, which automatically reduces the quality.

Can you increase FPS in slow-motion on Xiaomi?

On budget models (like the Redmi A2 or POCO C50), the maximum FPS is hardware limited. However, you can try: Install a GCam (modified Google camera) with slow-motion support. Some versions allow you to shoot 240 FPS even on weak chipsets. Use applications like Slow Motion Camera, which simulate slowdown due to frame interpolation (quality will be worse).

How to recover a deleted slow-motion video?

If the video was removed from the gallery, try: Check the Recycle Bin in the Gallery (Recent Deleted folder). Use file recovery applications like DiskDigger or Recuva (on PC). If the video was on the memory card, connect it to your computer and scan it with PhotoRec. The chances of recovery are higher if no new files were written after deletion.