How to Make Screenshots on Xiaomi Clearer: From Standard Settings to Hidden MIUI Features

Screenshots on Xiaomi smartphones are often blurry, with compression artifacts or insufficient detail — especially if you’re trying to capture fine text, graphics or application interfaces. The problem isn’t with the weak hardware, but with image processing algorithms that by default optimize screens for space saving, and fortunately, you can fix this without root rights and complex manipulation.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can do it, from basic MIUI settings to little-known screen resolution tricks and third-party utilities, how to get around system limitations, save screenshots in their original quality, and even automate the process for regular use, and why some models (like the POCO F5 or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) get better screens than others, and how to get the most out of your device.

Why Xiaomi is losing screenshots: technical reasons

The main reason for the deterioration is the automatic compression of images by the system. MIUI default saves screenshots in.png format with a bit depth of 24 bits, but uses aggressive compression to reduce the weight of the file. For example, a screenshot with a resolution of 2400×1080 (typical for Xiaomi 13) takes only 300–500 KB instead of a potential 2-3 MB.

Other factors:

• 🔍 UI Scaling: If the screen settings have a 120% or 150% display scale, the system renders a lower resolution screenshot and then zooms it in software.
• 📱 Hardware limitations: budget models (e.g. Redmi) 10A) can use simplified screen capture algorithms, which affects the detailing.
• 🖼️ Optimization for social networks: MIUI It automatically adjusts screens to WhatsApp or Telegram standards, cropping metadata and reducing the color profile.

Interesting fact: on devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Pro) screenshots may look darker because of the blackness of the display, not a defect, but a consequence of the technology. DC Dimming.

Method 1: Disable screenshot compression via MIUI settings

The easiest way to do this is to change the format of the screenshots, and the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 have an option to save images without loss:

1. Open Settings → Special Opportunities → Improving Images.
2. Scroll down to the Quality of Screenshots section.
3. Choose Uncompressed (PNG) instead of Optimized (JPEG).

On models with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsets (for example, Xiaomi 14 Ultra), this item can be called High Quality (Lossless) and hidden in the developer menu.

Activate Developer Mode (7 times click on MIUI Version)

Check the free space (screens without compression take up 3-5 times more)

Reboot your phone after the changes-->

If the option is missing from your firmware version, try an alternative path:

1. Install the MIUI Hidden Settings app from Google Play.
2. Go to the System section → Screenshot Settings.
3. Activate the Disable Compression switch.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI Global stable version some menu items may not be available, in which case use the method with third-party applications (see section 4).

Method 2: Change screen resolution before screen creation

Xiaomi’s screen capture system captures the screenshot in the resolution that is active at the time of creation. If you use interface scaling or non-standard resolution (for example, to save charge), the screen will be made with reduced detail.

How to check and change:

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Screen resolution.
2. Select the maximum value available (e.g. FHD+ instead of HD+).
3. Turn off the option to Automatically change permission (if any).

* On budget models, increasing resolution can lead to interface lags.

adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.DisplaySettings

Method 3: Use gestures for lossless screenshots

The standard combination of down-loud + power doesn't always give the best result. MIUI has alternative ways of creating screenshots that bypass some of the system's limitations:

• 👆 Three-finger swipe down: activated in Settings → Additionally. → Gestures → Screenshot: This technique captures the screen without pre-processing, which reduces the risk of artifacts.
• 📱 Button in the notification bar: add a screenshot shortcut to the quick settings, which often saves an image with the original color profile.
• 🎮 Game Turbo: if you make a screen through the game menu (Settings) → Special opportunities → Game Turbo, the system uses a different capture algorithm optimized for dynamic content.

On devices with MIUI 14 and later, the three-finger swipe also allows you to select the screen area for the screen – this is useful if you want to capture only part of the interface without zooming.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO M5) A gesture screenshot may conflict with gesture navigation, in which case, turn off full-screen gestures in the screen settings.

Method 4: Third-party applications for professional screenshots

If the built-in MIUI tools don't work, use specialized tools that allow you to:

• 📸 Keep the screens in PNG-24 or WEBP compressively.
• 🔧 Customize bit depth and color profile.
• ⏱️ Take delayed screenshots (for example, after 3 seconds).

Top.-3 apps:

1. Screenshot Touch – supports capture with up to 4K resolution (on compatible devices) and save in TIFF.
2. Super Screenshot – allows you to select the format (including BMP) and disables automatic compression MIUI.
3. Screen Master – Optimized for the AMOLED-The screens are still black (#000000) without distortion.

When these applications are first launched, the system will ask for permission to capture the screen, without which they will not be able to work, to allow access:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Screen capture.
2. Turn on the switch for the selected application.
3. Restart the utility.

Method 5: Manually Processing Screenshots to Restore Quality

Even if the screenshot is already lost, it can be partially recovered with post-processing.

• 🖼️ Adobe Photoshop (Mobile): Use the Unsharp Mask filter with options: Amount: 120% Radius: 1.0 px Threshold: 3
• 📱 Snapseed: Apply the Detailing Tool → Structure (value) +30) and Sharpness (value) +20).
• 🤖 Topaz Gigapixel AI (PC: Increases screen resolution by 2-4 times with AI, but requires a powerful processor.

Remini (available on Google Play) is suitable for automatic processing, and the application algorithm specializes in restoring text and fine details, but can add artifacts to monochromatic areas.

⚠️ Note: When increasing screen resolution manually (e.g., with 1080p before 4K) The actual detail won't improve -- you'll only get an interpolated image, which is only suitable for printing or viewing on large screens.

Method 6: Screenshots via ADB (for advanced users)

The method for those who are ready to work with Android Debug Bridge, it allows you to capture the raw screen buffer without MIUI intervention, which guarantees maximum quality.

Instructions:

1. Install Platform Tools on your PC and enable USB Debugging on your phone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times Press → For Developers → USB Debugging).
2. Connect the device to your computer and execute the command: adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen_raw.png
3. Copy the file on PC: Adb pull /sdcard/screen_raw.png

Advantages of the method:

• 📊 Lossless: The file is saved in original resolution and color space.
• 🔒 No compression: MIUI does not apply post-processing.
• 🛠️ Flexibility: You can capture the screen even on a locked screen (if debugging is enabled).

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Requires skills to work with ADB.
• ⏳ The process takes longer than a standard screenshot.

💡

ADB-Screenshots are the only way to capture an image from Always-On Display (AOD) on Xiaomi devices with AMOLED-screen.

Method 7: Optimizing screenshots for specific tasks

The quality of the screen depends on what you're doing it for, and here's the best setting for different scenarios:

To convert between formats, use XnConvert (a free PC utility) or Photo & Picture Resizer (a mobile application). Both tools support batch processing.

If you want to share a screenshot of small text (such as logs or code), zoom in in the special features settings (Settings → Special features → Screen size) before you start, this will not improve the actual resolution, but will make the text more readable on the screen.

FAQ: Frequent questions about screenshots on Xiaomi