Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have become an integral part of everyday life, allowing you to instantly share information, save checks, correspondence or interesting moments from games. Often there is a need to capture what is happening on the screen, but not all users know that there are many ways to perform this action in the shell of MIUI or HyperOS, far beyond the standard combination of buttons.
In this guide, we will take a detailed look at all available screenshot techniques, from classic to advanced, which save time, and learn how to set up automatic screen area saving, use a fingerprint scanner, and even take timer-delayed shots, which are especially useful for creating training materials.
A variety of models, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 14, implies the presence of various hardware buttons, but the software methods remain universal. Understanding all the nuances of working with the clipboard and gallery will allow you to work with the device as efficiently as possible without spending time looking for the right settings in the depth of the menu.
Standard keyboard shortcuts and physical buttons
The most obvious and familiar way for most Android users is to press power buttons and turn down the volume simultaneously. On Xiaomi smartphones, this method works seamlessly on all versions of the firmware, including the latest HyperOS. To take a picture, you need to press the buttons Volume down and Power at the same time and release them in a split second.
It is important not to pinch the buttons for too long, as long-term retention of the same combination can cause the device to turn off the menu or start the voice assistant, depending on the settings of the system. A brief touch is the key to success. Visual confirmation of successful execution of the action will be the characteristic sound of the camera shutter (if sound is on) and the appearance of a thumbnail in the corner of the screen.
For users who often work with one hand, this method may not be the most convenient, especially on large models of the Redmi Note series or Xiaomi Mix, where the buttons are high. In such situations, physical interaction with the case requires a certain skill to avoid lubricating the image during the pressing process.
⚠️ Note: If the screen flashes when you press the buttons, but the screenshot is not saved, check if the internal memory of the device is full.
An alternative for some older models or specific modifications can be a long press of the menu button (if any) or a combination of Volume up + Power, but in modern realities this is more of an exception. The main industry standard is fixed for the volume-down option, and Xiaomi strictly adheres to it.
Use of notification curtain and control panel
If physical buttons are busy or damaged, a software shortcut in the notification curtain is a great solution, and you need to swipe down the screen to open the quick access bar to access it. Among the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and flashlight icons, you will find the Screenshot button.
This method is particularly convenient when the phone is lying on a table or connected to a docking station, and reaching for the side edges is not possible. Pressing the icon instantly takes a picture of the current contents of the display. In some versions of MIUI, you can add several such widgets for different types of capture.
The control panel in HyperOS is even more customizable, allowing you to bring infrequently used features to the first screen, you can change the size of the tile or its position, so you can always have access to creating screenshots in one tap, this is especially true for people with disabilities or those who prefer to minimize mechanical impact on the buttons.
It's worth noting that if you don't see the icon in the top row, you can find it by pulling the curtain down to the end or by pressing the edit button (usually a pencil or three dots). In the menu of available tiles, find "Screenshot" and drag it to the active area. This action will take a few seconds, but in the future it will save a lot of time.
The magic of gestures: a screenshot with three fingers
One of the most popular features in the MIUI shell is to create a screenshot with three fingers running from top to bottom, which is spectacular and lightning fast, making it a favorite among power users, but by default it is often disabled and needs to be manually activated.
To enable this feature, go to Settings, select Additional (or Advanced Settings), then look for Screenshots, where you need to put the switch in the active position opposite the Three Fingers option, and then the system will respond to the corresponding movement on the screen.
The gesture works in almost any application, including games, browsers and social networks, the main thing is to ensure that the display is confidently touched with three fingers at the same time. On the large screens of Xiaomi 13 or 14 Pro smartphones, this movement is performed very naturally.
☑️ Customizing gestures on Xiaomi
There's also a variation of this method for creating long screenshots, so if you don't take them away with your three fingers, but you keep going down or you click on the scroll button that appears, the system automatically scrolls through the page and glues several images into one long tape, which is essential for saving instant messengers or articles in the browser.
Screenshots via fingerprint
Xiaomi smartphone owners with a built-in power button fingerprint scanner can use another unique method: taking a picture with your finger, you can immediately, without removing your finger, slightly move it down (or up, depending on the firmware version), and the device will take a screenshot.
This feature requires pre-setting in the same menu as the gestures. Find the item "Fingerprint screenshot" and activate it. Now the process of unlocking the phone can instantly go into creating a screenshot if you slightly change the trajectory of your finger.
It seems complicated only at first glance, but after a few training sessions, it becomes a reflex: you unlock your phone and immediately send a screenshot to the person you're talking to, all in one motion, and this is especially useful in situations where the other hand is busy, like holding a cup of coffee or a bag.
However, it should be noted that on models with on-screen fingerprint scanner (subdisplay) this method does not work, since there is no physical button to perform an additional action, it is designed exclusively for devices with side or rear mechanical scanner.
Voice Control and Google Assistant
Modern technology allows you to control your smartphone without touching at all. If your hands are dirty or you are driving (although using your phone is prohibited in motion), a voice assistant will come to the rescue. Just say "OK, Google" or activate Xiao AI (in Chinese versions), and then say "Take a screenshot".
The system recognizes the voice command and executes the action instantly, which requires that the Google Assistant settings allow screenshots and screen access, which are usually requested when you first set up your account, but should be rechecked under Services.
This method also allows for latency screenshots if more complex voice scripts are used, although the standard command works instantly. Voice control opens up new possibilities for people with limited motor skills, making the smartphone a more affordable device.
Secret team for developers
Advanced features: timer and editing
The MIUI and HyperOS shell offers a unique feature, which is to take a timer delay screenshot, which may seem redundant, but in certain situations it becomes an indispensable tool, such as when you need to capture a pop-up notification that disappears when you touch the screen, or when you need to open a menu that hides when you interact.
To use the timer, after you have created a normal screenshot (by any means), click on the thumbnail that appears. In the editor that opens, find the icon of the clock or select the option "Timer" in the menu. Set a delay of 3 or 5 seconds, press the start button and quickly perform the desired actions on the screen.
After counting down, the system automatically takes a snapshot of what will appear on the screen at that moment, which allows you to document errors that appear spontaneously, or create instructions that show the context menu caused by a long tap.
| Method | Speed. | Convenience | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons (Loudness - Nutrition) | Instantly. | Average. | Always. |
| Three fingers. | Instantly. | High. | Requires customization |
| Notification curtain | Quickly. | Low (two hands) | Always. |
| Fingerprint. | Instantly. | High. | Only with a button. |
Where to look and how to edit saved files
Once you've taken a picture, it's saved in the gallery. The Gallery app from Xiaomi has a separate album called Screenshots, where all the images taken by the above methods are collected, which allows you to quickly separate personal photos from saved pages.
Once you've created a screenshot, you get a floating thumbnail window, and you click on it, and you get to the editor, where you can crop the image, draw arrows, add text, or blur sensitive data before you send it, and the editing tools in MIUI are powerful enough to have no third-party apps installed.
Files are stored in the DCIM/Screenshots folder in internal memory, and if you connect your phone to your computer, you can easily find them there, and the system allows you to automatically upload screenshots to the Xiaomi Cloud or Google Photos cloud, which is a great insurance against data loss.
⚠️ Note: When you delete screenshots through a standard gallery, they first end up in a basket that is stored for 30 days.
Frequent problems and their solution
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where screenshots are not taken, often due to security restrictions in certain applications, banking applications, incognito mode in the browser or DRM-protected video services (Netflix, Film Search) block the creation of screenshots, in which case you will see a black screen instead of an image.
Another reason could be a lack of RAM, and if you have a dozen or two heavy apps open, the system can simply reset the screenshot-making process, close the tabs and try again.
Also make sure that the phone has the latest system update. Older versions of MIUI have sometimes encountered bugs that block the screenshotr from running in horizontal game mode. Upgrading to the current version of HyperOS usually solves this problem.
💡
Save screenshots in PNG format for maximum text quality if you plan to send them to print or zoom in. JPG format can create compression artifacts around letters.
If neither of these methods works, try restarting the device, a classic but often effective tip that helps you reset temporary errors in the system services that interact with the display.
💡
The quickest way to use it every day is to set up a three-finger gesture, as it doesn’t require searching for buttons on the case and works in any app.