How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi: a complete guide to all methods

Modern users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are constantly exchanging information, and it often becomes necessary to fix the contents of the screen. Whether it is correspondence in the messenger, confirmation of a bank transfer or instructions, saving the screen image is one of the most popular features in the shell of MIUI and HyperOS. However, not everyone knows that the standard combination of buttons is not the only way to perform this action quickly and efficiently.

The Chinese giant has introduced a variety of user-friendly content tools, including gesture control and voice commands. Understanding all the options available allows you to significantly speed up interaction with the device in everyday tasks. In this article, we will examine each method in detail, review system settings and answer frequent questions that arise from smartphone owners of this brand.

Once you've mastered these techniques, you can instantly save any visual information without wasting time searching for the right buttons or menus, especially when the bill is seconds or your hands are busy and you need an instant interface response.

Classical Method: A Combination of Physical Buttons

The most common and familiar way, which works on the vast majority of models, including older versions of MIUI and the latest HyperOS, involves using hardware keys. To create a screenshot, you need to simultaneously press the Power button and Volume Down button. It is important to press them simultaneously, without strong pressure, holding them for about a second until the characteristic shutter sound and visual flash appear.

Once you've done the action, you'll see a thumbnail of the image that you've taken, and if you click on it, you'll see an editor that can immediately mark up or save the file to the album, and it's universal and works even when the touchscreen is temporarily unresponsive or locked.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t hold the buttons too long, as long-term on-key pressing can activate the emergency call menu or Google’s voice assistant, interrupting the screenshot creation process.

The push mechanics require a certain skill, especially on devices with tight buttons. Some users prefer to first press the volume button and then quickly plug the power button, which often gives a more stable result on models with side controls.

Gesture control: three fingers down

For those who are uncomfortable reaching for buttons or using a device with one hand, the system has a screenshot swipe feature. This method requires pre-activation in the settings, as it can be disabled by default to prevent accidental clicks. To enable the option, go to the Settings menu, select Additional Features and find the Screenshots section.

In the menu that opens, you need to activate the switch opposite the "Three-finger swipe" label. After that, just swipe your three fingers across the screen from top to bottom in any area of the interface where the content is not blocked for scrolling, the system will instantly respond with an audible signal and save the image in the gallery.

This is especially useful when viewing long web pages or documents, as it does not require separation of hands from the body of the smartphone. However, it is worth considering that on large screens, for example, on tablets Xiaomi Pad, to reach the center with three fingers can be physically difficult.

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If the three-finger swipe doesn’t work, check to see if the “High Sensitivity” mode is enabled in the screen settings, which can cause conflicts in multi-touch gestures.

Sometimes users complain of false positives or, conversely, ignoring the gesture, in such cases, it is recommended to calibrate the sensor or simply restart the device, which resets temporary errors of the touchscreen drivers.

Use of notification curtain and control centre

Another method that is often overlooked is right in the center of the control: lower the notification curtain from top to bottom (or bottom to top, depending on the style you choose in the settings) and find an icon called Screenshot. It looks like scissors or a screen image. One tap on this shortcut instantly captures the current contents of the display.

This is ideal for situations where the volume buttons are damaged or crashed, and the three-finger gestures are disabled for some reason by system restrictions, and it is convenient to take screenshots through the curtain when the phone is lying on the table and you control it without holding it in your hands.

For quick access, you can add this feature to a number of favorite toggles at the top of the curtain so that it is always at hand. Just pinch the icon and drag it to the active zone if it is hidden in the secondary menu.

Voice control via Google Assistant and Xiao AI

With modern technology, you can control your smartphone with your full voice, and taking screenshots is no exception. If you have Google Assistant or Xiao AI (which is limited in global versions), you can simply say a command. For Google Assistant, the phrase is “Take a screenshot” or “Make a screenshot.”

This becomes indispensable when the user's hands are fully occupied, for example, while cooking a prescription on a screen or when working with dirty hands. The voice assistant recognizes the command, performs the action and shows a preview of the image, which can be immediately sent to the chat.

It is worth noting that the voice assistant requires an active Internet connection, since the request is often processed on the company's servers, and in flight mode this method will not work, and you will have to switch to physical buttons.

⚠️ Warning: Voice command may not work in high-security applications, such as banking clients, where screenshots are prohibited by privacy policies.

Creating long screenshots (scrolling)

One of the most useful features in the MIUI and HyperOS shells is the ability to create long screenshots that capture the entire page. After you have taken a regular screenshot in any of the above ways, in the preview that appears, select the Scrolling button. The device will automatically start scrolling down the content, stitching images into one long tape.

You can stop the process at any time by clicking on the stop button, or wait for the end of the page, which is ideal for saving correspondence in messengers, long articles in the browser or lists of products in online stores. The quality of the final image remains high, and the text is readable.

In some cases, when automatic scrolling goes too fast or skips elements, you can use manual mode if it is available in a particular version of the software, controlling the speed of scrolling with the clicks on the screen.

The length of the final file may be limited by system parameters, but this is usually enough to save even very large dialogs. The file is stored in the gallery as a normal image, but with proportions corresponding to its length.

Where screenshots and work with the clipboard are stored

All images are automatically saved to the system folder, and you can find them by opening the Gallery app and going to the Screenshots album. In the smartphone file system, when you connect to a computer, the path usually looks like Internal Storage/DCIM/Screenshots or Pictures/Screenshots, depending on the version of Android.

In addition, modern versions of the shell, after creating a screenshot, work with a clipboard. If you go to the messenger or text editor immediately after the photo and choose "Insert", the image will be inserted as a file. This allows the skipping step of opening the gallery to send the file.

Below is a table comparing the main characteristics of different methods of creating screenshots on Xiaomi devices:

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The best option for daily use is to activate the gesture with three fingers, as it combines high speed and ease of one-handed operation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)