How to Take a Screenshot on Xiaomi Phone: The Complete Guide

Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones offer users many ways to save images from the screen, but not all gadget owners are aware of them. Often there is a need to quickly capture correspondence, a travel map or an error in the application, and standard methods may not be obvious to the beginner. The MIUI operating system (and the new HyperOS) provides several built-in tools, each of which is convenient in a particular situation.

We’ll take a look at all the options available, from classic physical buttons to advanced gestures and voice controls, and learn how to take long screenshots of pages that don’t fit on a single screen, and where to look for saved files, and understanding these features will allow you to effectively manage information on your device without installing third-party software.

Sometimes users find that the usual key combination does not work, or screenshots are no longer saved in the gallery. This may be due to system settings, features of a particular application or a software failure. In this article, we will also focus on possible problems and their solution, so that you can easily save important moments.

Using physical buttons for screenshots

The most common and versatile method, which works on the vast majority of Android devices, including Xiaomi, is to press power and volume buttons simultaneously. This is reliable and works even when the touch screen is delayed or getting stuck. You need to press Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously and release them in a split second. You don't need to hold them for a long time, otherwise you can activate the off menu or voice assistant.

If you do that successfully, you'll hear the characteristic shutter sound of the camera (if the sound is on) and the screen blinks for a moment. In the upper right corner, you'll see a thumbnail of the image you've taken that you can edit or send right away. Physical buttons are a basic skill that every smartphone owner should know, because it works across all applications and system interfaces.

But it has its own features across different models, and some devices have uncomfortable buttons, making it difficult to take a one-handed screenshot. In these cases, manufacturers have provided alternatives, which we'll talk about later, but the button combination remains the fastest way to respond to changing content on the screen.

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If the screenshot does not work the first time, try to press the buttons not at the same time, but with a minimum interval of 0.1 seconds, starting with the volume button.

Importantly, in some game modes or Camera app, the system can block screenshots from being taken through buttons to prevent accidental taps during active use, and in such situations it is better to switch to using the notification curtain or gestures.

Setup and use of triple tapping

One of the most convenient features of the MIUI shell is the ability to create a screenshot by triple tapping on the screen. This is ideal for those who prefer one-handed control or whose physical buttons are tightly pressed. To activate this feature, you need to go to the system settings. Find the Additional Features section and select Screenshot.

In the menu that opens, you need to tick the box against the option Triple Touch. Once activated, you can take screenshots by simply tapping three fingers (or one, depending on the firmware version and availability settings) quickly on the center of the display. The system responds very quickly, and the visual effect is accompanied by an audible signal.

• 👆 This method is especially convenient when the phone is lying on the table and laziness stretches to the side buttons.
• 🎮 In horizontal game or video mode, triple tapping often works better than finding small buttons on the end of the case.
• ⚙️ The function does not consume battery power in the background, as the touch sensor is constantly active.

You can adjust the sensitivity of triple touch, so if screenshots are created too often during normal use, or if the system does not recognize your knock, change the reaction rate in the same settings menu, which will help to avoid false positives when you scroll through the news feed.

Screenshots via curtain menu and sidebar

Another effective way to avoid memorizing combinations is to use the control panel. Swipe down to open the notification curtain and find the Screenshot icon (usually a scissor or rectangle) that can be hidden in the second page of the menu on some models, which can be accessed by swiping to the right. One tap is enough to take a snapshot of the current screen.

In addition, modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS have a Sidebar, which is a narrow bar that appears when swiping from the edge of the screen in apps. If you add a Screenshot tool, you can call it up at any time without interrupting to search for buttons, which is especially true for owners of large smartphones, where reaching the top corner is difficult.

⚠️ Note: The screenshot icon may not be available in quick access if you have previously removed it from the tile editor. Open the editing menu for the curtain buttons (usually a pencil or tripod button) and drag the screenshot icon to the active zone.

The big advantage of using software buttons is that you can see what's in the frame before you save it, and when you click on the icon in the curtain, you often open a preview where you can cut it right away, and that saves time, because you don't have to go to the gallery and edit the image.

Voice control and Google Assistant

Technology allows you to control your smartphone without hands, and taking screenshots is no exception. If you have Google Assistant or Mi AI activated, you can just say a command: "OK, Google, take a screenshot" or "Take a screenshot," and the system will perform the request. This can be useful when your hands are busy or dirty, for example, during cooking or repair.

To activate voice control, make sure that the appropriate permissions are given in the settings. Often, the assistant needs permission to display over other windows and access the screen. Without these rights, the command will be ignored. Voice input works even on a locked screen (if allowed in the security settings), which makes it a unique tool.

Although convenient, the voice method has a drawback: it requires the command to be spoken out loud, which is not always appropriate in public or quiet areas, and speech recognition can depend on the quality of the Internet connection and the user's accent, but it is a great alternative for people with motor disabilities.

How to take a long screenshot (scroll)

Often, you need to save a long text message, a browser article or a social media feed that doesn't fit on a single screen. Xiaomi has a "Long Screenshot" or "Scroll" feature. Once you've taken a regular screenshot in any of the ways described above, a thumbnail will appear in the upper right corner. Press the button with the arrow down or the words "Scroll".

The screen will automatically scroll down, capturing content, and you can stop the process at any time by touching the screen, and the system will stitch together multiple images into one long image, eliminating the need to take multiple individual pictures and paste them together in Photoshop.

However, it is worth remembering the technical limitations: too long images may not open in some galleries or messengers, as they have a resolution restriction (for example, maximum height in pixels). If you scroll too much, the system can automatically stop the recording or alert you to reach a limit — 3-4 smartphone-screen.

Search, edit and store screenshots

Once a screenshot is created, it is automatically stored in the device's memory, and can be found in the Gallery app in Screenshots, or through the file manager on the Internal Memory path → MIUI → screenshot. The files are saved in PNG format, which provides high lossless image quality, but takes up more space than JPG.

Once you've created a picture, you can click on the thumbnail to open the built-in editor, and the basic tools are available here: framing, marker drawing, adding text and stickers, which allows you to quickly highlight important information or hide sensitive data (such as card numbers or passwords) before sending a file to the person you're talking to.

If you take a lot of screenshots, your phone's memory can fill up quickly, it's recommended to check this album periodically and delete the unnecessary ones, and you can also set up automatic sync with the Google Photos or Mi Cloud cloud to have a backup and free up space on your device.

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Screenshots take up space in memory, so regular cleaning of the album or setting up cloud synchronization is a mandatory procedure to maintain the performance of the smartphone.

Possible problems and solutions

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where screenshots are no longer created or saved. One of the common reasons is a crowded memory of the device. If there is no free space on the phone, the system can not write a new file, in which case you need to clear the cache or delete unnecessary applications.

Another common problem is blocking the function in certain applications. Banking programs, Incognito mode in the browser or DRM-protected video players can prohibit the creation of screenshots for security purposes. In such cases, the screen can simply flash black, and the gallery will appear an error message or a black square.

⚠️ Note: If screenshots are saved but the file is damaged (not opened), try clearing the Gallery or System Interface app cache through the application settings. Do not delete the data completely so as not to lose the design settings.

Also worth checking permissions. In rare cases, after a system update, the application that takes a screenshot (system process) may lose the rights to write to memory. Resetting application settings or restarting the device often helps restore the function to work correctly.