Smartphone owners in China are constantly faced with the need to capture information from the display, whether it is correspondence in the messenger, a route map or an error in the application, the ability to quickly capture an image on the screen is a basic skill. The MIUI shell and its modern version of HyperOS offer many tools for this, far beyond just pressing buttons.
There are several proven methods that work on different models, from budget Redmi to flagship Xiaomi.We will break down the classic options with physical keys, handy gestures, voice control and hidden features that will greatly simplify your life. Understanding all the nuances will allow you to save time and take quality screenshots of any complexity.
Use of physical buttons
The most common and reliable way, familiar to Android users for many years, is to press two keys simultaneously. On most modern models, the On button and the Loud down are located on the right side of the case, and to take a picture, you need to press them simultaneously and quickly release them.
The system responds instantly: the characteristic sound of the camera shutter (if on), the screen flashes, and a thumbnail of the image created appears in the upper corner. If you press the buttons too long, the smartphone can perceive this as a command to call the emergency menu or turn off the device, so short-term pressing is important. This method works even when the touch screen temporarily does not respond to touch.
On some older models or in certain regions, the combination may differ, for example, on devices with a physical home button at the bottom of the screen, the screenshot is often taken by pressing the power button and the home button, but for current models with full-screen panels, this is no longer relevant.
⚠️ Attention: If you try to take a screenshot instead of an image, you turn off the power menu, then you hold the power button for too long. Train the speed of pressing so that the system has time to recognize the command "shot" rather than "lock».
Importantly, this method is universal across the Android ecosystem, it doesn't depend on the shell version and works even in safe mode. If other methods have stopped working due to a system failure, the button combination will remain your main tool.
☑️ Screening readiness check
Set-up and use of gestures
For those who prefer one-handed control, Xiaomi developers have implemented a handy screenshot-making feature via swipe. This method requires pre-activation in the system settings, as it can be disabled by default. To enable it, go to Settings → Additional Settings → Screenshot and select the option “Three fingers”.
Once activated, you just swipe your three fingers from top to bottom across any part of the screen, and the system instantly creates a snapshot, which is especially convenient when the phone is on the table or when the other hand is busy, and the gesture works in almost all applications except banking sectors and incognito modes, where security prohibits data capture.
- 📱 Swipe three fingers from top to bottom for an instant snapshot.
- ⚙️ Set the sensitivity of the gesture in the menu of special features.
- 🖼️ Use a long swipe with three fingers to create long screenshots.
There's also a variation of this method for making long screenshots, so if you don't take them away with your three fingers, but hold them on the screen, you start scrolling, and the phone automatically takes a series of pictures and glues them together into one long picture, which is ideal for saving correspondence or articles.
Voice control and Google Assistant
Modern smartphones allow you to control your voice system, and taking screenshots is no exception. If you have Google Assistant on or you have MI AI on, you can just say a command, which is ideal when your hands are busy or dirty, and you can't touch the screen.
To activate, say "OK, Google," or press the assistant call button, and then say "Take a screenshot" or "Screenshot." The system will execute the command just as if you press physical buttons. In some versions of the MIUI shell, the team can work even without first calling the assistant, if the voice control settings allow the execution of system commands.
⚠️ Warning: Voice control requires a stable internet connection to handle the request by Google servers. In flight mode or if the signal is poor, the command may not execute.
You can also set up your own voice commands through the Google Assistant Routines app, and you can create a script where you say, "Remember this," and the phone takes a screenshot and sends it to a specific folder or chat, which requires a deeper setup, but it increases productivity significantly.
Why does voice not work in some applications?
Control panel and side menu
There's a special interface element in the MIUI and HyperOS shell called Side Menu or Floating Windows, which is a small translucent bar that can be placed at the edge of the screen, and you can add a screenshot shortcut to it, which allows you to take screenshots in one click anywhere in the interface.
To activate this feature, go to Settings → Settings → Side menu and turn on the display. Then, under Apps, add the desired programs or select All Apps. Then, when you swipe from the edge of the screen, a toolbar will appear, where the image creation button is located.
This is especially useful for those who often take screenshots while playing games or watching videos. The side menu can be configured to only appear in certain applications without interfering with others. It is a flexible tool for advanced users.
- 🔘 Add a screenshot widget to the control panel for quick access.
- 🎮 Use the side menu to create screenshots in games without leaving the app.
- 🛠️ Configure the menu to appear only in selected applications.
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If the side menu overlaps on the screen, you can change its transparency or move it to the other side of the display by clamping and dragging the bar.
Creating long screenshots
One of the most popular features in Xiaomi smartphones is the ability to capture long shots, which allows you to capture the entire page of a site, a long document or correspondence in its entirety, rather than in single pieces.
The first way is through the standard editing menu. Immediately after you create a normal screenshot (by buttons or gestures), click on the thumbnail that appears. At the bottom of the editor's screen, find a button with a down arrow or a "More" that says "More" and clicks on it, the screen will automatically scroll down, adding new areas to the image. You can stop the process at any time.
The second way is through the Multitasking menu, where if you open a list of running apps (a swipe from the bottom up and hold, or menu button), there are additional buttons over each app window, one of which is a Screenshot from the submenu, where you can select Full Snap, which allows you to take a long screenshot without even opening the app itself.
| Method | Speed. | Convenience | Quality. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons (standard) | Tall. | Average. | Original |
| Three-finger gesture | Very high. | High. | Original |
| Long screenshot. | Low. | High. | Compressed. |
| Voice command | Medium | Average. | Original |
When creating long screenshots, it is important to consider that the final image can have very high resolution. Some social networks or messengers may compress such files when sending, which will make the text unreadable.
Settings of image format and quality
In the depth of the system settings, there are parameters that affect the quality and format of the stored files. By default, Xiaomi saves screenshots in PNG format, which provides high quality lossless, but takes up more space. For ordinary users, this is the best choice.
However, if you take hundreds of screenshots daily and save space, you can change your compression settings. In some firmware versions, you can choose the JPG format. Also in the Settings menu → Screenshot, you can turn off the shutter sound if you are annoyed by the characteristic click on each save.
On devices with AMOLED-screens and dark interface theme are recommended to use the format PNG, It is better at keeping the fine details and contrast of the text, as opposed to JPG, which can create compression artifacts on homogeneous black backgrounds.
Remember to periodically clean the Screenshots folder in the gallery. The accumulation of thousands of high-resolution images can significantly slow down the system's media scanner and take up gigabytes of usable memory. Use built-in cleaning tools or connect your phone to your PC to sort files.
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The choice of PNG format ensures maximum clarity of text and graphics, which is critical for documents, whereas JPG is only suitable for fast transfer of screenshots with games or photos.