How to Take a Screenshot on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Screenshots are a basic but critical feature of a modern smartphone. Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face the need to save information from correspondence, capture an error in an application or share an interesting moment from a game. However, standard methods known from other Android devices, on the shells of MIUI and HyperOS can work differently or be supplemented with unique tools.

The Chinese-made operating system has many capture scenarios that many owners don't even know about, not just saving a picture, but a whole suite of editing and data transfer tools, and understanding the nuances will allow you to significantly speed up your device and stop wasting time searching for the right options in the depths of the menu.

In this article, we’ll look at all the options available, from the classic button combination to advanced features like long screenshots and voice controls. You’ll learn how to customize handy gestures to take pictures with a single touch, and how to automatically save important notifications. The built-in MIUI/HyperOS editor lets you delete sensitive data from an image before it’s saved to the gallery.

Whether you have a flagship Xiaomi 14 or a budget Redmi Note series, the principles of the system remain the same. We will look at universal solutions that work on all current versions of the firmware. Get ready to learn about features that will change your view of interaction with the screen.

Classical method and work with physical buttons

The most obvious and reliable way that every Android user is familiar with is using the device’s physical keyboard. On Xiaomi smartphones, this method works flawlessly 99% of the time, even if the touch screen temporarily does not respond to touch.

It's important to keep the sequence and duration of the pressing right. You press the buttons simultaneously and release them in a split second. If you hold them too long, the phone will take this as a command to call the emergency call menu or turn off the device, which is a common mistake for beginners.

Once successful, the camera's signature shutter sound is heard (if the sound is on), and a thumbnail of the image taken appears in the upper right or left corner of the screen. This notification allows you to immediately edit or share a file without opening the gallery. In some cases, with certain launchers or design themes, the location of the thumbnail may vary slightly.

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If you have a damaged volume button, use virtual on-screen buttons or voice controls, which we will discuss below.

It's worth noting that on models with curved edges or specific body ergonomics, it can be inconvenient to reach both buttons at the same time, especially with one hand. In such situations, manufacturers offer alternatives, which we'll discuss later.

Using three fingers for quick grip

One of the most popular features in the MIUI shell is the ability to take a screenshot with three fingers moving across the screen, which is much more convenient than physical buttons because it doesn't require changing the grip of the device, and to activate this feature, you need to swipe three fingers from top to bottom in the center of the display.

By default, this feature may be disabled or not configured. To activate it, go to Settings → Additional settings → Screenshots (the path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS).

• 📱 The gesture works on any screen, including the home desk and app menu.
• ⚙️ Sensitivity setting is available in the special features menu for people with limited motor skills.
• 🖼️ After creating the picture, a menu with options appears: scrolling, editing or deleting.

The advantage of this method is speed: you don't have to aim at the little buttons on the end of the body, you just touch the display, but there's a nuance: if you have a case with high sides or a protective glass with a poor oleophobic coating, the gesture may not work the first time because of insufficient contact of the fingers with the sensor.

In newer versions of HyperOS, the gesture recognition algorithm has been improved. The system now better distinguishes intentional motion for a screenshot from the usual scroll through social media. If you notice that screenshots are created randomly, try changing the speed of movement with your hand or adjust the sensitivity in the settings.

Control panel and side menu

For those who prefer visual interfaces and don't like to memorize gestures, the system has a handy side menu called by a swipe from a special marker (strip) at the edge of the screen, usually located in the middle of the left or right side, depending on the settings.

To add a screenshot feature to this menu, open Settings → Additional Settings → Side menu. In the list of available tools, find Screenshot and add it to the active. Now, when you need to save an image, just swipe from the edge of the screen and click on the icon that appears.

This method is especially useful when you are in applications where physical interaction with the volume buttons is difficult, or when the screen is completely occupied with content and there is no room for gestures with three fingers.

There is also a second layer of the control panel, which is called by swipe down from the top right corner (where the communication indicators and batteries are located).In the deployed notification curtain, there is often a separate screenshot button. It can be hidden in the second page of the quick access buttons, which can be edited by clicking on a pencil or edit button.

Using software buttons reduces wear and tear on the physical mechanisms of the device. For users who take hundreds of screenshots a day for work or testing, this is an important factor in extending the life of the smartphone.

Extended screenshot function (scroll)

One of the most sought-after features in Xiaomi’s ecosystem is the ability to create long screenshots, an indispensable tool for storing long-form messaging, browser articles, or contact lists. A typical snapshot cuts across the edges of the screen, but scroll mode allows you to capture content of any length.

And right after you take a normal screenshot, in any of the ways I've described, you have a thumbnail in the corner, and it has a button with the two arrows down on it, or you have a "Scroll" button, and you click on it, and you start to automatically scroll through the page, and the system will glue the frames together into a single long image.

You can stop the process at any time by touching the screen, but it is worth considering that the quality of the final image can suffer when the source page was very long, and the feature may not work in applications that do not support standard scroll behavior of Android.

When you take a long screenshot, it's important to keep the phone relatively still. Although the accelerometer and gyroscope help the system navigate, violent shaking can lead to artifacts at the frame junctions. Once the process is complete, the image is automatically saved to the gallery in the Screenshots folder.

Voice control and Google Assistant

Modern smartphones allow you to control the camera and system completely without hands. If your hands are busy or dirty, you can use the voice assistant. On Xiaomi devices, the global versions are by default active Google Assistant, which is perfectly integrated into the system.

To create a screenshot, simply say “Ok Google” (or activate the assistant with a button), and then say “Take a screenshot” (or “Make a screenshot” in English). The system will instantly execute a command and save the image, which works even on a locked screen if the appropriate setting is allowed in the assistant settings.

And there's Voice Access in the Android special features settings, which lets you give commands like "Push a screenshot" if you have a button on the screen, or use element numbering, which is a powerful tool for people with disabilities, but it's also useful for ordinary users.

⚠️ Warning: Voice control requires an active internet connection to process a request on Google servers.In flight mode or if a poor signal is performed, the command may not execute.

The Chinese firmware (CN ROM) uses Xiao AI’s own assistant, which also understands the command to take a screenshot, but only in Chinese or, in some cases, English. For global users, this limitation is not relevant, as Google Assistant does a great job.

Automation and use cases

The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS have a powerful automation tool that allows you to create complex scenarios. You can set your phone to take a screenshot automatically when certain conditions occur, and this is implemented through the Security app → Battery → Scripts (or a separate Scripts app).

For example, you could create a scenario like, “When I open the Bank app, take a balance screenshot” (though this is more of a safety-friendly example) and a more practical example: “When the charge level drops below 15%, take a screenshot of the battery consumption graph” to analyze which application consumes the most energy.

• 🕒 Time setting: take a screenshot of your desktop every morning at 8:00.
• 📍 Geolocation: save a map or chat when arriving at a specific point.
• 📶 Network: fix the screen when switching from Wi-Fi to mobile Internet.

To create a script, select a condition (Trigger) and an action (Screenshot) that allows you to log actions automatically or save important moments without you, but it is worth remembering that frequent screen use and file retention can accelerate memory wear and reduce autonomy.

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Screenshot automation is a powerful tool for developers and testers to capture system bugs and states without constant manual intervention.

Remember to clean your screenshot folder regularly, as automatic scripts can quickly fill the storage with dozens of identical or unnecessary images.Use the built-in cleaner in the Security app to remove duplicates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)