How to Take a Screenshot on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Screenshots on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are one of the basic features needed to save important correspondence, instructions or interesting moments in games. However, users often face situations where standard methods do not work or more complex options are required, such as a long screenshot or recording video from the screen. In modern versions of the shell MIUI and HyperOS toolkit is significantly expanded.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can capture a display image, from classic buttons to floating button automation, and learn how to customize handy gestures so you don't search for a physical keyboard every time, and how to properly process the files you receive in the gallery. Understanding these nuances will allow you to work with the device as efficiently as possible.

We're going to focus on troubleshooting, which is solving problems where screenshots are no longer created or saved to a black screen, and it's often caused by a banal lock on the part of apps or overcrowded memory, but sometimes you need to change your system settings. Let's look at each method in detail so you can choose the most convenient option.

Classical method using physical buttons

The most common and quickest way that any Android smartphone owner knows is to press two buttons simultaneously. On most modern Xiaomi models, without a physical Home button, you need to press Volume Down and Power button simultaneously. You don't need to hold them for long: a short but clear press lasting about 0.5 seconds.

If you did everything right, the device will react with the characteristic sound of the camera shutter, and at the top of the screen a thumbnail of the picture will appear. At this point, the system suggests you immediately edit the image, send it to the messenger or delete it if the frame failed, this is implemented through a pop-up notification, which disappears after a few seconds.

⚠️ Note: If you hold the buttons for too long (more than 3 seconds), instead of taking a screenshot, the voice assistant menu may start or the phone may turn off, depending on your model settings.

For older models with a physical Menu or Home button, the combination may be different, for example, some tablets or early smartphones have a Volume Down + Menu bundle. It is important to press the buttons synchronously, as desynchronization even in a split second will cause the system to recognize this as a separate volume control or screen lock.

Handling gestures and three fingers

One of the most convenient features in the MIUI shell is the ability to create a screenshot by swiping three fingers across the screen, a technique that is particularly relevant when it is difficult to reach buttons with one hand, or if a physical power button is triggered, and to activate this option, you need to go to the settings and find the appropriate switch.

The way to activate is this: open Settings, select Additional (or Advanced Settings), then go to Screenshot. Here you need to activate the slider opposite the Three fingers, and after you turn on the function, you can take screenshots with a simple swipe down the center of the display.

• 🖐️ Swipe three fingers from top to bottom in the center of the screen for an instant snapshot.
• ⚙️ Set up gesture sensitivity in the special features menu if the swipe doesn’t work the first time.
• 🚫 The gesture will not work in games or applications with horizontal orientation, unless it is prohibited by the security system.

It's worth noting that this gesture can conflict with other actions, such as scrolling through social media if you accidentally hit the screen with the extra finger, in which case the system may not recognize the command.

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If the three-finger gesture is unstable, try to clean the screen surface or remove a cover that may prevent the side of the palm from touching the display.

Use of notification curtain and floating window

If the physical buttons are busy or damaged and the gestures are uncomfortable, you can always use software methods through the system interface. The top notification curtain hides the quick settings where the Screenshot button is located. Push the panel out completely, find the icon with the image of the scissors or rectangle and click on it.

A more advanced tool is the Floating Window, which allows you to take screenshots at any time without interruption from the current process, a tool often used by gamers or document workers, and can be activated through the special features menu or by adding a corresponding widget to the desktop.

Inside the floating window, additional features are available, such as Timer (a 3 or 10 second delay) and Screen Recording. The timer is useful when you need to take a screenshot of a context menu or pop-up notification that disappears when you touch, while recording allows you to save what is happening on the screen in the form of a video with sound.

Creating long screenshots and panoramic pictures

Often, a single image is not enough to capture all the information, for example, when you save a correspondence in a messenger or a long article in a browser. Xiaomi implements a Long Screenshot function. After creating a regular screenshot, a thumbnail with additional control buttons appears in the corner.

Click the down arrow button or the Extend icon. The system automatically scrolls down the page, taking new pictures and gluing them into one long image. The process continues until you hit the stop button or reach the end of the page. The maximum resolution of such a composite image is limited by the system, but it is usually enough for any task.

When creating panoramic images, it is important that the content on the screen is static at the time of scrolling. If you take a screenshot of a news feed that is updated in real time, the final image can be obtained with tears or artifacts, in which case it is better to first download all the necessary information and then proceed to create a long frame.

Voice control and additional commands

For those who prefer voice commands, Xiaomi offers integration with Google Assistant and its own voice assistant Mi AI (depending on the region).Say the phrase "OK, Google, take a screenshot" or a similar command for Si, and the device will perform the action. This is especially convenient when hands are busy or the phone is in the dock.

There are also hidden opportunities through ADB (Android Debug Bridge is for advanced users. By connecting the phone to a computer, you can send commands to take a screenshot remotely, which is useful for app development or interface debugging. -p /sdcard/screen.png.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB requires the activated debugging mode for USB Inexperienced users are better off using standard methods to avoid system errors.

Another nuance is that apps block screenshots for security reasons (banking apps, incognito browser mode), in which cases the screen may blink but the file will not save, or the image will be black squared. This is normal Android security behavior that cannot be circumvented by standard means without root rights.

Where to look for saved files and how to edit them

All images are automatically saved to the device gallery, and can be found in Screenshots, which is a file system folder path that typically looks like Internal Storage/DCIM/Screenshots or Internal Storage/Pictures/Screenshots, depending on the Android version and model.

The built-in image editor in MIUI allows you to quickly process a picture: cut edges, add text, shade sensitive information or draw arrows. These tools are in the bottom panel when you open a photo. Using a marker to hide passwords or personal data before sending a screenshot is a good digital hygiene practice.

• 📁 Files are sorted by date of creation, the most recent are at the beginning of the list.
• ✂️ Use the Lastik tool in the editor to remove random fingermarking.
• 📤 Share screenshots directly from the gallery through the Share menu, choosing the desired messenger.

If the phone's memory is full, new screenshots may not be saved, in which case the system will issue an error notification, check the vacant storage space regularly and clear the gallery basket where deleted files are stored for another 30 days, and you can set up automatic sync with the Google Photos or Mi Cloud cloud.

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Regularly cleaning the screenshot folder frees up a significant amount of space, as long shots and screen recordings take up a lot of megabytes.