How to Remove the buttons at the bottom of the screen on Xiaomi: a complete guide with pictures and videos

The bottom panel with the Back, Home and Recent buttons on Xiaomi smartphones takes up precious screen space, especially on devices with a small diagonal or a front-facing camera cutout. Many MIUI users want to hide these elements to expand the workspace or switch to gesture control, like on an iPhone or Google Pixel. But not everyone knows that depending on the firmware version and phone model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.), the methods are different.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for removing the bottom panel on Xiaomi: through settings MIUI, by gesture, using ADB-commands for advanced users, and also consider the nuances for old and new versions of the shell (from the MIUI 12 to MIUI If you are faced with the problem that the buttons do not disappear after changes or appear accidentally, here you will find a solution.

Before you start, check your firmware version: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. This will help you choose the right way. Also note that some models (such as the POCO F5 or Redmi K60) may need to unlock the bootloader for deep changes.

1. Method: Gesture control in MIUI (without root)

The simplest and most official method is to enable full-screen gestures, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 10 and later, including the latest versions of MIUI 14/15. The main advantage is that it does not require superuser rights and does not reset settings.

How to do this:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Display section.
3. Select Full Screen Mode (or Gesture Control in some versions).
4. Slip on the item Full-screen gestures and select one of the options: 🔹 MIUI-gestures (swipe from the bottom up to return to the main screen). 🔹 Android gestures (analogue of control on pure Android).

Confirm the changes and restart the phone if the system suggests.

Once activated, the button bottom panel will disappear and a thin bar will appear instead (you can turn it off separately). On some models (for example, the Redmi Note 11) after upgrading to MIUI 14, gestures can be reset, in which case, repeat the setting.

⚠️ Warning: If after activating gestures, the screen starts to scroll arbitrarily or random applications open, check the sensitivity of the sensor in the settings Additional settings → Touch screen. It may need calibration.

2. Method: Hiding buttons through "For developers"

If standard gestures don’t like or work properly, you can hide buttons through developer mode, a technique that is suitable for Xiaomi, where full-screen mode doesn’t disable all interface elements (for example, a gray rectangle remains).

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version (you will be notified "You are a developer").

For developers

USB debugging

Visualization

• 🔹 Disclose the navigation bar (or Force full-screen display).
• 🔹 Remove the bottom panel (the name may be different).
• Reboot the phone.

If you don't have the option to Hide the navigation bar, your model doesn't support this method, so move on to the next method.

💡

Before changing the settings for developers, back up your data through Settings → Additional → Backup. This will help restore the system if you crash.

3. Method: ADB-Teams for Advanced Users

If previous methods have failed, you can force the bottom panel to be disabled via Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This is a versatile method that works even on new Xiaomi models with MIUI 14/15. However, it requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB phone-on.
• 🛠️ Installed drivers ADB (You can download from the official Android website).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phone to your computer and select File Transfer mode.
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Execute the command to hide the navigation bar: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*
5. Reboot the phone.

To return the buttons back, use the command:

adb shell settings put global policy_control null

⚠️ Note: On some models (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi) K60 Pro) after execution ADB-Not only can the buttons go missing, but the notification bar can go missing. To get it back, swipe top-down with two fingers.

Install ADB drivers on PC|

Enable debugging over USB on your phone |

Connect the phone with the original cable |

Check the connection of the adb device team-->

4. Method: Use of Third-Party Applications

If you don’t want to mess with settings or ADB, you can use third-party utilities, the most popular ones are Nacho Notch (to hide cutouts and buttons) and Fluid Navigation Gestures (replacing standard navigation with custom gestures).

How to install and configure:

1. Download Nacho Notch from Google Play.
2. Launch the application and grant overlay rights (Settings → Special features → Marking on top of other applications).
3. Select Hide Navigation Bar (Hide Navigation Bar) mode.
4. Set up exceptions for applications where buttons should stay (e.g. in games).

Advantages of the method:

• 🔹 Does not require rooting or ADB.
• 🔹 Flexible setting (you can selectively hide buttons).
• 🔹 It works on most Xiaomi models, including POCO M5 redmi A2.

Disadvantages:

• 🔸 The application may conflict with certain games (for example, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact).
• 🔸 On the lock screen, the buttons may remain.

5. Method: Edit the build.prop file (root only)

This is the most radical method, only suitable for users with unlocked bootloader and root rights, it allows you to permanently remove the bottom bar at the system level, but if you do not act correctly can lead to a bootloop (cyclical reboot).

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/build.prop.
3. Find the line qemu.hw.mainkeys=0. If it's not available, add it to the end of the file.
4. Save the changes and restart the phone.

If the phone is not turned on after editing:

• 🔹 Try to boot into recovery mode (clip the power supply). + Loudness up).
• 🔹 Restore build.prop backup or reflash your phone through the Mi Flash Tool.

⚠️ Attention: Edit build.prop on models with Dynamic RAM Expansion (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) This may cause errors in virtual memory. Before changing, disable this function in the settings.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after successful button hiding, Xiaomi users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔹 Is the firmware updated to the latest version (in Settings) → Updating the system).
• 🔹 Are there custom themes that can block interface changes.
• 🔹 Are there any conflicts with ad blocking apps (such as AdGuard) that sometimes interfere with system settings.

💡

On Xiaomi models with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi) K60) Hiding buttons allows you to save up to 5% of battery power by reducing the active area of the display.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions