How to change navigation buttons in places on Xiaomi: all ways for MIUI and HyperOS

Why Change the Navigation buttons of Xiaomi and What to Know Before You Start

The navigation buttons on Xiaomi smartphones are the three virtual keys at the bottom of the screen: Back, Home, and Recent Apps. By default, they are arranged in an order that may seem uncomfortable, especially if you have switched from a different brand device (such as a Samsung or Google Pixel, where the buttons are placed differently), repositioning these buttons takes less than a minute, but requires knowledge of nuances from the firmware version (MIUI 12/13/14 or HyperOS) to the smartphone model.

It’s important to understand that some Xiaomi devices (like the POCO F5 or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) have control gestures activated by default, not the classic buttons, so you’ll have to return the buttons through the settings first, and then change them.

Another thing is that the adaptive buttons in newer versions of MIUI are automatically adapted to the app (for example, in YouTube, the back button may disappear), which is sometimes confusing.

Method 1: Standard button rearrangement in MIUI settings

This is the easiest method that works on most Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12-14 or HyperOS firmware. The instruction is universal for Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi models (except for devices with pure Android One, where settings may differ).

Steps:

• 📱 Open the Settings app (cog icon on the home screen).
• 🔍 Go to Additional Settings (in some versions – Special Opportunities).
• 🖱️ Select buttons and gestures (or System Management) → Navigation buttons in HyperOS).
• 🔄 Find the option Order of navigation buttons and tap it.
• 🔀 Choose one of the proposed location options (usually available 2-3 options).

If you do not have the order of navigation buttons in your menu, then:

• ❌ You have activated control gestures (you need to first enable buttons in Settings) → Display. → Full screen mode).
• ❌ Your Xiaomi model doesn’t support permutation (rarely, but found on budget devices like Redmi). A1).
• ❌ Installed custom firmware (for example, LineageOS), where the settings are different.

Make sure that classic navigation buttons (not gestures) are enabled

Check the version. MIUI/HyperOS in the settings "About the phone"

Close all applications before changing settings

Restart your phone if the buttons are unchanged after saving.

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Method 2: Using ADB to change buttons (for advanced ones)

If the standard method does not work (for example, POCO X3 Pro MIUI 13), it is possible to resort to ADB-This method requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and basic knowledge of working with Android Debug Bridge, and the advantage of this method is that it works even on devices where the manufacturer hid the settings of the buttons.

Instructions:

1. 💻 Install. ADB and Fastboot Tools on PC.
2. 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB on a smartphone: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times to activate Developer Mode, then return to Additional Settings → For developers → Debugging by USB.
3. 🔌 Connect your phone to your computer and confirm your debugging permission.
4. 🖥️ Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (macOS/Linux) adb-folder.
5. 📝 Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices Must appear serial number of your device.
6. 🔄 To swap buttons in places (for example, make the order "Back - Home - Recent"), use: adb shell settings put secure sysui_nav_bar"space,back;home;recent" For reverse order: adb shell settings put secure sysui_nav_bar"space,recent;home;back"
7. 🔄 Reboot your phone: adb reboot

Note: on some devices after ADB-The button commands can be reset after the update MIUI. To fix changes, use the command to write settings to the system file (requires root rights).

Method 3: Using third-party applications (without root)

If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can use Google Play apps that allow you to customize navigation buttons.

• 🔧 NavBar Apps allows you to change the order of buttons, their size and transparency. Works without root, but requires special permissions in the settings for developers.
• 🎨 Custom Navigation Bar – Supports changing button icons and adding new ones (e.g. buttons to quickly start the camera).
• 🔄 Fluid Navigation Gestures – replaces buttons with gestures with the possibility of fine tuning (suitable for use in the field of navigation). MIUI 14 and HyperOS).

How to set up via NavBar Apps:

1. Download and install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and grant permission to Overlay over other applications (in the security settings).
3. Enable NavBar Apps in the main menu.
4. Go to Button Order and select the desired button order.
5. Save the settings and restart the phone.

⚠️ Note: Some button customization apps may conflict with system gestures MIUI. If after installation there are lags or buttons are completely gone, disable the application and return the standard settings.

Compatibility table: which Xiaomi models support button shifting

Not all Xiaomi smartphones allow you to change the order of the navigation buttons. Below is a compatibility table for popular models. If your device is not on the list, try the method with ADB or third-party apps.

If your model does not support the reshuffling of buttons through settings, but the table is ✅ For your version of the firmware, try it:

• 🔄 Update MIUI Update (sometimes the function appears after the update).
• 📱 Reset the settings to factory (before that, make a backup!).
• 🔧 Use it. ADB third-party.

MIUI 12|MIUI 13|MIUI 14|HyperOS|Other (write in the comments)|I don't know

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Frequent problems and their solutions

When changing the order of navigation buttons, Xiaomi users often encounter errors, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

Problem 1: Buttons don’t change after you save your settings.

• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes changes only apply after a reboot.
• 📱 Check if gestures are included in the settings → Display. → Full screen mode.
• 🔧 If you use a third-party launcher, return to the standard MIUI Launcher and reset the settings.

Problem 2: The buttons are missing after the MIUI update.

• 📲 Reset button settings in Settings → Additional settings → Buttons and gestures.
• 🔄 If it doesn’t help, reset through Settings. → Recovery and discharge → Resetting settings (without deleting data).
• 🔧 HyperOS may need to be reconfigured via ADB.

Problem 3: Buttons are overlaid on the keyboard or interface elements.

• 🔍 Check the navigation bar transparency settings in Settings → Additional settings → Buttons and gestures.
• 📱 Turn off the Adaptive buttons option (if any).
• 🔧 Install a third-party customization app (like NavBar Apps) and manually set the indentations.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A) after changing the buttons through ADB The Widevine Certification Can Fly L1, This will lead to a decrease in streaming quality on Netflix or Disney.+. To return the certificate, reset the settings or reflash the device.

How to return the standard button order

If after experimenting with settings you want to return the original order of the buttons, you can do this in several ways:

Method 1: Through the MIUI settings

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Additional settings → Buttons and gestures → Order of navigation buttons.
• 🔄 Select the default option (usually “Back – Home – Recent»).
• 💾 Save the changes and restart the phone.

Method 2: Through ADB

If you changed the buttons using commands, you can return the standard order as follows:

adb shell settings delete secure sysui_nav_bar

After completing the command, restart the device.

Method 3: Resetting settings

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Recovery and discharge → Resetting settings.
• 📱 Select Reset interface settings (this won’t delete your data, only return system settings to factory settings).

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If the buttons are not back to normal after reset, check if you have superuser rights (root), in which case the order of the buttons could be written in the system files, and to return to the original state you will need to re-root and edit the file /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

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If none of these methods worked, check if your device has custom firmware installed (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS), in which case the navigation buttons change order through the firmware settings or by editing the build.prop file.