How to take a screenshot with a scroll on Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones capture not only static screen images, but also long web pages, instant messaging, or documents that don’t fit in a single frame. The standard Screenshot feature captures only the visible area of the display, often forcing users to take many individual frames and then stitch them manually into third-party apps. Fortunately, the MIUI and the new HyperOS have a powerful panoramic image-creating tool built in, which is activated immediately after a regular screenshot is created.

Many device owners are unaware of the existence of such an option or cannot find it in the interface, because it is hidden in the drop-down preview menu. The ability to create a long screenshot saves time and eliminates the need to install additional software. In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm of actions for different versions of the operating system, look at the nuances of working with different applications and answer frequent questions that arise when using this feature.

It’s worth noting that the quality of the final image is directly dependent on your screen resolution and the optimization of a particular application. Some programs, especially banking or DRM-protected content, can block the creation of screenshots for security purposes. However, in most standard use cases – whether saving an article, receipt from an online store or correspondence to Telegram – the built-in functionality copes flawlessly.

Preparation of the device and checking the settings

Before you start creating panoramic images, you need to make sure that the basic functions of the screenshots work correctly. In the Android operating system, which runs Xiaomi smartphones, the system service is responsible for capturing the image, which should be active by default. However, in rare cases, after updating the firmware or resetting the settings, the parameters may change.

To start, check if you have the ability to take normal screenshots enabled. Go to the settings menu of your device. You will need to find the section responsible for additional system functions. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same.

• 📱 Open “Settings” and find the “Additional Features” section».
• 📸 Select “Screenshot” or “Screenshots».
• ✅ Make sure the button or button combination switch is activated.

You can also set up a convenient way to activate it, and some users prefer a combination of physical buttons, others prefer the use of three fingers. If you plan to take scrolling screenshots often, it is recommended to set up quick access so as not to waste time searching for the right option in the moment.

⚠️ Note: If the screenshot item is not in the settings menu, it is possible that your version of the shell MIUI has region restrictions or requires system components to be updated through the Security app».

It is also worth checking the amount of free memory. A long screenshot can weigh significantly more than a normal image, especially if the page has a lot of graphics and high-resolution text. Lack of space can lead to a saving error or cropping of the final file.

Algorithm for creating a long screenshot

The panoramic image creation process on Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi smartphones is unified, but has its own characteristics depending on the type of interface. The main action does not occur at the moment of clicking the buttons, but immediately after that, during a short time inters, when the editing menu is available.

You first need to take a regular screenshot. Open the app or web page you want to save. Go to the very top of the screen that should be in the frame. Now create the base image using the method you're used to: pressing the power button and reducing the volume simultaneously, or swiping three fingers across the screen.

Right after you click the shutter, you'll see a smaller copy of the image in the upper right corner of the screen, and that's when you have to act fast, and there'll be a few icons in the preview, one of which will be responsible for expanding the capture area, which usually looks like two rectangles or has the caption "Scroll."

Once you click the button, you'll automatically scroll down the page, and the system will stitch the frames into a single long image, and it'll continue until you stop it manually or reach the end of the page.

• 🔽 To stop scrolling, tap the screen or the Stop button».
• ✂️ To framing, click "Prune" before saving.
• 💾 To save, click the tick or the "Save" button».

It is important not to touch the screen during automatic scrolling, as this can knock the gluing algorithm, and the final image will result with artifacts or tears. If the page is very long, the system can pause to process the clipboard.

Use of preview menu and tools

The menu that pops up after the image is created is the control center for working with the image, and in the new versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14, it has become more informative and contains additional tools such as text recognition and fast file sharing.

The screenshot extension button (often denoted by the two-arrow symbol or the word "Scroll") may not be active (shadowed) if the current application does not support this feature or if there is no scrollable content on the screen, for example, in a static image or on the desktop, this option will not be available.

Once you've stopped scrolling automatically, the system will ask you to edit the resulting image, so you can cut the extra edges, add annotations, or highlight important points with a marker, which is especially useful if you want to send someone a particular snippet of a long article.

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If you accidentally closed the preview menu without taking a long screenshot, open the Gallery, select the last shot, and click More → Long Screenshot if the app supports it.

It is worth considering that when creating very long images (more than 10 screens), the quality may decrease slightly due to JPEG compression algorithms. For critical documents, it is better to take several screenshots of medium size.

Working with different applications and browsers

Not all apps respond equally to a system request to create a panoramic snapshot. Browsers such as Chrome, MI Browser or Yandex usually support the function perfectly, since they have a standard layout of pages. Social networks and instant messengers also often allow you to take screenshots with scrolling without problems.

However, there are exceptions: Some applications use their own scrolling implementation that is not synchronized with the system screenshot service, in which case the scroll button may be missing, or the image will twitch when you try to create.

In banking apps and services with protected content (such as Netflix or Kinopoisk), screenshots can be blocked entirely by Android security policies.

• 🌐 In browsers, the function works most stable.
• 💬 In messengers, there may be restrictions on the length of gluing.
• 🏦 Banking applications often block shooting.

If you’re faced with a situation where the scroll button is inactive in the desired app, try updating it through the Google Play store or GetApps. Developers periodically improve the compatibility of their products with the system features of new versions of Android.

⚠️ Note: When you create a screenshot in applications with dynamic content loading (news feed), the scroll can go to infinity. In this case, you need to manually press the stop button as soon as the desired content is on the screen.

Where to look and how to edit ready-made files

Once you've successfully created a long screenshot, it's automatically saved to the device gallery. To find it, open the standard Gallery app and go to Screenshots. Files are sorted by date of creation, so the most recent one will be the first.

The system assigns such files a standard extension.jpg or.png, which ensures compatibility with any messengers and email clients. However, due to the high resolution (height can reach 10,000 pixels or more), some social networks can compress them too aggressively, making the text unreadable.

For editing by built-in means:

1. Open the image in the gallery.
2. Click the "Change" button (the icon of a pencil or slider).
3. Use the “Prune” tool to remove excess white fields from above or below.
4. Keep a copy so you don’t lose the original.

If you plan to send such files by email, consider their weight. A long screenshot in high resolution can take 5-10 MB, which may be the limit for some email services when sent from mobile devices.

Solving and eliminating errors

Despite the system’s fine-tuning, users may face a variety of problems, most often due to a lack of RAM or application version conflicts. If the scroll button doesn’t appear, try closing the background apps and try again.

Another common problem is tearing or doubled images at the joints, which occurs when the page twitches or changes its layout during automatic scrolling (for example, an ad loaded), in which case it is better to reload the page and take the picture again, providing a stable Internet connection.

If the screenshots have stopped being saved at all:

• 🗑️ Check the free space in the phone memory.
• 🔒 Check the access rights of the Gallery application to the storage.
• 🔄 Clear the system interface cache.

It is important to know: on some global firmware versions, the long screenshot function can be limited to 3-4 screens in length to optimize performance.

In rare cases, resetting system interface settings helps. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, find System Interface (or System UI) and click Clear Data. This will not delete your personal files, but will return the interface settings to factory settings.

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The stability of creating long screenshots directly depends on the firmware version and optimization of a particular application, so if you make mistakes, you should first update the phone software.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)