How to change navigation buttons in places on Xiaomi: 3 proven ways

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 (like Samsung or Google Pixel, where the sequence is different). Many users are used to the reverse arrangement: when the Back button is on the right rather than the left.

Fortunately, Xiaomi’s MIUI (branded shell) allows for flexible interface customization, including reassignment of navigation buttons. Moreover, there are alternative methods for those who want to not only swap existing buttons, but also add new gestures or remove the navigation bar altogether. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways, from standard settings to using ADB and third-party utilities.

Before you start, consider that some models (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Poco F5) may default to the gesture mode, where there are no physical buttons, in which case you will first need to return the classic navigation bar – this will also be discussed below.

Method 1: Reassign buttons through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI options. It is suitable for most modern Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones (starting with the MIUI 10 shell version and later).

Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
Go to the Screen section (or Additional settings → Full-screen display on some models).
Select the Navigation Panel (or Navigation buttons).
Slip on the button location option (may be called the button order).
Choose one of the proposed options: 🔄 Standard (Back) → Home. → Recent) 🔄 Reverse (Recent) → Home. → Back up) 🔄 Only "Home" (with gestures around the edges)

If you don't have button location on your menu, you've got gesture mode activated on your device to return the classic buttons:

In the same section, select the Navigation Panel buttons instead of the Gesture.
Save the changes and repeat the reassignment steps.

Make sure that the latest version of MIUI is installed on your smartphone.

Check if the navigation bar is active (not gestures)

Close all applications before changing settings

Restart the device after the changes are applied (optional)-->

Restriction: Some regional versions of MIUI (e.g. Europe or India) may not have a button reassignment option, in which case proceed to Method 2.

Method 2: Using ADB to reassign buttons

If you can't swap buttons, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool, which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer, but gives you more freedom, such as allowing you to assign random actions to the buttons (opening menus, calling a voice assistant, etc.).

Note: to work with ADB, you need to turn on the developer mode and debugging over USB. If you have never done this, follow the instructions:

Go to Settings. → The phone.
Tap 7 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
Return to Settings → Additional settings → For developers.
Activate the debugging switch over USB and confirm the action.

Now connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the following commands in ADB (pre-download Google’s Platform Tools):

adb shell


settings put secure sysui_nav_bar "space,back;home;recent,space"

This command will swap the buttons, "Back" will be on the right and "Recent" will be on the left.

settings put secure sysui_nav_bar "space,recent;home;back,space"

💡

If the buttons have not changed after applying the command, restart the smartphone or perform an adb shell stop & & adb shell start to restart the interface.

⚠️ Note: Some manufacturers (including Xiaomi) block system settings from changing ADB If the command fails, try an alternative method using the Button Mapper app (see Method 3).

Method 3: Third-party applications for button customization

If the first two methods don't work, Google Play apps will come to the rescue.

📱 Button Mapper – allows you to reassign both virtual and physical buttons (for example, the Bixby button on some models).
📱 NavStar – specializes in customizing the navigation bar (including changing the order of buttons and adding gestures).
📱 Fluid Navigation Gestures – Replaces the standard navigation bar with gestures with extensive customization options.

Let’s look at the Button Mapper example:

Install the app from Google Play and give it special access rights (in Android settings).
Select the Navigation Bar menu.
Slip the button you want to reassign (like “Back”) and select a new action from the list.
Save the changes and restart the device.

Annex	Support for MIUI	Demands a Root.	Free version
Button Mapper	Yes (with limitations)	No.	Yeah (with ads)
NavStar	Yes.	No.	Trimmed.
Fluid NG	Partially.	No.	No (paid)

Important: On devices with MIUI 14 and later, some applications may not work due to security limitations, in which case only root access or a rollback to an older version of the shell will help.

Standard settings of MIUI

ADB teams

Third-party annexes

Gesture mode instead of buttons-->

Method 4: Gesture mode instead of classic buttons

If you don’t like the navigation bar, MIUI offers an alternative, gesture control, which allows you to hide virtual buttons and use swipes around the edges of the screen to navigate, a technique that is especially popular with bezel-free smartphone owners (such as the Xiaomi 13T or Redmi Note 12 Pro+).

To activate the gesture mode:

Go to Settings → Screen → Navigation Panel.
Select MIUI Gestures (or Full-screen Gestures in the global version).
Check out the management tips: 👆 Swipe up with pause - opening recent apps. 👆 Swipe up without pause - return to the main screen. 👈 Swipe from left or right edge – action “Back».

Advantages of gesture mode:

✅ Frees up space on the screen (no panel at the bottom).
✅ More intuitive control of one hand.
✅ Less random taps.

Disadvantages:

❌ It takes getting used to (the first few days are possible mistakes).
❌ Not all apps work properly with gestures.

How to return buttons after switching to gestures?

If the gesture mode is uncomfortable, you can return the classic navigation bar from the same Settings menu → Screen → Navigation bar by selecting the button option instead of Gesture. After that, the buttons will appear again, but their order may reset to the standard - remember to reconfigure it again.

Problems and Solutions: What to Do When the Buttons Don’t Change?

Sometimes users find that the navigation buttons are not reassigned or changes are not saved after a reboot.

Problem.	Possible cause	Decision
There is no option “Button Location” in the settings	Regional version of MIUI or outdated firmware	Update the software or use ADB/third party apps
The buttons are reset after rebooting	Failure of system settings	Clear the Settings app cache (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Settings → Clear the cache)
ADB-teams are not working	Blocking by the manufacturer or lack of rights	Try executing a command on behalf of a superuser (su) or use Magisk to get root.

If none of the methods worked, check:

🔍 Version MIUI — Some beta versions of the shell may have bugs.
🔍 Updates – the problem may have been fixed in the new firmware.
🔍 Conflict with other applications (e.g. launchers like Nova Launcher or HyperOS Launcher).

⚠️ Note: On devices with HyperOS (new shell for Xiaomi 14 and newer), the process of reassigning buttons may be different. MIUI or waiting for an update with customization support.

Reassignment of physical buttons (volume, power)

In addition to virtual navigation buttons, Xiaomi smartphones can also reassign physical keys — for example, to make the volume button open the camera, and the power button triggers the voice assistant.

Install the Button Mapper app (mentioned above).
Grant him the rights Special access → Battery optimization (to make the application work in the background).
Select Volume Buttons or Power Button and assign a new action.

Popular reassignment options:

📸 Volume down button → flash-start.
🔋 Power button → Calling Google Assistant or XiaoAI.
🔕 Double press of the volume button → flashlight.

Limitation: On some models (e.g. Xiaomi 12S Ultra), physical buttons are locked at the firmware level and can only be reassigned with root access.

💡

Reassigning physical buttons may conflict with system functions (e.g., triple-press power emergency calls). Before changing, check if you are using these features.

FAQ: Frequent questions about reassigning buttons to Xiaomi

Can I change the navigation buttons to Xiaomi without a computer?

Yes, if your version of MIUI has a built-in reassignment option (see Method 1). If it doesn't, use third-party apps like Button Mapper or NavStar - they don't require a PC connection.

Why did the buttons drop after the MIUI update?

Updating your firmware can reset some of the interface settings. To return the previous button order, repeat the steps from the first method or check if customization applications (such as Button Mapper) have reset.

Does the reassignment of buttons to Poco F5 work?

On the Poco F5 (and other devices with MIUI for Poco), the option to change the buttons may be hidden. Try using ADB or installing an alternative launcher (like Poco Launcher), which sometimes reveals additional settings.

Can I remove the navigation bar completely?

Yes, you can use gesture mode (see Method 4) to do this, and you can use applications like Fluid Navigation Gestures that hide the panel and swipe it.

What if the buttons are changed through ADB?

Most likely, an incorrect command was entered. Return the standard settings with: adb shell settings delete secure sysui_nav_bar Then restart the device. If the buttons don't show up, check if the gesture mode is activated in the settings.