How to completely disable the gesture menu on Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Why users want to remove gestures on Xiaomi and what it gives

Gesture control on Xiaomi smartphones appeared along with the release MIUI 10 and has since become the standard way of navigation. However, not all users are comfortable swiping instead of the usual Back, Home and Recent buttons, POCO Or Mi wants to bring back the classic menu:

First, it's a habit that Android users have been used to physical or touch buttons for years, and switching to gestures requires retraining, which is not easy for everyone, and second, it's a bug: random swipes from the edges of the screen can close apps or back them up when they don't need to. Third, compatibility: some games or apps (like emulators) conflict with gesture control by blocking part of the screen.

Disabling gestures brings back the virtual navigation bar to the screen, which solves these problems, but it's important to understand that on new versions of MIUI 14/15, the path to these settings has changed, and on some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or POCO F5) the option is hidden deeper.

Method 1: Disconnecting through the basic MIUI settings

This is the simplest method that works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12-15. Suitable for the Redmi Note 11/12, POCO X4/X5, Mi 11/12 and others.

  1. Open the settings (cog icon on the desktop).
  2. Go to the Display section.
  3. Select Full-screen display (on some firmware - Navigation panel).
  4. Slip it on the navigation type.
  5. Select the button (or three navigation buttons).
  6. Confirm the change if a warning appears.

After that, the classic Back, Home and Recent buttons will appear at the bottom of the screen, and if there is no Full-screen display, then your model will use a different path (see next method).

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Close all applications (especially games)

Connect charging if the battery is below 20%

Take a screenshot of the current screen settings-->

Method 2: Alternative path for new MIUI versions

Starting with MIUI 14, Xiaomi simplified the settings interface, but also hid some options. If the first method didn't work, try this algorithm:

  1. Go to Settings → Additional settings (or Advanced settings).
  2. Select Full Screen Mode.
  3. Click on the Navigation Style.
  4. Activate the navigation button switch.

On some devices (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra), the option may be called button mode or traditional navigation. If this path did not work, then move to hidden methods.

📊 What navigation do you prefer?
Gestures
Classic buttons
Depends on the app.
I don't care.

Method 3: Using the Developer Mode

If the standard settings do not allow you to turn off gestures, you can use the developer mode. This method is suitable for POCO F3/F4, Redmi K50 and other models with custom firmware.

  1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About the phone, tap 7 times on the version MIUI. Enter. PIN-code, if required.

For developers

Force full-screen display

Forced full-screen mode

Off

Standard

Reset the device.

After the reboot, check if the navigation buttons are up. If not, try the following method.

What to do if the developer mode is not turned on?
On some devices (for example, Xiaomi Pad) 6) The activation of the developer mode is blocked by security policies: 1. Connect the device to a PC with installed ADB. 2. Adb shell settings put global settings development_settings_enabled 1 3. Reboot the tablet/smartphone.

Method 4: Disable gestures via ADB (for power users)

If all previous methods have not worked, it remains. ADB-This requires a computer and basic knowledge of working with Android Debug Bridge. 12T, POCO X6 Pro and other devices with locked settings.

Instructions:

  1. Download and install Google’s Platform Tools.
  2. Enable USB debugging in the developer settings.
  3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global force_fsg_nav_bar 1
  4. Reset the device.

To return gestures, use the same command, but with a 0 instead of a 1.

💡

Before using ADB, back up your data through Settings → System → Backup. This will prevent you from losing information when you crash.

Method 5: Reset screen settings (extreme case)

If none of these methods work, you'll reset the display settings, and that will bring all the parameters back to the factory settings, including navigation, and importantly, it doesn't affect user data (photos, apps), but it will reset brightness, color profile and other settings.

How to do this:

  1. Open Settings → System → Resetting settings.
  2. Select Reset Display Settings (or Reset Interface).
  3. Confirm the action.

💡

If after the changes the screen began to twitch or slow down - reset the animation in the developer settings (Scale of animation window → Off).

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14), disabling gestures may cause some system applications such as Mi Video or Gallery to crash. Check compatibility on forums (e.g., check for compatibility before changing settings, 4PDA or XDA Developers).

Can I only turn off gestures in individual applications?
Yes, but not through system settings. You'll need a third-party application like Fluid Navigation Gestures (requires root) or Edge Gestures. These tools allow you to customize exceptions for specific programs, such as games or instant messengers. However, on MIUI 14/15, they can run unstable due to system limitations.
Why did the gestures turn on themselves after the MIUI update?
This is standard Xiaomi behavior — after major updates (e.g., from MIUI 13 to 14), the system resets some interface settings to default values. To avoid this, before updating: Back up through Settings → System → Backup. Remember the current type of navigation (take a screenshot). After updating manually return the previous settings.
How to return gestures if you don’t like navigation buttons?
To activate gesture control again, repeat steps from Method 1 or 2, but at the last stage, select: MIUI gestures are standard Xiaomi swipes. Android gestures are an alternative scheme from Google (swipe from the bottom edge). Full-screen gestures hide the navigation bar completely (only for power users). MIUI 15 also has an option for adaptive gestures that adapt to applications.
Will disabling gestures on custom firmware (like LineageOS) work?
On most custom firmware (like LineageOS, Pixel Experience or ArrowOS), navigation is set up via the standard Android menu: Open Settings → System → Gestures → System Navigation. Choose Three buttons or Two-button navigation. If there is no such option, the firmware uses its own logic (for example, in HavocOS, the settings can be in Havoc Settings).
Can I turn off the gestures without losing the warranty?
Yes, all of the above methods (except ADB and developer mode) do not affect the warranty. However: Using ADB can be regarded by the service center as an interference with the system if you contact the warranty with a software problem. Unlocking the bootloader will void the warranty on most Xiaomi devices. If in doubt, use only Methods 1-2 or contact the official service center.