How to turn off screen buttons on Xiaomi: a complete guide with hidden chips

On-screen buttons on Xiaomi smartphones are a polarizing theme, with some people comfortable with the virtual navigation bar with MIUI gestures, and some dreaming of returning classic touch keys or hiding them altogether to expand the screen’s workspace, the problem is that the manufacturer doesn’t always provide obvious settings for this — especially on newer Redmi or POCO models running MIUI 14/15.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to disable on-screen buttons, from standard settings to hidden functions and commands through ADB. You will learn how to completely remove the navigation bar, replace it with gestures or return physical buttons (if you have them in your model), and also what to do if you lose access to the basic functions of the phone after manipulation.

Important: the procedure differs depending on the firmware version and device model. For example, on Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 15, the path to settings will be different than on Redmi Note 10 with MIUI 12.5.

1. Standard shutdown via MIUI settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in system options, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices based on MIUI 11 and later.

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the Display section → Full-screen mode.
3. Select Navigation Style (or Navigation Type in older versions).
4. Activate the option "Gests" (or Full Screen Gestures: 🔄 Gestures MIUI — classic swipes from the bottom (similar to the buttons "Back", "Home", "Recently»). 📱 Android gestures – swipes on the sides of the screen (like in Android stock). ⚙️ Navigation buttons – returns the virtual bar (if you just want to change the location).

Once gestures are selected, the screen buttons will disappear automatically, and if there is no Full-screen option, then your model does not support gestures at the software level (relevant for budget devices like the Redmi A1).

💡

Some firmwares have a thin bar at the bottom of the screen after switching to gestures, and to remove it, activate the Hide gesture indicator option (if available) in the same settings.

2. Hidden settings for advanced users

If the standard method didn’t work or you need additional options (for example, turn off buttons only in certain applications), use the hidden developer settings.

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row until you become a developer!
3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new Developer section (usually at the bottom of the list).
4. Scroll down to the Debugging block and activate: 🔧 Debugging by USB (if you plan to use ADB). 📱 Allow screen size change (for manually adjusting the display area). 🔄 Disable button overlay (hiddens the virtual panel in full-screen applications).

Once the last item is activated, the screen buttons will automatically hide in games, videos and some applications (such as YouTube or TikTok), but they will remain in the main interface.

3. Disconnection via ADB (for power users)

If previous methods didn’t work, you’ll need to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable for devices with locked bootloader and does not require root rights.

What you need:

• 💻 A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• ⚙️ Included debugging by USB (see previous section).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission on the smartphone screen.
2. Open the command line (cmd) in the folder with ADB Enter: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=* This command forcibly activates full-screen mode in all applications.
3. To disable only the bottom panel, use: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.navigation=apps,-com.miui.home Here com.miui.home is the launcher ID MIUI. Buttons will disappear everywhere except the main screen.
4. Reboot the device: adb reboot

To return the buttons back, do:

adb shell settings put global policy_control null

4. Use of third-party applications

If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can use specialized utilities.

For installation:

1. Download the application from the table.
2. Run it and provide all the necessary permissions (including Overlay on top of other applications).
3. In the settings, select “Hide the navigation bar” or “Activate gestures”.
4. Restart the device (if necessary).

|Check the Android version (some apps don't work on Android 13)+)

| Make a backup copy of the data

| Disable battery optimization for the selected application

|Read reviews about compatibility with your Xiaomi model-->

⚠️ Note: Apps like Nacho Notch can conflict with system gestures MIUI. If after installation there are lags or swipes do not work - delete the program and use standard settings.

5. Manual editing of system files (for stitched devices)

This method is only suitable for users with an unlocked bootloader and a TWRP or Magisk installed. It allows you to completely remove on-screen buttons at the system file level, but requires caution.

Instructions:

1. Install Root Explorer or any other file manager with root support.
2. Go to /system/usr/keylayout/ and find Generic.kl or qwerty.kl (depending on the model).
3. Open the file in the text editor and find the lines with: key 158 BACK key 172 HOME key 139 MENU Replace them with: #key 158 BACK #key 172 HOME #key 139 MENU (symbol # comments a line by disabling it).
4. Save the changes, set the rights 644 and restart the device.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to a "bottle" ( looped boot). TWRP!

💡

Editing system files is a last resort, and in 90% of cases, standard settings or settings are sufficient. ADB-Only use this method if other methods have failed.

6. Features for different Xiaomi models

The manufacturer often makes changes to the MIUI interface for different product lines, and here are the key nuances:

• 📱 Xiaomi 12/13 Series: Gestures are activated by default, but buttons can be returned via Settings → Display. → Full screen mode → Navigation buttons.

For physical button devices (e.g. Redmi Note 8 Pro), the virtual bar is disabled in System → Gestures → Navigation Type → Buttons. If there is no option, then the firmware is modified (e.g. global instead of Chinese).

Frequent problems and their solutions

When disabling on-screen buttons, users often encounter the following errors:

• ❌ Missing the "Recent Apps" menu: Turn on gestures MIUI And swipe up and pause. If it doesn't work, just do the command:
• ❌ Swipes do not work in games: Turn off the gesture lock option in the game settings or add the game to exceptions in Nacho Notch.
• ❌ A black bar appeared at the bottom of the screen: This is an artifact of switching off the buttons. ADB:

If after manipulation, the phone stopped responding to touch, connect it to the PC and do:

adb shell wm overscan 0,0,0,0

This command will reset the display settings.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions