How to permanently or temporarily disable touch buttons on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Touch navigation buttons on Xiaomi smartphones are a convenient alternative to physical keys, but not all users like them.Someone accidentally presses them while playing or watching videos, others prefer gestures, and still others just want to free up space on the screen. If you are looking for a way to turn off touch buttons on Xiaomi, this article will help you understand all the nuances from standard settings to hidden functions through ADB.

It's important to understand that the process varies depending on the MIUI version and the device model. For example, on the Redmi Note 10 Pro with MIUI 13, the path to settings will be one, and on the POCO F5 with MIUI 14, we'll look at the universal methods that work on most devices, as well as tailored solutions for specific cases. If you're not sure about your actions, don't worry: all methods are safe when executed correctly.

Before you start, check your firmware version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI. This will help avoid confusion with the menu. Also note that some methods (for example, through ADB) require USB debugging enabled – how to activate it, we will explain below.

Free up space on the screen|Go to the gestures|Get rid of random taps|Other causes|I don't know, just curious.-->

1. disable touch buttons through standard MIUI settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in system options, which is suitable for most MIUI 12-14 devices and does not require additional programs.

1. Open the settings on your smartphone.
2. Go to the Display section (on some models – Screen).
3. Select Full-screen Mode or Navigation buttons (name depends on the firmware version).
4. In the menu you will see navigation options: 🔄 Navigation buttons (touch keys at the bottom of the screen) 👆 Gestures MIUI (Swipe gestures instead of buttons) 📱 Android Gestures (Standard Gestures from Google)

Choose any option with gestures – touch buttons will disappear immediately.

If you don’t have Full Screen Mode on your menu, try an alternative path: Settings → Additional settings → Buttons and gestures → Navigation buttons.

Make a backup copy of important data|Battery charge > 30%|Close all background applications|Remember the password from the Mi Account (in case of resetting)-->

Note that on some models (such as the Xiaomi 12T or POCO X5 Pro), after switching to gestures, a thin strip remains at the bottom of the screen. This is not a bug, but a prompt for swipes. To remove it completely, you will need one of the methods described below.

2. Hiding touch buttons through developer settings

If the standard method didn't work or you want a finer setup, you can use the developer mode, which allows you to turn off the backlight of the buttons or hide them altogether, leaving only gestures.

First, activate the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row.
3. You will see a notice that you have become a developer.

Now go back to the basic settings and open a new Developer section (usually at the bottom of the list).

Follow the instructions:

1. Scroll the list to the Drawing or Interface block.
2. Find the parameters: 🔘 Discover the navigation bar (hide navigation bar) 🔘 Navigation panel size (set 0) 🔘 Transparency of the navigation panel (maximum)

Activate the necessary options and restart the device.

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If the screen starts to behave strangely after the changes (for example, does not respond to swipes), return the standard settings in the For Developers section or reboot.

Important: On some devices (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO M3), these options may not be available or may not work properly.

3. disable buttons via ADB (for power users)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for deep system configuration, which is suitable for all Xiaomi devices based on Android 10-14, but requires a connection to a computer.

First, prepare everything you need:

• 💻 Computer with installed Xiaomi drivers (you can download on the official website).
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🔧 Utility. ADB (Download from the Android Developers website).

Now, follow the steps:

1. Enable debugging via USB: Settings → For developers → debugging via USB.
2. Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with ADB.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is displayed – you can continue.
5. Use the command to disable touch buttons: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*
6. Reboot your smartphone.

To return the buttons back, use the command:

adb shell settings put global policy_control null

4. Use of third-party applications

If you don’t want to mess with settings or ADB, you can use Google Play, which allows you to flexibly configure the display of touch buttons, but require superuser (root) or ADB rights.

Top.-3 Applications for controlling the navigation panel:

Example of settings through Full Screen Gestures:

1. Install the application and open it.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command from the instructions in the app (usually adb). -d shell pm grant com.uberspot.fullscreen android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS).
3. In the application settings, select Hide navigation bar.
4. Activate the option and restart the device.

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Third-party apps may conflict with system updates. After a MIUI upgrade, their settings are sometimes reset and the buttons pop up again.

5. disable buttons on individual Xiaomi models

Some Xiaomi devices have unique navigation controls, and let’s look at the most popular models and their nuances.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 / POCO X4 Pro

On these smartphones, touch buttons can only be turned off through MIUI or ADB gestures. Standard concealment through the developer settings often doesn't work due to firmware limitations.

Xiaomi 12/12 Pro / 13/13 Pro

Flagship models support dynamic button hiding: they disappear in full-screen applications (games, videos) and appear when swiped from the bottom to disable them completely:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.
2. Choose Android Gestures.
3. Activate the option to Hide the navigation bar.

POCO F3 / F4 / F5

On POCO series devices with MIUI for POCO, the path to settings is different: Settings → System → Gestures → System navigation.

You can choose between buttons, MIUI gestures or Android.

Redmi Note 10/11/12|POCO X3/X4/X5|Xiaomi 11/12/13|Another model|I don't know.-->

Possible problems and solutions

It can be difficult to turn off touch buttons, and let's look at the most common ones and how to eliminate them.

⚠️ Note: If the screen has stopped responding to swipes after the changes, check if gesture blocking is activated in security settings. It can block navigation in some applications (for example, banking).

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the screen settings: Settings → System → Resetting → Resetting the display settings.

This will return the standard display of buttons without losing data.

7. Alternative methods: custom firmware and root

For advanced users willing to take risks, there are radical methods to disable touch buttons:

• 🔧 Install custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) where navigation is configured flexibly.
• 🛠️ Getting root rights and editing system files (for example, /system/build.prop).
• 📱 Using Xposed Framework with GravityBox Module to fine-tune the interface.

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware or obtaining root rights will void Xiaomi's warranty and may result in a device blink (completely inoperable). TWRP Mi Cloud.

If you decide to take this step, follow the instructions from the proven resources:

• 🌐 XDA Developers (partition of your model)
• 🌐 4PDA (Xiaomi Firmware Themes)

Example of the command to disable buttons via build.prop (requires root):

echo "qemu.hw.mainkeys=1" >> /system/build.prop

After making changes, restart the device.

FAQ: Frequent questions