How to stretch the screen on the Xiaomi phone: remove the stripes and adjust the scale

Owners of modern smartphones often face a situation where the image does not occupy all the useful area of the display, leaving annoying black stripes around the edges. Especially the question of how to stretch the screen on a Xiaomi phone, when watching video content on social networks or when running old games that are not adapted to modern elongated matrix formats. Standard interface settings do not always offer an obvious solution, forcing users to look for hidden engineering menus or third-party utilities.

The problem can be both the software limitations of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system, and the specific features of a particular application that compels it to set its display parameters. Sometimes the reason lies in the wrong resolution or refresh rate, which leads to visual artifacts. Understanding the nature of the empty fields allows you to choose the right method of fixing the defect without risking damage to the device.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can correct your image, from basic settings in your smartphone menu to engineering code and USB debugging. You will learn which settings can be changed safely and which manipulations can lead to unstable system operation. Get ready to turn your Xiaomi into a multimedia center with a perfectly filled display.

Causes of black stripes and format limitations

Before we take action, we need to understand why the system doesn't use the entire area of the default matrix. The main reason is the difference in the aspect ratios between the content and the physical screen of the smartphone. If the video is shot in 16:9 format and your phone has a 20:9 or 21:9 screen elongated, then there will inevitably be black zones on the sides that are technically impossible to fill without distorting the picture.

However, there are situations where bands appear where they shouldn't be, often because of scaling problems or permission conflicts in developer settings, and some applications, especially banking or enterprise ones, can block window size changes for security reasons or because of errors in layout code.

Also worth considering is the presence of front-facing camera cutouts and sensors, and in some cases, the system automatically adds a black bar at the top of the screen to hide the bang or hole, creating the illusion of symmetry, a software feature of the MIUI shell that can be turned off, but this will require interference with hidden settings.

Basic aspect ratio setting in MIUI and HyperOS

The safest and first step for every Xiaomi user is to check the standard display settings. Smartphone manufacturers have provided basic functionality to adapt old apps to new screens, but it is often hidden in the submenu or works incorrectly without manual activation.

You've got to go to the basic settings of the device and find the partition that's responsible for the screen. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. You've got to find the item that's related to full-screen mode or application management.

In the list that opens, you'll see all the programs installed. The system automatically tags those apps that don't support the current screen resolution. The switch allows you to force the image to stretch by filling in black fields, but this can lead to a slight distortion of the proportions of objects around the edges.

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Screen (or Display).
• 📱 Find Full-screen mode or App aspect ratio.
• 📱 In the list, find a problem app (like YouTube or a specific game).
• 📱 Activate the Full-screen Switch for the selected application.

Once you have set up the application, it is recommended to close the application completely and start it again, and if there is no visual change, then the program has strict restrictions at the manifest level, and deeper methods of intervention are required.

Use of engineering menus and codes for calibration

If standard methods fail, hidden engineering menus are available through a special set of commands, a powerful tool for diagnosing and adjusting display parameters that allows you to change values that are not available in a normal interface. Be careful: changing the digital values incorrectly can lead to incorrect display of fonts or icons.

To access the engineering menu, you need to open the standard Phone app and dial a special character combination. Most Xiaomi and Redmi devices use the code ##6484##, which opens the Testing Menu (CIT), but direct DPI calibration and resolution often requires logging in through the developer menu or using ADB.

⚠️ Warning: Making changes to the engineering menu can cause the system to run in an unstable way. Write down the initial values before changing them so you can get everything back.

There's also code ##4636##, which opens the test menu, and although it's mainly designed to configure networks, some firmware versions can find information about battery and usage, and also go to statistics, where hidden interface settings are sometimes available, but the most effective method for advanced users is to use the command line through the computer.

Setup DPI and permissions via computer (ADB)

The most flexible way to stretch the screen and change the pixel density (DPI) — Using the Android debugging bridge (ADB). This method allows you to specify the exact resolution and density, forcing the system to redraw the interface to your requirements, USB-cable and installed drivers ADB.

First, you need to activate the developer mode on your phone. To do this, quickly click seven times on the build number in the About Phone section. Then in the Developer menu that appears, turn on Debugging over USB. Connect your smartphone to your PC and allow debugging on the device screen.

adb shell wm size 1080x2340


adb shell wm density 440

The first command sets the physical resolution of the screen, and the second command sets the pixel density. Decreasing the DPI makes the interface elements smaller, visually increasing the usable screen area. Increasing the DPI, on the contrary, enlarges the elements. Adb shell wm size reset returns factory resolution.

Using ADB gives you complete control, but it requires care. If you set a resolution that the matrix doesn't physically support, the screen can go out or ripple, and then you can reboot the device in safe mode or reset the settings through Recovery.

Third-party screen management applications

For those who don’t want to mess with the computer and command line, there are specialized apps from the Google Play Store that allow you to change DPI, resolution and other parameters in one click using the same system mechanisms as ADB, but through a user-friendly graphical interface.

One popular solution is SecondScreen, or similar tools like Resolution Changer. These utilities often require root rights for full functionality, but many work on conventional devices using ADB permissions that can be given once through a computer, and then control is directly from the phone.

When using third-party software, it is important to download programs only from trusted sources; malware can access system settings and disrupt the interface; always check the permissions the application requests when installing.

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Before installing any resolution change apps, create a restore point or make sure you know how to reset your phone in Safe Mode.

Solving problems with specific applications (YouTube, TikTok)

On YouTube, black stripes are often part of the video stream itself if the author uploads 16:9 content to a 20:9 screen. Stretching such a video will cause the actors' faces to become unnaturally elongated, and the player interface can override important details.

The problem is solved differently in TikTok or Instagram Reels, which is designed to be vertical in the beginning, so if you see bars, check if the phone's settings include Enlarged Text or MIUI font settings that can shift the boundaries of the app window.

For streaming services like Netflix or Kinopoisk, it is important to have certificates. DRM. Sometimes changing the system resolution through ADB It may disrupt the content protection and the video will stop playing in high quality (HD/4K). In such cases, standard values must be returned. DPI.

⚠️ Attention: Stretching 16:9 video stream over the entire 20:9 screen leads to geometric distortion (people become thin and tall). Use the Fill feature in the player, if available, instead of system stretching.

Additional interface and font settings

Sometimes the feeling that the screen isn’t being used fully is created by the large system fonts and controls.The HyperOS shell and newer versions of MIUI have flexible text size settings that affect usable area.

Go to Settings → Screen → Text Size. Moving the slider downwards will free up space for content. It’s also worth checking the element size settings (not to be confused with text) that change the size of buttons and indentations in the interface.

Another hidden setting is the minimum width, which is on the developer menu, and increasing the minimum width (in dp) makes the interface denser, similar to reducing the DPI, but works softer and safer for application compatibility.

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Integrated approach: a combination of reducing fonts, adjusting full-screen mode for specific applications and correcting DPI gives the best result without losing image quality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)