How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi Redmi 5: the full guide

Xiaomi’s Redmi line of smartphones has been a huge hit for years thanks to its excellent price-performance ratio. The Redmi 5, released in late 2017, became a hit in the budget segment, offering users a metal case and an 18:9 aspect ratio screen. Despite the fact that the device is no longer a flagship, it is still actively used, and questions about its basic functionality remain relevant.

One of the most popular features that often confuse new owners or users who have moved from other brands is the creation of a screenshot. MIUI (the shell of Android from Xiaomi) has many ways to perform this operation, making the process as convenient as possible.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the screenshots available on Redmi 5. We will look at not only the standard combinations, but also hidden settings, working with the clipboard, and answering frequently asked questions. Understanding these nuances will help you manage content on your device more effectively.

Standard Method Through Physical Buttons

The fastest and most common way for most Android users to take a screenshot is to use a physical keyboard on a smartphone. On the Redmi 5, as on many other devices with on-screen navigation or classic buttons, this combination works seamlessly, you need to press the volume button and the power button at the same time.

It's important to keep the sequence and duration of the press right. You need to hold the buttons simultaneously and hold them for about one second. If you let them go too quickly, the system may perceive this as a random touch, and the screenshot will not be created. If you hold them too long, the phone can go to the off or reboot menu.

⚠️ Note: Some early versions of the firmware MIUI If the standard combination doesn't work, check if the screen is locked when you press the power button alone in the settings.

Once you've done the action, you'll hear the characteristic snap of the camera shutter (if the sound is on) and the screen blinks for a split second. In the upper right corner, you'll see a thumbnail of the image you've taken that can be edited or sent right away, a method that's universal and works even when the touch screen is temporarily unresponsive.

The success of the operation depends on the simultaneity of pressing. Many users make the mistake of pressing buttons with different delays. The muscle memory training takes literally a couple of minutes, after which you can take screenshots on Xiaomi almost by touch without looking at the buttons.

Use of gestures in the MIUI system

Xiaomi has introduced a unique gesture-based screenshot feature to its MIUI shell that makes life much easier for users of large smartphones. Although the Redmi 5 has a fairly compact 5.7-inch screen, using gestures can still be more convenient, especially if you hold your phone with one hand.

What you want to do is you go to the settings, and the path is: Settings → Advanced Settings → Screenshot. This menu has to include the option "Three-finger screenshot." Once activated, just swipe three fingers down the screen any time you want to capture an image.

This method is especially useful for creating long screenshots (scrollable pages), since after conducting the fingers, the system immediately prompts you to continue capturing the area below. MIUI They are very responsive, but require touchscreen sensitivity calibration in rare cases if the phone is old.

It's worth noting that a three-finger gesture can conflict with other activities, such as text highlighting or game control. If you notice that screenshots are created randomly while playing or reading, you can temporarily disable the feature in the same settings menu, a flexible tool that can be adapted to your smartphone usage habits.

Voice control and Google Assistant

Modern smartphones, including the Redmi 5 running Android, have powerful voice controls. You can take a screenshot just by saying a command. This is especially convenient when hands are busy or when the phone is lying on a table connected to a headset.

To use this method, make sure you have Google Assistant activated. Just say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google," and then say "Take a screenshot" or "Take a screenshot." The assistant will instantly execute the request and save the image to the gallery.

Xiaomi devices can also have its own voice assistant, MI AI (depending on the region and firmware version), which works similarly: voice activation and command to create a screen image. Voice control is not just a tribute to fashion, but a real help in situations where tactile input is difficult.

⚠️ Attention: Voice commands require a stable Internet connection, as processing is often done on Google servers.

The use of voice commands also helps people with disabilities by making the smartphone more accessible: The accuracy of speech recognition in the latest versions of Android and MIUI has achieved impressive results, understanding commands even with an accent or in noisy environments.

Control Panel and Multitasking Menu

Another way that users often forget about is through the interface of running applications: In the MIUI shell, the multitasking menu (a screen that displays all open windows) has a built-in screenshot function. To use it, open the menu of running applications (usually swipe from the bottom up or click the button "Menu").

Find the card of the app you want to take. In the upper right corner of this card, there is often a menu icon or special action buttons. When you click on them, you will see the screenshot option, which allows you to quickly capture the right moment without switching between windows.

Also worth noting is the Control Panel, which is a notification curtain, and in some of the design themes and versions of MIUI, you can take a screenshot widget, and by adding it, you can take screenshots in one click by just swiping from top to bottom and clicking on the icon.

The good thing about this method is that it's visual and doesn't require memorizing key combinations. For older people or those just learning Android, having a graphic button on the screen is the most understandable interface for interacting with a smartphone.

Long screenshot and work with the buffer

The long-screenshot (or scrolling screenshot) feature is one of the most useful in Xiaomi’s arsenal: It lets you capture the entire page of a website, long correspondence in a messenger or the entire document, not just the visible part of the screen.

Immediately after you take a normal screenshot (in any of the ways described above), a thumbnail appears in the upper right corner, and it has a button with a down arrow or a Scrolling icon on it, and when you click on it, the system automatically scrolls down, taking additional pictures and stitching them into one long picture.

Once you've finished taking a long screenshot, you can save it to the gallery. It's important to understand that these images can take up more space in memory, because their resolution is much higher than standard. On Redmi 5, with its screen resolution, it's not critical, but it's worth keeping an eye on the free space.

⚠️ Warning: When taking a long screenshot, try not to touch the screen or change the position of the phone until the scroll process is complete.

The clipboard is also worth considering, and once you've created a screenshot, you can not save it as a file, but immediately copy it to a buffer, and then select the "Copy" option in thumbnail, and then paste the image into a Telegram chat, WhatsApp, or text document.

Where to look and how to edit pictures

All images you create are automatically saved to the Gallery system app, usually in a separate album called Screenshots or Screenshots, which makes it easier to sort: your personal photos and screenshots are not mixed.

The MIUI photo editor allows you to process screenshots immediately after you create them, and you can cut the edges (like a status bar with time and battery), add text, arrows, or blur sensitive information, which are available when you open a thumbnail immediately after you shoot.

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Save important screenshots to the cloud (Mi Cloud or Google Photos). Smartphone memory is not unlimited, and screenshots often contain important information that is a pity to lose when a device breaks down.

If you accidentally delete a screenshot, don't panic. There's a shopping cart in the gallery where deleted files are stored for 30 days. Also, if you have sync enabled, you can recover the deleted file from cloud storage.

Understanding where files are stored helps you find the information you need faster, and the path to files in a file system is either /MIUI/Gallery/Cloud/Screenshots or /Pictures/Screenshots if you use a standard file manager to search.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Redmi 5 has at least 4 ways to create screenshots: buttons, gestures, voice and menus. Choose the one that is more convenient for you and set it up in the system.