How to make a menu button on Xiaomi: all the ways to different models

The menu button on Xiaomi smartphones is not just an interface element, but a key to quick access to settings, applications and hidden functions. With the release of new versions of MIUI (14 and 15), the logic of the button has changed: somewhere it has become touch-sensitive, somewhere it has been removed altogether, and in some models (POCO F5, Redmi Note 12 Pro+), its functionality is duplicated by gestures. If you can not find the menu button, it does not respond to clicks or behaves differently than before – this article will help to understand the reasons and return the ease of control.

We’ll look at all the current ways of setting up, from turning on the classic three-button bar to reassigning actions to physical keys (for example, on Black Shark 5 with game triggers). Particular attention will be paid to the problems that arise after the MIUI update, when the Suddenly menu button disappears or begins to open the Google Assistant instead of the system menu. All instructions are tested on the latest firmware (2026) and adapted for different series of devices from the budget Redmi to the flagship Xiaomi 14.

Why Xiaomi’s menu button may not work

Before you set up a button, it's important to understand why it stopped working, and most of the time, the problem is one of three things:

• 🔄 Update MIUI: After switching to a new version of the firmware (for example, with the MIUI 13 on MIUI 15) the system can automatically switch to gesture control, hiding the classic buttons.
• 🎯 Settings reset: If you reset your phone to factory settings or transferred data from another device, the navigation bar settings could have gone off.
• 🛠️ Software damage: Rarely, but it happens that after an unsuccessful update or installation of custom firmware, the menu button ceases to respond to clicks, although it physically remains working.

Another common cause is shell conflict, such as some POCO models, where the default menu button opens Google Discover instead of the system menu, which is not a bug, but a feature that can be turned off, and it's worth checking if there are third-party launchers (Nova Launcher, Hyperion) that can intercept control of buttons.

⚠️ Note: If the menu button doesn’t work only in a particular application (for example, YouTube or Chrome), the problem is not in the system, but in the settings of this software. → Annexes.

Method 1: Incorporate a classic three-button panel

If your Xiaomi instead of the usual buttons “Back”, “Home” and “Menu” gestures appeared, you can return the classic panel in a few steps:

1. Open the settings (cog icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the Display section.
3. Select Full-screen Display (on some models it may be called Navigation buttons).
4. In the list of management options, select the buttons (or the three navigation buttons).
5. Confirm the changes and restart the device if the panel does not appear immediately.

On models with MIUI 14/15, the path may be slightly different: Settings → Additional → Special features → System navigation. There is also a choice between buttons and gestures.

Check if they are hidden in the launcher settings

Reboot the phone.

Update MIUI to the latest version

Reset the interface settings (without data loss)-->

If the menu button still doesn’t appear after switching, it may have been replaced with a long-term home button retention on your model, which is true for the Xiaomi 13T, Redmi K60 and other MIUI 14+ devices, where the manufacturer has simplified the interface.

Method 2: Setting up the menu button through ADB (If the standard settings don’t help, you can reassign the menu button using Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This is a method that is suitable for advanced users and requires connecting the phone to a computer, and the advantage of this method is flexibility: you can assign any action to the button, including launching applications or scripts. USB: Go to Settings. → About the phone. 7 once-point version MIUI, To activate the developer mode, go back to the basic settings and open the additional → For developers, activate the debugging switch. USB. Now connect the phone to the PC and execute the command to ADB: adb shell settings put global force_fsg_nav_bar 1 This command forcibly turns on the navigation panel. If you need to reassign the action of the menu button, use: adb shell cmd keyguard set_key_longpress_menu_action 2 Where 2 — code of action (e.g, 0 — nothing, 1 — search, 2 — The full list of codes can be found in the Android documentation. ⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause system failures. Before experimenting, back up your data through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Method 3: Reassign the physical button (for Black Shark and game models)

On Black Shark devices (such as Black Shark 5 Pro or Black Shark 6), the menu button can be implemented as a physical trigger to configure it:

1. Open the Shark Space app (Game Center).
2. Go to the Settings section → Button management.
3. Select the button you want to reassign (usually the Button M1 or Button M2).
4. In the action list, find Open the menu or Show menu.
5. Save the settings and test the button in any application.

Some POCO models (such as the POCO F4 GT) also have additional physical buttons that can be configured in a similar way through Settings → Additional buttons.

Xiaomi 13/14 Series

Redmi Note 10/11/12

POCO F3/F4/F5

Black Shark 4/5/6

Another model-->

Method 4: Using Third-Party Applications

If your system settings don't offer the flexibility you need, you can use third-party utilities, such as Button Mapper, which allows you to reassign actions to any button, including the menu, download it from Google Play and follow the instructions:

1. Open Button Mapper and grant ADB permissions (the app will prompt you to enable them).
2. In the button list, find the Menu key (or Recent Apps key if the menu is combined with the multitasking button).
3. Select an action: for example, Open/Close menu or Launch app.
4. Save the settings and restart the application.

Other useful utilities:

• 🔧 Custom Navigation Bar – allows you to change the appearance and location of the navigation buttons.
• 🎛️ Tasker – to create complex scenarios (for example, opening the menu with double pressing the volume button).
• 🖱️ Fluid Navigation Gestures – an alternative to standard gestures with advanced settings.

⚠️ Note: Button reassignment apps require rights ADB Be careful: incorrect settings can lead to conflicts with system processes.

💡

If after installing a third-party launcher, the menu button stopped working, return the standard MIUI launcher through Settings → Applications → By default → Launcher.

What to do if the menu button is opened by Google Assistant

Starting with MIUI 12, Xiaomi defaults to link the long hold of the Home or Menu button to the launch of Google Assistant. If that bothers you, you can disable the feature like this:

1. Open Settings → Applications → By default → Assistant and voice input.
2. Select Assistant.
3. Turn off the switch next to Google or select No.
4. Reset the device.

If the menu button still calls the assistant, check the gesture settings:

• 👆 Go to Settings. → Display. → Full-screen display → Additional settings.
• 🔍 Find the Long Press on the Home button and turn it off.
• 🔄 If there is no option, try resetting the interface settings in Settings. → Additionally. → Resetting settings → Reset the interface settings.

Solving problems after MIUI update

MIUI updates often bring not only new features, but also bugs. If the menu button is missing or not working properly after the upgrade, try the following steps:

1. Clean up the system cache: Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show All Processes. Find Launcher (or MIUI Launcher) and clear the cache.
2. Reset interface settings: This won’t delete your data, but will return the standard display settings. Way: Settings → Additional → Resetting → Reset the interface settings.
3. Update rollback: If the problem occurred after the last update, you can return the previous version of MIUI via Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three points → Select an update package. Download the old firmware from the official Xiaomi website and install it manually.

On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi 11T Pro) after upgrading to MIUI 14, the menu button may be duplicated with a multitasking button to separate them:

1. Activate the Developer Mode (as described above).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the "Recent" and "Menu" buttons and turn it on.

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If the menu button is gone after the update, try clearing the launcher cache and resetting the interface, which solves the problem 90 percent of the time without drastic measures.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the menu button on Xiaomi