Full screen mode in games on Xiaomi: how to remove black stripes and increase the display area

Games on Xiaomi smartphones often suffer from black bars on the sides of the screen or intrusive interface elements that interfere with immersion. Full-screen mode solves this problem, but its activation depends on the version of MIUI, the device model and even the specific game. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to expand the game canvas, from standard system settings to hidden functions and workarounds for stubborn applications.

It’s important to understand that “full screen” on Xiaomi can mean two things: zooming in (stretching the image to the full screen) or hiding the system panels (remove the status bar and navigation bar).We’ll look at both options, and explain why some games don’t fundamentally support stretching – this has to do with the aspect ratio of the screen (18:9, 20:9, 21:9) and developer optimization.

If you own it. POCO F5, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ Xiaomi 13 Ultra – don’t worry, the instructions are universal for all devices on the device MIUI 12-14 A for owners of older models (up to) MIUI (11) we have prepared separate recommendations.

1. Standard method: settings of full-screen display in MIUI

The easiest method is to use the system's built-in options. It works for most games, but it doesn't guarantee the perfect result (there may be cropping or distortion).

1. Open the Settings → Display.
2. Select Full-screen Display (in some versions of MIUI it is called Screen Size or Application Size).
3. Activate the full screen slider, or select the app from the list and apply the Full screen setting.

If the option is inactive for a particular game, the developer has blocked it through the application manifest, in which case one of the alternative methods described below will help.

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On devices with AMOLED- screens (such as the Xiaomi 12T Pro), the black bars are not highlighted, so they are less visible visually, but this does not eliminate the need for full-screen mode for comfortable gameplay.

• ✅ Works for most games (Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile).
• ❌ Does not work for hard-binding aspect ratio applications (e.g., some emulators).
• ⚠️ Can crop important interface elements (buttons, text).

2. Hiding system panels: status bar and navigation bar

Black lanes are half the trouble, and it's even worse when you're playing with your charge indicators, your time, your navigation buttons, and you can remove them in a number of ways.

Method 1: Gestures instead of buttons

Go to Settings → Display → Full-screen display and select Gestures instead of Navigation Button. This will automatically hide the bottom bar in games. Use a swipe from the edge of the screen to go back.

Method 2: Immersive display mode

Some games (such as Honor of Kings) support immersive mode to activate it:

1. Start the game.
2. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification bar.
3. Click on the Full-screen Mode icon (if any) or hold your finger on the notification bar and select Hide Status Bar.

If there is no icon, try to enable the option manually through Settings → Special features → System settings → Hide the status bar (not available on all devices).

⚠️ Warning: On front-facing devices (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro), hiding the status bar can lead to a game interface overlay on the cutout area, in which case try changing the display settings in the game itself (usually in the Graphics Settings section).

3. Full-screen mode via Game Turbo

Game Turbo is Xiaomi’s proprietary game accelerator that not only optimizes performance, but also offers advanced display settings. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open Settings → Game Turbo (or run the game and swipe to the right to open the Game Turbo panel).
2. Select the game from the list or add it manually.
3. Go to the display settings (or screen).
4. Activate options: Full screen (stretch image); Hide watermarks (remove FPS and temperature indicators); Turn off automatic brightness (locks backlight).

In some versions of MIUI 14, the full-screen option in Game Turbo is called Screen Resolution – choose Full Screen or Stretch to Fill.

4. Manual change of screen resolution (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try changing the screen resolution manually through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable for advanced users and requires a connection to a computer.

Warning: Incorrect commands can cause the display to malfunction. Do this at your own risk!

1. Turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect the phone to your PC and execute the command in the terminal: adb shell wm size 1080x2340 (replace 1080x2340 with your screen resolution, for example, 1080x2400 for Xiaomi 12).
4. To return to standard settings, use: adb shell wm size reset

On devices with MIUI 14 and newer versions of Android, the wm size command can be blocked, in which case try an alternative method through the Second Space or Parallel Apps app, creating a copy of the game with different display settings.

⚠️ Warning: Change resolution through ADB resets after the device is restarted, and some games (such as Free Fire) may block entry if they detect non-standard resolution (considered as cheating).

5.Use of third-party applications for forced stretching

If Xiaomi's built-in tools don't work, third-party tools come to the rescue, and we tested a few solutions and selected the most reliable ones:

• 🔹 Full Screen Immersive Mode (from Google Play) — hides the system panels in any application. Requires ADB rights to run on MIUI.
• 🔹 Game Tools is an alternative to Game Turbo with advanced stretching settings. Supports Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO.
• 🔹 Display Changer — allows you to change the resolution and density of the screen (DPI) without ADB. Careful: can break the display of system fonts!

To install these applications:

1. Download APK from the official website (for example, APKMirror).
2. Allow installation from unknown sources in Settings → Security.
3. Start the application and follow the instructions (usually you need to provide permissions through ADB or Accessibility Service).

Install ADB drivers on PC

Turn on USB debugging on your phone

Download the utility from a verified source

Create a backup of your screen settings-->

Example of the team providing full screen immersive mode rights through ADB:

adb shell pm grant com.roehsoft.immersivemode android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

6. Solving problems with full-screen mode

Even after all the manipulations, some games may not work in full screen mode, and here are the typical problems and solutions:

If nothing helps, check:

• 🔄 Is the firmware updated to the latest version (MIUI 14 has fixed many bugs with full-screen mode).
• 🎮 Graphics settings in the game itself (sometimes there is a Full Screen Mode option on the menu).
• 📱 The aspect ratio of your screen (at 20:9 and 21:9, problems are more common).

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On devices with LTPO- screens (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra), a forced resolution change can cause the adaptive refresh rate to malfunction, in which case return the standard settings or use only immersive mode.

7. Full screen mode in emulators and retro games

Emulators (PPSSPP, Dolphin, RetroArch) and retro games often ignore Xiaomi’s system settings.

For PPSSPP:

1. Open the emulator settings.
2. Go to Graphics → Rendering Resolution.
3. Select Custom and set the resolution that matches your screen (e.g. 1080x2340).
4. Activate the Stretch to display or Maintain aspect ratio (depending on your preferences).

For RetroArch:

1. Start the game, open the menu (Menu → Settings → Video).
2. Install Aspect Ratio in Custom.
3. Enter 18:9 or 20:9 (depending on your display).
4. Activate the Integer Scale to eliminate blur.

Dolphin Emulator requires you to edit the Dolphin.ini configuration file (located in /sdcard/dolphin-emu/Config/).

Fullscreen = True


AspectRatio = 2 # (1 = 4:3, 2 = 16:9, 3 = stretch)

FAQ: Frequent questions about full-screen mode on Xiaomi