How to take a random screenshot of Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi and Redmi offer incredibly flexible screen imaging tools. The standard image-making feature has long outgrown simple image-copying as a powerful tool for creating instructions, saving correspondence, or highlighting important interface details. Many device owners are unaware that the built-in mechanism allows you to cut out arbitrary objects, create long panoramas of pages, and automatically recognize text.

In this article, we will discuss in detail how to take an arbitrary screenshot of Xiaomi using the standard features of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS. You do not need to install third-party applications, since the system functionality fully covers the needs of most users. We will consider not only classic methods, but also hidden settings that will make your work with content much more efficient.

Before we get to specifics, it’s worth noting that the interface may vary slightly depending on the Android version and regional firmware. However, the basic principles of screen capture remain the same throughout the brand ecosystem. Understanding these principles will allow you to feel confident when working with any device in the line, whether it’s the flagship Xiaomi 14 or the budget Redmi Note.

Basic methods for creating screenshots

The most obvious and quick way to capture the current state of the screen is to use a physical combination of buttons. Most Xiaomi models require you to simultaneously press the volume down and power button. The system instantly responds to this action with the characteristic sound of the camera shutter and vibration, and in the upper corner a thumbnail of the shot appears, which always works, even if the touch screen temporarily does not respond to touch.

But for those who prefer to use one finger or have damaged physical buttons, there is an alternative, and in the notification curtain that you can swipe from top to bottom, there is a screenshot icon, and clicking on it captures the image. → Screenshot can be activated with the Three Fingers feature when swiping three fingers from top to bottom of the screen causes the image to be captured.

And don't forget the Google Assistant voice assistant or the built-in Xiao AI. Just say "Take a screenshot" and the device will do the task without touching, which is especially convenient when your hands are busy or dirty, all of which create a standard rectangular shot that you can then edit.

• 📱 Combination of buttons "Loudness down» + «The power supply works on all models without exception.
• 👆 Swipe three fingers down is the fastest software method that requires inclusion in settings.
• 🔊 Voice commands are ideal for situations where you can’t use your hands.

⚠️ Note: If you use a protective glass with thickened edges, a button combination may be preferable to a three-finger swipe, as sensors sometimes react with a delay or do not recognize touch through a thick layer of glass.

Arbitrary cutting of objects

One of the most popular features for creating arbitrary screenshots is the cutout mode. After you have taken a regular screenshot in any of the ways described above, do not rush to save it. In the bottom menu of the thumbnail that appears, find an icon that resembles a dotted square or scissors (depending on the version of MIUI), clicking on it puts the editor in the area selection mode.

In this mode, you can circle any object on the screen: a round avatar, an application logot, a specific message in a chat room or an item in an online store. The system automatically highlights the area inside your contours, cropping everything extra, and this allows you to create neat, irregularly shaped images that are ideal for insertion into documents or instant messengers.

Once you've selected the area, the system will offer several options: You can copy the cut fragment into the clipboard, send it directly to the application, or save it as a separate file. So if you save it in the gallery, the image will still be rectangular in the shape of a file, but the transparent or white fields will be cut as close as possible to the outline of the highlighted object.

• ✂️ Cutout mode allows you to isolate a specific interface element from the background.
• 📋 The selected fragment can be instantly sent to the clipboard to insert into the dialogue.
• 🎨 The allocation boundaries can be adjusted with a finger before the final saving.

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For more accurate highlighting of small objects, zoom in on the screen before you create a screenshot, and then use the cutout mode – this will give you a better result.

Creating long screenshots and panoramas

Often, a single screen isn't enough to store all the information, like a WhatsApp text or a browser article, and in these cases, the Long Screenshot feature comes to the rescue. Once you create a regular snapshot, you'll see a button with a down arrow or a "Scroll" button on the bottom menu of the thumbnail, and you'll click on it and you'll scroll down, and the system will automatically stitch new shots into a single long image.

The process continues until you stop scrolling or reach the end of the page. This is the perfect way to create random height screenshots. It's important to keep the phone still during the gluing process to avoid blurring the boundaries between frames. If the content on the screen is dynamic (like video or animation), the result may not be correct.

Some firmware versions also offer a 3x3 Panorama or 3x4 Panorama feature, which allows you to take a screenshot of a larger area than the physical screen by manually moving the device, and although this mode is more commonly used for camera capture, the system has utilities that allow you to take composite images of the interface, but for normal scrolling tasks, a standard long screenshot is better suited.

The path to scroll settings:


Settings → Additional features → Screenshot → Settings of a long screenshot

⚠️ Note: When you take a long screenshot in an application with an “infinite” tape (for example, social networks), the process may not stop automatically.

Image settings and formatting

Xiaomi’s flexibility allows you to fine-tune the process of creating screenshots to suit your needs. The Settings menu → Additional features → Screenshot hides many useful options. Here you can choose the save format: JPG for photos and screenshots with gradients or PNG for images with text and clear boundaries, where every detail is important.

You can also include a watermark display with the device model and time of creation in this section, which is useful if you take screenshots for technical support or for publishing reviews where it is important to show the relevance of the data, and you can also have a compression quality setting that affects the final file size.

The feature “Delete UI Elements” deserves special attention. When editing a screenshot, the system may suggest that the navigation bar or status bar be automatically removed if it is captured, which makes the screenshot more “clean” and professional, especially when creating instructions or presentations.

Enhanced editing capabilities

Once you've created a screenshot, whether it's an arbitrary shape or a long panorama, you have a powerful built-in editor that allows you not only to crop the image, but also to mark it up, and you can draw arrows, circles, add text, or blur sensitive data (Magic Erase or just a blurb brush).

Of particular interest is the word recognition (OCR) feature, which is a screenshot that highlights a text area, and it suggests copying, translating, or searching the Internet, which turns a screenshot from a simple picture into a data source that you can work with further, a feature that is particularly relevant for owners of Snapdragon-based devices of the latest generation.

For those who work with documents often, the ability to quickly access screenshots through the sidebar is useful. By adding the Screenshot tool, you can take pictures of the selected area of the window immediately without capturing the entire screen, especially for Xiaomi Pad tablets and smartphones that operate in split screen mode.

• 🖌️ Drawing tools allow you to highlight the main thing in the screenshot with color.
• 🔒 The blur feature helps hide passwords and personal data before sending.
• 📝 Text recognition saves time when transferring data from pictures.

Solution and optimization

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the screenshot is not created or stored with artifacts, most often due to a lack of RAM or DRM protection in certain applications (for example, Netflix or banking applications), where the creation of screenshots is blocked at the security level, in which case the screen may simply flash black, but the file will not appear.

If standard methods stop working, try restarting the device, and check if the storage is full, as long screenshots require temporary free space, and in rare cases, cleaning the Screenshot app cache through the application management menu helps.

Remember that the quality of the final image depends on the resolution of your screen and the format you choose. Always choose PNG for maximum detail, especially if the screenshot is full of small text or graphs.

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Using PNG instead of JPG while saving screenshots of text and graphs greatly improves readability and clarity of details.