How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi 9: a detailed guide

Xiaomi Mi 9 remains one of the most popular devices due to its balance between performance and functionality. In everyday use, it is often necessary to capture the image from the screen, whether it is a correspondence, an application error or an interesting moment in the game. Users who have switched from other Android devices or iOS may encounter non-obvious ways to implement this feature in the shell of MIUI.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available screenshot techniques, from the classic button combination to advanced gestures. You will learn how to set up automatic scrolling for long pages and where to look for finished images after you create. Understanding these nuances will allow you to make the most of your gadget.

We'll focus on hidden features that often go unnoticed but make life much easier, like triple tapping on a screen or using a voice assistant, and we'll also look at common problems where screenshots aren't created and how to fix them.

Standard method through control buttons

The most common and reliable way to take a screenshot on the Xiaomi Mi 9 is to use physical buttons.This method works in all applications and interfaces of the system, except for some DRM-protected screens, such as Netflix or banking applications in high security mode.

It is important to follow the correct timing of the press. If you hold the buttons too long, the smartphone may perceive this as a command to call the off menu or reboot. A short but clear press is the key to success. After successfully completing the action, you will hear the characteristic click of the camera shutter, and at the top of the screen a notification of the created image will appear.

⚠️ Warning: Do not press the buttons too hard or for too long to not activate an emergency call or off menu that may interrupt your current task.

This combination works at the core level, so it works even in safe mode. If you can't take a picture this way, check if one of the buttons is physically stuck. Also make sure that the screen does not activate third-party launchers that can intercept global hotkeys.

For left-handed or one-handed users, this may not be the most convenient method because of the location of the buttons, and then we should consider alternative options, which we will describe below. However, for quick information retention when the phone is on the table or fixed in the holder, the combination of buttons remains the no-choice leader in speed.

💡

If the volume or power buttons are not working properly, use the virtual buttons in the special features menu to avoid damaging the physical controls.

Use of the notification scroll(s)

The MIUI shell offers a user-friendly graphical interface to manage frequently used functions. The notification scroll, or "curtain," contains a shortcut to create a screenshot, which is especially convenient when physical buttons are inaccessible or damaged. To take advantage of this method, swipe top-down to open the notification bar, and find the icon with the image of the scissors.

If you don't see this shortcut right away, it may be hidden in the second page of the Quick Settings menu.Swipe left over the open curtain to see the extra buttons. Often users forget that the order of the icons can be edited. By tapping on a pencil or edit button (usually in the top right corner of the curtain), you can drag the Screenshot shortcut to the first page for quick access.

The advantage of this is that you can see what you're going to capture, and you can do it at any time without changing the grip of the device, and it's especially useful when you're watching videos or games in landscape mode, where it's physically difficult to reach the side buttons without having to cover your eyes with your fingers.

It is worth noting that in some versions of MIUI, the shortcut may be called a Screenshot or have a slightly different icon. The principle of operation remains unchanged: one touch of the display initiates the process of capturing the image. Once clicked, the system automatically saves the file and shows the preview, allowing you to immediately go to edit or send.

Three fingers function and other gestures

One of the most convenient features in Xiaomi smartphones is the ability to create screenshots using gestures. By default, this feature can be disabled, so the first step is to activate it in the settings. Go to the Settings menu, then select the Additional Features section and find the Screenshots item. Here you need to activate the Three Finger Screenshot switch.

Once activated, the process of creating a picture becomes intuitive: you have to swipe three fingers from top to bottom down the center of the screen, the system instantly responds to this movement by taking a snapshot of the current content of the display, a method that is especially popular among users who value the aesthetic of interaction and want to avoid wearing physical buttons.

In addition to the standard gesture, some versions of the firmware have a gesture setting, so you can choose whether the screenshot will be created with your fingers in the center, left or right, and there is also the option to customize other actions for this gesture, such as taking a long screenshot or opening a multitasking menu, but for our purpose, it is the capture function that is important.

⚠️ Note: A three-finger gesture may conflict with the control gestures in some drawing or reading apps. If you notice strange behavior in specific programs, try temporarily disabling this feature.

For people with small palms or large smartphones, using three fingers may seem uncomfortable, so you can train accuracy of movements or use the alternative of double tapping on the screen (if supported by your version of MIUI through the Themes app or special settings).

Long screenshot and scroll mode

Often, a single image is not enough to capture all the information, for example, when you save a correspondence in a messenger or a long article in a browser. The Long Screenshot (or Scroll) function allows you to create a single image from several screens that are scrolled automatically. After you create a regular screenshot (any of the methods described above), a thumbnail will appear in the upper corner.

This thumbnail will have a button with down arrows or a "Scroll" text, and you click on it, and you will automatically scroll through the content. The system will scroll down the page itself, grabbing new sections of the image and gluing them together into one long file. The process will stop automatically when it reaches the end of the page, or you can interrupt it manually by touching the screen.

This feature is indispensable for saving checks, navigation routes or long contact lists. The quality of the final image remains high, and the text is easy to read even when the zoom is greatly reduced. It is important to ensure that no notifications appear on the screen during scrolling, as they may enter the final image.

Note that not all apps support scrolling mode, and in some cases, the system will tell you that “Scrolling is impossible” if the page content is not automatically scrolling, and in such situations you have to take a few simple screenshots manually and glue them later in third-party editors.

Editing and marking up screenshots

Once you have created a screenshot, the Xiaomi Mi 9 offers a built-in editor, a powerful tool that not only saves the image, but also prepares it for sending. By clicking on the thumbnail or the Change button, you will be taken to the interface, where you can use drawing, adding text, stickers and blur tools.

One of the most useful features is the Blurring tool, which allows you to hide sensitive information such as passwords, card numbers or private messages by simply coloring them over with your finger, and the Loop tool is also available, which helps highlight an important detail in a screenshot, zooming it in for the recipient.

The editor supports layering, which allows you to combine text and graphics, you can add arrows to point to a particular interface element, or you can write a comment by hand, and all changes are saved in the new file, while the original remains unchanged, which is an important aspect of digital hygiene.

If you don't have enough built-in functionality, the system allows you to immediately open an image in a third-party application, for example, in Photoshop Express or Google Photos. To do this, you need to select the appropriate application icon in the editing menu, which makes the image processing process on Xiaomi flexible and adaptable to any user needs.

💡

The built-in MIUI editor allows you to perform 90% of all necessary actions with a screenshot without installing additional applications.

Where to look for saved screenshots and problem solving

Once you've created a screenshot, many users are lost exactly where the file was saved. By default, all images are in the system gallery. Open the Gallery app and find an album called Screenshots or Screenshots, where they are sorted by their date of creation, and the most recent ones are at the top of the list.

If you’re using a file manager, the path to files will be: Internal Memory → DCIM → Screenshots or Internal Memory → MIUI → Gallery → Cloud → Screenshots. Knowing the exact path is useful if you want to connect your phone to your computer and copy files through a Explorer.

Sometimes users face a problem when screenshots are not created, most often due to a lack of free memory on the device. Check the storage in Settings → About Phone → Memory. If the memory is full, free up some space by deleting unnecessary videos or app cache.

Another reason could be a system process that is responsible for the interface, in which case a simple device reboot helps. If the problem persists after a reboot, check for system updates, as newer versions of MIUI often fix similar bugs.

Regularly cleaning the folder with screenshots helps keep the gallery in order and save space. Many users forget to delete temporary images that were only needed for one correspondence. Use the Cleanup feature in the Security app to quickly find and remove duplicates or old screenshots.