How to make a screen screen Xiaomi Redmi: the complete guide

Screenshots on Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones are a basic but often-needed feature, especially given the variety of MIUI and HyperOS shell versions. Users may find that standard button combinations don’t work due to individual settings or model features. In this article, we’ll look at all the existing ways of capturing images, from classic to hidden.

The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that the algorithms for working with memory and interface in new firmware may differ from the usual patterns. On some global versions of MIUI, the button to create a screenshot in the lock menu may be missing by default and require activation. We will look in detail how to circumvent standard restrictions and use advanced system capabilities to capture long pages or video.

Understanding clipboard and gallery operation in Xiaomi’s ecosystem will allow you to not just save images, but also edit or send them instantly. Below are proven techniques that work on most current models, including the Redmi Note series, Xiaomi Mi and Poco.

Classical Method: A Combination of Physical Buttons

The most common and reliable way that Android smartphone owners are familiar with is to press control buttons simultaneously. On Xiaomi devices, it's a combination of volume keys down and power buttons. The mechanics are simple: you need to press both buttons at the same time and hold them for about one second.

It's not just touching, it's tapping with a little effort to make the tactile response work. If you hear the characteristic shutter sound of the camera (unless it's turned off in the settings) and you see visual animation at the top of the screen, then the screenshot is successfully created. The image is instantly saved in the gallery.

Sometimes users have a problem when they call a switch-off menu instead of a screenshot or adjust the volume, which happens when they push the buttons in a different way. Motor training plays a key role here. It's also worth noting that on models with a side-finger print scanner built into the power button, this method works faultlessly, because the system prioritizes short joint pressing as an image capture command.

• 📸 Press the button Loudness down and Power at the same time.
• ⏱️ Hold the press. 1-2 seconds before the animations appear.
• 🔍 Check the top right corner of the screen for confirmation.
• 🖼️ Find the file in the Gallery app in the Screenshots album».

This method is universal and works even when the touch screen is temporarily unresponsive or the system has an interface failure, and is the main tool for most users, as it does not require customization and is available in any situation, including the recovery mode or the bootloader menu (although screenshots are usually not saved there).

Use of the Three Dots menu and notification curtains

For those who are uncomfortable reaching for buttons on the case or are physically damaged by volume keys, the MIUI shell provides a software solution. In the notification curtain (quick access panel) there is a special switch that allows you to take a picture of the current contents of the display with one touch.

To activate this feature, swipe from top to bottom across the screen to open the control center. Find an icon that looks like a scissor or a camera icon. If you can't see it among the main buttons, you may need to click on the menu edit icon (usually as a pencil or three dots) and drag the desired widget into the active zone.

⚠️ Note: On some versions of the system, this switch may be called a Screenshot or have a scissor icon. If you can't find it, check the control panel settings in the Advanced Settings section».

Also, the lock menu (where you enter a password or use a fingerprint) often has a screenshot button in the bottom row of icons, which allows you to quickly capture an incoming notification or message without unlocking the phone completely, which is especially convenient when you need to quickly send information to another person.

The use of software buttons has its advantages, such as reducing wear and tear on the physical body of a smartphone. For users who take hundreds of screenshots a day for work or blogging, alternating image capture techniques can extend the life of volume buttons.

Guests and three-finger control

The MIUI shell is known for its advanced gesture capabilities, and one of the most convenient, but often deactivated, methods is to swipe three fingers across the screen, which is spectacular, and allows you to take screenshots with one hand without taking your palm off the body.

To activate this feature, you need to go to the system settings. The path usually looks like: Settings → Additional features → Screenshots. Here you need to turn on the option “Three finger screenshot”. Once activated, just swipe three fingers from top to bottom on any part of the screen.

There's also a variation of this gesture, depending on the firmware version. On some devices, just touch the screen with three fingers and hold them for a moment. The system vibrates and takes a picture. This may be less convenient in cases with thick sides, but it works flawlessly on open screens.

The advantage of the gests is speed, you don't have to aim at buttons or search for menus, but there's a caveat: if you have One-Hand Mode or screen zoom, a three-finger gesture can conflict with other commands in the system, in which case the last activated action is given priority.

• 🖐️ Swipe three fingers from top to bottom across the display.
• ⚙️ Activate the function in the Additional Functions section.
• 📱 Make sure there is no protective film on the screen that interferes with multi-touch.
• 🚫 Turn off if the gesture conflicts with drawing in graphic editors.

Scrolling Shots: How to Capture a Long Page

Often, a single screen isn't enough to save a messaging app, a browser article, or a long list of products, and Xiaomi has an "Advanced Screenshot" or scrolling shot feature that allows you to stitch multiple images into one long picture.

The process starts as usual: you take a screenshot in any convenient way (buttons or gestures), immediately after that, a thumbnail of the shot taken with a set of action icons will appear at the top of the screen (or at the bottom, depending on the version of MIUI), among which you need to choose an icon that resembles a scroll or two arrows down.

Once you click, the system automatically scrolls down to capture new areas, and you can stop the process at any time by touching the screen, or wait for the end of the page, and the maximum length of this image is limited by the system, but usually allows you to fit multiple screens of information.

It's important to understand that not all apps support scrolling for scrolling shots. For example, in some games or apps with a custom layout, the page may just "jump" but not stick together, in which case the system itself will interrupt the creation of the extended screenshot.

Voice assistant and additional tools

Modern smartphones allow you to control voice functions. If your hands are busy, you can use Google Assistant or the built-in XiaoAI assistant (in Chinese versions), just say the phrase "Ok Google, take a screenshot" or "Take a screenshot."

After a voice command, the system will capture the image just as if you pressed the buttons, which is convenient when the phone is lying on the table or connected to the holder in the car, but this method requires an active Internet connection and voice control enabled.

Another interesting tool is Quick Commands, which can be set to create a screenshot of a smartphone’s back (if the model supports the rear approach sensor) or a specific gesture when it’s off, which is experimental and may not be available on all models.

• 🎙️ Say “Ok Google, Screenshot” to voice launch.
• 🔌 Active Internet connection is required to process the request.
• 🛠️ Check the Google Assistant screen access settings.
• 🔊 Make sure the microphone is not blocked by other apps.

Using voice commands opens up new opportunities for people with disabilities, making smartphone control more accessible, and it's an example of how software interfaces compensate for hardware limitations.

Where to look and how to edit saved files

Once you've created a screenshot, you need to know where to find it, and by default, all screenshots are fed into the Gallery app, and you create a separate album called Screenshots, which allows you to avoid mixing the photos you've taken with the technical shots of the interface.

Once you've taken a screenshot, you've got a thumbnail plaque at the bottom of the screen, and you click on it, you've got the editor, and here Xiaomi has a powerful toolkit: you can crop the image, add text, draw arrows, blur sensitive data (the Magic feature), or put stickers on.

⚠️ Note: If you delete a screenshot from the gallery, it moves to a basket where it is stored for 30 days, and then you can not recover it without using specialized data recovery software.

The file structure on the device also allows you to find screenshots through the Explorer. The path to the folder usually looks like Internal Memory → MIUI → screenshot (or DCIM → Screenshots in newer versions of Android). Knowing this path, you can quickly transfer files to your computer via USB or find them when you clean up the memory.

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Use the Share feature immediately after you create a screenshot to send it to the messenger or save it to the cloud without going to the gallery.

The image editor in MIUI can also recognize text in screenshots (OCR). If there is text in the picture, you can highlight it and copy it to the clipboard, translate or send it as a text message, bypassing the manual typing step.

Problem Solving: Why You Can't Take a Screenshot

Sometimes users find that screenshots are no longer created, most often because of the security policy of a particular application: Banking programs, incogn browsers and streaming services (Netflix, Kinopoisk) block screen capture to protect your personal data and content from piracy.

In such cases, instead of an image, you get a black screen or a notification that you can't record, which is not standard, because it's Android-level protection, and attempts to use third-party crawling apps can be considered a security threat by the system.

Another reason is a lack of free memory: if the internal storage is packed, the system will not be able to save the new file. Clearing the cache or deleting unnecessary files will solve this problem, and it is also worth checking the permissions for the Gallery application or the system screenshot service.

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If the screenshot is not taken in a particular app, it is likely copy protection, not phone breakdown.

In rare cases, it may be necessary to reboot the device to reset system services errors. If none of the methods work, there may be a problem in the hardware of the buttons or touchscreen, which requires contacting the service center.

Customization of quality and format of preservation

In some versions of the firmware MIUI You can set the format of the stored images. You can choose between JPEG (smaller file size, lossy compression, and PNG (maximum quality, transparency support, more weight. For screenshots with text and graphs, it is better to choose PNG.

To change settings, go to Settings → Screenshots. You can also turn off the shutter sound if it interferes with it, or change the default save location. These settings help optimize memory usage and personalize the experience.

It is useful for developers and testers to know that ADB (Android Debug Bridge can be taken with the command adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png. This allows you to automate the process of creating error reports.

adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png


adb pull /sdcard/screen.png

Using the command line gives you more control, but requires a PC connection. For the average user, you need built-in gallery and menu features that cover 99% of use cases.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)