Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have become an integral part of our lives, serving as not only a means of communication, but also a powerful tool for working with information. Often there is a need to instantly save an image from the screen: whether it is correspondence in the messenger, a receipt for payment, a travel card or a funny moment from a video. MIUI operating system and its successor HyperOS offer many flexible tools for creating screenshots that go far beyond just clicking buttons.
Understanding all the techniques available will save you time and make your screen capture as convenient as possible. In this article, we will take a look at classic button combinations, handy gestures, voice control, and even automation. You will learn how to take long screenshots of web pages and understand where your content is stored.
We're going to look at settings that are hidden by default, but make life much easier, like how to take screenshots with a tap on the body or a swipe with three fingers, which is especially true for those who are used to certain use cases or have a special one-handedness.
Classical method using physical buttons
The most versatile and time-tested method, which works on 99% of Android smartphones, including all Redmi Note and Redmi models, is to press power and volume simultaneously. This method requires no pre-tuning and is available immediately after the device is turned on, making it indispensable in critical situations when you need to quickly fix information.
To implement this method, you need to place your thumb on the side of the device and your index finger on the opposite side of the device or use two fingers of one hand. Pressing should be short-term, but clear: if you press the buttons too long, the smartphone can perceive this as a command to call the off menu or voice assistant. At the time of successful screen capture, you will hear the characteristic sound of the camera shutter (if the sound is on) and see the animation of the flash.
⚠️ Warning: Do not hold the buttons pinched for more than one second. + Volume Down on some versions of the firmware MIUI can start the Scrolling Screenshot mode or call the Emergency Call menu if this feature is activated in the security settings.
There is also a variation of this method for devices with a physical home button (older series models such as the Redmi 4X or Redmi Note 4). On such gadgets, the combination may differ, but in modern frameless Xiaomi smartphones, the de facto standard is a bunch of buttons on the side. If the screenshot does not get the first time, try changing the rhythm of pressing or pressure.
☑️ Algorithm for creating a screenshot with buttons
Handling gestures and swipes in MIUI
For users who prefer software solutions to physical touches, Xiaomi has introduced the handy “Three-finger screenshot” feature, one of the most ergonomic ways to take screenshots with one hand without changing the grip of the device, but by default, this feature is often disabled and must be activated manually through the system menu.
To enable this mode, go to Settings, then select Additional (or Advanced Settings) and find the Screenshots section. Here you need to activate the Three Finger Screenshot switch. Once enabled, just swipe three fingers down the center of the screen to allow the system to capture the image, a method that is particularly useful when browsing long lists or web pages.
Another interesting thing is to take a screenshot through the notification panel, and if you swipe the curtain from top to bottom, you'll find a button with scissors in the bottom row of the icons, and if you click on it, you'll get the same result. And for quick access, you can drag that icon into the top row of commonly used tools, which will speed things up.
Why can’t a three-finger gesture work?
It's important to note that gestures are sensitive to the area of the screen. If you swipe your fingers around the edge where the system navigation buttons are located, the system can recognize this as a command to switch applications or to swipe back. Try to swipe down the center of the display for guaranteed results.
Use of the menu of additional functions and assistant
There is a hidden tool called Sidebar or Floating Window in the MIUI shell that is often ignored by users but contains a highly useful quick screenshot feature.This widget allows you to create a shortcut to capture the screen, which is always at hand in the form of a floating button on your desktop or in apps.
To activate, go to Settings → Additional → Floating window (or search for Sidebar). Enable the feature and add Screenshots app to your favorites. Now, when swiping from the edge of the screen, you have access to a mini-menu where you can choose to create a snapshot, which eliminates the need to reach for buttons or remember gestures.
- 📱 Global menu: In some versions of the firmware, the screenshot button is displayed in the power menu (long press on the lock button), next to the volume sliders and turn off.
- 🖱️ Mouse and keyboard: If you use a smartphone with connected peripherals, a screenshot can be taken by pressing the PrtSc key on the keyboard or assigning the corresponding button on the mouse.
- 🗣️ Voice Control: Google Assistant or Xiao AI understand the command "take a screenshot", which is convenient when hands are busy.
Using these tools makes your smartphone a more manageable device that fits your habits, especially for people with limited mobility of their fingers or those who use their phone frequently in conjunction with other gadgets.
The function of long screenshot and scrolling
One of the most popular features in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the ability to create a “long screenshot” (Long Screenshot), which allows you to capture all correspondence in the messenger, an article in the browser or a social network tape with a single file, automatically “stitching” several screens into a single vertical panorama.
The process starts as a screenshot, taking a picture in any convenient way (buttons or gestures), immediately after that, in the upper right corner of the screen, a thumbnail of the picture taken with several icons at the bottom appears, you are interested in an icon that resembles a scroll or two arrows down, and you click on it, you start scrolling mode.
The system will automatically scroll down the screen, and you can tap the screen at any time to stop the process, or you can wait until the content is finished. Once you stop, the image will be processed and stored in the gallery as a single file. The quality of the final image remains high, and the text remains readable.
⚠️ Note: The long screenshot function does not work in all applications. In some programs with dynamic content (for example, an endless news feed), the scroll may be interrupted or the image will go.
If the automatic scrolling is not working correctly, there is a manual mode. After activating the long screenshot function (clicking on the scroll icon), do not release your finger, but scroll down at the desired speed, which allows you to control which parts will fall into the final file, and avoid capturing unnecessary information.
Setup of timer and save formats
Few people know, but Xiaomi’s standard Screenshots app has advanced settings that allow you to take latency pictures and choose a save format, professional tools you might need to create instructions or capture a rapidly changing interface.
To find these settings, open the Explorer app, go to the DCIM → Screenshots pack, and click on the menu (three dots) by selecting Settings. Here you will find the Timer option. Set a 3 or 5 second delay, you will have time to, for example, open a drop-down menu or hover over the desired item before taking a picture.
You can also change the format of the image saver in this section, and by default, you use JPG, which takes up less space but compresses the image with losses, and by switching to PNG, you get a lossless image, which is critical for screenshots with fine text or graphs, but the file size will be much larger.
| Parameter | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| JPG format | Condensed image, less weight | For regular screenshots of correspondence and photos |
| PNG format | No loss of quality, heavy weight | For screenshots with text, code, graphs |
| Timer 3 sec. | Delay before the photo | To capture contextual menus |
| Timer 5sec. | Increased delay | For complex actions before the photo |
Changing these parameters applies to all future screenshots. If you notice that the smartphone gallery is full of “heavy” images, and the quality is not critical to you, it is better to return the setting to JPG mode to save space.
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Use PNG only when you really need it. For normal WhatsApp or Telegram screenshots, the difference in quality is subtle, and memory space is saved.
Where to look and how to edit saved screenshots
After successfully taking a screenshot, MIUI offers a user-friendly interface for quick processing, and at the bottom of the thumbnail that appears after the picture, there are edit buttons, and by clicking on the pencil icon, you'll be taken to the built-in graphics editor.
Here, basic but useful tools are available: cropping, marker drawing, adding text and stickers, and you can highlight an important part of a message in red, or you can smear sensitive data (like a card number or address) before sending an image to someone else, a built-in privacy protection feature.
All the screenshots you create are automatically saved to the system folder, and you can find them through the Gallery app in Screenshots or Explorer on the Internal Drive → DCIM → Screenshots. If you connect your phone to your computer over USB, the folder will be visible immediately, which is convenient for fast transfer of files to your PC.
- 🗑️ Quick removal: In the miniature after the screenshot there is a cross that allows you to immediately remove the unsuccessful shot without opening the gallery.
- 📤 Instant Submitting: The “Share” button in thumbnail allows you to immediately select a messenger or application to send a file.
- ✏️ Markup: Drawing tools allow you to number steps on screenshots, creating full instructions.
The ability to quickly find and sort screenshots helps keep the media library in order, and it is recommended to periodically review the album and delete temporary files (receipts, access codes) that are no longer relevant so as not to clog the device’s memory.
⚠️ Note: When you delete screenshots from the Recycle Bin in the gallery, remember that they are stored there for 30 days. If you delete a screenshot of sensitive information, remember to clean the basket so that the data cannot be restored.
The solution: why the screenshot doesn't work
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the screenshot is not created: the screen flashes but the file does not appear, or the system gives an error message, most often due to security restrictions on Android. Banking applications, incognito browsers and some streaming services (Netflix, Kinopoisk) block the creation of screenshots to protect copyright and user data.
In such cases, the screen may simply go out or a black square appears instead of an image, and it's not a malfunction of the phone, but a regular security system, and you can't get around this restriction with standard means without root rights, and trying to find the "secret button" is useless here.
Another common cause is overcrowded memory: if the device has critically little free space, the system will not be able to save a new file. Check the free space in the storage settings. Also, the problem may be in damage to the system cache of the Screenshots application, which is solved by cleaning its data in the application menu.
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If the screenshot is not taken in a particular application, it is likely copy protection. Try taking a picture in another menu to check the functionality of the buttons.
In rare cases, it may be necessary to restart the device. Failures in the touch layer or system processes are sometimes solved by a simple restart, which clears the RAM and restarts the interface services.