Modern mobile devices allow instantaneous display capture, and the Xiaomi ecosystem offers many convenient tools for this. Users often need to save correspondence, a travel map or a screenshot of an error for technical support, and it is important to know how to do this as quickly and efficiently as possible. The MIUI shell or its new incarnation HyperOS has several methods, each of which is suitable for different situations of smartphone use.
You don't need to be a tech person to master these skills, because the developers have tried to make the process intuitive. We'll look at all the options available, from classic buttons to advanced gestures that make life much easier. Understanding these features will allow you to fully unlock the potential of your Android device and work with content at a professional level.
Classical Method Through Physical Buttons
The most common and familiar way, which works on 99% of Android smartphones, including all Redmi and POCO models. The mechanics of the action are simple and do not require pre-tuning: you need to simultaneously press and release the volume button and the power button. This key combination is the universal standard of the industry.
If you're taking a screenshot for the first time this way, the system can make a characteristic camera shutter sound, and a thumbnail of the image will appear in the corner of the display. Physical buttons respond instantly, making this method ideal for situations where the count goes for seconds. The main thing is to keep the press synchronized: too slow a clamping can cause a switch-off menu or volume adjustment.
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the screenshot is not created the first time due to the features of protective cases. If the buttons on the case of the smartphone are slightly recessed or covered with thick plastic, simultaneous pressing can be difficult, in which case try to change the grip of the device or use the software methods described below.
⚠️ Warning: Do not press the buttons too long, otherwise instead of taking a screenshot, an emergency call menu or voice assistant will be activated, which will interrupt your current task.
Why can’t a screenshot be made with buttons?
Gesture Management: Crossing fingers
One of the most convenient features of the MIUI shell is the ability to take screenshots with a simple hand movement. Fingercross allows you to create a screenshot with a light tapping of three fingers or crossing two fingers anywhere on the display, which is especially true when you hold the device with one hand and perform an action with the other.
To activate this feature, go to the system settings. Find the Additional or Advanced Settings section, then select Screenshots. Here you need to activate the Finger Cross switch. Once you turn on this option, the system will respond to your touches by creating pictures of the current content of the screen.
Using gestures can greatly speed up the workflow, especially for those who share content on social networks, but it is worth considering that casual touching can lead to unnecessary images if you often lean your palm on the screen, in which cases the sensitivity of the gesture can be adjusted or temporarily disabled.
☑️ Checking the gesture settings
It is important to note that this method does not work in games with full immersion or when watching video in horizontal mode, since the system prioritizes game commands. However, for navigating menus and web pages, this is the optimal solution, saving time and resource of mechanical buttons.
Use of notification curtain and menu
If you don't have physical buttons or gestures, you can always use the interface software, and at the top of the screen is a quick access panel, which often has a screenshot icon, and you just unlock your phone, swipe the curtain down, and press the button.
Alternatively, use a multitasking menu: swipe from the bottom up (or click Menu if it's on) to open a list of apps that are running. The thumbnail of the active window often displays a series of buttons, including a scissors or rectangle icon, and clicking on it instantly saves the current state of the screen.
The good thing about this is that it's visual, it doesn't get randomly tapped, you see what's in the frame before you save the file, and it's also a menu that often has an editor that allows you to cut it right away or add it before you send it.
- 📱 Access to the screenshot button is possible directly from the control center without opening applications.
- ✂️ The multitasking menu allows you to take a snapshot of a particular app window, even if it is rolled up.
- 🛠️ Built-in editing tools are available immediately after creating a shot through the curtain.
⚠️ Note: On some models with narrow display frames, the screenshot icon in the curtain may be hidden. Click on a pencil or three dots in the corner of the panel to add it to the active controls.
Remember that to work screenshot through the curtain, the screen must be unlocked. In lock mode, this method is usually not available for security reasons, so that unauthorized persons can not access the contents of your device.
Voice control and Google Assistant
Artificial intelligence technology allows you to control your smartphone without touching, which is especially convenient when your hands are busy or dirty. Google Assistant and built-in voice assistant Xiao AI (in Chinese versions) do a great job of taking a screenshot. Just say the phrase "OK, Google, take a screenshot" or "Take a screenshot."
To function properly, it requires that the phone be connected to the Internet and that voice activation is allowed in the account settings, the system recognizes the command, emulates the button press and saves the image to the gallery, one of the most modern ways to interact with the operating system.
Voice control also allows you to take late screenshots or applications where other methods can be blocked, but it is worth considering that in noisy environments, command recognition can be difficult, and the assistant will have to repeat the request several times.
If you use voice commands often, it makes sense to set them up without a greeting phrase, although this can lead to false positives. Either way, it's a powerful tool in the Xiaomi user's arsenal that shouldn't be ignored.
Timer settings and advanced functions
The MIUI shell offers a unique feature, which is to create time-delayed screenshots, which is extremely useful when you want to capture a pop-up menu, context window, or boot process that disappears immediately after you touch the screen. From the screenshot menu, select the "Timer" option and set the delay to 3 or 5 seconds.
Once you start the timer, you'll have a few seconds to open the menu you want to use, or to call the dialog box you want to capture, and the system will automatically take a picture after the time has passed, and it's an indispensable tool for creating instructions and learning materials.
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Use the screenshot timer to create screenshots of contextual menus that disappear when you click anywhere on the screen.
Also worth mentioning is the Long Screenshot feature, which, after you create a normal picture, you get a scrolling button or a down arrow on the thumbnail, and by clicking on it, you can capture the entire page of a website or a long text message in a single file, and the system automatically glues several frames into one long image.
You can also choose the format of the save and the quality in the settings. JPG format is the default, but PNG is better for text documents, as it provides clearer letter boundaries without compression artifacts.
| Method | Speed. | Convenience | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons | Instantly. | High. | Always. |
| Gestures | Instantly. | Very high. | Requires customization |
| Curtain. | Medium | Average. | Always. |
| Voice. | Depends on the network. | High. | Demands the Internet. |
Where to look and how to edit screenshots
All images created are automatically saved in the Gallery app, usually in a separate album called Screenshots, which allows you to quickly find the desired file among the photos from the camera. The path to the folder in the file manager is: Internal memory → MIUI → Gallery → cloudCache → Screenshots (the path can vary depending on the version of the OS).
Once you've created a picture, you have a preview in the corner of the screen, and if you click on it, you'll see the built-in editor, and you can crop the image, add arrows, add text, blur sensitive data, or draw something by hand, and these tools allow you to prepare a screenshot for sending without installing third-party apps.
For deeper processing, you can use the function "Magic erasure" or AI-And if you have a smartphone model that supports this, neural networks can remove objects from the background or improve the readability of text in a document photograph.
⚠️ Note: When sending screenshots with sensitive information (passwords, SMS codes, card data), be sure to use blur or crop tools to hide sensitive data.
If your phone is full, the gallery may suggest clearing old screenshots. Check this folder regularly, as months of accumulated images can take up several gigabytes of free space, which is critical for system performance.
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Timely cleaning of the folder with screenshots frees up space and speeds up the work of the gallery, and the use of the built-in editor eliminates the need to install unnecessary applications.
Solution: If a screenshot is not taken
Sometimes users find that none of these things work, most often because of security restrictions in certain applications, such as banking apps, incognito mode in the browser, or streaming services with DRM protection (Netflix, Kinopoisk) block the creation of screenshots, in which case you will see a black screen instead of an image.
Another common reason is a lack of RAM: If there are too many heavy applications running in the background, the system may ignore the command to take a picture, close the extra programs through the multitasking menu and try again.
It’s also worth checking for system updates. Older versions of MIUI may have bugs related to screenshots that have been patched by developers in security patches. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and check for updates.
If the problem is systemic and not solved by rebooting, you may need to reset your settings or contact a service center, especially if physical buttons don't respond, but 95% of the time it is due to software limitations of specific applications.