Creating a screenshot on a modern smartphone seems like an elementary task, but owners of Xiaomi Mi5s often face nuances that are not obvious at first glance. This device, released in 2016, runs on the basis of MIUI shells, which have their own unique interface logic, different from pure Android. Understanding these features allows you not only to quickly capture information, but also effectively manage the clipboard.
In this article, we will explore all the available ways to capture the contents of the display, from standard key combinations to hidden shell functions, how to set up automatic screenshots by finger movement and why this method may not work in some applications, and will also address the issues of editing the images received right at the time of their creation.
We will focus on the technical aspects of the Mi5s file system, which stores “heavy” screenshots in high resolution. Proper organization of folders and understanding of the working principles of the clipboard will help you avoid losing important data when overflowing memory of the device.
Standard Method Through Physical Buttons
The fastest and most time-tested way to get a picture of the current screen on Xiaomi Mi5s is to use hardware keys. This method works at the system level, so it is active in almost all applications, including games and browsers. The mechanism is simple: pressing two buttons simultaneously sends an interrupt to the system, which initiates the process of copying the pixel matrix.
To do this, you need to press the Volume Down and the Power button, and you need to press them at the same time, and if you press the power button earlier, the screen will simply go out or the turn off menu will appear, and if you hold the volume button, the system may perceive this as a sound adjustment.
The success of the operation is confirmed by the characteristic sound of the camera shutter (if the sound is not turned off) and the appearance of a thumbnail in the upper right corner of the screen, which is not just a picture, but an interactive MIUI element that allows you to immediately go to edit. In some cases, with a high load on the processor, the system can take a picture with a delay of a fraction of a second.
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Keep your finger on the buttons for about 0.5-1 second. Pressing too short may not work, and too long will lead to a call to the voice assistant or the off menu.
Importantly, on the Mi5s, the power button is on the top end, not the side end, as in more modern smartphones. This requires some skill when grabbing the device with one hand. Practice shows that it is most convenient to use the thumb of the same hand that you hold the phone, or the index finger of your free hand.
Use of notification curtain and menu
An alternative to mechanically pushing buttons is a software method through the control center. In the MIUI shell, the notification panel ("curtain") contains a set of fast switches, among which is a screenshot function, which is especially convenient when the physical buttons of the device are worn out or crash, which often happens with the age of the gadget.
To use this method, swipe from top to bottom to open the notification bar. Then find an icon with a picture of scissors or rectangle, signed as "Screenshot." Depending on the firmware version and the theme of the design, the icon can look different. In some cases, reveal the full list of switches by moving the panel to the left or pressing the "More" button.
Once you click on the icon, the system will instantly create a snapshot of the current state of the screen, which is ideal for situations where you need to take a screenshot of the settings menu or any other screen where using volume buttons can be uncomfortable, but if the screen is locked or you are on the lock screen, this method will not be available.
You can also add a screenshot widget to your desktop, which requires you to go into desktop editing mode (two finger pinches), select "Widgets" and find the Screenshot tool, and by placing it on the home screen, you can take pictures with a single touch, although that requires access to the desktop before action.
The Three Fingers function and gestures
One of the most convenient features in the Xiaomi ecosystem is to create a screenshot with a three-finger swipe, which requires pre-activation in the system settings, as it can be disabled by default to prevent accidental positives.
To enable this feature, go to the Settings menu, then select the Additional section and find the Screenshot. Here you need to activate the Three Finger Screenshot switch. Once this option is enabled, simply swiping three fingers from top to bottom of the screen will result in a snapshot.
- 📱 The gesture must be performed with three fingers simultaneously, touching the screen.
- 📉 The movement should be directed strictly from top to bottom, without diagonal displacements.
- ⚡ System responds to speed: moving too slowly can be perceived as scrolling a page.
It is worth considering that in some applications, especially in games or when watching videos, this gesture may conflict with interface control. For example, in third-person shooters, the three-fingered conduct can be interpreted as a command to move a character.
Why is it that the three fingers don’t work?
Voice control and Mi AI assistant
Modern smartphones, including the Mi5s with updated software, support voice control. You can just say a command and the phone will take a screenshot. This is especially useful when hands are busy or the device is in an awkward position. This feature requires active Internet and a voice assistant on.
Activate the assistant with the phrase "OK Google" or "Hello Mi AI" (depending on the region settings). Then clearly say the command "Take a screenshot" or "Screenshot of the screen." The system recognizes speech, executes a command and saves the image. The accuracy of recognition depends on the user's diction and the quality of the microphone.
Voice has its limitations, and it won’t work if the microphone is busy with another application (like a voice recorder or a call), and in Do Not Disturb mode or when the screen is off, voice activation can be blocked by privacy settings.
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Voice control is a great tool for people with disabilities, but requires a stable connection to speech recognition servers.
Long screenshot and page scrolling
Often, you need to capture not only the visible part of the screen, but also the content that is below, such as long correspondence in the messenger or an article in the browser. To do this, Xiaomi Mi5s implements the function of “Long screenshot” or “Scroll” to “sew” several screens into one long picture.
Immediately after you create a normal screenshot (any of the methods described above), a thumbnail appears in the upper right corner, and there is an additional button with the down arrows or the Scrolling icon on it, and you click on it, you start the long screenshot mode, and the screen will automatically scroll down, capturing the content.
And it's going to continue until you stop it by touching the screen, or until you reach the end of the page, and it's the perfect way to save receipt, or a long dialogue, or a instruction, and the file is vertically elongated, but readable.
☑️ Checklist for a long screenshot
It is important to know that the scroll function does not work in applications where content is updated dynamically without a clear end of the page, or in secure applications (banks) where screenshots are prohibited by security policies.
Where are the screenshots stored and how to find them
Once an image is created, it automatically stores it in the device's internal memory. Understanding the structure of Android folders will help you quickly find the files you want, transfer them to your computer or clear the space. By default, all screenshots go to a special gallery directory.
The path to files is as follows: Internal memory → DCIM → Screenshots. In some firmware versions, the folder may be simply called Screenshots at the root of internal memory or in a folder. MIUI. Files are named after Shabon. SCR_date_time.png or Screenshot_date_time.png, This makes it easy to sort them by time of creation.
| Parameter | Description | Default value |
|---|---|---|
| File format | Type of image compression | PNG (lossless) |
| Permission | Size in pixels | 1080 × 1920 (Full HD) |
| The way to preserve | Directory in the file system | /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Screenshots/ |
| Quality. | Bitrate and detailing | Maximum (original) |
If you can't find a file through a standard Explorer, try using the Gallery app and go to Screenshots, where images are sorted by date and time, and often have previews, which makes it easier to search, and you can also use file search by entering the.png extension.
Editing and annotations immediately after creation
The MIUI shell on Xiaomi Mi5s offers a powerful built-in editor that opens immediately after you take a screenshot. Don't ignore the thumbnail in the corner of the screen, it gives you access to annotation, cropping and text addition tools, which eliminates the need to open individual applications for simple editing.
The following functions are available in the editor's menu:
- ✏️ Drawing: allows you to draw by hand with a marker or pencil, highlighting important areas.
- 📝 Text: Add text comments with color and font size selection.
- ✂️ Cutting: changing the boundaries of the image, removing unnecessary parts of the interface.
- 🎨 Filters: Using color filters or blurring confidential information.
Once you make changes, you can save the edited version as a new file or replace the original. Share is also available, which allows you to immediately send a screenshot to the messenger or social network, bypassing the gallery, which greatly speeds up the workflow.
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Use the Blur tool in the editor to hide passwords, card numbers, or personal information before sending a screenshot to third parties.
Solution: Why screenshots are not saved
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where a screenshot seems to be created (the sound is), but the file does not appear in the gallery. The most common reason is a crowded memory of the device. Xiaomi Mi5s has a limited amount of built-in storage, and when the free space runs out, the system cannot write a new file.
⚠️ Note: If the phone's memory is 100% full, screenshots may not be saved or saved as broken files of zero size.
The second reason is application-specific access restrictions: Banking applications, browser incognito modes, and some streaming services (Netflix, Kinopoisk) block screenshots from being taken at the security level (DRM-In this case, you will see a black image or a message of prohibition.
The problem may also be that the system cache of the media scanner is damaged, in which case it helps to reboot the device or clear the cache of the Gallery and Media Storage application through the application settings. If nothing helps, check if there is a third-party launcher installed that can conflict with system gestures.