How to take a screenshot on the screen of Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Screenshots are one of the basic features that smartphone owners use every day, whether it’s saving correspondence, a check for payment or an interesting shot from the game. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face the nuances of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, which offer more ways to capture images than standard Android. Understanding all the options available saves time and not search for third-party applications.

In this article, we will take a look at all possible screenshot techniques, from classic buttons to advanced gestures and voice commands. You will learn how to automatically scroll a page to create a long shot and where to look for saved files.

It's worth noting that the layout of menu items may vary slightly depending on the firmware version and the regional setting of your device, but the logic of the system remains the same for the entire ecosystem of the Chinese manufacturer. Let's look at the main ways to capture images on the display.

Using a combination of physical buttons

The most versatile and time-tested method, running on 99% of Android smartphones, including the Xiaomi lineup, requires no pre-tuning and is available immediately after the device is turned on, and it requires two buttons to press simultaneously: turn down and lock the screen.

It's important to keep the synchronization of the pressing. If you press the volume button before or later, the power button, the system can perceive this as a command to change the sound level or turn on / off the display. Short simultaneous pressing is the key to success. After a successful action, you hear the characteristic click of the camera shutter, and at the top of the screen a thumbnail of the shot will appear.

⚠️ Warning: Don't keep the buttons pinched too long. Prolonged holding of the volume and power button combination on some Xiaomi models can trigger Recovery mode or forced reboot, which will interrupt your current work.

This method is particularly useful when the smartphone screen is dirty or wet and the touch control is not working properly, and physical buttons are the only reliable way to capture information in such situations, and it works even in the rare cases when the touch screen is partially out of order, but the image is still displayed.

Setting and using gestures with three fingers

MIUI is famous for its easy-to-use one-handed features, and swipe screenshots are one of the most popular. By default, this feature can be disabled, so you need to go to your system settings to activate it. Find the Additional Features section, then select Screenshots and activate the Swipe option with three fingers.

Once this function is enabled, the process of creating a picture takes a fraction of a second. You just swipe three fingers from top to bottom down the center of the screen at any time you use the interface. The system instantly responds with an audible signal and saves the image. This is especially convenient when browsing news feeds or web pages when your hands are busy holding the device.

• 📱 The gesture works on most modern Redmi Note models and Xiaomi Mi/Xiaomi flagship series.
• ⚙️ Swipe sensitivity can be adjusted in the same settings menu if the system reacts too often or, conversely, ignores the movements.
• 🖼️ In the gesture settings menu, you can also select an action for a long three-finger press, for example, starting a screen recording.

Some users may have difficulty making a gesture on screens with high refresh rates or with thick edged protective glass, in which case it is better to use alternative methods or remove the case while the operation is being performed. It is also worth remembering that the gesture will not work if you simultaneously touch the screen with other fingers, which can happen when playing.

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If a three-finger gesture doesn’t work, make sure you don’t use one-handed mode or special themes that might conflict with system gestures.

Creating screenshots through the notification curtain

For those who prefer visual control without memorizing combinations or gestures, the system has a special button in the control center. To access it, you need to swipe from top to bottom to open the notification curtain. In some versions of the firmware, you will need to swipe twice or click on a special edit icon to deploy the full list of switches.

Find a scissors or rectangle icon that's signed "Screenshot" among the icons, and clicking on it instantly captures the current image on the display, ideal for users with large smartphones who are uncomfortable reaching the volume buttons or performing complex gestures in the middle of the screen.

If you don't find this button in the standard set, you can add it manually. Click on the edit icon (usually a pencil or gear in the corner of the curtain), search the Screenshot widget list and drag it to the active zone. Now quick access to the feature is guaranteed at any time.

The function of long screenshot and scrolling

One of the most sought-after features in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the ability to create long screenshots, an indispensable tool for saving long correspondence in instant messengers, web pages with a lot of text or social media feeds. After you create a regular screenshot in any of the ways described above, an additional button will appear in the upper right corner of the thumbnail.

Click on an icon that resembles a scroll of paper or a down arrow to activate scroll mode. The screen will automatically start to move downwards, capturing new areas of the image. You can stop the process at any time by touching the screen, or wait until the system itself reaches the end of the page. The final image will be automatically glued together and stored in the gallery as a single file.

⚠️ Note: When you take a long screenshot, dynamic content (video, gifs, live wallpaper) may not be displayed correctly or replaced with a static frame.

The quality of the final file depends on the resolution of the original image and the length of scrolling. With very long screenshots, the system can automatically lower the resolution so that the file does not take up too much memory. For most documents and correspondence, this decrease is imperceptible, but to save small details, it is better to take several ordinary pictures.

Screen recording and additional tools

Modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS include not only static imaging, but also full screen video recording, and you can find this feature in the same quick-setting curtain where the Screen Record icon is located, and when you start it, the system will suggest you choose the sound source: microphone, system sounds or a combination of them.

When you record, you get a floating control panel that lets you pause the process, take a regular screenshot on the fly, or add a picture over the video, and it's a great tool for creating instructions, recording game moments, or fixing bugs in your applications, and you save files to a separate folder or a shared gallery depending on your settings.

It’s also worth mentioning the possibility of taking screenshots with the Google Assistant or XiAI voice assistant. Just say “Take a screenshot” or “Ok Google, screenshot,” and the phone will perform the action. This can be useful in situations where the hands are full or the device is in a hard-to-reach position.

Where to look and how to edit saved files

Once a screenshot is created, the system automatically stores it in the device’s internal memory. The standard path to the file in the explorer looks like Internal Memory → DCIM → Screenshots. The Gallery app usually allocates a separate folder or album called Screenshots for them, which makes it easier to search and sort.

The built-in image editor in Xiaomi allows you to make the necessary edits immediately after you create a picture. You can cut the extra edges, add text, paint sensitive information with a marker or draw arrows. All these tools are available by clicking on a thumbnail immediately after a picture is taken or when you open a file from the gallery.

• ✂️ Pruning allows you to remove unnecessary elements of the interface, leaving only the necessary information.
• 🎨 Drawing and text are useful for creating instructions or focusing on details.
• 📤 The “Share” button in the editor allows you to instantly send a file to the messenger or social network without unnecessary transitions.

If you make a mistake or the screenshot is no longer relevant, you can delete it directly from the previews. However, be careful: deleted files first end up in the gallery basket, where they are stored for 30 days, taking up space in memory.

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Use the built-in editor immediately after you create the screenshot so you don’t waste time searching for the file and running a separate editing app later.