How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi Redmi 5A: a detailed guide

Creating a screenshot on a budget smartphone may seem like a trivial task, but owners of Xiaomi Redmi 5A devices often face nuances that are not obvious when first familiarizing themselves with the MIUI shell. This compact device, despite its modest characteristics by modern standards, remains popular due to its reliability, and the ability to quickly capture information on the display is a basic skill for any user.

The Android operating system, as well as the Chinese manufacturer’s proprietary add-on, provides several independent methods of capturing images. Understanding all the options available will allow you to choose the most convenient option for a particular situation, whether it is saving correspondence, errors in the application or an interesting moment in the game.

Below we will discuss each of the ways in detail, as well as the possible problems that you may encounter while using the screen capture function. Deep immersion in the system settings will help you become a real expert in managing your gadget.

Classical method using physical buttons

The most common and quick way that works on the vast majority of Android smartphones, including the Redmi 5A model, is to press two hardware keys simultaneously. You need to press the on button (located on the upper end of the case) and the volume down button (located on the right side).

It is important to keep the timing right: pressing should be simultaneous, but not too long.If you hold the buttons for more than two seconds, the system may consider this as a command to call the device's switch off menu or reboot, which is standard firmware behavior.

After the action is successful, you will hear the characteristic click of the camera shutter (if the sound is not turned off), and the screen will blink for a split second. At the top of the display, a file saving notification will appear, and a thumbnail of the picture taken for quick editing can be displayed in the corner.

⚠️ Warning: Do not push over the buttons with excessive force, especially in the volume swing area, as the mechanical components in budget models may be less durable than in flagship devices.

For those who find it difficult to hit two buttons at once because of the size of their palms or the protective case, there is an alternative sequence of actions: Try pressing the volume button first, and then adding a power button without letting go, a method that often works more consistently.

Use of control panel and scrolling menu

The MIUI shell installed on the Redmi 5A gives users easy access to the screenshot-curtaining feature through the notification curtain, a technique that is especially relevant if the smartphone’s physical buttons are faulty, stuck, or simply (inconvenient) at the moment.

To activate this method, you need to swipe from top to bottom to open the control center. In the grid of fast action icons, you should find an element called "Screenshot" (the icon can look like scissors or a screen image). If you can't see this button on the first page, try to flip to the right or click the menu edit button.

When you click on the icon, you hear the sound of the image, and the image is saved in the gallery, which is ideal when the phone is on the table and you control it with one hand, without being able to cover the case to press the buttons.

One of the most useful features in MIUI is the ability to create long screenshots, or scrolling, and once you've taken a regular shot in any way you want, a preview appears in the corner, and if you click on it, the edit menu opens, where you can see the Scrolling button (or the icon with the arrows down) at the top.

By clicking this button, the system will automatically scroll down the page, capturing the image continuously. You can stop the process at any time by touching the screen, getting a long vertical tape, which is ideal for saving correspondence in messengers or long articles in the browser.

Customization of gestures and additional buttons

Redmi 5A owners can activate additional screenshots that don’t require physical keys, go to the system settings menu, find the Additional settings section, and then select Gestures and buttons (some versions of MIUI may have different paths: Settings → Advanced Settings → Limitless screen or just search for “screenshot”).

There are options that make life much easier, like three-finger screenshots, which lets you swipe three fingers down the screen to capture an image instantly, which is a very fast method, but it requires getting used to the accuracy of your movements.

You can also set up the Quick Ball button, a floating ball on the screen similar to AssistiveTouch on iOS, and by adding a screenshot feature, you can take pictures in one click at any time.

It is worth noting that activating too many gestures can lead to accidental triggers while playing or watching videos, so it is recommended to include only those features that you actually plan to use all the time.

⚠️ Note: Three fingers may conflict with the control gestures in some apps or games. If you notice strange interface behavior, try temporarily disabling this gesture.

Voice control via Google Assistant

Modern smartphones, including budget models like the Xiaomi Redmi 5A, feature powerful voice controls, and if your hands are busy or your device is in an uncomfortable position, you can simply ask the system to take a screenshot.

This requires activating Google Assistant, which can be done by saying “Ok Google” (if the function is activated in the settings) or by pressing the “Home” button (center button below the screen) at a long time.

The system automatically captures the current image and saves it to a standard gallery folder, a technique that is especially handy when the phone is connected to a car powerhouse or lies far away from you, but connected to the same network (although Redmi 5A is more relevant scenario when the phone is just in your hand, but with the second hand it is difficult to press buttons).

It is important to consider that this method requires an active Internet connection, since voice commands are often processed on the company’s servers, and the interface and voice input language must match for correct recognition.

Where screenshots are stored and how to manage them

Once a screenshot is created, the file is stored in the device's memory, and by default, all images are sent to the Screenshots folder, which is in the internal storage, and can be accessed through the standard Gallery app or any file manager, such as Explorer.

In the Gallery app, screenshots are often highlighted in a separate album, making it easier to find them, and here you can do basic operations: cropping, overlaying text, drawing with a marker or adding stickers before sending a file to an interlocutor.

Screenshot files take up space in memory, and if you take them often, they can quickly fill the available space, which is already limited on the 5A model (usually 16 or 32 GB).

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Use cloud services (Google Photos, Mi Cloud) to automatically sync screenshots so you don’t lose important information when your phone breaks down or is lost.

If you connect your phone to your computer through USB-cable, folder with screenshots can be found on the Internal path Storage/DCIM/Screenshots. This allows you to quickly transfer a large number of images to the hard disk for archiving.

Solving typical problems and malfunctions

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where screenshots are not created, the most common reason is the content of the screen. Some applications, especially banking clients (Sberbank, Tinkoff, etc.) or browsers in incognito mode, block the ability to take screenshots for security purposes.

In such cases, when you try to take a screenshot, you will see a message that the action is prohibited by security policy, or the screen will simply remain black in the gallery.

Another reason is a lack of free memory: if internal storage is crowded, the system will not be able to physically save the new file, in which case you need to delete unnecessary applications, videos or clear the cache.

⚠️ Warning: If screenshots stop working in all applications at once, including desktop, try restarting the device. In rare cases, you need to reset your settings to factory.

It’s also worth checking the permissions for apps. If you’re using third-party software to create screenshots, make sure that in the App’s settings → Settings → Permits it has access to storage and display over other windows.

In rare cases, the problem can be caused by an error in the MIUI firmware itself. Check for system updates in the About Phone menu → MIUI version. Installing the current version of the software often fixes minor interface bugs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The screenshot on Redmi 5A is a basic feature that is implemented through a combination of buttons, gestures or voice, and knowing all the methods allows you to work effectively with information even if one of the input systems malfunctions.