Taking screenshots on modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 7 (or more current Mi series models, Redmi Note 7) is a basic feature that can be required at any time. Users often look for quick ways to capture important information, correspondence or interesting footage from videos. The MIUI Android operating system has several mechanisms for doing this, each with its own characteristics.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available screenshot techniques, from classic keyboard shortcuts to advanced gestures and voice commands. You will learn where files are stored after creation, how to take a long screenshot of a page and what to do if standard methods stop working. Understanding these nuances will allow you to effectively manage the content on your device.
We'll focus on interface settings that can affect the availability of the feature, sometimes users accidentally turn off the necessary options or get confused in firmware versions, we'll look at typical use cases and provide a checklist of actions to diagnose problems, which will help avoid common errors when working with multimedia content.
Use of physical control buttons
The most common and reliable method, which works on the vast majority of Android devices, including Xiaomi smartphones, is a combination of physical buttons. To create a screenshot, you need to simultaneously press and briefly hold the Volume Down volume reduction button and the Power button. The screen should blink, and you will hear the characteristic sound of the camera shutter, which will confirm the successful preservation of the image.
It is important to keep the right rhythm of pressing: the buttons need to be pressed almost simultaneously, with minimal delay. If you press the power button for too long, the smartphone can go into off mode or call the voice assistant instead of taking a screenshot. On models without physical buttons, where touch zones are used, the logic remains the same, but requires a more accurate touch of the side of the case.
This is a good way to be versatile, but it has one drawback: on large smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi Max or Redmi Note series, it can be physically difficult to reach both buttons with one hand, in such situations you either have to use two hands or look for alternatives built into the MIUI software shell.
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If you have thumbs, try pressing the volume button first and then instantly adding a power button – this often helps get into the right timing.
It is worth noting that on some custom firmware or certain versions of Android, the sequence of actions may differ slightly, but for stock MIUI, the algorithm described is the standard. If a screenshot is not created, check if the device is locked, since on the lock screen this combination can be disabled for security reasons.
Screenshots with three fingers and other gestures
The MIUI shell is famous for its easy-to-use one-finger features, and swipe screenshots are one of the most popular among them. To activate this mode, you need to go to the settings menu, select the Additional section, then screenshot, and enable the screenshot option with three fingers. Once activated, just swipe three fingers from top to bottom of the screen to take a picture.
This method is particularly useful for owners of phablets and devices with a large screen size, where it is difficult to reach physical buttons. gestures are quick and intuitive. However, be careful: accidentally holding three fingers while reading news or watching social media feeds can lead to the creation of many unnecessary files that clog the gallery.
Why can't a gesture work?
Some firmware versions also have a screenshot feature through the notification bar. Swipe down from top to bottom, you can find the Screenshot icon in the control center. This is convenient when hands are busy or the phone is on the table. For quick access to this feature, you can add it to the top row of curtain widgets so that it is always at hand.
Voice control and assistants
Modern technology allows you to control your smartphone without touching using voice commands. Xiaomi devices have a Google Assistant or Xiao AI (depending on the region and version of the firmware). To take a screenshot with your voice, just say the phrase "OK, Google, take a screenshot" or "Pick a screenshot." The system recognizes the command and performs the action instantly.
This is ideal in situations where the user's hands are busy or dirty, such as during cooking or repairs, and voice control can be a salvation if one of the physical buttons malfunctions or fails, but this feature requires an active Internet connection and the voice recognition option in the device settings is enabled.
It's worth considering that voice assistants can make mistakes in noisy rooms or when pronunciation is poor, and the command must be pronounced clearly and loudly, and if you use this feature often, it makes sense to adjust the sensitivity of the microphone or create your custom command through automation scenarios, if this is supported by your version of MIUI.
Long screenshot and extended features
Often, you need to capture not one screen, but an entire page of the site, a correspondence in a messenger or a long document. To do this, Xiaomi implements a Scrolling Screenshot. After you create a normal screenshot at the top of the display, a thumbnail with an action menu appears. Click on the icon with arrows down or select Scroll, and the device automatically takes a series of pictures, scrolling through the content.
The process will stop automatically when it reaches the end of the page, or you can interrupt it manually by touching the screen. The resulting image will be a single long picture, which is very convenient for saving articles or checks. Files with long screenshots can carry considerable weight, so keep an eye out for free space in memory.
☑️ Checking the screenshot settings
It is important to note that scrolling does not work in all applications, and some programs, especially banking or DRM-protected ones, can block screenshots or image cropping, in which case you will see a black image or a notification that the content cannot be saved for security reasons.
| Method | Difficulty | Speed. | We need the Internet. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons (Loudness + Power) | Low. | Tall. | No. |
| Three-finger gesture | Medium | Tall. | No. |
| Voice command | Low. | Medium | Yes. |
| Control panel | Low. | Medium | No. |
Setting up the power button and the switch-off menu
The latest versions of the MIUI have a very useful feature that allows you to call the screenshot menu through a long press of the power button. This action used to call the off menu, but now it can be reconfigured. To do this, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → On button (or Power button menu) and select the Screenshot option.
Now, if you press the lock button long enough, you're going to have a thumbnail to create a screenshot, not a shutdown menu, which is especially convenient if the volume button is uncomfortable or tightly pressed, and you can choose to take a normal screenshot or go straight to scrolling mode.
⚠️ Note: When you turn on this feature, the standard phone switch off menu will disappear. To turn off your smartphone, you will have to use the software button in the notification curtain or wait for the device to suggest turning off when the battery is discharged.
You can also activate screenshots in this settings section by double tapping the screen (if supported by sensors) or other custom ways offered by the system. Experiment with settings to find the most ergonomic option for your use case.
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Reconfiguring the power button is the best way for those who have a volume button that is inconvenient or intermittent.
Where to look and how to edit pictures
Once created, the screenshot is automatically saved to the device gallery. Usually, the files are in the Screenshots folder, which is located at the root of the internal memory or on the device. SD-In the Gallery app, it's a separate album where images are sorted by date of creation.
Once you've created a picture, you get a preview in the corner of the screen, and if you click on it, you get a built-in MIUI editor that allows you to crop the image, draw pictures, text, or blur sensitive data (such as card numbers or passwords), which is an important tool to protect personal information before sending a file to an interlocutor.
The default save format is JPG or PNG. PNG provides better lossless quality, which is important for text or graphics screenshots, but takes up more space. JPG is used to optimize space. You can change the save format in the camera settings or screenshots if your version of MIUI allows it.
⚠️ Note: When sending screenshots via messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber), the image quality is often compressed. To maintain the original quality, send the file as "Document" rather than "Photo".
Problem Solving and Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes, users are faced with screenshots being stopped or saved to a black screen, often due to app access rights or content protection, such as in the browser's Incognito mode or in banking applications, screenshots are blocked at the Android security level.
If screenshots are created but not saved, check the memory space of the device. A crowded drive is a common cause of failures. Also try restarting your smartphone to reset temporary errors in the system processes responsible for image capture.