Modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 8 provide users with a variety of tools to interact with the interface, and one of the most sought-after features remains creating screenshots. Screenshots are necessary to save important correspondence, fixing errors in applications or simply sharing an interesting moment with friends. Owners of devices based on the MIUI shell often look for the fastest and most convenient ways to perform this operation, since standard methods may not be obvious to beginners.
In this article, we will take a look at all the screenshots available on the Mi 8, from the classic keyboard combination to advanced gestures. You will learn how to set up automatic scrolling for long pages, how to use voice commands and where to look for saved images. Understanding these nuances will allow you to maximize the power of your smartphone.
Android, combined with MIUI, offers flexible customizations that allow you to tailor your controls. Screenshots can be created instantly or late, full-screen or area-specific. Let's look at the basic techniques that work on the Xiaomi Mi 8 consistently and quickly.
Classical method with physical buttons
The most reliable and versatile way that works on any Android smartphone, including the Xiaomi Mi 8, is to use a physical keyboard.This method requires no pre-setting and is available immediately after the device is turned on. To create a screenshot, you need to simultaneously press the on button (located on the right side of the case) and the volume down button (on the left side).
It's important to keep the timing right: pressing should be brief, almost instantaneous. Prolonged pressing of these buttons usually causes a switch-off or reboot menu, which is a common mistake of beginners. If you hear the characteristic sound of the camera shutter and see a screen flash, then the screenshot has been successfully created.
Once you create an image, you'll see a thumbnail notification at the top of the screen, and if you click on it, you can immediately edit the image, add text, or send it to the messenger, and if you don't do anything, the image will automatically be saved to the gallery.
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If the volume buttons are tight, use both hands: with the thumb of one hand press the power button, and with the index finger of the same hand or with the finger of the other, the volume button.
This method is particularly useful in situations where the screen responds to late touches or when you need to take a menu shot where touch control is limited.
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The combination “Nutrition + Volume Down” is the basic Android standard, working even in safe mode and when the touch layer freezes.
Use of notification curtain and quick settings
For those who prefer interface control, the Xiaomi Mi 8 offers a handy widget in the notification curtain, ideal if the physical buttons are inconvenient or if you hold the phone with one hand, and to take advantage of this method, you need to unlock the screen and swipe from top to bottom to open the control center.
In the quick settings list, you'll find an icon with a scissor or rectangle, which is called a screenshot. Clicking on this icon instantly creates a snapshot of the current content of the screen. If you don't see this button on the first page, click on the edit icon (usually a pencil or three dots) and drag the screenshot icon into the active zone.
The advantage of this method is that it is completely software-based and does not depend on the state of the physical buttons. However, there is a nuance: when you open the curtain, the top of the screen (the status of the bar) overlaps the content, so you can not take a screenshot of the very top of the menu in this way without using the delayed snapshot function.
- 📸 Quick access: the icon is always at hand in the curtain.
- 🎨 Editing: immediately after creation, the editing menu opens.
- ⚙️ Customization: You can add a widget to your desktop for even faster access.
The use of curtains is especially important when you are working with content that cannot be copied by text, such as graphics in financial applications or snippets of videos, which is integrated deep into the MIUI system.
The Three Fingers gesture and other swipe methods
One of the most popular features of the MIUI shell is to create screenshots using gestures. On the Xiaomi Mi 8, this feature can be activated by default or require activation in settings. The essence of the method is simple: you need to swipe three fingers from top to bottom in the center of the screen. This action instantly captures the image.
To activate this feature, go to the Settings menu, then select the Additional section and find the Screenshot. Here you need to switch the slider to the active position next to the Three-Finger Swipe option.
⚠️ Note: A three-finger gesture may conflict with other actions in some games or drawing apps. If you notice that screenshots are created by themselves during play, temporarily disable this feature in the settings.
In addition, some firmware versions have a "Second Space" feature available, or special game modes where gestures may work differently.Make sure you're in the main user profile.Gests are the modern standard for smartphone interaction that makes using the Mi 8 more intuitive.
☑️ Customization of gestures
Once activated, you'll see how fast this method works, and it's particularly useful for creating a series of screenshots, because it doesn't require you to move your hands to the buttons, and the ergonomics of large screens like the Mi 8 benefit from these solutions.
Creating long screenshots with scrolling
Often, you need to save not just one frame, but an entire article, correspondence in the messenger or news feed. On the Xiaomi Mi 8, you have Extended Screenshot. After you take a regular shot in any of the above ways, an icon in the form of a rolled-up sheet or arrow down will appear in the upper corner of the thumbnail.
By clicking on this icon, the system will automatically scroll down the page, stitching the image into one long band, and it continues until you touch the screen or reach the end of the page, an indispensable tool for saving conversations on WhatsApp or Telegram.
Consider that the quality of the final image can be very high, which affects the size of the file. If you take a screenshot of a very long page, the final file can weigh several megabytes, and the function may not work in applications where the content is loaded dynamically as you scroll.
| Parameter | Description | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Vertical panorama (PNG/JPG) | It does not work in horizontal video mode. |
| Length | Up to 100 screens | Depends on the device's memory |
| Quality. | Reference screen resolution | It can decrease at a very long length. |
Using long screenshots requires a stable sensor, and if the screen is contaminated or a thick protective glass is pasted, the system can interrupt the scrolling ahead of time, and automatic scrolling is a powerful tool for documenting information.
Screen recording and use of voice assistant
In addition to static images, the Xiaomi Mi 8 can record video from the screen. This feature is useful for creating instructions, passing levels in games or fixing bugs. In the notification curtain, find the screen recording icon. Before recording, you can choose the source of sound: microphone, system sounds or a combination of them.
An alternative way to interact is with Google Assistant or Xiao AI (depending on the region of the firmware), and you can just say, "OK, Google, take a screenshot," and the phone will execute a command, which is especially handy when your hands are busy or dirty.
Screen recording secrets
Voice control is constantly improving, and understanding commands gets better with each update, but it requires a stable Internet connection to execute commands accurately, and the screen is stored in a separate folder in the gallery.
Where to look and how to edit saved photos
All screenshots created are automatically saved to the system gallery. The path to files usually looks like this: Gallery → Albums → Screenshots. In the file manager, you can find them on the path Internal Storage → DCIM → Screenshots or Pictures → Screenshots, depending on the version of MIUI.
The built-in image editor allows you to perform basic operations immediately after you create a picture, you can cut the extra edges, draw arrows, add text, or blot out sensitive information (such as passwords or card numbers), these tools are in the bottom panel when you open the thumbnail.
⚠️ Note: When sending screenshots via messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram), image quality may be compressed. For transmission in the original quality, send the file as Document, not Photo».
Regularly cleaning the folder with screenshots helps free up space in the phone’s memory, as the accumulated images can take up gigabytes. Use the Cleanup feature in the Security app to remove duplicates.