How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi Redmi 4: full ways

Modern smartphone users are constantly faced with the need to capture the image displayed on the display. Whether it is important correspondence, a travel map, a game moment or a system error message – the ability to quickly create a screenshot is a basic skill. Owners of budget and medium-budget devices often look for information on how to take a screenshot on the xiaomi Redmi 4, since MIUI interfaces have their own unique features that differ from pure Android.

Xiaomi’s Redmi 4 comes with a MIUI shell that provides multiple options for implementing the feature. The user can use physical buttons, gestures on the screen, voice commands, or even a special application. Understanding all the available methods allows you to choose the most convenient for a particular situation and speeds up the work with the gadget.

In this article, we will take a closer look at every available way to create screenshots, review system settings that may require your attention, and answer frequently asked questions. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced user, you will find here useful information to effectively use your smartphone.

Standard combination of physical buttons

The most common and fast way that works on the vast majority of Android smartphones, including Xiaomi and Redmi models, is to use the device's physical keyboard. On the Redmi 4, this method is implemented classically and does not require pre-tuning. You need to press two buttons at the same time: reduce volume and turn on / lock the screen.

It's critical to keep the pressing timed. You press the buttons simultaneously and briefly, literally for a split second, and release them right away. If you hold them for too long, the system might think of it as a command to enter Recovery mode or turn off the device, which will result in a selection menu instead of creating a screenshot.

⚠️ Attention: Do not push the buttons with excessive force. the button mechanism on Redmi 4 has a limited pressing resource, and aggressive exposure can lead to them sticking or breaking, especially if the device already has a protective glass or case.

Once the combination is successfully executed, you will hear the characteristic snap of the camera shutter (if the sound is not turned off), the screen will blink, and a notification of the image created will appear at the top of the display, which is the most reliable method, since it works even if the touch screen temporarily does not respond or the system is experiencing a load.

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If you can't press the buttons at the same time, try pressing the volume button lightly first, then instantly adding the turn on button. This staircase technique often helps on devices with tight buttons.

Using a three-toed swipe in MIUI

MIUI is famous for its clever gestures that make navigation and control much easier. One of the most popular features is to take a screenshot by swiping three fingers across the screen, a technique that is particularly useful when you hold the device with one hand and act with the other, or when physical buttons are tightly pressed.

To activate this feature, you need to make sure it's enabled in the system settings. It can be activated by default, but on some firmware versions it requires manual activation. The path to setting is: Settings → Additional settings → Screenshot. Here you need to move the switch to the active position.

Once activated, simply swipe your three fingers from top to bottom across any part of the screen, and the system instantly recognizes the gesture, makes a sound, and saves the image, which can be done anytime the interface is not locked and an application that uses a full screen in protected mode is launched.

• 🖐️ The gesture should be smooth and confident, without stopping in the middle of the screen.
• 📱 For convenience, you can configure the activation area, if such an option is available in your version. MIUI.
• ⚙️ The feature does not work in the settings menu of the Camera app itself or in some banking applications.

Screenshots via control panel (Stork)

A third method that is often ignored by beginners but highly valued by power users is the use of a quick settings panel, popularly known as a "curtain," which is ideal if the volume buttons are busy (e.g. while watching videos or listening to music) or if using three fingers is uncomfortable in the current situation.

To create a screenshot in this way, you need to unlock your smartphone and swipe from top to bottom to open the notification bar. Depending on the settings of your version of MIUI, you may need to swipe a second time to reveal the full list of quick access icons, including an icon called “Screenshot” (usually depicted as a scissors or rectangle).

Clicking on this icon instantly captures the current content of the screen, and the advantage of this method is that it's completely software-based and independent of the physical state of the buttons, but it also has a disadvantage: if the screen is locked or you're in the lock menu, you can't bring up a curtain and take a screenshot, and it's just physical buttons.

Path to icon: Swipe from top to bottom → Swipe down (for the full menu) → Screenshot icon

If you don't find the right icon in the front row, click on the edit button (usually a pencil or three dots in the corner), find "Screenshot" in the list of available ones, and drag it to the active zone. This will take a few seconds, but in the future will save you time.

Voice control and assistant

Owners of Redmi 4 can use voice commands to control the smartphone, which is especially true in situations where the hands are busy or the device is in an uncomfortable position. MIUI Allows you to give commands to the system without touching the screen.

To use this method, you need to activate the appropriate option in the settings. Usually the path looks like this: Settings → Advanced settings → Voice control. Once turned on, you can say the command “Take a screenshot” (or similar, depending on the system language), and the device will perform the action.

⚠️ Warning: Voice control may not work properly in noisy areas or if the microphone is covered with a cover.

You can also use third-party assistants like Google Assistant, and you just call the assistant (with a long home button or voice activation) and say, "Take a screenshot," which is a universal method that works on top of any application.

• 🗣️ Make sure the commands are clearly spoken so that the system recognizes them correctly.
• 🌐 Make sure the interface language and voice input language are the same.
• 🔋 Voice control consumes more battery power as microphone constantly listens to commands.

One-Hand Mode and Extended Functions

MIUI offers a unique one-handed mode feature that not only reduces the size of the interface for easy one-handed use, but also allows you to take screenshots in a specific way. When you activate this mode (usually swipe from the bottom of the screen towards the center), a smaller copy of the interface appears.

This mode often has additional control buttons, including a screenshot button, which is useful for larger-screen devices, although the Redmi 4 has a fairly compact 5-inch display. However, for users with large arms or motor characteristics, this can be a convenient addition.

Also worth mentioning is the Long Screenshot (or Scrolling Screenshot) feature. After you create a normal screenshot (by any of the methods described above), the preview appears with a Scrolling button or an icon with arrows down. By clicking on it, you can grab a long page of the site or the entire messaging app.

Where screenshots are stored and how to manage them

Once you have successfully taken a screenshot on Redmi 4, the system automatically saves the file to the device’s internal memory, and by default, all images are placed in a special folder that is accessed through the standard Gallery or Explorer app.

In the Gallery app, screenshots are usually highlighted in a separate album called Screenshots (or Screenshots), which allows you to avoid mixing them with photos taken on camera. In the file manager, the path to files looks like Internal Memory → MIUI → Gallery → cloudcache or just DCIM → Screenshots, depending on the version of Android and MIUI.

Managing these files is standard: you can share them through messengers, edit (short, draw, blur text) right in the gallery or delete to make room. It is recommended to periodically clean the folder with screenshots, as they often contain temporary information and can take up a significant amount of memory.

⚠️ Note: When deleting screenshots through the file manager, be careful not to delete system files. only delete the contents of the Screenshots folder. Also remember that deleting from "Recently Deleted" in the gallery makes recovery impossible without a backup copy.

Frequent problems and their solution

Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users sometimes face problems: for example, a screenshot is not created, the screen does not respond to a combination of buttons or the image is black. The black screen when screenshots are often found in applications with protected content (banks, incognito browser mode, streaming services) is copy protection, and it cannot be bypassed by standard means.

If the buttons don't respond, check if Do Not Disturb mode or special features for people with disabilities who can reassign button functions are turned on, and it's also worth rebooting the device if the system has started to work incorrectly.

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If neither of these methods works, try clearing the Gallery or System UI cache through the application settings. This often resolves software conflicts.

In case of mechanical breakdown of the volume buttons, the only way out is to use software methods: swipe with three fingers, curtains or connection USB-keyboard OTG-adapter where you can assign a key to create a screenshot.