How to take a picture of the screen of Xiaomi smartphone: the full guide

Making a snapshot of a display is one of the basic features that Xiaomi owners need every day. Whether it’s saving correspondence, fixing an in-app bug, or wanting to share a funny moment from a game, being able to quickly take a screenshot saves time. The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS have many methods that go beyond the standard keyboard combination.

Inexperienced users often limit themselves to physical buttons, unaware of hidden gestures and automation. Xiaomi can be taken without touching the device body, using only voice or tapping on the back cover. Understanding all the options available makes the smartphone a more convenient tool for working with information.

In this article, we will discuss in detail each method, from classic to advanced, and also consider the settings of the save format and methods of automatic file transfer.

Standard Method Using Physical Buttons

The most obvious and reliable way to do this, which works on any model, whether it's a budget Redmi or a flagship Xiaomi, is independent of system settings and works even in safe mode. To create a picture, you need to simultaneously press two keys: the on button and the volume button.

It's important to press them synchronously, but not for long. If you press the buttons too hard or hold them for a few seconds, the system may perceive this as a command to call the off menu or forced reboot. A short, confident press is enough to give the characteristic shutter click and the screen blinks.

Immediately after the action, a notification with a preview will appear at the top of the display, where quick actions are available: editing, scrolling to create a long screenshot or sending it to the messenger immediately. If the notification does not appear, check if the device's memory is full.

• 📸 Press “Loudness Down” and “Inclusion” at the same time.
• ⏱️ Hold the buttons for less than one second.
• 🔔 Check the notification curtain to access the file.

This method remains the “gold standard” when the touch screen reacts with a delay or in games where program gestures can be blocked.

Screenshot with three fingers: setting and use

One of the most convenient features of the MIUI shell is to create a screenshot with three fingers, which allows you to free one hand, which is especially true when using a smartphone with one hand. By default, the function can be disabled, so you need to activate it in the settings menu.

To enable, go to Settings → Additional Features → Screenshots. Here you need to activate the "Three fingers" switch. After that, simply slide three fingers from top to bottom down the center of the screen will instantly save the image. The system also allows you to select an action for a long three-finger press, for example, start a screen recording.

⚠️ Note: A three-finger gesture may conflict with game controls or the interface of some applications. If a particular game doesn't get a screenshot, use physical buttons.

The accuracy of the gesture matters: fingers must touch the screen simultaneously and move parallel to each other. If the system does not recognize the action the first time, try increasing the touch area or speed.

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For a more accurate hit, try to swipe your fingers not at the very top of the screen (where the status bar is), but slightly below, in the content area.

Using this method significantly speeds up the process of documenting information, since it does not require changing the grip of the device.

Control through the Control Center and the notification curtain

If physical buttons are uncomfortable and gestures don't work in the current app, a software interface comes to the rescue. In modern versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14, the shortcut to create a screenshot is put into the "curtain" of quick settings, which is especially useful when the smartphone is lying on the table or fixed in the holder.

To use this method, swipe down from the top right corner (or top down, depending on the navigation settings) to open the control panel. Find an icon with a picture of scissors or a camera. One tap creates a picture of the current active window. This method eliminates any mechanical damage to the buttons.

In some custom design themes, the icon may be hidden, in which case, click on the panel edit icon (usually in the form of a pencil or gear) and drag the Screenshot tool to the active zone, ensuring that the function is always at hand.

This option is ideal for Xiaomi Pad tablets, where physical buttons can be difficult to access due to the keyboard case.

Voice control and Google Assistant

AI technology allows you to control your smartphone completely without hands. Xiaomi owners can use the built-in Google Assistant or Mi Assistant to create screenshots, ideal when your hands are busy or dirty.

To activate, you just say "OK, Google" (or press the assistant call button), and then you say "Take a screenshot" or "Take a picture of the screen." The system recognizes the voice command and performs the action. The accuracy of recognition depends on the quality of the microphone and pronunciation, and the interface language.

An alternative method is to use the power button to call Google Assistant. In settings → Google → Settings for Google apps → Search, Assistant and Google Lens → Google Assistant can be set to respond to a long press of the power button. After that, a long press will call the assistant, which can give a voice command.

• 🎙️ Activate the assistant with a phrase or button.
• 🗣️ Say a clear command, “Take a screenshot».
• ✅ Wait for the sound confirmation of the execution.

Using voice control requires a stable internet connection to handle a request on Google servers, although basic commands can work offline.

Long screenshot and additional menu features

Often, a single screen is not enough to save a WhatsApp message or a browser article. Long Screenshot allows you to scroll down and glue several images into one long tape. After you create a normal picture (by any method), a thumbnail appears in the corner.

Click on the icon with the arrows down or select "Scroll" in the menu that appears. The screen will automatically scroll. You can stop the process at any time by touching the display. The system will automatically crop repetitive interface elements to create a seamless image.

⚠️ Warning: The long screenshot feature may not work properly in dynamic content download applications or in games where the background can “float” when scrolling.

Also available in the editing menu is OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Once you have created a screenshot, click "More" → "Text Recognition" to copy text from the image directly to the clipboard, which is very convenient for working with documents.

Format, quality and automation settings

By default, Xiaomi saves screenshots in PNG format, which provides high quality lossless, but takes up more space. To save memory, you can switch to JPG. You can do this in the Settings menu → Screenshots.

And here's the important option, "Delete previews after creation," and if you activate this, the screenshot thumbnail in the corner of the screen will disappear immediately after the shot, without requiring swiping, which speeds up the process, but makes it impossible to edit quickly.

For advanced users, the Double Tap feature is available to create a shot. It is located in the Settings → Additional Features → Gestures and buttons → Tapping on the back. By assigning a Screenshot action to double or triple tapping, you can take a picture of the screen by simply tapping on the back of your smartphone.

Correctly configuring these parameters allows you to adapt the operation of the device to your personal preferences and save internal storage.

Where to look for saved images

Once you've created a screenshot, the file is automatically saved to the gallery, and there's a separate album called Screenshots in the Gallery app, where all screenshots are sorted by date of creation, so you can quickly find the image you want without going through thousands of personal photos.

If you use a file manager, the path to files looks like internal memory. → DCIM → Screenshots or MIUI → screen_shot Knowing the path is useful when connecting a smartphone to a computer for mass file transfer.

Files are not automatically deleted by taking up space, so it is recommended to periodically clean this album or configure sync with the Xiaomi Cloud or Google Photos cloud.

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Regularly cleaning up the screenshot folder can free up 1 to 5GB of storage, as this partition is often overflowing with forgotten images.