On Xiaomi’s MIUI-enabled smartphones, the navigation buttons (“Back”, “Home”, “Recent”) are placed by default in an order that may seem uncomfortable — especially if you’ve switched from a device of another brand (such as Samsung or Google Pixel).
In this article, we’ll look at all the options available to change buttons, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for older firmware versions, and how to return the classic three-button bar if gestures are activated on your device, and what to do if the Suddenly disappeared options are needed after the system update, instructions will be suitable for most models, from the Redmi Note 10 to the flagship Xiaomi 14.
Why do users want to change buttons?
The main reason is habit, for example, on Samsung smartphones, the back button is traditionally on the right and Xiaomi on the left, which creates discomfort when switching from one device to the other, especially if you actively use one-handed navigation.
- 👆 Ergonomics: Left-handed people are more comfortable when the “Back” button is on the right and the “Recent” button is on the left.
- 🎮 Game mode: In some games, accidentally pressing the Back button leads to exiting the application.
- 🔄 Update of firmware: after upgrade MIUI Buttons can be reset to factory settings.
- 📱 Gestures vs buttons: when switching between navigation modes, the order of the elements may change.
Interestingly, in MIUI 12 and later, the developers added an option to automatically determine the user's "hand" - the system analyzes which hand you interact with the screen more often, and offers the optimal location of the buttons.
Method 1: Standard setup in MIUI (for most models)
This is the simplest method that works on devices with MIUI 10 and later. The instructions are relevant for Redmi, POCO, Black Shark and Xiaomi Mi line:
- Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the desktop).
- Go to the Display section.
- Select Full-screen display (in some versions – Navigation buttons).
- Slip the button location option (or button order).
- Choose one of the proposed options: 🔄 Standard (Back) → Home. → Recent) 🔄 Reverse (Recent) → Home. → Back up) 👆 Only gestures (hiding buttons completely)
If you don't have button location on your menu, you've got navigation gestures activated on your device to bring back the classic buttons:
- In the same Full-screen Display section, select Buttons instead of Gestures.
- After that, the button switch option will be available.
☑️ Preparing for changing settings
⚠️ Note: On certain devices (e.g, POCO F3 If you change the location of the buttons, you may lose the animation of the transition between the applications. MIUI 13, which is fixed by rebooting the smartphone.
Method 2: Using a Hidden Menu for Older MIUI Versions
If you have a device running MIUI 9 or earlier (such as the Xiaomi Mi A1 or Redmi 4X), there may not be a standard way to change buttons.
- Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times) will appear notification “You became a developer”.
- Return to the main Settings menu and open the Additional (or Developer) section.
- Find the option Force RTL layout direction (forced mirror interface).
- Activate it and restart the device.
To get it back, you just need to deactivate Force RTL again and restart the smartphone.
What to do if there is no “Developers” item?
Method 3: Applications for button customization
If standard methods don't work or you need more flexible management, you can use third-party utilities.
| Annex | Functions | Need root? | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Button Mapper | Reassign buttons, add new gestures, adjust vibrations | No (but some functions are limited) | Google Play |
| NavStar | Full customization of the navigation bar, including color and transparency | Yes (for all functions) | XDA Developers |
| Xposed Framework + GravityBox | Deep interface configuration, including navigation buttons | Yes. | Xposed Repository |
For use of Button Mapper without root rights:
- Install the app from Google Play.
- Enable special features for the application (Settings → Special features → Button Mapper).
- Select Navigation Bar from the main utility menu.
- Drag the buttons in the right order or assign new actions (such as double tapping on Home to start the camera).
⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 and later, some button customization apps may conflict with system gestures. If the navigation bar disappears after installing the utility, return the default settings to Settings → Annexes → Application management → [Name of utility] → Reset the settings.
Method 4: Change buttons through ADB (for advanced users)
If you're familiar with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can swap buttons with commands, which works on any version of MIUI, but requires you to connect your smartphone to your computer.
Step-by-step:
- Install ADB Tools on your PC.
- Activate debugging by USB on your smartphone (Settings → For developers → Debugging by USB).
- Connect the device to the computer and execute in the terminal: adb shell settings put secure sysui_nav_bar "Space,back;home;recent,space" This command will set order: → Home. → Recent.
- For the reverse order (Recently) → Home. → Back) use: adb shell settings put secure sysui_nav_bar "space,recent;home;back,space"
- Reboot your smartphone.
If the team does not work, check:
- 🔌 Connection to USB (Try another cable or port).
- 📱 Debugging permission (on the smartphone screen should appear a window with a request).
- 🔄 Version MIUI (On some firmware, the path to navigation settings is different).
adb shell settings get secure sysui_nav_barThis will help you to return the original settings if something goes wrong.-->
Frequent problems and their solutions
When you change the location of the buttons, users often encounter bugs.
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Buttons don't change. | Navigation gestures are active | Return to the buttons in Settings → Display → Full-screen display |
| Navigation panel missing | Conflict with a third-party application | Remove the last installed software or reset the settings |
| Buttons are reset after the update | Resetting MIUI settings | Repeat the setup manually or use ADB |
| The back button does not work in games. | Blocking with system gestures | Turn off gestures in Settings → Display → Full-screen display |
On devices with MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition and later, when you change buttons, the “Google Assistant Quick Start” function may disappear. To return it, go to Settings → Google → Settings for applications → Google Assistant → Quick Start and turn on the option again.
How to return the standard button location?
If the experiments with settings led to inconvenience, you can return everything back in several ways:
- 🔄 Through the menu MIUI: Go to Settings. → Display. → Full screen display. Select Standard button order. Reboot the device.
- 📱 Through resetting interface settings: Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Reset UI Settings Note: This method does not affect user data, but resets all visual settings.
- 💻 Through ADB: adb shell settings delete secure sysui_nav_bar After the command is executed, the navigation panel will return to factory parameters.