Xiaomi’s Home, Back and Recent navigation buttons take up precious space, especially on small-screen or camera cutouts. Many MIUI users want to get rid of them for full-screen interface or gesture control. However, depending on the firmware version and smartphone model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.), the methods are different — it’s enough to enable full-screen gestures somewhere, and you need to edit system files.
In this article, we will discuss all the current methods for removing virtual buttons on Xiaomi, including the official settings of MIUI 14/15, hidden options for developers and even manually disabling through ADB. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances for devices with touch buttons (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO M3), where physical disabling requires a different approach.
1.Official method: transition to full-screen gestures in MIUI
The easiest and safest method is to activate gesture control, which automatically hides the classic navigation bar, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 10 and later, including the latest versions of MIUI 15 (at the time of 2026).
Instructions:
- 📱 Open the Settings. → Display.
- 👆 Scroll down and select Full-screen Mode (or Navigation Type in older versions).
- 🔄 Choose the Gesture option MIUI Full screen gestures (depending on the model).
- 🔧 If necessary, adjust the sensitivity of swipes in the section Additional gesture settings.
After the changes are applied, the panel with the Home, Back and Recent buttons will disappear, and the control will be carried out by swipes from the bottom edge of the screen.
- 🔙 Back: swipe from right to left.
- 🏠 Home: Swipe up from the bottom edge.
- 📄 Recent: Swipe up with a delay or diagonal swipe.
⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO F4, Xiaomi 12 Pro) after switching to gestures, the indicator of the home button in games may disappear. To return it, turn on Settings → Special facilities → Navigation panel in games.
2. Hiding the navigation bar through the developer settings
If you don't like full-screen gestures, but you want to remove the buttons anyway, you can turn off the navigation bar display through the developer menu, which is suitable for devices with MIUI 12-15, but requires developer mode activation.
Steps:
- Activate the Developer Mode: 🔧 Go to Settings. → The phone. 🔨 7 times press the version MIUI, Notice: “You have become a developer».
- 🔧 Back to Settings → Additional settings → Developer parameters.
- 🔍 Find the option to Disable the navigation bar (or Hide the navigation bar).
- 🔄 Reset the device.
After that, the touch buttons will be completely disabled and the virtual panel hidden. However, on some firmware (MIUI 13+), this method can lead to a system interface failure - be prepared to roll back through recovery.
⚠️ Attention: Editing build.prop without backup is fraught with bootloop (obsessive reboot). TWRP Or OrangeFox Recovery.
5. Alternative methods: third-party launchers and shells
If you don't want to interfere with system settings, you can camouflage navigation buttons with third-party launchers or shells, which doesn't physically turn off the buttons, but visually hides them by replacing them with gestures.
Best options:
- 🌐 Nova Launcher + GesNav module: Install Nova Launcher. Activate in Lab settings → Hide the navigation bar. Add gestures through the GesNav module (requires Magisk).
- 🔄 Fluid Navigation Gestures: Download the app from Google Play. Set up swipe zones and hide the navigation bar. 🔧 B Settings → Special features allow display over other applications.
- 🎮 Full Screen Gestures (for gamers): Allows you to hide buttons in games and applications. Supports custom gestures for gamers. PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact and others.
The advantage of this method is that it does not require root or ADB, and the settings are easy to roll back, but some applications (such as banking) can conflict with the overlay of gestures.
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If after installing a third-party launcher buttons are still visible, try in the screen settings to disable the option “Show the navigation bar in full-screen applications”.
Frequent problems and their solutions
When you delete navigation buttons on Xiaomi, users encounter common errors, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.
Problem 1: After hiding the navigation bar, gestures don’t work.
- 🔹 Solution: Return to Settings → Display. → Full screen mode and select Gestures MIUI pre-panel.
- 🔹 If gestures are not activated, reset the launcher settings: adb shell pm clear com.miui.home
Problem 2: Buttons disappear, but reappear after rebooting.
- 🔹 Solution: Set the settings through ADB: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=com.miui.home
- 🔹 For MIUI 14+ It may be necessary to disable optimization. MIUI developer-setting.
Problem 3: On the lock screen, the buttons remain visible.
- 🔹 Solution: B Settings → Lock screen disable the option Show navigation panel.
- 🔹 For Xiaomi with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) buttons can “manifest” when tilted – this is a feature of the matrix, it can not be corrected.