How to Remove Navigation Buttons on Xiaomi: From Gestures to Complete Hiding

Xiaomi’s navigation buttons — the classic three dots at the bottom of the screen — have long been an anachronism for many users. With the release of MIUI 9, the company added gesture support, and in subsequent versions (up to MIUI 14) expanded the customization of the bottom panel. However, not everyone knows that the buttons can not just be swiped, but also completely removed — both temporarily (for screenshots or games) and forever.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to hide navigation buttons on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from standard system settings to hidden features for power users. We will focus on the nuances for different versions of MIUI (including global and Chinese firmware), and also consider workarounds for models where the manufacturer artificially limited functionality. If you want to free up space on the screen or are just tired of random clicks, read on.

Why Users Want to Remove Navigation Buttons

There are several reasons to hide or disable the navigation bar on Xiaomi, and they are not always related to aesthetics:

• 🎮 Game mode: buttons interfere with dynamic games (for example, in the game). PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, where every pixel counts.
• 📱 Immersive Mode: Hiding the buttons allows you to use the screen 100% to watch videos or read.
• ⚡ Gestures instead of buttons: Many are switching to swipes (like the iPhone) to speed up navigation.
• 🔧 Customization: Some users prefer a minimalist interface without unnecessary elements.
• 🛠️ Technical reasons: on some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro) buttons can stick or trigger spontaneously.

It's important to understand that completely disabling navigation buttons without replacing gestures will result in a loss of the ability to return to the home screen or open multitasking, so most methods involve either switching to gesture control or temporarily hiding the panel.

Method 1: Replace buttons with gestures (official method)

The easiest and most recommended way is to switch to gesture control, which doesn't remove the buttons completely, but instead swipes them to free up space on the screen, and works on all devices with MIUI 9 and newer.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Display.
2. Select Full-screen Mode (or Navigation buttons in older versions).
3. Slip on MIUI gestures (or full-screen gestures).
4. Choose one of the options: 🔄 Swipe from the bottom – a standard gesture (like on the iPhone). 🔄 Swipe from the sides - an alternative option for left-handed people.

Confirm the selection and restart the device (if required).

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F3) When you switch to gestures, the home button indicator may disappear. To return it, go to Settings. → Additional settings → Home button and turn on the display of the strip.

Method 2: Temporary Hiding of Buttons through Immersive Mode

If you need to hide navigation buttons temporarily (for example, to watch a video or play), use immersive mode. It removes all system elements, including the notification bar and the navigation bar.

How to turn on:

1. Open the app where you want to hide the buttons (like YouTube or Netflix).
2. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to expand the notification bar.
3. Put it on the icon. ⋯ (three points) in upper right corner.
4. Select Immersive Mode (or Full Screen Mode).

💡

On some models (for example, Redmi K40) immersive mode is enabled by a double tap on the screen in landscape mode.

⚠️ Warning: In immersive mode, the navigation buttons can only be returned by swiping from the bottom edge of the screen upwards (if gestures are enabled) or through the notification panel. Some devices require the output button to hold the power button and select to exit immersive mode.

This method is not suitable for permanently hiding buttons, as it is reset after restarting or closing the application.

• 🎬 Watching movies in MX Player or VLC.
• 🎮 Games with support for full screen mode (Call of Duty Mobile, Free Fire).
• 📖 Reading books on Moon+ Reader or Google Play Books.

Method 3: Disabling buttons via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can completely disable the navigation buttons via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting to a computer and enabling the developer mode.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional Settings → Developer.

USB debugging

Command line.

Terminal

adb devices

The name of your device should appear.

adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*

Reset the device.

⚠️ Warning: Once this command is executed, the navigation buttons will disappear completely, including the gestures:

adb shell settings put global policy_control null

This method is suitable for:

• 📱 Devices with custom firmware (for example, LineageOS).
• 🛠️ Models where the manufacturer has blocked gestures (rare but found on some Redmis for the Chinese market).
• 🔧 Advanced users who need to completely remove the navigation bar for software testing.

Method 4: Hiding buttons through third-party apps

If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can use third-party utilities.

• 🔄 Nacho Notch – allows you to hide buttons and notch in the screen.
• 🔄 Full Screen Immersive Mode – Automatically Enable Immersive Mode for Selected Applications.
• 🔄 GMD Full Screen Gestures – Replacement of standard gestures with custom gestures (requires root).

Example of Nacho Notch setup:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Grant permission to Overlay over other applications (in security settings).
3. Select the Hide Navigation Bar.
4. Activate the switch and set exceptions for applications where buttons should remain.

💡

The side of the application may conflict with system gestures. Before using, check compatibility in the application settings.

⚠️ Note: Apps like Nacho Notch can cause freezes on some Xiaomi models (especially those with MediaTek processors).If you activate the screen, disable the utility and restart the device.

Method 5: Manual editing of system files (root only)

For root-right users, there is a radical method of editing system files, which allows you to permanently remove navigation buttons without the possibility of returning through standard settings.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/usr/keylayout/
3. Find the Generic.kl file and open it in the text editor.
4. Comment (add # to the beginning) or delete the lines: key 139 MENU key 158 BACK key 172 HOME
5. Save the file, set the rights to 644, and restart the device.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped boot).Before making changes, back up your Generic.kl file and make sure you have access to the system. TWRP repair.

This method is only suitable for:

• 📱 Devices with unlocked loader.
• 🛠️ Advanced users ready for possible disruptions.
• 🔧 Models where other methods don’t work (e.g. Xiaomi Mi) A1 pure Android).

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you hide or disable navigation buttons on Xiaomi, you can get errors.

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 📋 Version MIUI — on some of the older firmware (below) MIUI (10) gestures may not be supported.
• 🔄 Firmware region - on Chinese versions MIUI Sometimes there are no options for global assemblies.
• 🛠️ System File Integrity – If the device has been modified before, configurations may be damaged.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions