How to Remove the Bottom Buttons on Xiaomi Redmi 8: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi Redmi 8 is one of the most popular budget smartphones with a branded MIUI shell, but its bottom navigation bar (touch buttons "Back", "Home", "Recent") is not always convenient. Someone wants to free up the screen for immersive viewing of content, someone is hindered by random clicking, and some simply prefer gesture control. In this article, we will examine all working ways to hide or completely disable the bottom buttons on Redmi 8 - from standard settings to advanced methods with ADB and third-party utilities.

It's important to understand that Redmi 8 (codenamed olive) doesn't have a hardware home button, so all the manipulations affect the MIUI software interface. Some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, but we'll start with the safest options that won't violate the warranty. If you've never worked with ADB or system files, don't worry, we'll explain each step in detail.

Before you start, check the MIUI version on your device: go to Settings → About → About Phone → MIUI version. This depends on the availability of certain features. For example, MIUI 12+ has a full-screen gesture control that can be enabled without additional manipulation.

1. Method: Full-screen gestures in MIUI settings

The simplest and most formal method is to activate full-screen gesture control, which doesn't physically remove buttons, but hides them by swiping around the edges of the screen, and works on all versions of MIUI 10+, and doesn't require root or ADB permissions.

How to turn on:

1. Open the Settings → Display.
2. Select Full Screen Mode.
3. Slip on Full-screen gestures (or gesture control in newer versions).
4. Choose a gesture style: MIUI (swipe from the bottom up) or Android (swipe from the side edges).
5. Confirm your choice and restart your phone.

Once activated, the bottom panel will disappear, but a thin bar will remain (it can be removed with additional settings).

• 🔙 Back: swipe from right to left at the edge of the screen.
• 🏠 Home: Swipe from bottom up and hold (for MIUI) Or just swipe from the bottom up (for Android).
• 📱 Recent: Swipe from bottom to bottom with pause or diagonal swipe from bottom to right.

⚠️ Note: In some applications (e.g. games), gestures may conflict with control, in which case temporarily return buttons through the notification panel (Full screen mode icon»).

If you don’t like this method (for example, you don’t like MIUI gestures), move on to the next method.

2. Method: Disabling buttons via ADB (without root)

If full-screen gestures don't work, you can completely disable the bottom panel using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which doesn't require root rights, but you need to unlock OEM Unlock and enable developer mode.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-Drivers and open the command line in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
5. Execute the command to disable the bottom panel: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*

Once you've done the command, the bottom panel will disappear, but it'll be harder to control the phone, because the MIUI gestures won't work.

adb shell settings put global policy_control null

⚠️ Note: This method may cause problems with the keyboard display in some applications.If the on-screen keyboard overlaps text fields, temporarily return buttons or use a third-party keyboard (e.g., Gboard).

If after switching off the buttons, the phone became uncomfortable to use, try a combination with the third method - installing an alternative launcher.

3. Method: Third-party launchers with gesture support

If you don’t like standard MIUI gestures, you can install an alternative launcher that supports your own navigation systems, such as Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher, which allows you to hide the bottom panel and customize gestures for yourself.

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

1. Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
2. Launch the launcher and select it as the main one (when you request the system).
3. Go to Nova Settings: Settings → Gestures and buttons.
4. Activate Hide the navigation bar (requires ADB or root for full cover).
5. Set up gestures: for example, swipe up to open the app menu or swipe down to call a search.

Advantages of this method:

• 🎨 Flexible gesture setting (you can assign actions to swipes, double taps, etc.).
• 📱 Compatible with most versions MIUI (including the Redmi 8).
• 🔄 It is easy to return standard buttons by simply changing the launcher back.

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Some gestures may conflict with system gestures (for example, swipe up for Home and for opening applications).
• 💰 Nova Launcher's free version has limited gesture functionality.

If you need to completely remove the navigation bar (including the indicator), combine this method with the navigation bar. ADB-second-method.

4. Method: editing the build.prop file (root required)

For power users who are ready to get root rights, there is a way to disable the bottom panel by editing the system file build.prop. This is a radical method that can lead to unstable system operation if something is done wrong.

Step-by-step:

1. Get root rights to Redmi 8 (for example, through Magisk).
2. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
3. Open /system/build.prop file in the text editor.
4. Add a line to the end of the file: qemu.hw.mainkeys=1
5. Save the changes, restart the phone.

After the reboot, the bottom bar should disappear, and the system will assume that the device has hardware buttons. To return everything back, delete the added line or replace 1 with 0.

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing build.prop can lead to bootloop ( looped reboot).Before changes, back up the file!If the phone stopped loading, restore build.prop via TWRP.

This method is only suitable for users who understand the risks and know how to work with root. If you are a beginner, you should use ADB or third-party launchers.

💡

Before any manipulation of system files, back up via TWRP or MIUI Backup to help restore the phone if something goes wrong.

5. Method: Applications for Hiding Navigation Panel

If you don't want to mess with ADB or root, you can use specialized apps from Google Play, which run on top of the system and hide the navigation bar software.

• 🔹 Nacho Notch – hides the panel and notch in the screen, supports Redmi 8.
• 🔹 Full Screen Gestures – Emulates gestures and hides buttons without root.
• 🔹 Hide Navigation Bar – a simple tool to hide the panel (requires) ADB fully functional).

How to use (as in the example of Nacho Notch):

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Launch and grant permission to Overlay over other applications.
3. Enable the Hide Navigation Bar option.
4. Set up exceptions for applications where the panel should stay (e.g. in games).

Advantages:

• 📲 Does not require root or complex manipulation.
• 🔧 Flexible settings (you can selectively hide the panel).

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ The application runs on top of the system, so it can “fail” at high load.
• 💰 There may be an advertisement in the free version.

This is a good way to hide buttons temporarily, such as watching videos or reading books, and it is better to choose ADB or root method for permanent use.

💡

Navigation bar concealment apps are the safest way, but they can conflict with some games or banking apps due to overlaying over the screen.

6.What to do if the buttons do not disappear?

Sometimes, even after all the manipulations, the bottom panel stays in place.

Problem 1: The ADB team is not working.

• 🔌 Check the connection. USB: Use the original cable and port USB 2.0 (sometimes) USB 3.0 causes problems).
• 🔄 Reset the service ADB: adb kill-server adb start-server
• 📋 Make sure that the Debugging option is included in the Developers USB (safe-haven).

Problem 2: Buttons are returned after rebooting

• 🔄 For ADB-Re-run the command and add it to the autoboot via Tasker or MacroDroid.
• 📱 For the root method, check if rights are reset after rebooting (use Magisk to fix them).

Problem 3: Gestures don’t work in some apps

• 🎮 In games, turn off full screen mode through the notification panel.
• 📱 For banking applications, add them to the exceptions in the launcher or Nacho Notch settings.

If none of the methods worked, your version of MIUI may have limitations, so you can only wait for an update or consider alternative firmware (like LineageOS).

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions