How to Take a Screenshot on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to quickly save an image from the screen, whether it is a correspondence, a recipe, an error in the application or just a funny meme. The MIUI operating system or the new HyperOS has many ways to accomplish this task, and the choice of the right one depends on your habits and your specific situation.

Some techniques require physical interaction with buttons, others are completely non-contact and gesture-controlled. A screenshot is not just a picture, it's a tool that in the Chinese manufacturer's ecosystem has been turned into a powerful functional element with long scrolling and editing capabilities. Understanding all the nuances will allow you to save time and work with the device more efficiently.

In this article, we’ll take a look at every method available, from classic combinations to hidden features that not all owners know about, and you’ll learn how to take screenshots with one hand while your phone is on the table, and learn how to automate the process.

Classical Method Through Physical Buttons

The most common and reliable way to work on any Android device, including Xiaomi, is versatile and available immediately after you turn on your phone, without requiring additional adjustment. It is ideal when you need to take a snapshot quickly and you hold the phone in your hands.

To implement it, you need to simultaneously press two buttons: Volume down and Power. It is important to press them synchronously. If you press the power button too hard or before the time, the switch menu or voice assistant may activate. If you hold the volume button, the sound adjustment will open. Accuracy of pressing is the key to success.

⚠️ Warning: Do not keep the buttons clamped for too long. Prolonged retention (more) 3-5 seconds) may cause a forced device reboot or Fastboot mode to start, which will require additional action to return to the system.

After a successful shot, you'll hear the characteristic snap of the camera shutter (if the sound isn't turned off), and a thumbnail notification will appear at the top of the screen. MIUI allows you to immediately edit or share an image without opening the gallery. This greatly speeds up the workflow.

💡

If you have large palms or are afraid of damaging buttons, try changing the angle of your finger slightly when pressed to use the side face of the volume button rather than the center of it.

Use the Quick Settings Menu (Stork)

When physical interaction with buttons is inconvenient or damaged, a software interface comes to the rescue. Xiaomi has a built-in button in the control panel that makes it easy to take screenshots with a tap, a method that is especially convenient if the phone is lying on a desk or connected to a keyboard.

To use this method, swipe from top to bottom to open the Control Center. Depending on the version of the shell (MIUI 12, 13, 14 or HyperOS), the interface may look different, but the principle is the same. Find an icon with a picture of scissors. If it is not on the first screen, swipe left or press the edit button (usually a pencil or three dots) to add a screenshot widget to a prominent place.

The advantage of this method is that it eliminates the risk of accidental shortcuts, but there's a caveat: some versions of the firmware, when you press the icon in the curtain, don't take a snapshot instantly, but instead, it gives you a menu of selecting the area, which can confuse a beginner waiting for automatic saving.

The magic of gestures: a screenshot with three fingers

One of the most popular features of the MIUI shell, which came from early Android versions and became the standard for many manufacturers, requires pre-activation in settings, but once turned on becomes the fastest way to save content.

To activate the function, go to Settings → Additional settings → Screenshots (the path may vary slightly in different versions, sometimes Advanced settings). Find the option "Three-finger screenshot" and turn on the switch. Now just swipe three fingers from top to bottom on the screen at any time to take a picture.

The gesture is very responsive, but it's addictive. If you swipe your fingers too slowly, it might feel like a normal swipe scrolling page. The movement needs to be confident and fast. It's also worth noting that in some games or applications with a horizontal orientation, the gesture may not work because the application itself has blocked multi-touch input.

There's also a variation of this technique, "Three fingers long press," which is often bundled with a basic gesture, which allows you to lock your fingers on the screen, and you'll capture the image in a second, which is useful if you need to pause before you act, or if the swipe is causing a conflict with the application interface.

Voice control via Google Assistant

In the age of smart homes and voice assistants, handless smartphone control is becoming a reality. Google Assistant, deeply integrated in Android, allows you to take screenshots on a voice command, this is true when your hands are busy or dirty, and you can't touch the screen.

Just say, "OK, Google, take a screenshot," or "Take a screenshot." The assistant will recognize the command, make a shutter sound, and save the image. On some Redmi and POCO HyperOS models, this function works lightning fast. However, if you have Quiet or Do Not Disturb mode on, the assistant may respond with a whisper or text, but the screenshot will still do it.

⚠️ Attention: Voice control requires a stable Internet (unless the language model’s offline package is loaded) and an enabled Google activity history.

Xiaomi devices can also activate its own voice assistant MI AI (depending on the firmware region), which can also take screenshots, but often requires switching the interface language to Chinese or English for stable team work, making Google Assistant a more versatile choice for Russian-speaking users.

Special buttons and side panels

Some Xiaomi models, especially the Black Shark game series (formerly part of the ecosystem) or flagships with special triggers, allow you to assign a screenshot to a separate button. MIUI There is a “Sidebar” that can be configured for quick access.

The sidebar is called by a swipe from the edge of the screen, and you can add a screenshot shortcut to it, which is convenient when you're in an app where the standard gestures are locked and the buttons are inconvenient to use, and you just open the panel and press the icon.

Another interesting tool is the Floating Window, which allows you to create a picture in the screenshot settings by long-pressing the Menu button (if it is virtual) or through a special widget. Virtual navigation buttons (Menu → Settings → Additional settings → System navigation → Buttons) allow you to assign a screenshot to a long-press home or menu button.

Comparison of methods and compatibility table

The choice of method depends on the context of use: for games, physical buttons or sidebars are better suited, so that you don't block your view with your fingers; for reading articles, three-finger gestures; for people with disabilities, voice control.

Below is a table that will help you navigate the available options depending on the state of your device:

It’s important to understand that HyperOS makes its own adjustments to the interface by combining some features, for example, the screenshot editing menu has become more intuitive, allowing you to immediately delete unnecessary parts of an image or blur sensitive data before sending it.

💡

The most versatile way that works even when the interface is hanging (in most cases) is a combination of physical buttons. Gestures and software may not respond if the system is overloaded.

Where to look and how to edit saved photos

Once you've taken a screenshot, it's automatically saved to the gallery. Xiaomi's standard Gallery app has a separate album, Screenshots, which eliminates the need to search for images among thousands of photos taken by the camera.

The built-in editor allows you to do basic things like cropping, overlaying, drawing with a marker. But the main thing is that you can see text (OCR). If you have text in a screenshot, the phone can suggest you copy it or translate it. And there's also a Remove Objects feature that uses AI algorithms to clean the background, although it works better on camera photos than on interface screenshots.

Files are stored in the device memory along the path Internal memory → DCIM → Screenshots (or) MIUI → gallery_cloud → screenshots if sync is enabled. By knowing this path, you can quickly find the file through the file manager and send it via Bluetooth or connect the phone to your computer as a drive.