How to Return Navigation Buttons to Xiaomi if They Are Missing: The Complete Guide

You turned on a Xiaomi smartphone and found that the familiar navigation bar with the Back, Home and Recent buttons disappeared? This problem is familiar to many users after updating MIUI or accidentally changing gesture settings. In new versions of firmware, the company actively promotes full-screen gestures, hiding the classic three-button navigation - but you can return it in just a few clicks.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to restore navigation buttons, from standard MIUI settings to ADB and third-party utilities, and focus on the nuances for different firmware versions (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14) and smartphone models – from budget Redmi Notes to flagship Xiaomi 13. If you’re not sure about your actions, start with the simplest methods and then move on to advanced ones.

Why did the navigation buttons on Xiaomi disappear?

The reasons for the loss of the navigation bar usually boil down to three scenarios:

• 🔄 Automatic update MIUI. After installing a new version of the firmware, the system can reset the gesture settings to the factory (especially important for the installation of the new version). MIUI 13/14, where full-screen gestures are enabled by default).
• ⚙️ Random change of settings. Just select the Gesture option from the Settings menu once. → The display and the classic buttons will disappear.
• 📱 Hardware limitations: on some models (e.g, POCO F4 or Redmi K50) The manufacturer disables the ability to return buttons through the standard menu – workarounds will be required here.

Less commonly, the problem is system files crashing (for example, after a failed root access or custom firmware installation).In this case, button recovery may require resetting or flashing. Before proceeding with radical measures, check if the navigation bar is hidden due to activated immersive browsing mode (for example, in games or some applications).

Method 1: Recovery through standard MIUI settings

On most Xiaomi devices, you can return the navigation buttons directly from the settings menu, which works on MIUI 12-14 and takes no more than a minute:

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Display section.
3. Select Full-screen mode (on some firmware – Navigation buttons or Gestures).
4. In the list of navigation options, look for “Buttons” (or 3-button navigation) and activate this mode.

If your version of MIUI does not have Full Screen Mode, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings. → Additional (or Special Opportunities).
2. Find the System Navigation section.
3. Select “Three buttons” instead of Gestures or Full-screen gestures.

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Close all apps (especially games and video players)

Connect the charger if the battery charge is below 20%

Take a screenshot of the current display settings (in case of rollbacks)-->

Important! On some devices (such as Xiaomi 12T or Redmi Note 11 Pro+) after selecting the button navigation, you may need to restart your smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: On firmware MIUI Global for the European region, the button option is sometimes missing due to Xiaomi's policy. ADB.

Method 2: Using the Developer Mode

If standard settings didn’t work, try turning on developer mode and manually activating button display, which works even on devices where Xiaomi hid the option in the main settings.

First, turn on the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row (you will be notified “You became a developer”).

Now, return the buttons:

1. Return to the main Settings menu and open a new Developer section (usually at the bottom of the list).
2. Scroll down and find the option. force_fullscreen_output (or full-screen output).
3. Turn off this setting (translate the slider to the off position).
4. Reset the device.

After restart, check if the navigation bar is available. If not, try turning off the option further. hide_navigation_bar (If you have it on your menu).

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

If previous methods didn’t work, you’ll have to connect to your smartphone via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that works even on devices where Xiaomi has blocked navigation settings from changing.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-driver.
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• ⚙️ Initiated Debugging Mode USB on a smartphone (in Settings) → For developers).

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools.
2. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device appears in the list – you can continue.
3. Replace the buttons: adb shell settings put global force_fsg_nav_bar 1
4. Reboot your smartphone: adb reboot

After the reboot, the navigation bar should appear. If the buttons are displayed but not responsive to the presses, try the additional command:

adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*

⚠️ Note: On certain devices (e.g, POCO X3 Pro after ADB-Sensor sensitivity can be lost to commands. To return it, execute the command: adb shell settings put global. force_fsg_nav_bar 0 and reboot the phone.

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If ADB does not recognize the device, try reinstalling drivers in Device Manager (Windows) or using another USB-On the cable. Mac/Linux You may need to pre-authorize debugging in security settings.

Method 4: Third-party applications for navigation configuration

If you don't want to mess with ADB or go through the settings, you can use specialized utilities that not only bring back classic buttons, but also customize their appearance and location.

Top.-3 Applications for restoring the navigation panel:

Example of settings through Fluid Navigation Gestures:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Launch it and grant permission for Special Opportunities (in the security settings).
3. Select the navigation style of the buttons and adjust their location.
4. Activate Immersive Mode to hide the system panel.

On devices with MIUI 14, some applications may conflict with system gestures. If after installing the utility, the smartphone begins to slow down, turn it off in Settings → Applications.

Method 5: Resetting settings to factory

If none of these methods worked, the last resort is factory resets, which will return the smartphone to its original state, including the navigation bar, but delete all data (photos, apps, accounts).

How to perform the reset:

1. Back up important data via Settings → Google → Backup or Mi Cloud.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select “Erase all data” and confirm the action.
4. After the reboot, go through the initial setup and check if the buttons have appeared.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi) K60 Pro) after the reset, you may need to re-assign your Mi Account. Make sure you remember your username and password!

If the buttons are not returned after reset, the problem may be associated with damage to the system files, in which case only flashing through the Mi Flash Tool (instructions are available on the official Xiaomi website) will help.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When trying to return navigation buttons, users often face typical problems.

• 🔧 The buttons are there, but they don't work. → Check if No Sound or No Disturb (sometimes it blocks touch elements) is on, and try calibrating the screen with code ##6484##.
• 📱 The panel appears but disappears in some applications → This is normal behavior for games and video players (immersive mode is enabled). To turn it off, go to the settings of a particular application and find the option Full-screen mode.
• ⚠️ After ADB-Smartphone teams stopped responding to touch → Adb shell settings put global settings policy_control null and restart the device.

If you use custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the problem may be in the wrong build. Try reinstalling the firmware or contacting the 4PDA forum for help (specify the device model and firmware version).

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Before any manipulation of system settings (ADB, reset, firmware), be sure to back up the data.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions