How to enable touch buttons on Xiaomi Redmi: all ways + bug fixes

Touch buttons on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones are virtual navigation keys that replace the physical Back, Home and Recent buttons. Despite the convenience of gesture control in new versions of MIUI, many users prefer classic touch buttons for their familiarity and accuracy. However, after updating the system or resetting, these buttons can disappear from the screen, and their inclusion in the menu is not always obvious.

In this article, you’ll find 4 working ways to return touch buttons on the Redmi Note 12/11/10 Pro, Redmi 9/10/11 and other models, from standard MIUI 14/15 settings to hidden developer commands. We’ll also look at why buttons may not appear (even after turning on) and how to fix it without resetting the phone to factory settings.

If you encounter a problem when touch buttons are lost after upgrading to MIUI 15 or stopped responding to clicks, there is a separate section at the end of the article with solutions. For convenience, use the table of contents below to immediately go to the desired method.

1. Standard method: through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to activate buttons through the system menu. It works on most Redmi models with MIUI 12 and later, but the path to settings may vary depending on the firmware version.

Open the Settings app (cog icon) and follow the steps:

1. Go to the Screen section.
2. Select Full-screen Mode (or Screen Style in older versions).
3. Slip it on the navigation style.
4. Select the button (or virtual buttons).

After that, three standard buttons should appear at the bottom of the screen: Back (arrow), Home (house) and Recent (square). If this does not happen, check if the buttons are hidden under the transparent panel (try swiping your finger along the bottom of the screen).

Reboot phone |Try swipe up from the bottom edge |Make sure buttons are enabled in the settings |Check if the wallpaper buttons or theme are blocked-->

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro)+ 5G) after selecting the "Buttons" mode, you need to additionally disable gestures in the Additional settings section → Gestures, otherwise the buttons will flash or disappear.

Alternative method: through “Special capabilities”

If the standard method didn’t work, try turning on buttons through the feature menu, a method that often helps when the basic settings are down or locked.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Special facilities.
2. Scroll down and select System Settings.
3. Slip it on the navigation style.
4. Select the navigation buttons and confirm the change.

This path duplicates the basic settings, but sometimes works more stable – especially on Redmi with custom firmware or MIUI beta. If the buttons don’t appear here, move on to the next method.

Touch buttons|Default gestures|Gestures from MIUI|Physical buttons (if any)|I don't care.-->

3. Including through the developer (for power users)

If the buttons are not activated through standard menus, the cause may be a failure in the system settings, in which case the developer mode, where you can force the display of virtual keys, will help.

First, activate the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version (you will be notified "You became a developer").
3. Go back to the main settings menu and open a new section for developers.

Now, do the following:

• 🔧 Find the Forced Navigation Bar (or Force Show Navigation Bar) option and turn it on.
• 🔄 Restart the phone – buttons should appear.
• 📱 If buttons appear but are not working correctly (for example, do not respond to clicks), try to disable the option “Disable the flashing navigation bar in the same menu.

⚠️ Note: Changing the settings in the developer mode can lead to unstable system operation. If after enabling forced display buttons are not working correctly (for example, they are superimposed on the keyboard), return the settings to the original state.

4. Correction of problems with broken buttons

Sometimes touch buttons are turned on but do not respond to pressing or disappear after locking the screen.

If the buttons still don’t work, try resetting MIUI settings without deleting the data:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset all settings (not "Reset to factory"!).
3. After rebooting, re-enable touch buttons through Full Screen Mode.

💡

If the buttons are unstable, try turning off the Smart Assistant feature in the security settings, which sometimes blocks system controls.

5. Touch buttons on Redmi with AMOLED-screen

On the Redmi models with AMOLED-displays (e.g., Redmi) K50 Pro or Redmi Note 12 Pro+) The thing is, touch buttons can behave differently because of the way they display, and the thing is that on these screens, virtual keys are often transparent and merge with the bottom panel.

To make the buttons more visible:

• 🎨 Set a dark theme in the screen settings – the buttons will become more contrasting.
• 🔲 Enable navigation buttons backlight in Settings → Screen. → Additionally.
• 📏 Reduce the screen size to 80-90% c) Special facilities → Screen size.

If the buttons are still poorly visible, try using gestures with hints:

1. Enable Gesture mode in the navigation settings.
2. Activate the option to Show navigation bar (if available in your version of MIUI).
3. Now, when swiping up, a hint will appear in the form of a thin line - this will help to orientate.

💡

Nana AMOLED-In the screens, touch buttons can disappear due to energy saving mode. Turn it off in the battery settings if the buttons disappear when the charge is low.

6 What to do if the buttons are missing after the MIUI update

One of the most common problems is the disappearance of touch buttons after upgrading to MIUI 14/15, which is because newer versions of the firmware switch to gesture control by default, and you can return the buttons in two ways:

Method 1: Resetting the launcher settings

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Find the Louncher app (or MIUI Launcher).
• 🔄 Slip it on the vault. → Clear the data.
• 📲 After that, the home screen will reboot and the buttons should appear.

Method 2: Manual editing of a configuration file (for power users only!)

If the launcher reset did not help, you can manually change the system parameter through ADB:

adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=apps,-com.android.systemui

Once you have completed the command, restart the phone. This will cancel the forced full-screen mode for the system interface, and the buttons will return.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB It may disrupt some functions if you enter the command incorrectly.We recommend that you pre-backup your data through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

7. Touch buttons vs gestures: which is better for Redmi?

Many Xiaomi Redmi users argue about what is more convenient: classic touch buttons or modern gestures.

If you play on your phone frequently or use apps with custom navigation (like TikTok or YouTube), touch buttons may be preferable.For everyday use, gestures are often more convenient - especially on the larger Redmi Note 12 Pro Max or Redmi K60 screens.

You can switch between modes at any time via Settings → Screen → Full-screen Mode. MIUI retains the selected navigation style even after the reboot.

FAQ: Frequent questions about touch buttons on Xiaomi Redmi