How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi: all the ways for Android

Screenshots are one of the basic functions that every Xiaomi smartphone user needs, and whether it’s saving a check from an online store, fixing an error in an app, or just wanting to share an interesting moment in a correspondence, knowing all the methods available makes life much easier. Android, with a MIUI shell or HyperOS, has many options for doing this task, from classic to advanced.

Many newcomers to the Chinese brand’s device, who are used to other interfaces, may be confused when looking for the right combination. Standard algorithms for the system’s behavior may differ from usual patterns, especially if you used devices with pure Android or iOS before. However, Xiaomi developers have provided maximum flexibility, allowing you to choose the most convenient way to interact with the gadget in any situation.

In this detailed guide, we will break down all the available screenshot techniques, not only the standard keyboard shortcuts, but also hidden features such as tapping or voice commands, and explore the nuances of working with long screenshots and setting the quality of stored images.

Classical Method: A Combination of Physical Buttons

The fastest and most reliable way to run on 99% of Android smartphones, including all Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi models, is without pre-setting and is available immediately after the device is turned on, and it requires pressing two physical buttons simultaneously: turn down volume and lock the screen.

It's important to keep the sequence and duration of the pressing right, you need to hold the buttons simultaneously and hold the split second, then release them immediately. If you hold them too long, the smartphone can perceive this as a command to call emergency services or turn off power, which is the standard protection system.

The success of the operation is confirmed by the characteristic sound of the camera shutter (if the sound is not turned off in the settings) and visual animation. In the upper corner of the screen, a thumbnail of the image taken will appear for a moment, and the corresponding icon will appear in the status bar, which signals that the screenshot of the screen has been successfully saved in the gallery.

⚠️ Note: On some models with very narrow bezels or specific button locations (e.g., on the side edge), it can be physically inconvenient to hit them at the same time. In such cases, there is a high risk of lubricating the image or pressing an excess, so it is recommended to adjust to the keys of your particular device.

This is a universal technique that works even when the touch screen is temporarily unresponsive or the system has an interface failure, but the phone itself is functioning, making it the main emergency way to capture information.

Use of control panel (Curtains)

If physical impact on the buttons is impossible or uncomfortable, the system offers a software analog. In the control center, which is called by swipe down from the upper right corner (or the entire upper edge in older versions of MIUI), there is a special label. It is usually called a "screenshot" and has a scissor icon.

This is especially true for devices with damaged volume or lock buttons, and it allows you to take a snapshot of the current state of the screen in one touch, and then you click on the icon and you hear the same sound and you see the same animations that you would see when you use the buttons.

You can edit the control panel by adding frequently used features. To find this tool, click on the edit icon (usually a pencil or a "Change" button) in the corner of the notification curtain. In the list of available widgets, find "Screenshot" and drag it to the active area.

• 📸 Availability: Available on any screen, including settings menu and lock (in some firmware versions).
• ⚙️ Customization: You can add a shortcut to the "Favorites" curtains for quick access to one tap.
• 🔇 Silence: When using this method, the shutter sound can often be turned off in general system settings, which is more difficult to achieve with buttons.

Using a software button from the curtain is a great option for those who prefer to minimize the mechanical impact on the body of the smartphone, which prolongs the life of physical keys, which can eventually start to fall off.

Setting up the picture with three fingers

One of the most convenient features of the MIUI and HyperOS shells is the ability to create a screenshot simply by swiping three fingers down the screen, which looks spectacular and is performed lightning fast, but by default it is often disabled and requires activation in the settings menu.

To enable this feature, go to Settings → Additional settings → Screenshot. In the menu that opens, find “Three-fingershot” and activate the switch, and then the system will react to the corresponding gesture in any interface.

There is also a variation of this gesture, "Switch on and take a picture." If you activate this option, triple tapping on the screen off will not only wake the device up, but will immediately take a snapshot of what was visible before locking (if the application's security policy allows).

⚠️ Attention: A three-finger gesture may conflict with control in some games or drawing apps that use multi-touch gestures. If you notice that the game reacts strangely, temporarily disable this feature in the settings.

Once used to the three-finger method, users often abandon buttons forever, which is really the most ergonomic way, especially on large screens, where reaching the top buttons with one hand can be difficult.

Voice control and Google Assistant

Modern Xiaomi smartphones are closely integrated with Google services, allowing voice commands to be used to control the system, which is especially useful when hands are busy or the phone is on the table.

Just say "OK, Google" or press the home button for a long time (if it's assigned) to activate the assistant. Then clearly say "Take a screenshot" or "Screenshot of the screen." The system automatically executes the command, saves the image and shows the preview.

The same feature is available in its own voice assistant MIUI (or XiaoAI in global versions, although its functionality in Russia is limited), but Google Assistant is more stable and understands natural speech better, the team works even in the settings menu and most third-party applications.

• 🎙️ Hands-free: Ideal when the phone is connected to a Bluetooth headset or is in a docking station.
• 🗣️ Universality: Works the same on all models, regardless of the Android version.
• 🔊 Availability: Helps people with limited finger motor skills or touchscreen injuries.

Voice control opens up new possibilities for automation, and you can combine this command with other scenarios to create complex chains of action, although for a simple screenshot, this is of course redundant.

The function "Long screenshot" (scrolling)

Often, you need to save not just a static picture, but a whole page of the site, long correspondence in the messenger or document. The standard screen does not physically contain all the information, but Xiaomi offers a built-in solution – the scroll function.

Immediately after you take a regular screenshot (in any of the ways described above), a thumbnail appears in the top corner, and it has a button with an icon that resembles two rectangles or a down arrow, signed as "Scroll" or "Long screenshot," and you click on it, you start automatic gluing mode.

The system will start automatically scrolling down the contents of the page, capturing new areas and combining them into one long image, the process will stop when you touch the screen, reach the end of the page, or reach a technical length limit of the image.

It's an indispensable tool for saving checks, instructions, correspondence and articles, and the image is very high, so it's easy to flip through, but some messengers may have trouble sending because of the file size limit.

It is worth noting that the long screenshot function may not work properly on pages with lazy loading (when content is loaded as you scroll) or in applications with a custom layout, in which case it is better to take a few ordinary pictures.

Timer and delayed screenshot

Xiaomi’s toolkit also includes a delayed snapshot feature that often goes unnoticed, allowing you to set a timer (usually 3 or 5 seconds) before a screenshot is taken, giving you time to remove your hands from the screen, roll up a menu, or open a context window that disappears when you touch it.

You can activate the timer via the shortcut edit menu in the notification curtain (you need to press the screenshot icon for a long time) or through the screenshot settings. There you will find the "Timer" option and you can select the delay.

When you start the timer, you'll have a countdown on the screen, and you can do anything you want to do, like open the menu you want to shoot, or just remove your fingers so you don't overblock your view, which is especially useful when you're taking screenshots for tutorials or reviews.

Using a timer is a professional approach to creating screenshots, which avoids random clicks and gives you a clean image of the interface without any extra fingers on the edges of the frame.

Where to look and how to edit saved files

Once you've taken a picture, it automatically stores it in the gallery, and you can find it by opening the Gallery app and going to Screenshots, where all images are sorted by date of creation, which makes it easier to search.

Once you've created a screenshot, a thumbnail floats in the corner, and you click on it and you're in quick edit mode. Xiaomi's built-in editor allows you to crop the image, draw arrows, add text, blur sensitive data (such as card numbers or passwords) and apply filters.

To work with files as documents, go to the Explorer (Files) application. The path to the folder usually looks like this: Internal memory → DCIM → Screenshots. Here you can sort, rename, send over Bluetooth or copy to your computer.

• 🖼️ Format: By default used PNG, lossless quality without compression artifacts.
• 📂 Organization: The system automatically creates albums and sorts files by date.
• ✏️ Editing: The basic editor is built right into the gallery and does not require installing third-party apps.

If you plan to work with screenshots often, it makes sense to set up cloud sync (for example, through Google Photos or Xiaomi Cloud) so that important data is not lost when you lose your phone or break down.

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Tip: To quickly clean the gallery of unnecessary screenshots, use the Smart Cleanup feature in the Xiaomi Security app. It will automatically find similar images and prompt you to remove blurred or duplicates.

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On Xiaomi smartphones, there is no single correct way to take a screenshot – choose the one that is more convenient in a particular situation: buttons for speed, three fingers for ergonomics, a timer for clean frame.