Screenshot on Xiaomi: how to do and where to find

Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to save the image from the screen. This can be an important dialogue, confirmation of the translation, a funny moment from the game or a recipe. The MIUI operating system and the new HyperOS have many ways to do this, making the process as convenient as possible.

But it's sometimes hard for beginners to understand the variety of gestures and buttons. Some methods work faster, others allow you to edit the result immediately. Screenshot is a basic feature, but it has its own subtleties, which we'll discuss in detail, and you'll learn to do it in a split second using the method that's most suitable for you.

Classical Method Through Physical Buttons

The oldest and most proven method, which works on 99% of Android devices, including Xiaomi's budget models, is to press two buttons on the smartphone body at the same time, usually a volume reduction key and an on button. Pressing should be short and simultaneous, without holding.

If you did everything right, the phone would give you a characteristic snap of the camera shutter, and a thumbnail would appear at the top of the screen. Physical buttons guarantee results even when the touchscreen doesn't respond to complex gestures temporarily, a universal technique worth resorting to first.

⚠️ Warning: Don't press the buttons too long. Prolonged holding down the volume key and power can trigger Recovery mode or trigger an emergency call menu instead of creating a snapshot.

It is worth noting that on some models with a side fingerprint scanner, the same combination can accidentally unlock the device or cause other actions if sensitivity is not calibrated. In such cases, it is better to use alternative methods described below.

Convenient screenshot with three fingers

Xiaomi smartphone owners often choose the three-finger method. It's really handy when the phone is lying on the table or when the second hand is busy. You just have to swipe your three fingers from top to bottom down the center of the screen. The system instantly responds to this gesture and saves the image.

However, by default, this feature can be disabled. To activate it, you need to go to the system settings. Find the Additional Features section and select Screenshot. Here you need to switch the slider to the active position opposite the "Three Fingershot" label.

• 👆 Swipe three fingers from top to bottom across the screen.
• ⚙️ Make sure the function is included in the Additional Features menu.
• 🖼️ The miniature will appear in the corner, confirming the success of the operation.
• 🚫 The method may not work in some copy-protected games or applications.

Sometimes the gesture doesn't work the first time, if you touch the screen too weakly or if you press your fingers too hard, and the touchscreen sensitivity plays a key role here, and if you have a thick protective glass on, you may need to increase the force of the press a little bit.

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If a three-finger gesture doesn't work, try to swipe it a little slower, and it might feel like a swipe to scroll through the page.

Use of notification curtains and buttons

The third popular option is to use interface elements. At the top of the screen, in the notification curtain, there's often a ready-made icon to create the shot. You just need to unlock the phone, lower the curtain, and find the Screenshot icon or Screenshot. Pressing it instantly makes a copy of the current content of the display.

If you don't see the icon you want, you can add it manually. Click on a pencil or edit icon in the corner of the Quick Settings menu. In the list of available widgets, find Screenshot and drag it to the active area. Now it's always on hand.

Also, some Redmi and POCO models in the navigation area (where the Back, Home and Menu buttons are located) have a special button that looks like a square or a scissor icon, and clicking on it also creates a screenshot, which is especially true for those who prefer classic navigation with buttons rather than gestures.

Voice control and Google Assistant

Today's Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with powerful voice assistants. You can just say, "OK, Google, take a screenshot," or activate Xiao AI (in Chinese versions of firmware). The phone recognizes the command and performs the action without touching the screen. This is ideal when your hands are dirty or busy.

Voice control requires that the Internet be turned on and the appropriate assistant in the settings activated, and voice input can be useful for people with disabilities or in situations where you need to look at the screen, but you can not touch it.

⚠️ Note: Voice commands may not work in Flight mode or in the absence of a stable connection to Google servers, as query processing often takes place in the cloud.

In addition, there is a function Back Tap (tap on the back cover), available in new versions. MIUI 12.5 and HyperOS. You can set up double or triple tapping on the back of your smartphone to perform various actions, including taking a screenshot. → Fast teams.

Long screenshot and scrolling

Often, a single screen is not enough to capture all of your correspondence or a long article, and this is a Long Screenshot feature, and once you've taken a normal shot (by any means), the thumbnail from the bottom will show a button with a down arrow or a scroll icon, and you click on it, and you scroll down the screen, and you'll capture new areas.

It goes on until you stop it with the click of the stop button, or until you reach the end of the page, and it automatically stitches all the pieces together into one long picture, an indispensable tool for saving checks, WhatsApp messages, or instructions.

• 📜 Take a regular screenshot in any way.
• 🔽 Click on the scroll button in miniature.
• 🛑 Stop recording when all the necessary things are captured.
• 💾 The file will be saved in the gallery as a single image.

It is important to understand that a long screenshot can have file size limitations, that if a page is too long, the system can automatically interrupt the process or suggest that several individual files be saved, and that the quality of text in very long images can decrease when zooming.

Where are the screenshots stored and how to find them

Once you've created a picture, it automatically stores it in the device's memory, and you can find it in a number of ways, and the easiest way is to open the Gallery app, and there's a separate album called Screenshots, or Screenshots, and all of your saves are sorted by date of creation.

If you prefer file managers, look for files along the Internal Memory path. → DCIM → Screenshots or internal memory → MIUI → screen_shot (Depending on the Android version and shell, knowing the exact path will allow you to easily copy files to your computer or send them by mail.

The table below shows the main paths to folders for different versions of the system:

Sometimes users can't find files because they're hidden or deleted. Check the cart in the gallery - deleted screenshots are stored there for 30 days. Also make sure the Gallery app has permissions to access the device's memory.

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All screenshots are stored by default in internal memory. If there is not enough space, the system may stop taking pictures, so watch for free space.

Frequent problems and their solution

Sometimes users are faced with screenshots not being taken, the screen flashes, but the file is not saved, most often the problem is content protection, Bank applications, incognito browser modes and some streaming services (Netflix, Kinopoisk) block the creation of screenshots for security and copyright reasons, in which case you will see a black screen instead of an image.

Another reason is overcrowded memory: If the phone has less than 100MB of free space, the system may not be able to save a new file. Clearing the cache or deleting unnecessary videos will solve this problem, and it is also worth checking whether Do Not Disturb mode is enabled with special settings that can block system sounds and notifications of pictures.

⚠️ Note: If screenshots are no longer saved after the system update, try resetting the Gallery app settings or clearing its cache in the App menu → All applications.

In rare cases, it helps to reboot the device, it updates the system processes that control the interface, and if nothing helps, there may be a software failure that requires resetting the settings or flashing the device in the service center.

Editing and markup immediately after creation

Once you've taken a picture, you have a few seconds to click on the thumbnail that appears, and the built-in editor will open, where you can cut the edges, draw arrows, add text, or blot out sensitive data (card numbers, phones), and the Blurring tool is especially useful for protecting personal information.

MIUI also allows you to add stickers and change the format of the image. After you make all the edits, remember to click the Save button, otherwise the changes will be lost and only the original will remain. It is a powerful tool that eliminates the need to install third-party photo processing applications.

Using embedded tools saves time and battery life, so you don't have to search and open a separate editor, import a photo, export it back, and it all happens in a single click, right after you take a screenshot.