Modern smartphones, including the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 8, have become an integral part of the digital photo album and archive of important information for millions of users. Screenshot is an instant way to save the contents of the screen, whether it is correspondence in the messenger, a route map or an error in the application. Owners of devices based on the MIUI shell often face the need to quickly capture data, but not everyone knows about the hidden capabilities of the system.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available screenshot techniques, from classic button combinations to advanced automation features. You will learn how to customize handy gestures, work with long screenshots and where to look for saved files. Understanding these nuances will allow you to maximize the potential of your Redmi Note 8.
The Android operating system, combined with the MIUI branded shell, offers flexibility that many competitors will envy. The Redmi Note 8 has more than five different ways to capture screenshots, making the process as comfortable as possible in any situation, and we will review each of them so you can choose the most suitable for your use case.
Using physical buttons for quick snapshots
The most obvious and common method that works on the vast majority of Android smartphones, including Xiaomi, is that it requires no pre-setting and is available immediately after the device is turned on. To implement this, you need to simultaneously press two physical keys on the gadget body.
It's about the volume button and the power button. The pressing needs to be short-term, but it's certain. If you hold the buttons too long, the phone might take it as a command to call the switch off menu or start the voice assistant, depending on the system settings.
When executed correctly, you will hear the characteristic snap of the camera shutter (if the sound is on), and the screen will blink for a split second. In the upper right corner, a thumbnail of the image taken with a countdown timer will appear, allowing you to quickly move to editing or share a file.
- 📸 Simultaneously pressing the buttons “Loudness down” and “Nutrition” – a classic method.
- ⚡ Instant system response without needing to access the settings menu.
- 🔊 The soundtrack of the process can be turned off in the sound parameters.
- 🖼️ Automatic save to the gallery in the folder "Screenshots».
⚠️ Attention: With frequent use of physical buttons on older devices, wear of the mechanisms is possible. Try not to push the buttons with excessive force, especially on the side of the body.
Many users prefer this method because of its haptic impact and predictability, but if one hand is uncomfortable, the combination of two buttons can be a problem, and software solutions come to the rescue.
Creating screenshots through the notification curtain
The second most popular method, which is especially relevant if physical buttons are difficult to use, is that the MIUI operating system on the Redmi Note 8 has a widget in the control center, and you need to swipe the notifications from top to bottom to access it.
In the expanded Quick Settings menu, find the scissors icon. This is the symbol that denotes the screenshot creation function. If you don't see the icon on the first page, you may need to scroll through the widget list to the right or click on the edit button (usually a pencil or three dots) to add Screenshot to the active menu.
This is ideal when the phone is lying on the table or you hold it in one hand and the other is busy. Pressing the screen element requires no physical effort and eliminates the risk of damage to the volume buttons. The system instantly responds to touch, creating a copy of the current image.
It’s worth noting that the curtain widget may be inactive in some system applications or during full-screen games, although this limitation is rare on MIUI. Either way, it’s a reliable backup option that’s always on hand.
Setting up and using the “Three Fingers” gesture
One of the most convenient features of the MIUI shell is the ability to create a screenshot with a simple swipe gesture. This feature is not activated by default on some global versions of firmware, so it must be enabled manually in the settings. The path to the function is: Settings → Additional features → Screenshots.
In the menu that opens, you activate the three-finger screenshot switch, and then any vertical motion of the three-finger top-down screen will result in a snapshot, which is especially useful for users with large smartphones, where reaching the top edge of the screen with one hand is difficult.
☑️ Tweaking the gesture with three fingers
The gesture works on almost all interfaces, including browsers, social networks, and a gallery. However, be careful when scrolling through long lists so that a random three-finger touch doesn't interrupt reading, and some users note that it takes a couple of days to get used to, and then other methods seem less convenient.
- 🖐️ Quick start without taking off the arm from the smartphone body.
- ⚙️ Requires pre-activation in the settings menu.
- 🚫 Can conflict with navigation gestures in some applications.
- 🎯 Perfect for devices with a large screen.
⚠️ Warning: The three-finger gesture may not work in secure applications (e.g. banking) or in games that require multi-touch.
If you activated this feature but it stopped responding, check to see if the Hands or In Your Pocket mode is on, which can block part of the sensor, and also make sure that there is no thick protective glass on the screen that impairs sensitivity to multiple touches.
Voice control and Google Assistant
Modern technology allows you to control your smartphone without touching at all. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 has a Google voice assistant that can perform a screenshot command, just say the phrase “Ok Google” or press the appropriate button, and then say “Take a screenshot”.
This method may seem superfluous in the normal situation, but it becomes a salvation when the user's hands are busy or dirty, for example, during cooking a prescription from a screen or when working with technical fluids.
And voice input is also useful for people with motor disabilities, and it recognizes a command even when there is background noise, even though in a quiet room, the success rate of a command is 100 percent, and what matters is that the command is clearly pronounced.
Why is the voice assistant not responding?
The alternative is the built-in voice assistant Mi AI, if you use the Chinese version of firmware or have installed a global language package, the same way: voice activation and clear command, but Google Assistant in the Russian segment is more stable and clear.
Long screenshot function and advanced features
One of the most popular features in MIUI is the ability to create a “long screenshot” or scroll, an indispensable tool for saving long WhatsApp messages, browser articles or contact lists. After you create a regular shot (in any of the ways described above), a thumbnail appears in the corner.
In this thumbnail, you have to click the "Scroll" button. The screen automatically starts to scroll downwards, capturing new areas of the image. You can stop the process at any time by touching the screen or waiting for the end of the page. The system will glue all the parts into one long image.
The quality of the final file remains high and the text remains readable, which is critical for documentation, but it is worth remembering that images that are too long may not be supported by some messengers when sent without first compression.
| Method | Speed. | Convenience | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons | Tall. | Average. | It always works. |
| Curtain. | Medium | High. | It requires two hands. |
| Three fingers. | Very high. | Maximum. | I need a setup. |
| Voice. | Low. | Situational | No touching. |
A long screenshot can also be edited immediately after creation: crop the extra, add text or draw arrows directly in the standard MIUI editor. This eliminates the need to install third-party applications for image processing.
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When you take a long screenshot of a web page, try not to touch the screen during automatic scrolling, or the process will stop.
Where to look and how to manage saved screenshots
Once you have successfully created an image, the system automatically stores it in internal memory. The standard path to the file is: Internal memory → MIUI → Gallery → cloudcache → Screenshots. However, the user does not need to search for files through the explorer.
All images are automatically fed into the Gallery app in a separate Screenshots album, where they are sorted by date of creation. You can single out multiple files, delete them, hide them or send them through any available communication channels. MIUI also offers a Favorites feature for important shots.
If the phone's memory is crowded, old screenshots can take up a significant amount of space. It is recommended to periodically review this album. The Files system (Conductor) also has an Images category where you can quickly filter screenshots by size or date.
- 📂 Standard folder: /MIUI/Gallery/cloudcache/Screenshots/.
- 🗑️ Automatic cleaning through the application "Safety».
- ☁️ Sync with Mi Cloud or Google Photos.
- 🔍 Search by image content (OCR) newer MIUI.
⚠️ Warning: When cleaning memory through third-party climber apps, be careful.They can automatically delete screenshots older than 30 days, considering them garbage, even if they are important to you.
Managing files on the Redmi Note 8 is intuitive enough, but knowing the exact path to the folder can come in handy when connecting the phone to a computer via USB for mass data transfer.
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Knowing all the ways to create screenshots and file paths turns your smartphone from a simple phone to a powerful tool for working with information.
In conclusion, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 provides a comprehensive toolkit for working with the image on the screen: choose the method that is right for you, customize the gestures and enjoy the ease of use.