Screen recording on Xiaomi: a complete guide to using the built-in feature

Screen recording on Xiaomi smartphones is an integrated feature that allows you to capture everything that happens on the device’s display in video format. Many users do not even know it exists, although it can be useful in a variety of situations, from creating training videos to saving important moments from video chats or games. Unlike third-party applications, the built-in tool does not require installation, works stably and does not overload the system.

It was introduced in the early versions of the MIUI shell and has since undergone many changes. Today it is available on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models, but its menu layout and options may vary depending on the firmware version. In this article, we will discuss how to activate screen recording, where stored files are stored, what limitations exist and how to circumvent typical problems.

What is Screen Recording and How Does It Work on Xiaomi

Screen recording (or screencast) is the process of recording activity on a smartphone display in real time. On Xiaomi, this feature is integrated into the system and does not require an Internet connection or install additional programs. It works on the principle of capturing frames at a frequency corresponding to the refresh rate of the screen (usually 60 Hz), and saves the result in.mp4 format.

Unlike screenshots that capture only a static image, screen recording allows:

• 🎮 Save gameplay with or without comments
• 📱 Demonstrate the operation of applications in dynamics (for example, for training videos)
• 💬 Record video chats on WhatsApp, Telegram or Zoom (subject to privacy restrictions)
• 🔧 Fix errors in the system for subsequent analysis

Technically, it uses hardware acceleration of graphics, so it doesn't put a lot of stress on the processor, but it can lead to increased battery consumption over long periods of time, especially on models with high-powered graphics. AMOLED-screens where each pixel is individually illuminated.

Where is the screen recording in the Xiaomi menu

The location of the feature depends on the version of MIUI and the model of the smartphone, in most cases it can be found in two ways:

1. Through the Quick Settings Panel: Swipe down from top to top to open the notification curtain, and then again to open the panel completely. Find the Screen Record icon (usually a dot circle or video camera icon) If it's not there, click on the pencil icon (Edit) and add the item to the active one.
2. Through system settings: Go to Settings → Additional Features → Screen Recording. On some models, the path may differ: Settings → Screen → Screen Recording or Settings → System and Device → Additional.

On devices with MIUI 12/13/14, the function can be hidden behind the option of Game Turbo Mode, in which case it can be activated by swiping left in the control panel during play or running any application in full screen mode.

Step-by-step: how to turn on screen recording

The recording startup algorithm is the same for most Xiaomi devices, but may differ slightly on older models.

Clear the app cache (optional)

Close unnecessary background processes

Check the free space on the device (minimum 1 GB)

Turn off notifications if they interfere with records-->

1. Open the Quick Settings Panel (top-down swipe twice).
2. Find the screen recording icon and tap it. If there's no icon, add it through the panel editing.
3. In the window that appears, select the recording parameters: 🎤 Sound: Turn on the microphone, system sound, or both 📱 Permission: usually offered 720p or 1080p (on new models, up to 1440p) ⚡ Quality: Standard or High (affects file size)

Click Start Recording. A countdown timer will appear (3 seconds), after which the screen will start to fix.

To stop the recording, expand the notification bar and tap Stop or tap the floating record icon (if it appears).

On models with MIUI 14 and later, when recording with the microphone on, the system automatically suppresses background noise, which is useful for creating clean voice comments.

Where screen recordings are stored and how to find them

By default, all videos are saved to DCIM → ScreenRecords or Movies → ScreenRecords (depending on the firmware version).

• 📁 Gallery: Open the app and find the Screen Records album
• 🔍 File Manager: Go the Internal Memory Way → DCIM → ScreenRecords
• 🌐 Cloud Services: If you enable automatic downloads to Google Photos or Mi Cloud

Files have a standard type name ScreenRecord_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.mp4, where:

• YYYYMMDD - Recording Date (year, month, day)
• HHMMSS – Start time (hours, minutes, seconds)

On some models (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or Redmi K50) after recording stops, a pop-up window appears with a suggestion to immediately share a video or edit it in the Mi Video app.

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If screen recordings are not saved, check the permissions for Screen Recording in the settings (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Screen recording → Permissions) to make sure that storage and microphone access rights are enabled.

Limitations and problems when recording screen

Despite the convenience, the built-in screen recording feature on Xiaomi has a number of limitations that you should know about in advance:

One of the most common problems is the lack of sound in the recordings, which is because many apps (such as Netflix, YouTube Premium or Denuvo-protected games) block the capture of system audio.

• 🎧 Using an external microphone to record sound from the air"
• 📱 Installation of third-party applications like AZ Screen Recorder (but they may require root rights to capture sound)
• 🔊 Recording sound separately using a voice recorder and subsequent overlay in a video editor

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 13 and later, when you record the screen in some banking applications or messengers (for example, SberBank Online or Viber), the screen may turn black.

Hidden screen recording capabilities on Xiaomi

Few people know, but the built-in screen recording feature on Xiaomi supports several hidden options that can be activated through developer settings or special gestures:

• 🖥️ Webcam recording: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Pad 5) can simultaneously record the screen and the image from the front camera in picture-in-picture mode. To do this, hold the recording icon in the curtain for 2 seconds.
• ⚡ Accelerated recording: in Developer Settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — tap 7 times) you can turn on the option to Accelerate screen recording, which reduces the duration of the video without loss of quality.
• 🎛️ Customization of bitrate: through ADB-commands can change the bitrate of the record (by default) ~8 Mbps), which is useful for reducing file size: adb shell settings put global screen_record_bitrate 12000000 (where 12000000 — bitrate).

Another thing that's really useful is to record the screen with voice commands, and if you have Google Assistant or XiaoAI activated, you can say,

• "Okay, Google, start recording the screen."
• "XiaoAI, record the screen" (on Chinese firmware)

In the models with IR-a blaster (for example, Xiaomi) 11T Pro) screen recording can be started using the remote control if you pre-configure the macro in the Mi Remote application.

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Hidden screen recording features are not available on all models, for example, webcam recording is supported only on tablets and flagships of the Xiaomi 12/13 series.

Alternative ways to record the screen

If the built-in feature is not satisfied with the quality or functionality, you can use third-party solutions.

For records with maximum quality (for example, for professional streams), it is better to use OBS Studio through ADB or Scrcpy - these tools allow you to capture the screen of a smartphone on a PC with a resolution of up to 4K and a bit rate of 50 Mbit / s.

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original)
• 🛠️ Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB)

⚠️ Note: When using Scrcpy on Xiaomi with an ad blocker (such as AdGuard), artifacts may appear on the recording. VPN traffic blockers.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions