Where Xiaomi screen recording is stored: file search and settings

Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones feature powerful built-in screencasting tools that often outperform third-party counterparts. Users are using screen recording to create instructions, save game moments or fix bugs in the interface. However, after recording is completed, many are faced with the question of where exactly the system saved the received video.

By default, files don’t always end up in the general gallery, especially if you have a complex album sorting system enabled or a third-party file manager. Understanding the logical structure of MIUI storage and the new HyperOS allows you to quickly find the right materials without too much search. In this article, we will detail the standard paths, hidden settings and nuances of working with video files on devices of the Chinese brand.

Knowing the exact location of files is not only necessary for viewing, but also for fast transfer to the computer or cleaning the device's memory. Often users delete the system caches without knowing that they may accidentally hit important data if they do not know the difference between system folders and user content.

The standard file path through the Galleryh2> The easiest and most obvious way to find a screencast you create is to go to the standard Gallery app. In the Xiaomi ecosystem, all media data is indexed by default by this application, which automatically creates a separate album for screen recordings. You don't have to manually wander through directories if your goal is just to view or edit a video. When you open a gallery, look at the Albums tab, and you'll find a folder called Screen Recorder or Screen Recorder. This is where all the videos created by the built-in dictaphone are aggregated, and the system automatically sorts them by date of creation, making it easier to navigate with a large number of files. ⚠️ Note: If you have cleared the Gallery app data through your Android settings, the albums may temporarily disappear from view until the system re-indexes the media files in the background. For those who prefer a visual interface, it is important to know that new versions of the shell interface can be slightly different. In HyperOS albums can be hidden in the submenu "Other albums" if they were not added to favorites. This is done in order not to clutter the main view of the rarely used folders. 📊 How often do you record a screen? Daily Never used it

Direct access through File Explorer

If you need to copy a file to a computer or transfer it through a messenger that does not have access to the gallery, you will need to know the physical path in the file system. Android is based on a Linux-like structure, and application files are stored in strictly defined directories inside internal memory.

Open File Manager and go to internal storage, and the path to screen recordings is as follows:

/DCIM/ScreenRecorder/

It's in this DCIM (Digital Camera Images) folder, which is traditionally designed for camera photos and videos, that a separate screencast thread is created. This is the standard behavior for Android smartphones, following Google's guidelines for organizing media files. Inside the folder, you'll see files with the.mp4 extension named for the date and time of the recording.

In some cases, especially on older versions of MIUI or when using certain regions, the path may be slightly different.

/MIUI/screen_recorder/

However, starting with Android 11 and up, access to root folders for third-party applications is limited. So Xiaomi’s built-in Explorer shows these files without problems, but when you connect to a PC, you will see the DCIM structure.

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Use the Hide Files feature in Explorer settings so that the folder with personal records does not appear in the general gallery when showing the phone to other people.

Quality and format of preservation

Before you start recording, it is extremely important to adjust the output parameters, because this depends not only on the quality of the picture, but also on the amount of memory occupied. Go to the Screen Record application and click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the menu.

You can change the resolution of the video here. There are options available from 480p to 1080p and up, depending on the display capabilities of your Xiaomi or Redmi. There is also a bitrate (quality) that directly affects the file size: the higher the quality, the more megabytes it takes to write a minute.

• 🎥 Permission: Choose 1080p for maximum quality or 720p save space.
• 🎚️ Bitrate: Low, Medium or High quality flow coding.
• 🔊 Sound: adjust the sound source (microphone, system sounds or switched off).
• 🖼️ Format: In some versions, there is a choice between MP4 and other containers.

Notice the "Show Touch" option, if it's on, the video will show white circles at the finger pressing points, which is useful for creating training videos, but can be annoying when you record gameplay, and the setting is applied to all future recordings and is saved until manually modified.

Comparison of storage paths in different versions of MIUI and HyperOS

With the release of the new HyperOS operating system, Xiaomi has begun to rethink some of the system paths and application logic. Although the basic structure of Android remains unchanged, the visual display and some service directories may vary.

The table below compares the location of files and features of the function in different versions of firmware, which will help you navigate if the standard path does not work.

It is worth noting that the transition to the HEVC (H.265) codec in newer versions allows you to save high-quality video with a smaller file size, but such videos may not play on very old computers without installing additional codecs.

Problems with access and lack of files

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the recording was successful, the timer stopped, but the file is nowhere. Most often this is due to a lack of free memory or a failure in the work of the recording process. Android system can block the recording if there is critically little space in the /data partition.

Another common reason is incognito or secure applications, where some banking apps and streaming services (Netflix, Spotify) block screen capture at the system level for security and copyright reasons, in which case you will receive a black screen or a notification that you cannot record.

⚠️ Note: When writing protected content, a file may be created but is zero size or unreadable.

Also check the permissions of Screen Recording. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Screen Record → Permissions. Make sure the service has access to Memory or Photo and Video. Without this right, file retention is physically impossible.

Use of third-party programs and ADB

For advanced users who lack the functionality of the standard utility, there are alternatives. Third-party applications from Google Play, such as AZ Screen Recorder or Mobizen, often store data in their own folders, for example, /Android/data/com.hecorat.screenrecorder.free/files/.

Professional recording can also be done via USB debugging and the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool, which allows you to write the screen directly to your computer without loading on your smartphone processor, ideal for recording heavy gameplay without losing frames.

The command to run the recording via ADB looks like this:

adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/demo.mp4

Once the process stops (Ctrl+C in the console), the demo.mp4 file will appear at the root of the phone’s internal memory, which requires the developer mode to be turned on and the ADB drivers on the computer, but gives maximum control over the process.

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Standard path /DCIM/ScreenRecorder/ is universally 95% Users and does not require superuser rights to access.

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