Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to save the contents of a long web page, correspondence in the messenger or articles in a single file. Standard screenshot captures only the visible area of the display, which forces you to take many frames and glue them manually. Fortunately, the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS includes a built-in feature “scroll” that automatically combines several frames into one image.
This feature is especially useful when saving receipts, tickets, instructions or long dialogues. You don’t need to install third-party applications that often require unnecessary permissions and overload the system. The built-in mechanism works stable, fast and does not waste battery power.
However, users sometimes fail to notice the activation button or find that it does not appear at the right time, which may be due to the features of a particular application or system settings. In this article, we will analyze all the nuances of creating panoramic images, consider alternative methods and answer frequent questions.
Standard Method through Preview Menu
The most common way available on all modern models, including the Xiaomi Mi 11, Redmi Note 12 and later, is to use a pop-up menu after you have created a regular screenshot. First, you need to take a standard screenshot by any usual method: simultaneously pressing the buttons Volume down and Power or triple tapping on the screen.
Right after you click the shutter, you'll see a smaller copy of the frame you've taken, either in the upper right or left corner (depending on the OS version), and under this preview, you'll see a number of action icons. We're interested in a button that says Scrolling or a scroll-like icon that starts the long image mode.
Once you click on this button, the capture area will shift downwards, and the system will automatically “flick” the content, gluing new snippets to the main image.The process continues until you manually stop it or reach the end of the page.
- 📱 Take a regular screenshot with buttons or gestures.
- 🖱️ Click on the thumbnail in the corner of the screen.
- 📜 Select the “Scroll” icon in the lower menu.
- 🛑 Tap the screen or stop button when the desired content is captured.
It's important to note that the scroll speed can vary. In some cases, the system itself adjusts the scrolling speed for better gluing quality, but more often than not, you can control the process by slightly nudging the screen with your finger. If you let go of your finger, the scroll can stop or continue automatically depending on the firmware version.
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If the Scrolling button doesn't appear, try taking a screenshot in the Browser or Gallery app. Some secure apps (like banking apps) block the creation of screenshots of any type.
Use of sidebar and additional functions
The MIUI shell offers an alternative path through the sidebar, which is especially handy if you are used to controlling your smartphone with one hand. To activate this method, you must first enable the appropriate option in the settings. Go to Settings, then select Additional Features and find Sidebar.
Once the feature is turned on, a translucent marker will appear on the side faces of the screen, and when a swipe opens a menu with frequently used apps and tools, among which may be a screenshot shortcut. If you take a picture through this widget, you will also have the option to select a scrolling mode, although the classic method through preview is often faster.
Some users prefer to assign screenshots to certain gestures. In the Additional Features menu -> Screenshots, you can activate the option "Three fingers." With three fingers down, you will instantly get a snapshot, and then you can also use the long scroll function.
Note that the sidebar can overlap some content in narrow applications, and in such cases it is better to use physical buttons or gestures that do not require interaction with interface elements on top of the main window.
Setting parameters and image quality
The quality of the final file depends on the resolution of your device’s screen and compression settings. On the flagships of the Xiaomi 13 or 14 series, long screenshots can take up a significant amount of memory, since they are stored in high resolution. In standard system settings, there is no separate quality slider for screenshots, they are saved in PNG format without loss.
If you plan to take panoramic snapshots of large web pages often, make sure that the device has enough free space. The file can weigh from 2 to 10 MB depending on the length and saturation of the graphics. It is recommended to use cloud services to store such files or regularly clean the Screenshots folder.
Also worth paying attention to is the orientation of the screen, which is mainly in portrait mode, and if you flip your smartphone into landscape mode, the Scrolling button may disappear or not work properly in some applications, because vertical scrolling in horizontal orientation is implemented differently.
| Parameter | Standard value | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| File format | PNG | Leave unchanged for quality |
| Permission | Native screen | Depends on the model (1080p, 2K) |
| Conservation folder | /MIUI/screen_shot | Regular cleaning |
| Orientation | Portrait | Use vertically |
You can use a built-in editor to edit right after you create it, so you can cut the edges, draw arrows, or add text over a long image before you send it to the other person.
Working with long screenshots in different applications
Not all apps are equally good at autoscrolling, and it works best in the standard Mi Browser, Google Chrome, and the News and Gallery apps, where the content is structured in a clear way, allowing MIUI algorithms to correctly define glue boundaries.
In messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, the feature also works, but artifacts can arise. For example, if there are sticky date headers or fixed messages in the chat, they can be duplicated on glue, in such cases, it is recommended to pause or use manual scrolling control if the system version allows it.
Social networks like Instagram or VK can block screenshots from being taken incognito or when viewing disappearing messages. In a regular news feed, scrolling works steadily, but endless feeds can lead to the creation of a giant file if you do not stop the process in time.
⚠️ WARNING: When creating long screenshots in banking or secure content applications (DRM), You can see a black screen instead of an image. It's an Android system protection that you can't get around with standard tools without root rights.
☑️ Checking the compatibility of the application
If the scroll doesn’t work in a particular app, try updating it to the latest version through the GetApps store or Google Play. Developers often optimize the layout of their apps for proper display on different screens.
Solving problems and mistakes
One of the common problems is that the Scrolling button is missing after the image is created, which can happen if the screen displays a static image that has nowhere to scroll. The system algorithm analyzes the content: if the content does not go beyond the visible area, the option simply does not appear.
Another problem is the "break" or bias at the site of the gluing frames, which often happens if you accidentally hit the screen during automatic scrolling, or if the animation in the application was working with a delay, in which case it is better to redo the picture, trying not to touch the display during the capture.
Sometimes the function may disappear after a system update, in which case it is worth checking whether permissions for the system application Screenshot have been reset. Go to Settings -> Apps -> All applications, find the system services associated with the interface, and make sure they have access to storage.
- 🚫 No button: no content is scrolled or the application is secure.
- 🧩 Frame shift: touch the screen while recording or low performance.
- 📉 Low quality: Check if the energy saving mode is on, limiting resources.
- 📁 File is not saved: the memory space is over or the file system is damaged.
If the problems are systemic, cleaning the system cache through the Recovery Mode menu can help, but this requires deeper knowledge and care.
Hidden Developer Settings
Alternative methods and third-party solutions
If Xiaomi's built-in tools don't work well or are not working well, you can always turn to third-party solutions. App stores offer a variety of tools that specialize in creating panoramic images. They often have more flexible settings, such as the ability to manually glue from pre-made frames.
Popular apps like Stitch & Share or LongShot let you download a series of regular screenshots and automatically find boundaries to combine them, which is especially useful if you want to save a very long document that standard scrolling cuts because of the length limitations of the file.
Also, for some models, the Google Assistant voice assistant is relevant, and the command "Ok Google, make a screenshot" can activate the standard mechanism, after which you manually select the scroll option, which is convenient when the hands are busy or the device buttons are faulty.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party screenshot apps often require "Above Other Windows" permission and clipboard access.Install only high-rated vetted programs to avoid personal data leakage.
Using root terminal emulators (e.g., via adb commands) gives you maximum control, but for the average user, this method is redundant and complex.
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The built-in scrolling feature in MIUI is optimized best and does not require the installation of additional software, which guarantees data security.