How to take a screenshot with a scroll on Xiaomi Redmi 9

Owners of budget and mid-budget smartphones often face the need to save a long article, correspondence in the messenger or the entire web page. On Xiaomi devices, including the popular model Redmi 9, this feature is implemented at the system level, but has its nuances. Standard screenshot captures only the visible part of the display, which forces users to take many individual frames and then glue them together.

Fortunately, the MIUI shell offers a built-in Scrolling tool that automatically collects a long image, so you don't have to search for third-party apps or use complex programs on your computer, just know the right sequence and know where to look for the right button after you've created the basic shot.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the entire process of creating long screenshots, look at possible errors in saving and answer frequently asked questions. You will learn how the clipboard works in this context and why sometimes the scroll button may be inactive in certain applications.

Device preparation and basic settings

Before you start creating complex images, you need to make sure your Redmi 9 is set up correctly.The screenshot function is active by default, but sometimes users accidentally change keyboard combinations or block access to storage.

Also worth paying attention to screen resolution and interface scaling. If you have Enlarged Text mode on or changed DPI settings, the final image may look stretched or cropped. Standard settings Settings → Screen → Text size is best left in the Default position for the best quality results.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure there is free space in the Gallery or Files app. Trying to save a long screenshot when the storage is crowded will result in an error recording or saving a cropped file.

For a comfortable experience, it is recommended to check the navigation button settings. If you use control gestures, the process may be slightly different from using three buttons at the bottom of the screen. In any case, the basic mechanism of image capture remains the same for the entire MIUI ecosystem.

Standard method for creating a long screenshot

The basic way to create a scrolling screenshot on Xiaomi Redmi 9 is as simple as possible and doesn’t require any additional software installation. All the necessary tools are already built into the operating system. The process begins with creating a normal screenshot, which is then expanded.

There are several ways to take the primary shot, and the most common is to simultaneously press the Volume Down button and Power, and after the characteristic shutter sound, a thumbnail will appear in the upper right corner, and that's where you press for a few seconds to open the additional action menu.

In the menu that opens, you'll see some icons, and we're interested in a button that says Scrolling or arrow icons that point down, and when you press it, the system will automatically scroll down to capture new areas, and to stop the process, tap the screen or click the stop button that appears on the interface.

• 📱 Press the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time to create a basic snapshot.
• 🖱️ Quickly tap the thumbnail in the corner of the screen to open the edit menu.
• 🔄 Select the Scroll option in the lower tool menu.
• ⏹️ Press the screen or stop button when the desired area is captured.

It is important to note that automatic scrolling does not work equally well in all applications. In some cases, the system may stop ahead of time if it does not detect content to capture. In such situations, you can use manual scrolling mode if it is available in a particular version of MIUI.

Alternative methods and gesture management

In addition to the classic button combination, Redmi 9 supports gesture-based screenshots, which is especially useful when it is difficult to press two buttons simultaneously with one hand. Activation requires three fingers to swipe down the screen. This gesture can be configured in the Settings menu → Additional settings → Screenshot.

Using gestures requires a certain skill, because the movement must be smooth and confident. If the system does not respond, try changing the speed of movement or the touch area. Also make sure that there is no protective film on the screen with a bad touch layer that can distort multi-touch teams.

Another option is to use the voice assistant Google Assistant or Mi AI. Saying the phrase "Take a screenshot" will start the capture process. However, switching to scrolling mode will still require manual intervention through the thumbnail menu, since voice commands do not yet support management of the advanced functionality of the image gallery.

⚠️ Note: When using three-finger gestures, make sure that the app where you take the picture does not reserve this gesture for other actions (such as in some games or graphics editors).

Some users prefer to use a control panel (curtain), and by adding a screenshot widget, you can take pictures with a single touch, which is especially true for people with disabilities or when using a smartphone with gloves.

Editing and preserving results

Once you've stopped scrolling automatically, Redmi 9 will ask you to view the image before saving, which is where you can cut edges, add text, or highlight important areas with a marker, and the built-in MIUI editor is functional enough for basic tasks.

Note the save format. Long screenshots are saved by default in PNG format, which provides high quality, but increases the file size. If you need to send an image through a size-limited messenger, you better pre-compress it or convert it to JPG through a third-party editor.

The save is done in the standard DCIM/Screenshots folder. If you are syncing with Google Photos or the Xiaomi Cloud, a long screenshot can take longer than usual, due to the need to upload a heavy file to the network.

• ✂️ Use a built-in crop tool to remove excess status bar caps.
• 🎨 Add arrows and text directly in the editor to accentuate your attention.
• 💾 Check the save folder if you use third-party file managers.
• 📤 When sending over Bluetooth, consider the large file size.

It is worth remembering that over-editing inside the built-in editor can lead to loss of quality when resaving. If complex processing is required, it is better to transfer the original to a specialized application immediately.

Comparison of screen capture techniques

Different screenshot methods on Xiaomi Redmi 9 have their advantages and disadvantages. Understanding these differences will help you choose the best option for a particular situation.

As you can see from the table, the button combination remains the fastest way, however, gestures win in ergonomics when used with one hand. The control panel is convenient when the buttons on the smartphone body are faulty or flooded.

⚠️ Note: Some modified firmware (Global, China, Russia) may have slightly different buttons on the menu after the shot.

Voice control, despite its technological capability, still loses in speed and functionality, especially in noisy rooms or if you need a quick response.

Solution and troubleshooting

Despite the system’s fine-tuning, Redmi 9 users may have trouble creating long screenshots, most often the Scrolling button simply doesn’t appear or the process stops in the middle, which may be due to the features of the content displayed.

For example, in some banking applications or secure messengers (incognito mode), screenshots are prohibited at the Android security level, in which case the screen will be black and scrolling functions are not available.

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If the scroll button is inactive (gray), try scrolling the page a little manually before taking a screenshot. Sometimes the system doesn't see the potential to scroll if the content is static at the starting point.

Another common problem is the "break" in a long image, where the interface parts are superimposed on top of each other, which happens in applications with dynamic content loading, in which case it is better to take a few screenshots with a slight overlap and glue them together manually.

• 🚫 In protected applications DRM screenshots are not allowed.
• 📉 With a lack of RAM, the process may be interrupted.
• 🔄 Update the app if the scrolling is not working properly only in it.
• 📐 Vertical sites scroll better than horizontal ribbons.

If the problem is systemic and is seen in all applications, try restarting the device. screenshot_service and restores functionality.

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The lack of a scroll button is most often caused not by a technical malfunction, but by the limitations of the application itself or the lack of scrollable content on the current screen.