How to record the screen on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: all ways with nuances

Contents

  • MIUI built-in facilities
  • Recording through Google Play Games
  • Top-3 Screencasting Apps
  • Can I record a screen without root?
  • Common errors and fixes
  • How to reduce the weight of recorded video
  • Frequent questions

Screen recording on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 may be necessary to create guides, streams, save gameplay or show bugs. But the standard settings MIUI is not always obvious: somewhere the function is hidden in the depths of the menu, and somewhere requires activation through the developer Settings. In this article, we will analyze all the working methods โ€” from built-in tools to third-party applications โ€” and also reveal nuances that are not written in the official instructions.

Important: Recording capabilities vary by MIUI version and regional firmware, for example, in the global version of Redmi Note 9 (codenamed Mercury), the screencast feature may not be in the Quick Settings menu, but it can be easily returned through editing the notification bar.

๐Ÿ“Š Why you need a screen recording?
Creating training videos
Preserving gameplay
Demonstration of bugs
streaming
Other

1. MIUI built-in tools: where to look and how to turn on

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI 12+ have built-in screen recording function, but its location varies. On Redmi Note 9 with firmware for Russia/Europe, the screencast button is missing by default from the notification curtain.

  1. Open the notification bar and click on the Edit icon (pencil).
  2. Find in the list of inactive tiles "Screen Recording"** (icon with a mug and a dot).
  3. Drag it to the active area (top of the screen).
  4. Press "Done"**.

Now the button will appear in quick settings. When you first start, the system will ask permissions to record sound and display on top of other windows โ€” be sure to confirm them.

Add a button to the notification curtain

Grant all permissions to the "Screen Record" application

Disable battery optimization for recording service

Check the vacant space (minimum 1 GB)

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Nuances of embedded recording:

  • ๐ŸŽค Microphone: By default, only system sound is recorded. To add a voice, click on the microphone icon after recording begins.
  • โš™๏ธ Quality settings: resolution is fixed (720p or 1080p depending on the model), but bitrate can be changed to Settings โ†’ Additional โ†’ Screen recording.
  • โฑ๏ธ Time limit: maximum duration is 30 minutes (on some firmware 10 minutes). After automatic stops, the video is saved to Gallery โ†’ Albums โ†’ Screen recordings.

โš ๏ธ Warning: If the recording button disappears after rebooting, reset the notification bar settings to Settings โ†’ Notifications โ†’ Additional settings โ†’ Reset the control panel. This will return all tiles to factory settings.

2. Recording through Google Play Games: for gamers

If you want to record gameplay, the best option is to use the built-in Google Play Game tool, which supports high-bitrate recording (up to 12 Mbps) and allows you to stream videos to YouTube directly from your smartphone.

Instructions:

  1. Install the Google Play Games app (unless preinstalled).
  2. Open the game you want to record.
  3. Open the notification bar and click on the Play Games icon** (gamepad icon).
  4. Select "Record Gameplay"** and set the settings: ๐ŸŽฎ Quality: 720p or 1080p (1080p is not available on all devices). ๐Ÿ”Š Sound: game/game only + microphone. ๐Ÿ“ฑ Show touch: useful for tutorials.

"Start."

Google Play Games records MP4 video with H.264 codec, which provides good quality with minimal losses. However, on the Redmi Note 9 with 4 GB of RAM, you can lag in heavy games (for example, Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile) when writing in 1080p.

ParameterMIUI Screen RecorderGoogle Play Games
Max, permission.1080p (depending on firmware)1080p (on most devices)
Bitreit4-8 Mbps8-12 Mbps
Time limit10.30 minutes1 hour.
Recording the microphoneYes (manually)Yes (automatically)
Streaming supportNo.Yes (on YouTube)

โš ๏ธ Warning: If the game does not appear in the list available for recording, check if the Google Play Game option is enabled in the app settings (Settings โ†’ Apps โ†’ All Apps โ†’ Play Games โ†’ Permissions). Also make sure the game is installed from the official store, not via APK.

3 Top-3 Screencasting Apps: When Built-in Functions Are Not Enough

If standard tools donโ€™t work (e.g., you need to record a screen longer than 30 minutes or with an external microphone), use third-party programs. We tested dozens of apps and selected the three most stable ones for the Redmi Note 9:

1. AZ Screen Recorder

Pros:

  • ๐ŸŽฅ Recording in 1080p/60 FPS (on Redmi Note 9 is only realistically achieved by 30 FPS.
  • ๐ŸŽค Support for external microphones (e.g., Boya BY-M1).
  • โฑ There is no time limit for recording.
  • ๐Ÿ–ผ The ability to draw on screen while recording.

Cons:

  • ๐Ÿ“ฑ On MIUI may require disabling MIUI Optimization in the developer settings.
  • ๐Ÿ’ฐ The free version adds a watermark.

Download: Google Play

2. DU Recorder

Features:

  • ๐ŸŽฌ Built-in video editor with clipping and music overlay functions.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ Automatically upload recordings to YouTube, Google Drive, or TikTok.
  • ๐Ÿ“ก Support for recording without internet (important for regions with poor coverage).

Nuance: The Redmi Note 9 with MIUI 13+ may have a black screen bug while recording, so you can turn on the option โ€œUse GPU accelerationโ€** in the app settings.

3. Mobizen Screen Recorder

For whom:

  • ๐ŸŽฎ Streamers who want to stream on Twitch or Facebook Gaming.
  • ๐Ÿ“ฑ Users who need a picture-in-picture camera.

Important: Mobizen requires registration to record video for longer than 10 minutes, and it consumes more battery than its counterparts (up to 15-20% per hour of recording).

๐Ÿ’ก

Before installing third-party recorders, disable MIUI Optimization in Settings โ†’ About Phone โ†’ MIUI version (click 7 times, then return to Additional Settings โ†’ For Developers).

4. Can you record a screen without root rights?

Yes, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 does not require root rights to record the screen either through embedded tools or through third-party applications.

  1. Record secure applications (e.g. banking or DRM- content on Netflix) in which case the screen will be black, the solution is to use the ADB- command to circumvent restrictions (but this requires a PC connection).
  2. Recording from internal sound in games if the developer has blocked this feature (for example, in Free Fire or Call of Duty Mobile). Here only the Magisk module "Audio Mod"** will help, but it requires an unlocked bootloader.

For most tasks (educational video, instant messenger recording, streaming), root is not required. If you need to record system sounds in DRM applications, try the following:

adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1

This command temporarily unlocks hidden Android APIs, but doesnโ€™t work on all firmware and resets after a reboot.

How to check if your app supports sound recording?
Open Settings โ†’ Apps โ†’ Resolutions โ†’ Microphone and see if there is an app that you want to use. If not, recording internal sound will be impossible without root.

5 Common mistakes and how to fix them

Even with the right settings, the Redmi Note 9 can crash, and letโ€™s look at the typical problems and their solutions:

๐Ÿ”ด Recording ends in 5-10 minutes

Causes and fixes:

  • ๐Ÿ“ต Battery Optimization: Turn it off for the write application in Settings โ†’ Applications โ†’ Battery Management โ†’ Application Selection.
  • ๐Ÿ”‹ Low charge: On MIUI, the recording automatically stops at 15% of the battery. Connect charging or activate power saving mode.
  • ๐Ÿ“ฑ Overheating: Redmi Note 9 on a Helio processor G85 warms up with long recordings. Use a cooling stand or record in short sessions.

๐Ÿ”Š No sound in the recorded video

Check it out.

  • ๐ŸŽง Whether audio is enabled in the recording settings (in MIUI this is a separate option).
  • ๐Ÿ”• Is no sound mode activated in the notification curtain?
  • ๐Ÿ”Š For third-party applications: Are audio recording permissions granted in Settings โ†’ Privacy โ†’ Permissions โ†’ Microphone?

โšซ Black screen when recording

This is a typical problem for DRM applications (Netflix, Disney+, banking software) and three solutions:

  1. Use an external camera (for example, a smartphone on a tripod that shoots a screen).
  2. Connect the Redmi Note 9 to your PC and record the screen via scrcpy or Vysor.
  3. Install Magisk and the Disable Flag Secure module** (requires unlocking the bootloader).

๐Ÿ’ก

If the recording is interrupted due to overheating, lower the resolution to 720p and close the background applications, which will reduce the load on the Helio G85 processor by 20-30%.

6. How to reduce the weight of recorded video without losing quality

Video from the Redmi Note 9 screen at 1080p weighs ~100MB/min, which quickly fills up memory.

๐Ÿ“น Pre-recording settings

  • ๐ŸŽž Reduce the resolution to 720p โ€” visually the difference is minimal, and the weight will decrease by 2-3 times.
  • ๐Ÿ”ข Reduce bitrate: In AZ Screen Recorder, set 4-6 Mbps instead of the standard 8-12 Mbps.
  • ๐ŸŽค Turn off microphone recording if you don't need it โ€” the audio track takes up to 10% of the file's volume.

โœ‚๏ธ Optimization after recording

Use compression applications:

AnnexDegree of compressionLoss of qualityFeatures
Video Compress80%MinimumSupports batch processing
YouCut70%Average.Built-in editor
FFmpeg (via Termux)90%CustomizableRequires team knowledge

Example of command for FFmpeg (reduces bitrate to 2 Mbps without changing resolution):

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec libx264 -crf 28 -preset fast -acodec aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart output.mp4

๐Ÿ’ก

For maximum compression, convert video to MKV format with HEVC codec (H.265).This reduces weight by 40-50% at the same quality, but not all players support this format.

Frequent questions

Can I record the screen during the call?
No, on the Redmi Note 9 (as on most Android smartphones), screen recording is automatically suspended when an incoming or outgoing call is made, a limitation of Android security, which can only be circumvented through a second camera (for example, take a screen with another phone) or using PC- applications like ApowerMirror.
Why does the record get stuck in games?
On the Redmi Note 9 with a Helio G85 processor, recording 1080p/60 FPS can cause friezes due to lack of performance. Solutions: Reduce resolution to 720p or FPS to 30. Close all background apps (especially instant messengers). Activate Game Mode in the MIUI settings. Use Google Play Games instead of third-party recorders - it is optimized for gameplay.
Where are the recorded videos stored?
By default, files are saved: for MIUI Screen Recorder: /storage/emulated/0/Movies/ScreenRecords/ or in the Screen Records album** in the Gallery. for Google Play Games: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Screenshots/ (in the record date folder). For third-party applications: path is indicated in their settings (usually /storage/emulated/0/[Application name]/). If the video is not displayed in the Gallery, check the file directory via the Mile Manager (for example, connect to the file manager).
How to record a screen with sound from a speaker (not a microphone)?
To record internal sound (music, game sounds) without root: Connect Redmi Note 9 to the PC via USB. Install on the PC program ApowerMirror or scrcpy. Enable the option "Record system sound"** in the settings of the software. Record the screen through the computer - audio will be transmitted over USB. On the smartphone without root, you can record internal sound only in Google Play Games (and then not in all games).
Can I record the screen in the background?
No, on the Redmi Note 9 (as with all Android devices), screen recording stops when an app is folded or your phone is locked. This is a security restriction on Android. The only workaround is to use Automate or Tasker to automatically unlock the screen while you're recording, but this will reduce reliability and increase battery consumption.