How to record video from the screen of Xiaomi phone: from built-in tools to hidden chips

Video recording from Xiaomi’s screen is a challenge that gamers who want to keep up with their gameplay achievements, bloggers who create app reviews, and regular users who need to show a problem in their smartphone’s technical support. Despite the apparent simplicity, the process has nuances, from the limitations of MIUI on some models to problems with sound or resolution. In this article, we will examine all the current ways, from standard tools to professional solutions, taking into account the features of MIUI 14/15 firmware and the hardware limitations of Qualcomm/Mediatek chips.

It is important to understand that the functionality of the screen recording depends not only on the version of the operating system, but also on the specific model of Xiaomi. For example, the flagship devices of the Xiaomi 13/14 series support recording in 4K@60fps, while the budget Redmi Note 12 can be limited to 1080p@30fps. We tested all methods on current firmware and identified key points that will help to avoid common errors - from the lack of sound to twitching the image.

1.Integrated screen recording in MIUI: where to look and how to set up

The most obvious way is to use the standard MIUI tool, which is available on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices (except the oldest models on Android 9 and below).

1. Method 1: Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification bar, and find the Screen Record icon (camera icon). If it's not there, tap on the pencil (Edit) and add the widget manually.
2. Method 2: Go to Settings → Special Features → Screen Recording (on some firmwares, the path may differ: Settings → Additional → Screen Recording).

Once you activate the recording, you'll see a floating panel with control buttons.

• 🎤 Turn on/off microphone recording (voice over frame).
• 🔊 Capture system sounds (not working on all models due to Android 10 limitations)+).
• ⚙️ Change the permission (usually available) 720p or 1080p).
• 📱 Show touches (useful for tutorials).

Note that on devices with MIUI 13 and older, the system will request permission to capture the screen and record sound when it first records. Without these permissions, the video will be saved without sound! Also, in some regional firmware (for example, in India), the screen recording function may be disabled by default, it must be activated manually in the security settings.

⚠️ Attention: POCO F4/F5 Xiaomi 12T high-resolution recording (1080p+) You may experience overheating of the processor. If the phone gets hot, lower the resolution to 720p or take a break.

2.Why there is no sound when recording the screen and how to fix it

One of the most common problems is that video is recorded but there's no sound, and there are many reasons.

To record system sound (for example, music from the application or game sounds) standard means MIUI can not do - you will need third-party software.

• 🎧 AZ Screen Recorder – Supports internal audio capture on Xiaomi with Android 11+ (You need to enable Audio from internal in the application settings).
• 🎤 Mobizen – works stable but adds watermark in free version.
• 🔊 DU Recorder – allows you to choose the sound source (microphone or system), but can brake on weak devices.

If you're recording gameplay, look at the Game Turbo settings in MIUI, which can block audio capture to optimize performance, and turn it off:

1. Open Settings → Special features → Game Turbo
2. Find the game you want to record the sound for and turn off the audio optimization option.
3. Restart the game and try recording the screen again.

3. Screen recording without lags: optimizing settings

A common complaint of Xiaomi users is that they twitch video when recording, especially in games or at high resolution, because the processor simultaneously processes graphics and encodes video, to minimize the lags:

Set the video resolution not higher than 1080p (for weak devices - 720p)

Turn off background apps in Settings → Battery → Optimization

Activate Performance Mode in Settings → Battery → Modes

Use a UHS-I memory card to write (if you save it to SD)

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Bitrate and FPS are key parameters that affect smoothness. In the standard MIUI tool, these settings are hidden, but in third-party applications (for example, AZ Screen Recorder), they can be configured:

• 📶 For Bitrate: 1080p 8-12 Mbps is enough. Higher values will give better quality, but will increase the file size and the load on the processor.
• 🎮 FPS: For games, choose 60. FPS, For normal tasks, 30 is enough. FPS. On budget smartphones (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3) 60 FPS can cause severe lags.

On devices with a Snapdragon 7xx processor and lower (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro), when writing in 1080p@60fps, trottling can be activated - a forced decrease in performance due to overheating, in which case it is recommended to use an external cooler or reduce the resolution to 720p.

If the lags appear even under optimal settings, try:

1. Close all background applications through Recent → Close everything.
2. Turn off animation in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times according to version, then select Windows Animation: Off).
3. Use the Game Bench app to monitor FPS and processor load during recording.

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If you record long gameplay (30+ minutes), plug your phone into charging. MIUI automatically limits performance when the battery is low, which can cause lags in the record.

4. Hidden screen recording functions in MIUI

Many users are unaware that MIUI has additional recording options that are not visible at first glance.

• 🖼️ Record only part of the screen: In the standard tool, you can select an area to record (useful for streaming or showing a specific window). To do this, after you start recording, tap the Frame icon and select the desired zone.
• 🔄 Pause during recording: Click on the pause icon in the floating panel – the video will split into two files, but the recording will not be interrupted.
• 📁 Change the save folder: By default, the video is saved to /DCIM/ScreenRecords, But the path can be changed in the settings of the application Screen Recording.

Another useful feature is the selfie camera recording at the same time as the screen, which is available in the Mobizen or DU Recorder app, to activate:

1. Open the application settings for recording.
2. Find the Front Camera Overlay option (or similar).
3. Select the size and position of the window from the camera (usually at one of the corners of the screen).

On devices with MIUI 14 and later, there is an experimental feature Record with a high frame rate (up to 120 FPS), but it works only on flagships (Xiaomi 13 Pro, POCO F5 Pro) and requires activation via ADB:

adb shell settings put global screenrecord.high_fps 1

⚠️ Attention: Activation 120 FPS through ADB It can cause overheating and automatically shut down the recording. Use only when connected to a charger and with external cooling.

5. Alternative methods: recording from a PC or through mirroring

If the built-in tools are not satisfied (for example, you need to burn the screen from Xiaomi to your computer in high quality), you can use the following methods:

To use Scrcpy (the most reliable way):

1. Download Scrcpy from GitHub and unpack the archive.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → Tap 7 times, then Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and run scrcpy through the command line. Add the flag --record file.mp4 to record.

The advantage of this method is that it can record in 4K@60fps without loading on the phone, since the rendering takes place on a PC. However, the default sound is not recorded - it will require additional software, such as AudioRelay, to capture it.

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Scrcpy is the only way to record Xiaomi’s screen in 4K without losing quality, but requires a PC connection and ADB setup.

6.Editing and optimizing recorded video

After recording a video, you often need to crop, add subtitles or compress it, using both standard MIUI tools and third-party applications:

• 🎬 Google Photos: Automatically offers to create a “movie” from recorded clips, add music and transitions.
• 📱 CapCut: Free Editor with Key Features, Effects and Exports 4K.
• 💻 Shotcut (PC): For professional installation with support for multiple tracks.

If the video is too large, it can be compressed without loss of quality:

1. Open Google Photos and select a video.
2. Click Export → Save a Copy and select High (720p) or Original (1080p).
3. For more flexible settings, use Video Compress (Android app).

Pay special attention to file format. The standard MIUI tool saves video to.mp4 with H.264 codec, which is supported by all platforms. If you use third-party applications, check the codec settings - some (such as H.265) may not play on older devices.

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

Even with the right settings, there can be problems, and let's look at typical scenarios and how to fix them:

If none of the methods helped, try resetting the Screen Recording app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Screen recording.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Restart your phone and try recording the screen again.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9T) After resetting the recording settings, the icon may disappear from the notification panel. In this case, add it back through the Edit Control Panel.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions