Creating a screenshot of a dedicated area on Xiaomi smartphones is a useful feature that saves time and space on the device. Instead of saving the entire screen, you only capture the desired snippet: a part of the chat, a graph, a table or a section of the map. But not everyone knows that MIUI offers several ways to take a screenshot of the area, from standard gestures to hidden functions in the developer menu.
In this article, we will analyze all the current methods for different versions of firmware (including MIUI 14 and MIUI 15), and also tell you how to circumvent the restrictions on older Redmi and POCO models.
1. Standard method: three-finger gesture
The most versatile method that works on most Xiaomi devices is to use a three-finger gesture across the screen, which is available out of the box and does not require activation in settings (although it can be turned off).
To take a screenshot of the area:
- 👆 Swipe down from top to bottom with three fingers (no tear) across the screen. Hold your finger for 1-2 seconds after the gesture is completed.
- 🖼️ The screen will “blink”, and at the bottom there will be an editing panel with the Region button (or Highlight on English firmware).
- ✂️ Drag the corners of the frame to highlight the desired fragment.
If the gesture doesn’t work, check to enable it in the Settings menu → Additional Features → Gestures → Screenshot. Some models (such as POCO F5) may require the device to restart after activation.
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On smartphones with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) gesture is better to perform with a small delay – so the system more accurately recognizes the user’s intent.
2.Screenshot of the area through the notification panel
An alternative method is to use a screenshot button in the notification curtain, which is suitable if the gestures are disabled or conflict with other functions (for example, with Game Turbo).
Instructions:
- Open the screen you want (such as a web page or a message in Telegram).
- Swipe down to open the notification panel.
- Find the screenshot button (the icon of a scissors or rectangle with a cutout). Press it.
- Select the area by holding your finger on the screen and confirm the save.
On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 12.5 for Redmi Note 10), the screenshot button is hidden behind the swipe to the right in the Quick Settings panel. If it is not, add it manually through Edit → Add → Screenshot.
What to do if the screenshot button is gone?
3.Use of the Developer Menu (for Advanced)
For users who need advanced screenshot settings (such as changing file format or turning off the trigger sound), activating Developer Mode is also useful if the standard methods don’t work due to custom firmware.
How to turn on:
- Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
- Click on the MIUI version 7 times in a row until you become a developer!
- Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
- Find the option of Screenshot (or Partial Screenshot) and activate it.
Now, when you create a screenshot in any way you can select the area before saving, not after. In addition, in the developer menu you can turn off animation when you create a screenshot (turn off animation screenshot), which will speed up the process.
4. Hot keys for screenshot of the area
On devices with MIUI 13 and later (such as Xiaomi 12T or POCO X5 Pro), support for keyboard shortcuts to create screenshots is available, which is convenient if you often work with a keyboard or a connected gamepad.
The function can be activated as follows:
- 🔧 Go to Settings. → Buttons and gestures → Keyboard combinations.
- 🖥️ Select a Screenshot of the area and assign a combination (e.g., Power). + Volume Down with a hold on).
- 🎯 After pressing the combination, select the desired screen fragment.
On some models (e.g. Redmi K50), this default combination conflicts with a Google Assistant call. To avoid problems, reassign the keys to the Settings menu → Apps → Assistant and Voice Input → Voice Assistant.
Make sure there is no sensitive data on the screen.
Check the space in memory (minimum 50 MB)
Turn off Do Not Disturb mode if you use an audible alert
Close unnecessary applications for smooth operation-->
5. Screenshot applications: when standard methods don't work
If the built-in MIUI features don’t work (for example, on Redmi 9A with a stripped-down firmware), you can use third-party utilities, which offer additional features: editing screenshots, text recognition (OCR) or automatic upload to the cloud.
Top.-3 field-screening:
| Annex | Features | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Master | Scrolling long pages, editor with filters | Advertising in the free version |
| Screenshot Touch | Gestures, screen video recording | Requires access to Accessibility |
| LongShot | Screenshots in one long format | Plugins for some functions |
Check the app permissions before installing: some utilities request access to Notices or Special Features, which may affect security. On devices with MIUI 14+, screenshot protection in banking applications can also work, in which case use built-in methods.
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The application side is convenient for advanced tasks, but the built-in MIUI features are more reliable in terms of security and compatibility.
6 Where screenshots are stored and how to manage them
By default, screenshots of the area are saved to the DCIM → Screenshots folder (or Pictures → Screenshots on some models). The files are either.png or.jpg depending on the settings. To change the save location:
- 📁 Go to the gallery. → Albums. → Screenshots.
- 🔧 Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings. → Conservation folder.
- 💾 Specify a new directory (e.g., Mi Cloud cloud storage).
On devices with MIUI 15, you have the automatic screenshot sorting function by date and application. To use it, activate the Smart Albums option in the Gallery settings, which will help you quickly find the desired snippets among hundreds of images.
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If screenshots take up too much space, convert them to.webp through Google Photos – this will reduce the file size by 40-60% without loss of quality.
7. Frequent problems and their solutions
Even on new Xiaomi devices, users are faced with errors when creating screenshots of the area.
Problem 1: The three-finger gesture doesn't work.
⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO M4 Pro) The gesture conflicts with the Smart Assistant function. Turn it off in Settings → Screen. → Smart Assistant.
Problem 2: Screenshot of the area is kept in low resolution.
- Check the screen settings: go to Settings → Display → Resolution and select FHD+ or WQHD+.
- Turn off the energy-saving mode (Settings → Battery → Performance mode).
Problem 3: You can’t take a screenshot in a banking app or game.
⚠️ Attention: This is a security limitation for Android. Bypass it by connecting the device to a PC and using it. ADB To create a screenshot through the command: adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png However, note that some banks block accounts for such actions.