Why are the navigation buttons disabled on Xiaomi phone and how to get them back?

You picked up your Xiaomi, but suddenly you found that the bottom panel with the Back, Home and Recent buttons had disappeared? Or the touch keys stopped responding to touch and the controls were not working correctly? This problem is common among users of Redmi, POCO and MIUI-based Mi smartphones - and the reasons can be both software and hardware.

In 90% of cases, the absence of navigation buttons is due to improper gesture settings, system launcher failure or conflict after a firmware update. Less commonly, physical damage to the display or touch module is to blame. In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios, from basic checks to deep ADB settings, and also explain how to restore control if the screen does not fully respond.

Before you panic, make sure the problem isn’t temporary: restart your phone and check for a touch response in safe mode (press the power button → “Reboot Safe Mode”). If the buttons appear, the third-party app is to blame. If not, read on.

1. Check basic settings: gestures vs. buttons

With MIUI 10 and newer, Xiaomi offers two types of navigation: classic virtual buttons (three dots at the bottom of the screen) and gestures (swipes from the bottom edge).

To return the standard keys:

Open the Settings → Display.
Select Full Screen Mode (or Navigation Type in older versions).
Activate the navigation button (or three buttons).

If there is no Full-screen mode, try an alternative path:

🔍 Settings → Additionally. → Special facilities → System navigation.
📱 In some firmware paths: Settings → Screen. → Navigation style.

⚠️ Attention: POCO F3/F4 Redmi Note 10 Pro MIUI 13+ The option can be hidden behind the point of movement and gestures → Full-screen gestures. Turn off gestures to return buttons.

📊 What type of navigation you use on Xiaomi?

Classic buttons

MIUI gestures

Gestures from Android 10+

I don't know what it is.

2.Reset launcher settings: if the buttons are missing after the update

After the MIUI update (especially with MIUI 12 on MIUI 13/14), the system launcher can reset the navigation bar display settings. This is a common problem on Redmi 9/9A, POCO X3 and Mi 11 models.

To reset the launcher:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Find the MIUI Launcher (or Lawnchair if you use custom).
Open Warehouse → Clear the data and Clear the cache.
Reboot the phone.

If no buttons appear after reset, try removing the launcher updates:

🔄 In the same Application Management menu, click on three dots. → Remove updates.
📲 In some models (POCO M3, Redmi Note 8 will help reinstall the launcher via APKMirror.

Clear launcher cache |Reset launcher settings |Remove MIUI Launcher updates |Reboot phone-->

Critical feature of MIUI 14: On some devices (Xiaomi 12T, Redmi K50) after upgrading to MIUI 14, the navigation buttons may hide behind an additional swipe up from the bottom edge. Try swiping your finger from the bottom up with a delay - sometimes the panel appears.

3. shell conflict: third launchers and themes

Installing third-party launchers (Nova Launcher, Hyperion) or those from MIUI Themes can break the display of system buttons. This is because the shell intercepts control of the bottom panel.

How to check:

🛠️ Temporarily install a standard launcher: download MIUI Launcher with APKMirror and select it as the default launcher.
🎨 Turn off the current theme: Settings → Topics → My subjects. → Standard.
🔧 If you are using Nova Launcher, check your gesture settings: Nova Settings → Gestures and controls → System navigation.

⚠️ Attention: POCO F1 mi A2/A3 (with Android One, third-party launchers can completely block system buttons, the solution is to return the standard launcher or use the system button. ADB for forced panel inclusion (see section) 5).

Cause of conflict	Xiaomi models	Decision
Third-party launcher	All models.	Return MIUI Launcher or set up gestures in launcher
Theme from MIUI Themes	Redmi Note 7/8/9	Reset the topic to standard
Gestures in Nova Launcher	POCO X3, Mi 10	Disable navigation override in Nova settings
Update MIUI + Custom Launcher	Xiaomi 11/12 Series	Clear the launcher data and restart

Hardware problems: sensor and display

If the navigation buttons do not respond to touch but are displayed on the screen, the problem may be in the touch module or flexible plume. This is typical for devices after falls or moisture (Redmi 8/9, POCO M2).

How to diagnose:

📱 Check the sensor response in test mode: dial ##6484## → Touch Test: If the bottom of the screen doesn't respond, the sensor is faulty.
🔧 Connect your phone to your PC and check if the buttons are working when you control your mouse (via scrcpy or Vysor).
💧 If the phone fell or got wet, inspect the connector of the display plume (requires disassembly).

Temporary solution for a broken sensor:

🖱️ Connect. USB-mouse-wise OTG-adapter.
🎮 Use gestures from the keyboard (plug Bluetooth keyboard and set up pairings in Special Options).

What if the sensor is working but the buttons are not pressed?

This may be due to damage to the digitizer layer (responsible for touch recognition) at the bottom of the screen, a temporary solution is to activate smooth navigation through ADB (see section 5) or use floating buttons from Google Play (for example, Floating Soft Keys).

5. button recovery via ADB (for advanced)

If standard methods don’t work, you can force navigation buttons to be enabled via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which works even if the screen doesn’t respond to touch (but the phone is determined by the PC).

Instructions:

Download ADB Tools and unpack.
Activate USB debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging by USB.
Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=* Next: settings put global policy_control null*

To return the classic buttons:

adb shell cmd overlay enable com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.threebutton

If you need to return the gestures:

adb shell cmd overlay enable com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 Android 13 team ADB If a SecurityException error occurs, do: adb shell pm grant com.miui.home android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

💡

Before using ADB, back up your data via adb backup or Mi Cloud. Wrong commands can cause a reset.

Extreme measures: dumping and flashing

If none of these methods work, there are radical ways to:

🔄 Soft reset: Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings (does not delete data, but resets interface settings).
🗑️ Hard Reset: Hold the Volume Up + Nutrition → Wipe Data, delete all data!
📥 Fastboot Firmware: Download the official firmware from Xiaomi and run through the Mi Flash Tool.

For models with a locked boot loader (Xiaomi 13/14, POCO F5), unlocking through the Mi Unlock Tool (can take up to 72 hours of waiting) will be required.

💡

Before resetting or firmware, check if the disappearance of the buttons is associated with the active kiosk mode (for example, in children's mode or corporate MDM). Disable it in Settings → Special features → Kiosk mode.

❓ Why After Updating MIUI Navigation buttons are now transparent?

This is a feature of MIUI 13/14 – in newer versions, the default buttons are translucent. To return the standard look, go to Settings → Display → Full-screen → Setting the navigation buttons and select Colored background style.

❓ Nana POCO X3 Pro buttons only appear after unlocking?

Yes, on some models (POCO X3/X4, Redmi K40) buttons are hidden on the lock screen to save space. This is not a failure, but a feature of MIUI. If the buttons do not return after unlocking, check the gesture settings (section 1).

❓ Can you return the navigation buttons to Xiaomi with Android 12?+, If they are forced to be replaced by gestures?

Yes, but Android 12/13 with MIUI 13/14 may require ADB (Section 5). Manually through settings only return to MIUI 12 and below. Alternatively, use floating buttons from Google Play (e.g. NavBar Apps).

❓ Buttons are working, but they're late?

Latency is tangential for devices with a worn sensor or overloaded system. Try: Disable animations: Settings → Special features → Remove animations. Clear the cache in Settings → Memory → Clear the cache. Check the CPU load in Settings → Battery → Battery Use. If the problem persists, the touch module needs to be replaced.

❓ After changing the screen, the navigation buttons don't work?

This is a typical problem with non-original displays. Solutions: Refuse the phone with EFS cleaning (requires an unlocked bootloader). Update the firmware to the latest version of MIUI (sometimes fixes conflicts with new screens). Return the original display - cheap replacements often do not support multi-touch in the lower zone.