Have you ever seen a situation where the screen of a Xiaomi smartphone displays important information — a system error, activation code or authorization data — but you can’t take a screenshot? The system gives a notification “screenshot is locked” or simply ignores clicking the combination of buttons. This is not an accident: MIUI actively blocks the creation of screenshots on screens with sensitive data, payment systems and even in some settings menus.
The reasons for blocking range from the protection of personal data (for example, in Mi Pay or Banking Mode) to the restrictions imposed by the manufacturer on system notifications. But what if the screenshot is needed for objective reasons - for reporting, confirming an error or saving temporary data? In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of circumventing locks on Xiaomi smartphones from 2023-2026, including legal methods and technical workarounds with risk in mind.
Important: not all methods are universal. The effectiveness depends on the version of MIUI (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 15), the device model (Redmi Note 12, POCO F5, Mi 13, etc.) and the type of locked screen. For example, screenshots in the Fastboot or Recovery menu require a fundamentally different approach than locking in the bank application.
Why Xiaomi is blocking screenshots on some screens
Blocking screenshots is not a whim of the manufacturer, but part of the multi-level data protection in MIUI.
- 🔒 Payment privacy: Mi Pay, Google Pay, banking apps (Sberbank, Tinkoff, etc.) are blocked at the request of financial regulators. Even if you log in with a fingerprint, the system will not allow you to save a picture with card data.
- 🛡️ Phishing protection: on password screens (for example, in Mi Account or Work Profile) screenshots are prohibited so that attackers can not intercept the entered characters through the pictures.
- ⚙️ System Limitations: Some Menus MIUI (For example, Developer Options or Safe Mode block screenshots to prevent unauthorized changes to settings.
- 📱 DRM-Protection: on screens with protected content (Netflix, Disney)+ High resolution screenshots can be blocked under license agreements.
Interestingly, the lock works at the Android Framework level, not the application level, which means that even third-party screenshot utilities (like Screenshot Easy or Screen Master) can’t get around the restriction without root access.
⚠️ Warning: Attempts to bypass locks on payment data screens (such as Mi Pay) can lead to temporary account locks on suspicion of fraud. Banking apps often use additional security mechanisms, such as screenshot detection via Android Accessibility API.
Method 1: Using Google Assistant (powered by MIUI 12-14)
One of the easiest and most legal ways to do this is to use Google Assistant, which works on most Xiaomi devices with Google Play Services preinstalled and does not require root rights.
Instructions:
- Open the locked screen (such as an error in the app or settings menu).
- Activate Google Assistant: Voice: Say "OK, Google." Gesture: swipe diagonally from one of the lower corners of the screen (if the feature is enabled in the settings).
Take a screenshot.
Take a screenshot
The assistant will confirm the creation of the picture and offer to share it.
Why does it work? Google Assistant uses its own screenshot-making mechanism that bypasses some of the limitations of MIUI. However, the method won't work on payment data screens or in Safe Mode.
Make sure that Google Assistant is enabled in your settings|Update Google Play Services to the latest version|Check that the language of the voice assistant matches the language of the system.|Turn off energy saving mode for Google app-->
⚠️ Attention: on some models (POCO X3 Pro, Redmi 9A) Google Assistant may not recognize the team due to a conflict with the company’s assistant Xiao AI. In that case, turn off Xiao. AI in settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Xiao AI → Shut down.
Method 2: Connect to a PC via ADB (for those technically trained)
If Google Assistant doesn’t help, and you need a screenshot urgently, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and enabling debugging mode, but allows you to take a picture of almost any screen, including system menus.
Step-by-step:
- Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. Click on MIUI Version 7 times until the notification “You’ve become a developer!” appears.
USB debugging
- Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
- Turn on the debugging switch over USB and confirm the action.
- Connect your smartphone to your PC through USB-Cable (use the original cable for stability).
- On your computer, open the command line (Win + R → cmd) and type: adb devices Make sure the device is identified (its serial number should appear).
- Take a screenshot by command: adb exec-out screencap -p > screenshot.png The picture will be saved in the folder where the command was launched.
Warnings:
- 🚨 Root access cancels Xiaomi warranty.
- 🛡️ Some banking applications (Sberbank, VTB) can block the work on rooted devices.
- ⚠️ Wrong Rooting Can Lead to Data Loss.
⚠️ Attention: on devices with MIUI 14+ and the Android 13 core+ Some root methods (such as KingRoot) may not work.
Method 5: Alternative methods (photo screen, video recording)
If none of these methods work, then there are manual methods, which are not perfect, but sometimes they are the only way out.
- 📸 Photo screen with another device: take a picture of the smartphone screen on another phone or camera.
- 🎥 Screen video recording: Enable screen recording via Quick Settings (if not blocked), then extract footage from the video using an editor (e.g. CapCut or CAP). VLC).
- 🖥️ Mirror on TV: Connect your smartphone to your TV via Miracast or HDMI-Adapter and take a picture of the TV screen.
You can use the application to record screen video on blocked pages AZ Screen Recorder (in some cases, it bypasses restrictions) MIUI Important: video recording can be blocked on screens with DRM-Protection (Netflix, Disney)+).
💡
If you need to save text from a locked screen (such as an error code), try using Google Lens or Mi Lens to recognize text, which will allow you to copy the data without creating a screenshot.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
When trying to take a screenshot on a locked screen, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:
- 🔄 «Screenshot not saved: check if there is enough space in the device’s memory. MIUI It can block the saving of screenshots when there is a lack of free space (less than 500 MB).
- 🔌 ADB not seeing the device: make sure that the developer settings include the Debugging by USB (security settings) and you have confirmed trust in this computer on your smartphone screen.
- 🔒 The bank app blocks the screen: some banking applications (e.g. Tinkoff or Alpha Click) use the screen. FLAG_SECURE, It blocks not only screenshots, but also screen recording, and in this case, it's only possible to root or photograph the screen with another device.
- 📱 Google Assistant is not working: Update Google’s app to the Play Market and check if the assistant is enabled in Settings: → Google → Settings for Google apps → Search, helper and voice → Google Assistant.