“Navigation buttons off” on Xiaomi: what it means and how to fix

You picked up your Xiaomi or Redmi to quickly respond to the message, but instead of the usual interface, you saw an empty bottom panel that said, "Navigation buttons off." The situation is familiar? This problem occurs on devices running MIUI from different generations — from the Redmi Note 8 Pro to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Most of the time it is associated with software failures, but sometimes hardware problems are also to blame.

In this article, we will look at all the possible reasons for disabling navigation buttons (including touch gestures), explain why the system shows this inscription, and provide step-by-step instructions for restoring performance. Particular attention will be paid to hidden MIUI settings that the manufacturer does not advertise, but can return buttons in 2 minutes. If you have already tried to reboot the phone and it did not help, do not rush to bring it to the service: in 90% of cases, the problem can be solved yourself.

Why does Xiaomi say “navigation buttons are off”?

The message "Navigation buttons disabled" appears when the MIUI system cannot initialize the bottom control panel. This is not a critical error (the phone continues to work), but it makes using the device extremely uncomfortable.

• 🔄 Shell malfunction MIUI — Most often occurs after updating or installing third-party themes.
• 📱 Activation of the “Full-screen mode”, which hides the system buttons for immersive viewing.
• 🛠️ Damage to settings files in the folder /data/system, displaying the navigation panel.
• 🔌 Hardware malfunction – for example, a failure of a touch controller or damage to a display plume.
• 🤖 Conflict with applications that have overlay rights over other windows (such as launchers or gesture utilities).

Interesting fact: on some models (POCO F3, Redmi K40) This error can occur periodically, for example, after you quit a game or video player. MIUI Touch screen events in high load modes.

How to temporarily return navigation buttons (quick fix)

If you need to urgently use the phone, and there is no time to deal with the causes, use emergency methods of switching on buttons:

1. Call the notification panel (swipe from top to bottom) and tap the icon ⚙️ Settings → Screen. → Full screen mode. Turn off the option Hide the navigation bar.
2. If the screen does not respond to touch, connect the mouse over OTG or use Google’s voice assistant (tell: “Open screen settings”).
3. For models with IR-With a blaster (for example, Redmi Note 9 Pro) you can use the remote control from the TV in mouse emulation mode.

Important! These methods only work until the first reboot. For a permanent solution, read on.

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If you have MIUI gestures enabled, try swiping your finger from the bottom edge of the screen up and holding it – this will trigger a menu of recent apps from where you can get into the settings.

Step-by-step: return navigation buttons through settings

In most cases, the problem is solved through the standard MIUI menu.

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Select Full Screen Mode → Navigation Style.
3. Make sure you select the navigation button option (not MIUI Gestures or Android Gestures).
4. If the buttons still don’t appear, go to Settings → Additional → Special Features → System Navigation and reset the settings to factory.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 12T), the path may be different:

Settings → Display → Full-screen mode → Gesture settings → Navigation type

Make sure that the developer mode is turned on (7 taps by the build number in "About the phone")

Check for backup in Mi Cloud

- Record the IMEI of your phone (on the box or via the code *#06#)

Disable protection with a pattern lock (if any)

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Hidden MIUI settings: how to enable buttons through ADB

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to use the ADB debugging bridge, which is suitable for advanced users and requires a computer.

Preparation:

1. Download the Google Platform Tools.
2. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (7 taps) → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in the device.

Commands for button recovery:

adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*


adb shell settings put global policy_control null*

After you've done the commands, restart the device. If the buttons don't show up, try an alternative method:

adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.Settings$NavigationSettingsActivity

Hardware reasons: when it is not the fault of software

If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be the hardware.

How to check for hardware malfunction?

• 🔍 Connect your phone to your PC and check your response to commands ADB (If the commands are executed, but the buttons do not appear – the problem is in the display).
• 📱 Try using a phone with a connected mouse – if the cursor moves and the buttons don’t appear, the sensor is to blame.
• 🔋 See if the battery is swelling (close pressure on the back cover carefully - if there is a backlash, it is a warning sign).

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If the phone fell or came into contact with water, don’t try to disassemble it yourself – modern Xiaomis have adhesive build, and unprofessional repairs can make the problem worse.

Frequent errors of users when restoring buttons

Many people try to solve the problem in the wrong ways, which leads to even more failures.

⚠️ Attention! Do not reset to factory settings via Recovery unless backed up! on some models (POCO X3 NFC) This leads to the locking of the loader.

• 🚫 Installation of custom firmware without unlocking the bootloader - this will lead to a brick (complete inoperability) of the device.
• 🚫 Using apps like “Button Fix” from Google Play – they often contain malicious code.
• 🚫 Disassembling the phone without experience – on Xiaomi with AMOLED-screens easily damage the matrix with careless removal.
• 🚫 Reverse to the old version MIUI via Fastboot without compatibility checks – this can break camera or sensor modules.

If you've already made one of these mistakes, don't panic. In most cases, the phone can be recovered through a reset. EDL-mode (emergency firmware), but this will require an authorized Xiaomi account and a special cable.

Prevention: How to avoid re-disabling buttons

To prevent the problem from returning, follow these recommendations:

• 🔄 Update regularly MIUI through settings → Update the system, but do not install the beta version.
• 📱 Avoid using launchers from third-party developers (such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher).
• 🛡️ Disable Overlay Rights for Unnecessary Applications in Settings → Annexes → Special access → Overlaying on top of other applications.
• 🔋 Do not allow battery discharge below 10% – this can cause malfunctions in the screen controller.

Useful Lifehack: If you play games frequently or watch videos in full screen, create a shortcut to quickly return buttons:

1. Add to the main screen the widget shortcuts and tools.
2. Select Settings → Screen → Full-screen mode.
3. Now you can turn on/off the button display with one tap.

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On models with MIUI 13+, there is a hidden function called Safe Signature Mode – hold the power button for 10 seconds to temporarily return standard navigation.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions