How to password a gallery on Xiaomi: hide the photo from prying eyes

Have you ever given your Xiaomi smartphone to friends or colleagues and worried they'd accidentally see personal photos? Or maybe your gallery holds important documents in the form of screenshots that shouldn't fall into the wrong hands?

Fortunately, the manufacturer has provided several ways to restrict access to the gallery. But there are pitfalls: not all methods are equally reliable, and some can be reset after the MIUI update. In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to password the gallery on any Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO device, from standard functions to hidden system features, you will learn how to configure protection through biometrics, create a “secret album”, and what to do if the password suddenly stops working.

Method 1: Built-in locking of the gallery through "Secure Albums"

The simplest and most official method is to use the Protected Albums feature, which is available in the Gallery app on all smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, which requires no third-party software installation and is integrated into Xiaomi’s security system.

To activate the protection:

1. Open the Gallery app on your smartphone.
2. Slip on three dots in the top right corner and select Protected Albums.
3. Click Add Album and select the photo/video you want to hide.
4. The system will prompt you to set a password, fingerprint or facial recognition.

Once set up, the secure files will disappear from the main gallery and will only be available after authentication. Importantly, if you use a Mi Account, these albums sync between Xiaomi devices under one account.

Make sure that MIUI upgraded to 12+|Check the space (protected files are duplicated)|Remember your password (you can only recover it through your Mi Account)|Turn off autosynchronization with the cloud if you don’t need to.-->

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If the gallery menu does not have the option “Secure Albums”, update the app via Google Play or clear its cache in the settings.

Method 2: Locking through Second Space (second desktop)

Second Space allows you to create a completely isolated environment with your own applications, files and settings, not just gallery protection, but a full-fledged "secret mode" for the entire smartphone, suitable for users who need to hide not only photos, but also correspondence, applications or call history.

How to set up:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → Second Space.
• 📱 Click Create Second Space and follow the instructions (you need to set a separate password).
• 🔄 After creating, restart your phone and select the desired profile when you turn on.
• 📷 In the second space, install a gallery and transfer your personal files there.

The advantage of this method is that the second desktop is not visible without entering a password when you start the phone, but there are also disadvantages: the feature is not available on all models (for example, it is not available on some budget Redmi), and also takes up additional disk space.

⚠️ Note: Second Space does not automatically sync files in the main and second spaces, and if you delete a photo in one profile, it will remain in the other.

Method 3: Third-party applications for gallery protection

If Xiaomi’s standard features don’t suit you, you can use specialized apps from Google Play, which offer advanced features: file encryption, fake password, automatic hiding when you connect to certain Wi-Fi networks, and even remote data erasure.

Top.-3 tested applications:

Check reviews and ratings before installing – some gallery defenders may collect your data themselves, and note permissions: if an app requests access to SMS or calls without an obvious reason, this is a reason to be wary.

Built-in functions MIUI|Third-party annexes|Second Space|Hidden folders in the file manager|Not defending.-->

Method 4: Hidden folders through file manager

Few people know, but Xiaomi can create a hidden folder right in the standard Explore file manager. This method does not require a password, but files will be unavailable without knowing the exact path.

Instructions:

1. Open the Files (or Explore)
2. Go to the Internal Memory section.
3. Create a new folder with a name starting with a dot, such as.secretphotos.
4. Move the files there.
5. Return to the root directory and update the list – the folder will disappear from view.

To see the hidden folder again, you need to turn on the hidden files display (Three dots → Settings → Show hidden files) in the file manager settings. This method does not protect against targeted search, but saves from accidental viewing.

Method 5: Password Archive (for maximum security)

If you need to encrypt photos, the best option is to pack them into an archive with a password, which is suitable for backups or transferring files over unprotected channels (for example, via messengers).

How to do this:

• 📂 Select a photo in the gallery, click Share → Save it in the Files.
• 🗄️ Open Files, find saved images and highlight them.
• 🔐 Press More. → Squeeze and select the format ZIP password-wise.
• 🔑 Set a complex password (at least 12 characters with numbers and special signs).

Now your photos are protected by military encryption (MIUI uses the ZIP-Crypto or AES-256 algorithm depending on the version). To view files, you will need to unpack the archive every time.

⚠️ Note: If you forget your password ZIP-It will be impossible to restore access to files, even through the Xiaomi service center.

What to do if the gallery password doesn’t work?

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where a previously set password is no longer accepted by the system, this can happen after an update to MIUI, reset settings or a failure in the Gallery application.

1.Rebooting the phone – often helps with temporary crashes.

2. Clearing gallery cache:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear cache

This won’t delete your files, but it can reset temporary authentication errors.

3. Reset password through Mi Account:

Open Settings → Xiaomi account.

- Find the Security section → Device management.

- Select your smartphone and click Reset application password.

If nothing works, you’ll have to use a hard reset, but it will delete all the data from your phone. Before you do that, try connecting the device to your PC and copy files from the folder via ADB:

/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.hidden/

(This is the standard way for protected albums in MIUI).

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Always link Mi Account to your phone, which is the only way to restore access to secure albums without losing data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about protecting the gallery on Xiaomi