How to turn a photo on Xiaomi and save: all the ways 2026

Turning photos on Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi and POCO) seems like a simple task — until you encounter nuances. Some users can’t find the turn button in the standard gallery, others lose original quality after saving, and still others do not understand why the picture automatically flips when viewing. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to deploy photos on Xiaomi with saving the result, including hidden MIUI functions and workarounds for older versions of firmware.

Feature of Xiaomi phones - built-in software MIUI, which is updated regularly and changes the location of options. MIUI The 14th turn button is hidden deeper than in the MIUI 12, and some regional versions don't, and we've tested all the methods on models from the Redmi Note 12 to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and we've identified those that work consistently. EXIF-Data (meta-information about a photo) when editing is critical for photographers who sort a photo by date or geolocation.

1. Turning the photo in the standard gallery MIUI

The most obvious way is to use the built-in Gallery app, but there are pitfalls: depending on the version of MIUI, the interface may differ. Consider the universal algorithm that works on most devices:

1. Open the Gallery app and select the photo you want.
2. Slip the "Edit" icon** (pencil in the bottom menu).
3. In the toolbar, find the "Turn" button. If it's not there, press three dots. ⋮ in the upper right corner and select More → Turn.

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 13/14 When you save the edited photo, you automatically create a copy marked " edited" in the file name. The original remains intact, but takes up space in memory. ⋮ and select Save instead of the original (not available on all models).

Is the photo open in full screen mode?|Is there a pencil icon (editing)?|Is the turn button visible in the bottom panel?|Is the phone connected to charging (for long-term processing)-->

2.Use Google Photos to Turn

If you don't like the standard Xiaomi gallery, the alternative is Google Photos, which not only lets you rotate your images, it automatically syncs them to the cloud. EXIF-Data (unlike some third-party editors:

1. Install Google Photos from Play Market if it is not on your phone.
2. Open the photo in the application and tap the icon "Edit"** (three strips with circles).
3. Select the Tools tab → Turn.
4. Use the turn buttons or gesture with two fingers for a manual turn.
5. Click Save a copy (to avoid losing the original) or Save (to replace the original file).

🔹 Pros of the method:

• 🔄 Automatic backup to the cloud.
• 📊 Recorded date, geotags and other metadata.
• 🎨 Additional editing tools (trimming, filters).

⚠️ Note: If you choose Save instead of Save a copy, the original photo in the Xiaomi Gallery will be replaced with an edited one. However, in Google Photos in the Recycle Bin section, it will remain available for another 60 days.

Standard gallery Xiaomi|Google Photo|Another app |I don't know-->

3. Rotate through the file manager (for power users)

If a photo is stored in.jpg or.png, it can be deployed directly to the file manager without opening it in the gallery.

• 📁 You need to rotate several photos at once (package processing).
• 🔧 Gallery does not open the file due to damage.
• 📱 There is little memory on your phone and you don’t want to duplicate files.

For this:

1. Open Files (or any other manager, such as MiXplorer)
2. Go to the photo folder (usually DCIM → Camera).
3. Long click on the file → Open with → select Gallery or Google Photos.
4. Follow the instructions in Sections 1 or 2.

💡 Tip: If the photo doesn't rotate from the file manager, check its format. RAW-files (e.g.,.dng with Xiaomi 13 Pro) do not support rotation in standard applications.

💡

To quickly find the folder with the photo, type:image in the file manager search - the system will show all the images on the device.

4. Third-party applications for turning photos

If Xiaomi's built-in tools don't suit you, consider specialized apps. 10 Popular editors and selected top-3 to turn the photo with preservation of quality:

🔹 How to turn a photo in Snapseed:

1. Open the photo in the app.
2. Select the Turning tool (icon with curved arrow).
3. Use the slider to fine-tune the angle or button of 90°/-90°.
4. Put it on the checkmark. → Exports → Select quality (recommended 100%).

5. Turn the photo on Xiaomi via PC

If your phone is running out of memory or you prefer to work on a large screen, you can deploy the photo through your computer, which is also useful if the picture is locked (for example, a screenshot from a banking application) and does not open in the gallery.

🔹 Method 1: Through Windows Explorer

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode on your phone).
2. Open the DCIM → Camera folder on your phone.
3. Right-click on the photo → Turn left/right (in Windows 10/11).
4. Copy the edited photo back to your phone.

🔹 Method 2: Photoshop or Paint

• 🖼️ In Paint: Open the photo → Turn around → Turn to 90.° clockwise.
• 🎨 In Photoshop: Image → Rotation of the image → 90° CW.

⚠️ Note: When transferring photos from Xiaomi to PC through USB Do not use Charge mode, in which case the folders with the media files will not be available. Always choose File Transfer (MTP) or PTP (for RAW-photo).

6.Why does the photo automatically turn when viewed?

Many Xiaomi users are faced with a problem: the photo looks normal on the phone, but when downloaded to a PC or social network, it turns over. EXIF-The camera of the smartphone stores information about how the photo was taken (horizontal or vertical), but some programs ignore this data.

🔹 How to fix it:

• 📱 On the phone: open a photo in Google Photos → Edit → Turn. → Save it (rewrit it) EXIF).
• 💻 On PC: Use IrfanView (free) – it reads orientation correctly.
• 🌐 In social networks: before downloading, rotate the photo in any editor and save it as a new file.

💡 Lifehack: To avoid orientation problems, in the Xiaomi camera settings, turn off the Autoturn on the sensor option (if any). → Settings → Additionally.

💡

If the photo turns on its own, the problem is not with the phone, but with the program you open it with. EXIF-Data is a “instruction” to display, but not all apps read it correctly.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning photos on Xiaomi