How to Turn a Photo in the Xiaomi Gallery: All Ways (Including Hidden Features)

Why photos turn over on their own – and how to fix it

You took the perfect shot on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 Pro, but when viewed in the gallery, it suddenly turned 90.° This problem is familiar to many Xiaomi smartphone owners — and the reasons for it are not the camera error, but the peculiarities of processing metadata. EXIF. The fact that the smartphone saves information about the orientation of the image separately from the image itself, and sometimes the gallery. MIUI reads this data incorrectly.

Fortunately, you can fix a photo right in the standard gallery without installing third-party apps. Moreover, MIUI 14/15 has hidden editing features that not everyone knows about. In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to turn a photo on Xiaomi, including mirror reflection and turn to an arbitrary angle. And also find out why some images “obstinately” return to their original position after editing – and how to prevent this.

Before you start the instructions, check the version of your gallery. To do this, open the Gallery app, tap three dots in the upper right corner and select About. If you have a version older than 4.20.1.19, some features may not be available, update the app via Google Play or AppGallery.

Method 1: Quick turn in the standard gallery editor

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI editor, which is available on all models starting with the Redmi 9 and later, as well as on devices with the HyperOS shell.

1. Open the gallery and find the photo you want. Stick it in to open it in full screen.
2. In the bottom panel, click on the Edit icon (pencil or three stripes).
3. In the tool menu, select Turn (circular arrow icon).
4. Slip the button Turn 90° or Reflect (mirror reversal).
5. Save the changes with the Ready button in the upper right corner.

⚠️ Note: If the photo is displayed in the wrong orientation after saving, the problem lies in the metadata. EXIF. Try the 3 or 4 of this article.

Check the gallery version (update if necessary)

Save a photo in the new album

Use a third-party editor (e.g. Google Photos)

Reboot your smartphone before re-editing-->

On some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra), the editor has the Free Turn feature – it allows you to unfold the picture at any angle, not just 90 °. To find it, after clicking Turn, hold your finger on the screen and lead left / right for fine tuning.

Method 2: Mirror reflection (flip) through a hidden menu

If you need to mirror the image instead of just rotating it (for example, to create symmetrical collages), the standard MIUI editor offers a hidden option.

1. Open the photo in the gallery and click Edit.
2. Select the Trimming tool (icon with frame).
3. In the bottom panel, there will be an additional menu, and then you can tap on the mirror icon (two arrows pointing in different directions).
4. Choose the axis of reflection: Horizontally (left to right) or Vertically (top to bottom).
5. Save the changes.

This feature is especially useful for creating symmetrical images or correcting images taken through a mirror (for example, a selfie in the bathroom). Note: mirror reflection does not store EXIF metadata, so after such processing, the photo will not “turn over” back.

Method 3: Correct EXIF metadata (if the photo is “stubbornly” flipped back)

If you turn a photo in the Xiaomi gallery again upside down, the fault is EXIF metadata. This is a common problem when transferring images from other devices (for example, from an iPhone or camera) or after editing in third-party applications.

Method A: Through the Files app

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. Go to Images → find the file you want (usually in the DCIM/Camera folder).
3. Hold your finger in the photo, select Properties → Details.
4. Check the Orientation field. If it says "Rotated 90°" or "Inverted," click "Current."

Method B: Using Google Photos

If the first method didn’t work, upload the photo to Google Photos:

1. Open Google Photos and find the problem photo.
2. Slip on Edit → Tools → Turn.
3. Turn the photo in the correct position and save it.
4. Remove the original from the MIUI Gallery and leave only an edited copy from Google Photos.

⚠️ Attention: When correcting EXIF The image quality may be slightly impaired by recompression through Google Photos. If you want to keep the original resolution, use Method A or specialized applications like this. EXIF Editor.

Method 4: Packet-turning of several photos (for albums)

If you need to expand multiple shots at once (for example, after importing from a camera), the standard MIUI gallery does not offer this feature.

Option 1: Through PC (most reliable)

Connect your smartphone to your computer and use:

• 🖥️ Windows Explorer: highlight the photo → right-button → Turn left/right.
• 📷 FastStone Image Viewer (free program) for batch processing.
• 🌐 Online services like BIRME (works without installation).

Option 2: Android apps

If you don’t have access to your PC, install one of these apps:

• 📱 Photo & Picture Resizer (a package rotation feature).
• 🔄 Rotate Image (specialized tool for the EXIF).
• 🖼️ PicsArt (in the Tools menu) → Turn).

⚠️ Note: When batch editing through third-party applications, always back up the originals. Some programs (such as PicsArt) automatically compress images when saved, which can degrade the quality of the images.

💡

If you often work with large batches of photos, set up automatic synchronization with Google Drive or Yandex.Disk. The web version of these services has built-in tools for batch rotation without loss of quality.

Method 5: Manual editing EXIF via ADB (for advanced users)

If all previous methods failed and the photo still doesn’t show correctly, the problem may be in the damaged metadata, which can be done by manually fixing it via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for Xiaomi owners with an unlocked bootloader or root rights.

You'll need:

• 💻 Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap the version number → Come back to the extra. → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Then execute commands in the terminal:

adb shell


su




find /storage/emulated/0/DCIM -name "*.jpg" -exec exiftool -n -Orientation=1 {} \;

This command recursively zeroes the orientation parameter for everyone. JPG-file DCIM. If you need to process a particular photo, point out its path clearly:

exiftool -Orientation=1 /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera/IMG_20260515_123456.jpg

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause data loss or gallery disruptions.Be sure to back up your photo to the cloud or PC before you execute commands.

💡

Fixing EXIF via ADB is the most radical, but also the most effective, and it is guaranteed to eliminate the problem of stubborn photos that return to their original position after editing.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even after successfully turning a photo, Xiaomi users are facing typical problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

1.Photo is flipped back after editing

Reason: Conflict of EXIF metadata and gallery cache.

Decision:

• Clear the cache of the gallery: Settings → Apps → Gallery → Storage → Clear the cache.
• Move the photo to another album or to another album. SD-map.
• Use the 3 or 5 method of this article.

2.The quality deteriorated after the turn

Reason: Recompression when saved (especially relevant for Google Photos).

Decision:

• Save the copy in PNG format (without loss).
• Use the Snapseed editor with the option Export without compression.
• Turn off storage optimization in Google Photos (Settings → Backup → Quality → Original).

3. Gallery turn is not working (button is inactive)

Reason: Photos are DRM protected or stored in cloud storage (e.g. Mi Cloud).

Decision:

• Download the photo to the device (shap on three points → Save to the device).
• Check the permissions to the folder (Settings → Permissions → Storage).
• Update the gallery to the latest version.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions