How to mirror photos on Xiaomi phone: all ways in 2 minutes

You took the perfect shot on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or Poco X5 Pro, but you need to reflect it horizontally or vertically? Maybe you want to fix the “female effect” (when the inscriptions on the T-shirt are read backwards), prepare the image for printing on a T-shirt, or just experiment with the composition. In this article, we will examine all possible ways to mirror the photo directly on the phone, from built-in MIUI tools to third-party applications with advanced features.

It's important to understand that mirror reflection and rotation are different operations. When mirroring the pixels, the images are symmetrically duplicated relative to the central axis (as in a real mirror), whereas turning simply changes the orientation of the picture by 90° or 180°. We'll focus on the former, as it's most commonly required by users. All methods are tested on current versions of MIUI 14/15 and work on most Xiaomi models, including Redmi, Poco and Black Shark.

If you are in a hurry, use the quick way through the gallery (section 2). For advanced tasks (package processing, saving EXIF, working with RAW), read about specialized applications in section 5. And if after mirroring the photo “broken” – at the end of the article there is an FAQ with solutions to typical problems.

1. Built-in tools MIUI: Where to look for the mirror function

Starting with MIUI 12, the standard Xiaomi Gallery has the ability to mirror photos without installing additional applications. However, the feature is hidden in an unobvious way - it is not in the main editing menu.

1. Open the gallery and select the photo you want.
2. Slip on the Edit icon (pencil in the bottom menu).
3. Scroll the tools to the right to the section More (three dots).
4. Choose Mirror Reflection – there will be two options: 🔄 Horizontally – reflection from left to right (to correct the text). 🔃 Vertical - reflection from top to bottom (less commonly used).

Save as a copy

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Not working with RAW-Photos (third party applications needed).
• 🚫 There is no function of packet reflection of several photos.
• 🚫 After saving some of them are lost. EXIF-data (geoteges, camera model).

If your version of MIUI does not have a mirror button, update the Gallery via Google Play or use alternative methods from the following sections.

Make a backup copy of the original|Check the format of the photo (JPEG/PNG)|Close background applications for acceleration|Select the correct reflective axis-->

2. Quick mirroring through Google Photos (for all Xiaomi models)

Google Photos is pre-installed on most Xiaomi smartphones and offers a more user-friendly editing interface, with the main benefit of keeping the history of changes, allowing you to undo mirroring at any time.

Instructions:

1. Open Google Photos and select an image.
2. Tap Edit (an icon with sliders).
3. Go to the Tools tab → Trimming and turning.
4. In the lower right corner, click on the Mirror Reflection icon (two triangles).
5. Select an axis (horizontal or vertical) and click Save copy.

Pros of the method:

• ✅ It works with all formats, including HEIC WebP.
• ✅ Maintains original quality (without compression).
• ✅ Available on all devices, even with outdated MIUI.

Cons:

• ⚠️ Requires Internet connection for first photo synchronization.
• ⚠️ Free version limited to cloud storage (15 GB).

💡

If the image becomes dull after mirroring in Google Photos, check the color settings in the Correction section – sometimes the automatic processing is reset.

3. Secret MIUI function: Reflection through Developer Mode

Few people know, but Xiaomi has a hidden screen mirroring option that can be adapted to work with photos, which is suitable for advanced users, as it requires activation of the developer mode.

Steps:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times)
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the screen mirror option and turn it on.
4. Open the photo in any viewer (for example, QuickPic).
5. Take a screenshot of the reflected image (combination of buttons Volume down + Nutrition).
6. Cut the screenshot in the Gallery to remove unnecessary interface elements.

Warning:

⚠️ Warning: This method temporarily inverts the entire screen, including icons and text. After you create a screenshot, be sure to turn off the mirror image in the developer settings, otherwise controlling the phone will become inconvenient.

When to use:

• 🔧 If standard tools do not work (for example, on custom firmware).
• 🔧 To reflect live photos (.mov format) that are not edited in the Gallery.

4. Applications for mirroring: top-3 Xiaomi

If the built-in tools don't work, install one of the specialized apps, and we tested dozens of options and selected the best ones for Xiaomi devices:

1. Snapseed (from Google)

The best choice for professional editing, allows you to mirror photos with all metadata and supports RAW and DNG formats.

• 📱 How to use: Open your photos in Snapseed. Tap the tools → Convert. Select the Mirror Reflection icon (two arrows). Apply the changes and export without loss of quality.

Trick:

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2. Photo Mirror (Mirror Image)

A simple application with batch processing is ideal for reflecting dozens of photos at a time.

• 🔹 Automatically saves copies to a separate folder.
• 🔹 Keeps the turn on 90°/180° single-click.
• 🔹 There is a built-in collage maker to create mirror takes.

3. PicsArt

Multifunctional editor with mirror effects (for example, creating “reflection in water”).

• 🎨 It is suitable for artistic mirroring (not only technical).
• 📤 There is cloud synchronization between devices.
• Save the result in PNG format (without loss of quality).
• Move it back to your phone or upload it to the cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Drive).

Advantages of the PC method:

• ⚡ Faster when processing large files (for example, photos with Xiaomi 13 Ultra in 50 MP resolution).
• 🎛️ More control over quality and formats.
• 🔄 Ability to cancel the action at any stage.

Warning:

⚠️ Note: When sending a photo through USB Windows sometimes has a file creation date that is confused. To avoid this, use Mi Mover (a data application from Xiaomi) or cloud services.

6. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even with all the instructions, Xiaomi users face typical problems.

🔴 Problem: After mirroring the photo became blurry

The reason: Automatic compression in the Gallery or Google Photos.

Decision:

• Use Snapseed with Quality: 100% when exporting.
• Save it in PNG format instead of JPEG.

🔴 Problem: The mirror button in the Gallery is not working

Reason 1: Outdated version of MIUI (up to 12th).

Solution: Update your phone through Settings → System Update.

Reason 2: Photo in HEIC format (used on iPhone)

Solution: Convert to JPEG via Google Photos or Lightroom.

🔴 Problem: Mirror is applied to the entire screen (Developer Mode)

Reason: Forgot to disable the option after creating a screenshot.

Solution: Return to Settings → For developers and deactivate Mirror Screen Display.

💡

Always check the photo format before mirroring, and RAW, HEIC, and WebP formats may not be supported by standard MIUI tools.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions