How to flip an image on Xiaomi: all the ways from mirror reflection to turn at 90°

You took a great photo on Xiaomi, but it turned upside down, or do you need to reflect it horizontally for creative effect? In this article, we will look at all possible ways to flip images, from built-in gallery tools to professional applications. Whether you have a Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or Xiaomi 14 flagship, the instructions are universal for all devices on MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS).

Most often, users are faced with the need to turn the photo in three cases: automatic rotation when shooting (when the camera incorrectly determined the orientation), mirror reflection (for example, for selfies or screenshots with text) and creative editing (creating collages, memes). We will cover the solutions for each scenario, including the hidden features of the editor. MIUI, Which 80% of users don’t know.

The fastest method is to use the built-in photo editor in the Gallery app (Google Photos is not suitable!), which works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones without installing additional programs.

Instructions:

  1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with a floral logo).
  2. Select the desired photo and tap it to open in full screen mode.
  3. Click the "Edit" button (the pencil icon in the bottom menu).
  4. Go to the “Pruning” tab (frame icon).
  5. In the lower menu will appear the turn buttons: 🔄 Turn 90.° counterclockwise 🔃 Turn 90.° clockwise ↔️ Horizontal reflection (mirror) ↕️ vertical reflection

"Save."

⚠️ Note: When you save the edited photo, the original is not replaced, you create a copy marked " edited." To delete the original, do it manually through the "Manage" menu (three dots). → «Delete the original»).

Click "Cancel" if you turn in the wrong direction|Make sure the option “Save as a copy” is enabled»|Check the permission - editor MIUI does not diminish the quality|Close the background applications if the gallery is slowing down-->

Method 2: Using Google Photos (for mirroring)

If you need to reflect a photo horizontally (for example, for a selfie or text), but the built-in editor Xiaomi does not like, use Google Photos. This method is suitable for devices with a pre-installed service or after installing it from the Play Store.

Step-by-step:

  1. Open Google Photos and select an image.
  2. Slip the "Edit" button** (the icon with sliders).
  3. Go to the Tools tab** → “Turn”.

"Save a copy" (important: the original will remain unchanged!)

💡 Useful tip: Google Photos can undo changes within 60 days through the Recycle Bin, which is handy if you accidentally saved the wrong version.

Xiaomi Standard Gallery|Google Photo|The Appendix (Snapseed, Lightroom)|I don't edit the photo.-->

Method 3: Rotate through the file manager (for power users)

Few people know, but Xiaomi can flip a photo directly through File Manager, a method that is useful if the gallery does not open an image (for example, in.webp or.heic format).

How to do this:

    Instructions for FastStone Image Viewer:

    1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via cable (enable File Transfer mode).
    2. Copy the photo into a folder on your computer.
    3. Open images in FastStone (select a few files → right button → Open with help**).
    4. Press Turn/Reflection** (the button with two arrows) and select the action.
    5. Save the changes (Ctrl+S or via the menu).

    ⚠️ Note: When connecting Xiaomi to a PC through USB select mode MTP (Media Transfer Protocol, not Charge. If your computer can't see your device, update your drivers via Mi PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi).

    Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

    Even a simple photo-coup operation can go wrong. Here are the typical problems and solutions.

    • 🚫 Photo is not saved after editing Reason: Lack of memory. Clear cache of galleries in Settings → Annexes → gallery → Memory.
    • 🔄 The turn is reset after the editor closes Reason: You did not click Save.In the Xiaomi gallery, the changes apply only after confirmation.
    • 📱 Google Photos Not Working Reason: Outdated version of the app. Update it in Play Store.
    • 🖼️ Turning distorts proportions Photo Reason: Car cropping is enabled. Turn it off in the editor settings.

    🔧 On some models of Xiaomi (for example, Mi 11 Ultra) when you turn the photo in the gallery may disappear information about the geolocation (EXIF-To avoid this, use Google Photos or Lightroom, which stores metadata.

    💡

    If the photo is turned “pixelated” after the turn, most likely, the editor automatically reduced the resolution. In the settings of the Xiaomi gallery, check the “Quality when saved” option (should stand “Original”).

    Can I flip a photo right in the Xiaomi camera without saving it?
    No, the standard Camera app doesn't have a pre-rotation function. However, you can: Take a picture, then open it in the gallery and edit it right away, use Professional mode** (Pro) and manually adjust the orientation (but this won't affect the final photo). New HyperOS models (like Xiaomi 14) have a "Stop" option in the camera settings, but it works only for video.
    Why does the photo become smaller after a turn in the Xiaomi gallery?
    This is because of compression when saving. To avoid loss of quality: Before editing, copy the photo to the cloud (like Google Drive) and work with a copy. In the gallery settings (Settings → Gallery → Image Quality), select "Original." Use Lightroom or Snapseed - they do not reduce the resolution.
    How to turn a live photo on Xiaomi?
    The standard MIUI gallery does not support Live Photo editing (short video photo). Solutions: Remove frame: Open Live Photo → click More (three dots) → Remove frame → edit static image. Use third-party apps: Motion Stills (from Google) allows you to edit live photos, including a twist. Convert to GIF: In the gallery, select Export as GIF, then edit to GIPHY or ImgPlay.
    Can you automatically turn all new photos on Xiaomi?
    There is no built-in feature for automatic rotation, but you can configure: Turn off the screen autorotate: In some cases, the photo turns over due to the gyroscope activation. Turn off the autorotation in the notification curtain. AutoRotate: App: Allows you to capture the orientation of the camera (for example, always "album"). Script via Tasker: For advanced users, create a task to rot all new photos in the DCIM folder.
    How to return the original photo after a bad turn?
    If you saved the changes over the original: Check the cart: In the Xiaomi gallery deleted photos are stored for 30 days (Albums) → Restore via Google Photos: If sync is enabled, the original can be in the cloud. Use Recovery software: DiskDigger or Recuva (only if the photo was not overwritten with new data!). 💡 Tip: Include in the gallery settings the option “Save the original when editing” (Settings) → gallery → Editing).