How to turn a photo in the gallery Xiaomi: all the ways to MIUI 12-14

The problem with upside-down photos in Xiaomi Gallery is familiar to many users. Pictures can automatically unfold incorrectly due to errors in EXIF metadata, camera sensor processing features, or after transferring files between devices. In this article, we will discuss all working methods of turning photos from standard MIUI tools to third-party applications, and explain why images are sometimes displayed upside down even after editing.

The Xiaomi Gallery uses its own image orientation algorithms, such as photos from Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or POCO F5 cameras that can be displayed correctly in Google Photos but inverted in a standard viewer, because MIUI ignores the EXIF orientation tag when displaying thumbnails, and we tested all methods on the latest firmware versions (up to MIUI 14.0.5) and identified the most reliable solutions.

If you're faced with a problem where the photo turns on its own after editing or sending it to the messenger, the reason lies in the conflict of metadata. In such cases, not only will the manual rotation help, but also the reset. EXIF-Tags - we will talk about this in a separate section.

Method 1: Turning through the built-in gallery editor

The easiest method is to use standard MIUI tools. It is suitable for most models, including the Redmi 10C, POCO X5 Pro and Mi 11 Lite. It is important: after a turn, save a copy, otherwise the original will be overwritten.

Step instructions:

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with a flower on a blue background).
2. Select the desired photo and tap it to open in full screen mode.
3. Press the Edit button (the pencil icon at the bottom of the screen).
4. In the lower toolbar, find the Turn icon (two arrows in a circle).
5. Each press turns the image 90° clockwise. To turn 180°, press twice.
6. After adjusting, tap Save (or Save a copy so you don't lose the original).

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A s MIUI 12.5) The turn button may not be present in the main edit menu, in which case, deploy additional tools by clicking on three dots (⋮) top-right.

Photo not blocked for editing (no lock icon)

Free at least 100 MB of memory on the device

Gallery updated to the latest version (Look at Play Store → My apps)

Battery saving mode disabled for Gallery app

-->

If the photo is turned upside down again after saving it, the problem lies in the metadata. Go to Method 4, which describes how to reset. EXIF-tagging.

Method 2: Using Google Photos

Google Photos often gets around to turning where the standard Xiaomi gallery fails, because Google reads EXIF orientation tags correctly, unlike MIUI, and even works on older models like the Redmi 5 Plus.

How to turn a photo through Google Photos:

• 📱 Install the app from the Play Store if it is not already installed.
• 🖼️ Open the photo in Google Photos and tap the Edit button (the icon with sliders).
• 🔄 In the lower menu, select the Rotating tool (round arrow).
• 📲 The turn is done by swiping up/down the screen. = 90°.
• ✅ Click Save Copy to avoid losing the original.

The advantage of this method is that Google Photos automatically syncs the edited photos to the cloud if the appropriate setting is enabled, but keep in mind that when you save a copy, the quality can deteriorate slightly due to compression.

The MIUI Standard Gallery

Google Photo

Other Annex (specify in the comments)

I don't know what it is.

-->

Method 3: Rotate through the file manager

Few people know, but Xiaomi’s built-in file manager (yellow folder icon) can also rotate images, which is useful if the gallery doesn’t open a photo because of damage or if you’re working with files on a memory card.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the File Manager and go to the photo folder (usually DCIM → Camera).
2. Long click on the file → select Open with the help of → Gallery.
3. In the viewer that opens, tap the pencil icon (Edit).
4. Use the rotating tool (as in Method 1).

If the photo doesn't open even through the file manager, check it for errors.

• 🔍 Connect your phone to your PC and copy the file to your computer.
• 🖥️ Try opening it through Windows Explorer or FastStone Image Viewer.
• 🛠️ If the photo is damaged, use utilities like JPEG Repair.

💡

If the photo is in portrait mode but appears as landscape, try renaming the file by adding portrait at the end.

Method 4: Reset EXIF-Tags (for stubborn photos)

If the photo is rotated in the editor, but after saving it again is displayed incorrectly, the problem is in the metadata. EXIF. This standard stores information about the orientation of the image, and sometimes MIUI It reads it wrong. The solution is to delete it or overwrite it. EXIF-tagging.

You will need the EXIF Eraser app (free in the Play Store):

• 📲 Install and open the application.
• 📂 Select a problematic photo from the gallery.
• 🔄 Press Remove. EXIF (delete).
• 💾 Save a file with a new name (for example, photo_fixed.jpg).

After removal EXIF Xiaomi gallery will determine the orientation by pixel analysis, not by tags, which in 90% of cases solves the problem of “turning over”. EXIF: Photo EXIF Editor or Metadata Remover.

Method 5: Rotate through a PC (for mass processing)

If you want to deploy dozens of photos, it's more convenient to do it on a computer. Any image viewer, Windows Photos, FastStone, even Paint, will do it. We recommend using IrfanView, which supports batch editing.

Instructions for IrfanView:

1. Download and install the program from the official website irfanview.com.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC in file transfer mode (MTP).
3. In IrfanView, select File → Batch Conversion.
4. Add the desired photos to the list, specify the folder for saving.
5. In the Batch convert section, select Advanced → Rotate and specify the angle (90°, 180° or 270°).
6. Start the process with the Start Batch button.

⚠️ Note: When batch rotation, the original photos will be overwritten, unless you specify another folder to save.

Why do the photos turn on their own?

The main reasons for automatic image reversal in the Xiaomi gallery:

1. Conflict EXIF-tag

The camera of the smartphone records information about the orientation of the image (orientation tag) in metadata. If this value conflicts with the real position of the pixels, the gallery may display the photo incorrectly, for example, the photo is taken in landscape orientation, but the tag indicates a portrait.

2. Mishandling errors in MIUI

There's a bug in MIUI 12-14 firmware: when you look at the thumbnails, the gallery ignores EXIF, and when you open the full screen, it takes it into account, which creates a "jumping" orientation.

3. Transfer between devices

When you copy photos from Xiaomi to iPhone or PC, orientation tags can be interpreted differently, for example, iOS always rotates the photo according to EXIF, and MIUI only 80% of the time.

4. File damage

If the photo was sent via messenger (Telegram, WhatsApp) or saved from the Internet, its metadata could be lost or distorted, in such cases only manual rotation + saving a new copy will help.

💡

If the photo is rotated only in the Xiaomi gallery, but normally displayed in other applications (for example, in VLC or QuickPic) – the problem is precisely in the EXIF conflict and the MIUI algorithms.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you turn a photo, you often face typical problems, and here's how to prevent them:

Error 1: The photo is kept in low quality

This happens if the gallery settings include the option Save in the original quality: Off.. To fix:

1. Open the gallery. → ⋮ → Settings.
2. Find the Image Quality section.
3. Enable the option to preserve original quality.

Mistake 2: You can't turn the picture from the screenshots

Screenshots taken on Xiaomi are often blocked for editing.Solution:

• 📁 Copy the screenshot to another folder (for example, DCIM → Screenshots → move in DCIM → Edited).
• 🔧 Use Google Photos or Snapseed to edit.

Error 3: After turning the photo became "blurred"

This is because some editors (including the standard MIUI) use bicubic interpolation when turning, which reduces clarity.

• 🖼️ Before turning, increase the photo size by 10-15% (in the same editor).
• 💾 Save it in format. PNG, if detail is important.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions