How to turn a photo in the gallery Xiaomi: all the ways for MIUI 12/13/14

You took a great shot on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 Pro, but it was saved in the gallery “upside down” or sideways? This problem arises from a failure in determining the orientation of the gyroscope sensor, incorrect camera settings or errors in processing the file. Fortunately, you can fix the position of the photo in the standard MIUI gallery in a few seconds – without installing additional programs.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to expand the image to 90.° 180°: From the built-in gallery tools to the hidden features of the Google Photos editor, we also look at why photos are saved upside down, and what to do if the gallery's turn button is inactive. POCO base MIUI 12, 13 and 14.

Why photos are saved in reverse in Xiaomi

The problem with flipped images is not the camera breakdown, but the way the smartphone processes EXIF metadata, which is information about the orientation of the image.

• 📱 Gyroscope sensor failure: If the phone was at an angle during the shooting (for example, you were taking a photo of yourself in a mirror), the system may have misrecorded orientation data.
• 🔄 Application conflict: Simultaneous use of a standard camera and third-party applications (such as Open Camera or GCam) sometimes confuses settings.
• 🖼️ Manual editing: If you have previously turned a photo in the editor, but did not save the changes, the gallery may display it incorrectly.
• 📁 File corruption: When you transfer over Bluetooth or download from the cloud (such as Google Drive), metadata may be lost.

80 percent of the time, you just turn it in the gallery, but if the turn button is inactive, you'll have to use alternative methods, which you can read about below.

Method 1: Turning a photo in the standard gallery MIUI

The fastest method is to use the built-in gallery editor, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later (including Redmi 10/11/12, POCO F4/F5, Mi 11 Lite, etc.).

1. Open the Gallery app (a flower icon with petals).
2. Find the right photo and tap it to open in full screen mode.
3. In the bottom panel, click on the "Edit" icon** (pencil).
4. In the editor menu, select the tool "Turn"** (round arrow).
5. Press the turn button until the photo is in the right orientation, and each press turns the image 90° clockwise.
6. After adjusting, tap "Save"** (check in the upper right corner). The system will suggest replacing the original or saving a copy - select the desired option.

Important! If the Turn button is inactive (grey), the photo is edit-proof. To unlock it, go to Gallery Settings → Additional → Allow editing.

Make sure the photo is not in the cloud album (download it to your device)

Check that the gallery has editing mode enabled (Settings → Editor)

Close all background applications that may block access to the file

Back up important pictures (click “More” → “Create a copy”)

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Method 2: Using Google Photos to Turn

If the standard MIUI editor fails (e.g., doesn’t save changes or open a file), use the Google Photos app, which is pre-installed on most Xiaomi smartphones and supports advanced editing tools.

Instructions:

1. Open Google Photos (a multicolored flower petal icon).
2. Find the right photo and tap it.
3. In the bottom panel, click "Edit"** (three strips with circles).
4. Go to the Tools tab** (the wrench icon).
5. Select the “Turn” option** and rotate the image until it gets right.
6. Click on “Save a copy” (to avoid losing the original) or “Save” (replace the original file).

Google Photos automatically syncs changes to the cloud, so the rotated photo will be available on all your devices. If sync is disabled, turn it on in the application settings (Settings → Backup and Sync).

Method 3: Rotate through the file manager

Few people know, but the standard Xiaomi File Manager (File app) has a built-in image viewer with basic editing functions, which can be useful if the gallery does not open the photo due to damage.

How to expand the photo:

1. Open the Files app (yellow folder icon).
2. Go to DCIM → Camera (all photos taken on camera are stored here).
3. Find the file you want (usually the name starts with the file). IMG_ or P_) and tap him.
4. In the viewer that opens, click on the icon “More”** (three dots in the upper right corner).
5. Select “turn left” or “turn right.”

This works even for photos that are downloaded from the Internet or transmitted over Bluetooth, and the main advantage is that there is no risk of losing image quality, since editing is done without compression.

Method 4: Third-party applications for turning

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t work (for example, you need to rotate several photos at once or adjust the angle manually), install one of the specialized applications. We tested 5 popular editors – the best options in the table below:

For most tasks, Photo & Picture Resizer is enough – it supports batch rotation (you can highlight several photos and expand them simultaneously). If you need not only to rotate, but also trim or apply filters, choose Snapseed.

⚠️ Attention! When installing third-party apps, only give them access to Warehouse and Photo/media. Don't allow access to contacts, SMS geolocation – this is not required for image editing.

Method 5: Rotating on the computer (for complex cases)

If the photo doesn’t turn on your phone (for example, because of file corruption or edit blocking), transfer it to your computer and use one of these methods:

• 🖥️ Windows (Conductor): Connect your phone to your PC via USB (Select File Transfer Mode. Find a photo in the Internal Drive folder → DCIM → Camera. Right-click on the file. → «Open with help» → «In the top panel, press "Turn"** (round arrow).

Online editors

Upload your photos to services like Img2Go or ILoveIMG, which support the turn without loss of quality.

After editing on your PC, don't forget to transfer the photo back to your phone.

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer.
2. Copy the edited photo to the DCIM → Camera folder.
3. Turn off the device and update the gallery (pull the screen down to update the albums).

What to do if the photo does not turn

If none of these methods worked, the problem may be related to:

• 🔒 File protection: Photo protected from editing (for example, downloaded from a secure chat in Telegram). Solution: take a screenshot of the screen (Loudness down). + Food) and trim the excess.
• 🗃️ Damage. EXIF: Orientation metadata deleted. Solution: Use Rotate Image Fix (see table above) - it restores EXIF automatically.
• 📱 Gallery error: Gallery app cache damaged Solution: clear cache in Settings → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🔄 Update Conflict: After Updating MIUI Some editor features may be missing.Solution: Update Gallery app via Google Play.

⚠️ Attention, if the photo is taken in format HEIC (used on new Xiaomi to save space, some editors may not open it. JPG via HEIC to JPG Converter.

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Before trying the tricky techniques, try rebooting your phone – sometimes it solves the problem of displaying photos in the gallery.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning photos into Xiaomi