Where on Xiaomi photos are stored: a full guide to search for images in the MIUI

Have you taken hundreds of photos on your Xiaomi but can’t find them in the gallery? MIUI The problem with finding images on smartphones of this brand is more common than it seems, because photos on Xiaomi are stored in several places at the same time, from standard folders to hidden system directories, and sometimes in cloud services without your knowledge.

In this article, we will analyze all possible photo storage locations on Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO steerable MIUI 12-14, You'll learn how to find lost photos, why they might disappear from the gallery, and what to do if the photos are deleted by mistake, and how to set up automatic backups so you don't lose any more important footage.

Standard folders with photos in MIUI

By default, all photos taken on Xiaomi’s camera are saved to a folder. DCIM/Camera. But it's not the only storage site. MIUI Automatically distributes photos to multiple directories based on their origin:

• 📷 Main camera photos: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera/ — This is where all the pictures taken with the standard Camera app are located, 2026-05).
• 🎨 Screenshots: /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots/ — It's automatically created when you first take a screenshot. MIUI 14 The screenshots are also duplicated in DCIM/Screenshots.
• 📥 Uploaded images: /storage/emulated/0/Download/ or /Pictures/ — here are photos downloaded from the browser or messengers (unless another path is indicated).
• 🤖 Cash and thumbnails: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/cache/ — Temporary gallery files are stored here, including previews for quick download.

It is important to note that the paths may differ depending on the version. MIUI. For example, in MIUI 12 screenshots were saved only in Pictures, and MIUI 13 A duplicate folder appeared in DCIM. Also, some models (such as Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12) create additional folders for photos in Pro or Night Mode mode.

How fast can you find these folders? Use the built-in Explorer (MI File Manager):

1. Open the Files app (yellow folder icon).
2. Go to the Category tab → Images.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show Hidden Files (if necessary).
4. Or manually walk the way. /storage/emulated/0/ and open the folder.

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If the folder DCIM It's empty, but you're sure the photos were, check the camera settings: it's possible the save path has been changed to a memory card or cloud.

Hidden folders and system directories with photos

Not all images are stored in open folders. MIUI It creates hidden directories for service purposes, where duplicates or temporary copies of photos can stay:

• 🔍 Cash galleries: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/cache/thumb/ — It's where you store thumbnails to speed up the loading of the gallery, and sometimes full-size photos stay here after the failure.
• 📁 Backup copies MIUI: /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/ — If you have enabled backup in the settings, there may be archives with photos in.mbk format.
• 🤖 Application folders: Many programs (such as WhatsApp, Telegram) create their directories in the app. /Android/media/. For example, the photos from WhatsApp are in /Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images/.
• 🔒 Secure folders: If you used the Private files function in the gallery, photos can be in the gallery. /MIUI/Private/ (Access only after entering the password).

V MIUI 14 There's a new hidden folder. /MIUI/CloudBackup/, where photos are automatically copied before uploading to Mi Cloud, and these files can remain on the device even after being deleted from the gallery.

To see hidden folders in Explorer, turn on the display of hidden files:

1. Open the files. → press the three dots at the top.
2. Select Settings → Additionally.
3. Activate the switch to show hidden files.

Cloud services: where else can your photos be

Xiaomi is actively integrating cloud services into the MIUI, And your photos could automatically be uploaded to one of these vaults without your knowledge:

• ☁️ Mi Cloud: Xiaomi's standard cloud with 5GB of free space. Photos synced if your account settings have Gallery Sync enabled. Check along the way: Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery.
• 📊 Google Photos: If you use Google services, photos could be uploaded automatically. Open the Google Photos app and check the Recycle Bin section (files stored there for 60 days).
• 💬 Messengers: Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber store sent/received photos in their cloud storage.
• 🌐 Social media: if you uploaded photos to Instagram, VK Or Facebook, they could have stayed in the app cache: /Android/data/com.instagram.android/cache/.

Pay special attention to the Mi Cloud, even if you didn't manually enable synchronization, MIUI Sometimes it activates it by default after the update:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi account.
2. Go to Mi Cloud. → gallery.
3. See if Auto Sync is enabled and how much space the photo takes up.

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If sync is enabled in Mi Cloud, removing photos from your phone will also result in them being removed from the cloud (unless a separate backup is set up).

How to recover photos from the cloud? Mi Cloud has a cart where files are stored for 30 days:

1. Log in to Mi Cloud via the browser: i.mi.com.
2. Choose the Gallery → Basket.
3. Find the right photos and click Restore.

Why photos disappear from the gallery (and how to get them back)

A common problem with Xiaomi users is that photos have disappeared from the gallery, although they occupy disk space.

• 🔄 Indexing failure: gallery MIUI Sometimes it forgets to update the database, so the solution is to restart the Gallery app or clear its cache in Settings. → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 📁 Photos moved to a different folder: some applications (such as Clean Master or Security) can automatically sort files. MIUI/Extra/.
• 🗑️ Removing from the cloud: If you sync with Mi Cloud or Google Photos, deleting photos on one device can erase them everywhere.
• 🛠️ File system error: after incorrect extraction SD-map or update failure MIUI The files may become unreadable, and it will help to check the disk through Explorer (long press on the folder). → Properties → Verification).

How do you recover the missing photos? Try these steps first.

Clear the cache of the Gallery app

Check the folders. /DCIM/, /Pictures/, /Download/

Enable the display of hidden files in Explorer

View the cart in Mi Cloud and Google Photos

Reboot your phone (sometimes helps when indexing fails)-->

If the photos are deleted, but they take up disk space, try to restore them using specialized applications:

1. Install DiskDigger or Recuva (requires root for deep scanning).
2. Select the internal storage (or SD Card).
3. Run the scan in Deep Scan mode (may take several hours).
4. Save the files found to another folder (not to the same drive!).

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If the photos were on SD-Do not save new files to the card until it is restored – this reduces the chances of success.

How to transfer a photo to a memory card or PC

If the phone’s internal memory is full, it’s wise to transfer the photos to the phone. SD-A card or a computer. Here's how to do it safely:

Method 1: Through a Conductor MIUI

1. Open the files. → Go to the folder with the photo (for example, DCIM/Camera).
2. Select the desired files (long press → tick).
3. Click Move or Copy.
4. Select the target folder (for example, /storage/XXXX-XXXX/DCIM/Camera/ for SD-map).

Method 2: Through USB-cable)

1. Connect your phone to your computer via USB.
2. On your phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On PC, open This Computer → Find a Xiaomi device.
4. Copy files from the Internal folder Storage/DCIM/Camera any folder on a PC.

Method 3: Through the cloud (for backup)

• ☁️ Upload photos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• On PC, log into your account and download the archive through the web interface.

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When moving the photo to SD-Make sure that the card is formatted in exFAT or FAT32 — MIUI supportive NTFS externally.

Setup automatic photo backup

To avoid losing photos, set up automatic backup. MIUI There are a few built-in tools:

1. Synchronization with Mi Cloud

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Choose the Gallery → turn on Autosynchronization.
3. Specify which folders to sync (for example, only DCIM/Camera).
4. Set up the download quality (original or compression).

2.Google Photos (alternative to Mi Cloud)

1. Install Google Photos from the Play Market.
2. Open the app. → tap on the avatar → Photo settings → Backup and synchronization.
3. Enable backup and select quality (High or Original).

3. Local backup to the SD-map

If you don’t trust the cloud, use the built-in Backup function. MIUI:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Local Backup.
3. Check the Gallery and point the way to SD-map.
4. Click Create a backup copy.

What to do if the photo is permanently deleted

If you erase the photos from all the folders and the clouds, you have one last chance, specialized recovery software.

1.Recovery programs (without root)

• DiskDigger scans the internal memory and SD-Deleted file card supports recovery JPG, PNG, HEIC.
• Recuva (for PC) – if you connect your phone in mode MTP, The program scans memory for deleted photos.
• EaseUS MobiSaver is a specialist in recovering media files from Android.

2. Recovery through ADB (advanced)

If the phone is not rooted, but there is access to ADB, You can try to extract the residual data:

adb shell


su




cd /data/media/0/DCIM/




ls -la

If the folder exists but is empty, try to find temporary files:

find /data -name ".jpg" -o -name ".png"

3. Contact the service center

If the photos are critical (like documents or single photos), you can contact Xiaomi Service Center, they have tools for low-level data recovery from flash memory, but it is expensive and does not guarantee 100% results.

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The faster you start recovering from deletion, the better the chances of success, and each new record on the disk (install applications, take photos) reduces the likelihood of recovery.

⚠️ Note: Do not install recovery software on the same drive you are trying to return files from.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo storage on Xiaomi