Where to store videos on Xiaomi smartphones: a full guide to folders and hidden directories

Have you downloaded a video from the Internet, shot a video on camera or saved a story from Instagram, but can’t find a file in the gallery? Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) distribute video files across several folders — some of them hidden from the user by default.

where exactly the video is stored depending on the source (camera, messengers, browsers);

How to access hidden system folders without root rights

Why some files are not displayed in the standard MIUI gallery and how to fix them

Features of video storage on devices with Android 13/14 and MIUI 14/15.

Importantly, folder paths may vary depending on the firmware version and smartphone model, and we will provide current data for Xiaomi devices from 2020 to 2026.

1. Standard folders for video in MIUI

By default, MIUI saves video to several basic directories accessible through any file manager (e.g. Files from Xiaomi or Solid Explorer).

• 📹 Video from the camera: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera or /DCIM/Video (Files are usually extended on some models.mp4 or mov.
• 🌐 Downloads from the browser: /storage/emulated/0/Download. Here you can find videos downloaded via Chrome, Mi Browser or Firefox.
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp: /storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Video Telegram: /storage/emulated/0/Telegram/Telegram Video (or Telegram Audio for voice messaging) Viber: /storage/emulated/0/Viber/media/Viber Videos
• 🎮 Games and screencasts: /storage/emulated/0/Movies (You can also store gameplay records from Game Turbo or Screen Recorder).

On devices with MIUI 14+ and Android 13/14, the /storage/emulated/0/ path can be displayed simply as / (root directory of internal memory).

2. Hidden system folders with video

Some videos are stored in directories that are not displayed in standard MIUI Explorer by default.

1. Use a third-party file manager (such as FX File Explorer or Total Commander) with the option to Show Hidden Files enabled.
2. In manual mode, enter the path in the address bar (in Xiaomi Files, this can be done by clicking on three dots in the upper right corner).

Here are the key hidden folders:

Important: The /Android/data/ folder is cleared when you reset or delete the app. If you delete TikTok, all unsaved videos from that folder will be lost.

💡

To quickly find a video by name, use a search in the file manager with the extension filter: type.mp4 or.mov into the search bar.

3.Why aren't the videos displayed in the gallery?

If you are sure that the video is saved on the device, but do not see it in the Gallery app, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🔍 The file has a non-standard extension, for example, some messengers save the video as.mp4.part (under-quality files) or.dat (cache).
• 📁 The folder is excluded from the scan. MIUI You can manually specify which catalogs you don't show in the gallery. → Settings → Folders for scanning.
• 🔄 Gallery cache not updated. Once files are manually moved, you may need to restart the application or clear the cache (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🛡️ File secure. DRM. Videos from some streaming services (e.g. Netflix or Disney)+) downloaded in encrypted form and reproduced only in their applications.

If the extension is a problem, rename the file through the file manager. For example, change video.dat to video.mp4.

1. Open the file manager and find the problem file.
2. Press and hold it, then select Rename.
3. Change the extension to.mp4 or.mkv.
4. Confirm the action (permission to change files may be required).

4. Where are the videos stored on a memory card (microSD)?

If you use a memory card, the paths to video will be similar, but with a prefix. /storage/XXXX-XXXX/, where XXXX-XXXX — Your microSD ID is unique, for example:

• 📸 Video from the camera: /storage/1234-5678/DCIM/Camera/
• 📥 Downloads: /storage/1234-5678/Download/
• 🎵 Music videos: /storage/1234-5678/Music/ (Sometimes it stores clips downloaded through YouTube Music or Spotify)

To find out the exact ID of your card:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB (in file transfer mode).
2. Open This Computer – The memory card will appear as a removable disk called type 1234-5678.
3. Remember or copy this identifier.

Note: If you remove the memory card from your phone and paste it into another device (like a GoPro or a camera), the folder structure may change, such as GoPro creating its DCIM/100GOPRO folder, and the new videos will be saved there.

Make sure the card is inserted correctly into the slot

Check if the card is formatted in another device

Open /DCIM/ folder on the map via PC

Try to play the file on another device (for example, on a laptop)

-->

5. How to find videos through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods didn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to search for videos across your device, which requires a PC connection and enabled USB debugging.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your smartphone: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and press 7 times on this item.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-Drivers and open the command line in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Run a team to find everyone.mp4-Files: Adb shell finds /storage -name "*.mp4" 2>/dev/null

The command will display a list of all the video files with the exact path, and if you want to find files of other formats (for example,.mov or.mkv), replace *.mp4 with the desired extension.

Warning: Using ADB can cause system failures if you execute commands without understanding their action.Do not modify or delete files in /system/ or /vendor/ folders - this can cause the device to fail.

6 Features of video storage on different Xiaomi models

The manufacturer makes changes to the file storage structure depending on the device series, and here are the key differences:

On devices with MIUI 14+ and Android 13, Smart Storage has been introduced, which automatically sorts videos by type (e.g. Personal, Work, Screencasts), which can make it harder to manually search files as they move into virtual categories.

💡

On flagship models (Xiaomi 13/14, Black Shark), HEVC or Dolby Vision video may not play on older devices or PCs without codecs. Use VLC Player or convert files via HandBrake.

7 How to transfer video to a PC or other device

If you need to copy a video from Xiaomi to a computer or other smartphone, there are several ways:

• 🖥️ Through USB-cable: Connect your phone to your PC. Select File Transfer Mode (MTP) notice USB. Open the folder with video on PC and copy files.

Through the cloud:

Google Drive

Mi Cloud

Telegram Saved Messages

On the local area network:

LocalSend

Snapdrop

Through QR-code:

FilePizza

WeTransfer

Note: When sending videos via messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram), they can be compressed. For example, WhatsApp reduces the resolution to 720p and bitrate to 1 Mbps, which degrades the quality. For transferring without loss, use archivers (.zip or.rar) or cloud services.

If you are transferring the video to your iPhone, note that HEVC-files may not be reproduced in the standard Photos app. H.264 HandBrake or Adobe Premiere Rush.

FAQ: Frequent questions about video storage on Xiaomi