Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones offer users the ability to hide sensitive photos and videos. However, many owners of the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or Mi 11 face a problem: a hidden album suddenly disappears from the gallery or simply can not be found, the reason lies in the peculiarities of the protected MIUI storage, which can be hidden both software and security settings.
In this article, we will discuss all official and alternative methods of accessing hidden albums, including instructions for different versions. MIUI 12-14 You will learn how to return missing files, why the album may not be available after the system update, and what to do if the standard method does not work. K50 memory-expanded).
Important: If you use Google Photos or third-party galleries (like Simple Gallery), hidden MIUI albums may be displayed differently – we’ll talk about that below.
1. Standard Way: Where to Look for Hidden Album in MIUI
In most cases, hidden photos and videos are stored in a special folder that is accessed through a standard gallery.
Open the Gallery app (an icon with colorful squares) and tap three dots in the upper right corner (⋮) and select Hidden Albums, if that item is missing, it means the feature is disabled or the album is empty.
If you see a request for a password or a fingerprint, it means that the album is protected. PIN-code or biometrics that are used to unlock the screen, MIUI 13 for the global version) may require a separate password – it can be reset via Settings → Passwords and security.
⚠️ Note: If you have recently upgraded to MIUI 14, the hidden album may have temporarily disappeared due to the cache reset, in which case, reboot the phone and check again in 5-10 minutes.
- 📁 The path to the folder: hidden files are physically stored in the /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/private/ (Available only through a file manager with root rights).
- 🔒 Protection: the album is automatically blocked when the device is restarted or after 5 minutes of inactivity.
- 📱 Exceptions: POCO F4 Redmi Note 11 Pro+ The album is called Private Safe».
2. Alternative access via "Private Safe"
Starting with MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi has moved the management of hidden albums to the Security app, which works even if the gallery does not display hidden files:
- Open Settings → Applications → Security (or find an icon in the app menu).
- Go to the section "Private Safe" (in Russian firmware - "Personal storage").
- Sign in with your password/fingerprint.
- Inside, you’ll see all the hidden photos, videos, and documents, including those that were added through the file manager.
🔹 Important: if you use dual storage (for example, on Redmi) K60 with memory extension, hidden files can be duplicated in the folder /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/private/. Check both locations.
⚠️ Note: When you reset your phone to factory settings, Private Safe content is deleted without recovery unless sync with Mi Cloud has been enabled.
Tap it on. ⋮ gallery|Check the "Private Safe" section in the "Security" app"|Make sure that the files are not moved to the cart|Try restarting your phone.-->
3. Search for hidden files through the file manager
If standard methods don't work, you can manually find a folder with hidden data, and any file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer) will do this.
Open the file manager and enable the display of hidden folders in the settings (usually the option is called “Show hidden files”).
/storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/private/
or
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/private/Inside, you'll find folders with names like pic, video, and thumb, and the files are encrypted, so you can't just copy them to a PC or open them through third-party apps, and you can bring them back to the gallery.
- Identify the files you need.
- Click on “Share” and select “Gallery”.
- Confirm the transfer to the main storage.
| Xiaomi model | The path to hidden files | Password required |
|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 10/11/12 | /MIUI/Gallery/cloud/private/ | Yeah (PIN/print) |
| POCO X3/X4/X5 | /Android/data/com.miui.gallery/private/ | Yes (Private Safe password) |
| Mi 11/12/13 | Both ways up. | Yeah (biometry) |
| Black Shark 4/5 | /MIUI/Gallery/secret/ | No (for hidden screenshots only) |
🔹 Tip: If the private folder is empty, check the gallery basket (Gallery) → Recycle Bin – Sometimes files get there after crashes.
What to do if the private folder is not available?
4. Restoration of access after reset or update
After updating MIUI or resetting the settings, the hidden album may become unavailable.
Scenario 1: System update.
If the album disappeared after the MIUI 13/14 update, but the files were not deleted:
- Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap 7 times on the build number to turn on the developer mode.
- Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable “Debugging by USB”.
- Connect your phone to your PC and use it. ADB-The team to reset the gallery cache: adb shell pm clear com.miui.gallery
- Restart the device and check access to the album.
Scenario 2: Reset to factory settings.
If you have made a hard reset, you can only restore hidden files if:
- 🔄 Sync with Mi Cloud was enabled (check Settings) → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery).
- 💾 Have a backup through Settings → System system → Backup.
- 🛠️ You use data recovery software (such as DiskDigger or Recuva), but the odds are minimal due to encryption.
⚠️ Note: On models with Snapdragon chip 8 Gen 1/2 (for example, Xiaomi 13) When you reset, the data in Private Safe is permanently deleted due to hardware encryption.
💡
Before resetting your phone, export hidden files: open them in Private Safe, click Share, and save copies to Google Drive or PC.
5. Problems with displaying hidden albums in third-party galleries
If you use alternative galleries (Google Photos, Simple Gallery, QuickPic), hidden MIUI albums may not be displayed.
Google Photos does not see files from Private Safe, as they are encrypted at the MIUI level.
- 📤 Export files from a hidden album to a regular folder (for example, DCIM/Camera).
- 🔄 Enable autoload in Google Photos for this folder.
Simple Gallery and other file managers can display hidden files as "damaged" or as a zero-size file to fix:
- Open Private Safe and click Export for the files you want.
- Save them to the Downloads folder or on SD-map.
- They will be available in any gallery.
🔹 Exception: By POCO F3 GT redmi K40 Gaming hidden files are stored in.mkv format with encryption and can only be opened through a standard gallery. MIUI.
6 How to hide files without using Private Safe
If you don’t like the standard Private Safe, there are alternative ways to hide photos and videos on Xiaomi:
- 🔐 Password Archive: Add files to ZIP-archive with encryption (use it) RAR or 7-Zip).
- 📁 Hidden folders: Rename the folder by adding a dot at the beginning (e.g,.secret_photos). It will disappear from standard viewing, but will be visible through the file manager with the display of hidden files enabled.
- 🌐 Cloud Storage: Upload files to Mi Cloud or Google Drive and delete local copies.
- 📱 Third-party apps: Use KeepSafe, Vaulty or 1Gallery for making protected albums.
⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and Android 13 some third-party file hiding apps may conflict with system permissions.
Critical information: On Xiaomi 12S Ultra and Mix Fold 2, trying to hide files by renaming folders can cause the gallery to crash.
💡
Hidden albums in MIUI are system-protected, and cannot be simply copied or moved without exporting them through standard instruments.