Where are the albums in Xiaomi phones: all the ways to access photos and videos

Have you just taken a selfie on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or downloaded memes on Telegram but can't find them in the gallery? Or have you lost your old vacation albums since the MIUI 14 update? The problem with finding photos and videos on Xiaomi smartphones (including POCO and Black Shark) arises for many users - and the reasons can be very different: from banal ignorance of folder structure to malfunctions in the brand shell.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible album storage locations in Xiaomi devices, from the standard Gallery app to hidden system folders and cloud services, how to find photos by shooting date, where to look for screenshots, how to recover lost images, and why some files are not displayed in the main gallery, and also a unique life hack to search for media files through the built-in file manager, which is not written in the official instructions.

1. Standard application "Gallery": main sections and settings

The first place to look is the Gallery app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones, and it automatically scans the device's internal and external memory by sorting media files by album, date and content type.

• 📂 All photos are a chronological tape of all images, including screenshots and downloaded from messengers.
• 🎥 Videos – a separate section for video files (including those recorded through the camera and saved from the Internet).
• 📁 Albums – automatically generated folders by source (e.g. Camera, Screenshots, WhatsApp Images).
• 🔍 Search – a tool for filtering by date, location or keywords (if object recognition is enabled).

If you don’t see the expected photos, check the settings of the app:

1. Open the Gallery → click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
2. Go to Show Hidden Files (some versions of MIUI call this section Display Hidden Albums).
3. Make sure that Scan options are enabled SD-Map and Display files from the cloud (if you use Mi Cloud).

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 13/14 The default is to hide folders with a dot at the beginning of the name (e.g.,.thumbnails). To see them, you need to enable the display of hidden files in any file manager.

2.File Manager: Where to physically store albums in Xiaomi memory

If the photos aren’t displayed in the gallery but you’re sure they’re saved to the device, check their location through the built-in File Manager (or a third-party, such as Solid Explorer).

To open the file manager:

1. Click on the File icon (usually blue with the folder image).
2. Select the Device tab (for internal memory) or SD-map (if installed).
3. Follow one of the paths from the table above.

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If you connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB but don’t see the DCIM or Pictures folder, try changing the connection mode. In the notification curtain, click on Charge via USB → select File Transfer (MTP).

3. Hidden and Protected Albums: How to Find Hidden Photos

MIUI has a built-in Protected Album feature that allows you to hide sensitive photos and videos with a password or fingerprint, which is not displayed in the main gallery and is not accessible through a standard viewer.

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Scroll down to the Utilities section (or click on three dots → Secure Album).
3. Enter a password or use biometrics to access.

If you forget the password from the protected album, you can only restore access through resetting the gallery settings (but this will delete all hidden files!).

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear data

Some photos may not be hidden through a protected album, but through:

• 🔒 Third-party applications (e.g. KeepSafe, Vaulty).
• 📂 System folders with a point (e.g.,.nomedia – blocks the scanning gallery).
• 🖥️ Cloud services (Photos uploaded to Mi Cloud or Google Photos but removed from your device).

4. Cloud Services: Where else can your albums be stored

Many Xiaomi users are unaware that their photos are automatically synced to cloud services, and you can check this in the following applications:

• ☁️ Mi Cloud – Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud (available through Settings) → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery. Photo backups are stored here if synchronization is enabled.
• 📷 Google Photos – if you use a Google account, photos could be uploaded automatically (check in the app or at photos.google.com).
• 💬 Messengers – WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber store media files in their cloud chats (for example, in Telegram it is Saved Messages).

To check if sync with Mi Cloud is enabled:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Click on Mi Cloud → Gallery.
3. If the slider is active, your photos are uploaded to the cloud, and you can also turn on Autoupload for new images.

⚠️ Note: If you delete photos from your device but they remain in Mi Cloud, they can be restored within 30 days through the cloud service basket.

5.Displaying Albums: Why Photos Aren't Shown in Gallery

Sometimes photos are physically present on the device, but not displayed in the Gallery app.

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the gallery settings (but note that this will remove all hidden albums and custom settings):

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear data

Check if the.nomedia file is in the folder|Clear the Gallery app cache|Reboot the phone.|Update the Gallery app via Google Play|Try opening a photo through another viewer (e.g. Google Photos)-->

6.Search for albums on a memory card (SD-map)

If you use an external microSD card, albums can be stored there by default (especially if this option is selected in the camera settings).

1. Open the File Manager → select the tab SD-map.
2. Go to DCIM/Camera (for camera photos) or Pictures (for screenshots).
3. If there are no folders, check the camera settings: it is possible that the photos are stored in internal memory.

Change the location of the new photos on SD-map:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Press the gear (⚙️) → Preservation site.
3. Choose. SD-card (if the option is inactive, check that the card is formatted as internal memory in the phone settings).

⚠️ Attention: If you have extracted SD-The card without Safe Retrieval (in the notification curtain), some files may have been corrupted, in which case, connect the card to your PC and check it for errors using the chkdsk utility (for Windows).

7 Recovery of Remote Albums: Programs and Services

If you accidentally delete a photo or format your memory, not everything is lost.

• 🗑️ The basket in the gallery -- in MIUI Deleted photos are stored in the cart for 30 days. → Albums. → Basket → select files → Restore.
• ☁️ Cloud backups – check Mi Cloud or Google Photos (Batchcart or Archives section).
• 💻 PC software – if the photos are permanently deleted, use utilities like Recuva, DiskDigger or EaseUS MobiSaver (requires a phone connection to your computer).

To recover via DiskDigger:

1. Install the program on your PC and connect Xiaomi in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Select the phone disc in the program and start the scan.
3. After searching, mark the desired photos and click Recover.

The more important thing is that the less you use your phone after you delete your photos, the better the chances of recovering them, and new files can overwrite deleted data.

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If you deleted the photo less than a day ago, check the cart in the gallery and cloud services first, only if there is nothing there - start recovery via PC.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the location of the albums in Xiaomi