Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 7A often face a situation where photos and videos taken by the camera or received through instant messengers are not displayed in the standard gallery, although the file is physically stored on an external drive. This is due to the peculiarities of the Android operating system, which for security reasons restricts access to applications to the file system without explicit user permission, especially after the updates to MIUI versions 10 and above, where data protection mechanisms have become more stringent.
Ignoring this request can cause your personal media files to be scattered across folders and not visible in a user-friendly viewing interface. The gallery simply cannot scan the contents of the memory card, considering access to it closed. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to properly configure access rights so that all your pictures and videos are displayed correctly.
The setup process does not require root rights or complex technical manipulation of the code. All the necessary tools are already built into the MIUI shell installed on your device. The main thing is to follow the instructions carefully, since the names of menu items may vary slightly depending on the firmware version.
Reasons for the lack of access to files on an external drive
The main cause of content display problems is the Scoped Storage mechanism, which is embedded in modern versions of Android. The system separates memory into internal and external, requiring separate confirmation to work with each. SD-map or update firmware, the system could reset previously issued permissions for the application "Gallery».
The problem can also be in file system format. Xiaomi Redmi 7A supports memory cards up to 256 GB, but they must be formatted in a compatible format, usually FAT32 or exFAT. If the card is formatted in the NTFS file system, the phone can see it as a drive, but can not correctly index media files for the gallery without additional codecs or rights.
Another factor is the failure of the gallery app itself, which can overflow or damage cache files, leading to incorrect display of the album list. In some cases, the MIUI security system blocks the background activity of the applications, considering scanning the memory card to be an extra load on the battery.
⚠️ Note: If your memory card was previously used on another device and formatted as an “Adoptable Storage” on Redmi. 7A It may not be able to make up its mind without being completely reset, and all the data on it will be destroyed when it's formatted to a current phone.
Understanding the reason allows you to choose the right path, and in most cases, it is enough to simply re-confirm access rights through privacy settings, but if the problem is a physical malfunction of the card or its file system, deeper measures will be needed to restore the drive.
Physical status check and map formatting
Before you go to the software settings, you need to make sure that Xiaomi Redmi 7A It actually sees the memory card inserted. Go to Settings for that. → The phone. → The storage. It should show two sections: internal memory and SD-If the map section is missing or appears as "Empty", contact may be broken.
Remove the memory card, wipe the contacts with a soft eraser or dry cloth and paste back until the characteristic click. Make sure the golden contacts are pointed in the correct direction, as indicated on the diagram in the tray for SIM-Once the phone is turned on, the system must beep a new storage device.
If the map is determined but the gallery is still not working, try reformatting it. Go to Settings → Memory, select your card and click Format. This process will delete all data, so copy important files to your computer beforehand.
- 📂 Select formatting in FAT32 Maximum compatibility with older devices and car radios.
- 🚀 Select exFAT if your card is larger than 32GB and you plan to store files larger than 4GB.
- ⚙️ Use the “Use as internal storage” option only if your phone’s memory is critically low, but this will slow down your system.
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Use an adapter and computer to format a card in FAT32 if the phone refuses to do so on its own or only offers an exFAT format that is not readable by older devices.
Once formatted successfully, the system will create a standard folder structure, including DCIM for photos and Pictures for screenshots, in which the camera and other applications will save new files and the gallery will be able to index them seamlessly.
Configure access rights through permission manager
The most effective way to solve this problem is to manually grant permission to the Gallery app, which is done in the MIUI shell through a special section of security settings. Open Settings → Applications → All applications and find the Gallery list.
Inside the app menu, look for Application Permissions (or "Access Rights"). Here you'll see a list of categories that the program may request access to. We're interested in Storage or Memory category. Make sure the switch is set to "On" or "Allow" position.
☑️ Access rights verification
Sometimes permissions are not enough. If you have a third-party file manager installed or you use Explorer from Xiaomi, they also need to be granted permission. Without that, the gallery may not see files sorted by other programs. Repeat the procedure for Explorer.
In newer versions of MIUI, the first time you start a gallery after you update, a system window may pop up asking, "Let me access photos and videos?" It's critical to press Allow. If you accidentally click "Disallow", the window may not appear again and you'll have to reset the application settings.
⚠️ Note: Do not grant the Gallery app access to contacts, microphones or geolocations unless clearly necessary. This is redundant for viewing photos and reduces the security of your personal data.
Once you have all the necessary switches on, completely close the gallery app through the task manager and run it again. The system should start the background process of scanning media files, which can take from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on the number of photos on the map.
Use of a special conductor for file management
The standard gallery interface is not always easy to diagnose problems. For deep customization, it is recommended to use the built-in File Manager application, which has broader permissions to access the file system and can forcibly open access to content. SD-map.
Launch the Explorer and go to the Folder tab → SD-If you see your files here, but they're not in the gallery, then the problem is the indexing of the media files. In this case, create an empty file at the root of the map called.nomedia, and then delete it.
Hidden system files
You can also use Explorer to check if your files are hidden. In Explorer settings (three bars in the corner), turn on the option to Show hidden files. If your photos have a Hidden attribute, the gallery ignores them by default. Delete this attribute by long tapping the files and changing their properties.
- 🔍 Check if the.thumbnails file is in the folder DCIM — The overflow can slow down the gallery.
- 📁 Make sure that the photo folders are not deep in the cache structure of other applications (for example, in the case of a photo file). Android/data/com.whatsapp).
- 🔄 Use the “Clean” function in the conductor to remove broken thumbnails that interfere with the display.
Using third-party file managers, such as Total Commander or FX File Explorer, can also help, and they often have their own scanning mechanisms to show if the system sees files on the map at all, or if there is a problem at the level of access to memory sectors.
Cleaning the cache and resetting the gallery settings
If permissions are given, the map is good, but the photo is still not visible, it is possible that the gallery thumbnail database is damaged. In MIUI, this is treated by cleaning the application data. Go to Settings → Applications → All Applications → Gallery.
Click the Clean button and select Clear Everything or Clear Data. Don't worry, your photos and videos won't be deleted. You'll only reset the app itself, the thumbnail cache and the albums created inside the gallery.
| Action. | File impact | Need for a reset |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache | Secure, files are in place. | Not required |
| Clearing the data | Reset gallery settings, photos whole | Recommended |
| Removal of updates | Return to the factory version | Required. |
Once cleaned, run the gallery. The first opening will be a long one, as the Xiaomi Redmi 7A system will have to rescan all the memory and create new thumbnails, during which time the phone may get slightly warmer - this is normal processor work.
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Cleaning the Gallery application data does not delete your photos, it only resets the display settings and re-builds the file index.
In rare cases, removing app updates helps. In the same app information menu, click on the three dots in the top corner and select Remove Updates.This will return the gallery to the factory version that is guaranteed to be compatible with your current firmware.
Alternative solutions and third-party applications
If the standard MIUI gallery continues to malfunction even after all the settings, it makes sense to consider alternatives. There are many media browsing apps in the Google Play Store that often run faster and more stable than the standard ones.
A popular solution is Google Photos, which automatically accesses all media files when installed, and has a powerful indexing engine, and you just install an app, log into a Google account, and allow access to the storage, and it instantly uploads all the photos from the site. SD-map.
- 🖼️ Simple Gallery – a lightweight open source application that does not require unnecessary permissions.
- 🚀 QuickPic is a fast-paced app that is ideal for weak devices like Redmi. 7A.
- ☁️ Dropbox/OneDrive — Cloud galleries that can also display local files and back them up.
When you install a third-party gallery, Android will ask permission to access the files. Unlike the system gallery, here the request may look different. You will need to go to the SD Card folder and click Use this folder, and then confirm the action with the Allow button.
⚠️ Warning: When installing third-party galleries from unknown sources (not from the Play Market), be careful.Some may contain advertising modules that will slow down your Xiaomi Redmi. 7A.
The use of alternative software often bypasses the bugs of a particular version of MIUI. If the problem was in the conflict of the system application with the file system of the card, the third-party viewer will successfully solve it, as it uses its own image decoding libraries.