How to open a personal album on Xiaomi: all the ways to MIUI 12-14

Why Xiaomi’s Personal Album May Not Be Available

A personal album on Xiaomi smartphones is a secure storage for photos and videos that is hidden from prying eyes. However, many users face a situation where this album suddenly disappears from the gallery or requires a password they do not remember, the reasons can be different from accidental hiding of the folder to failures in the MIUI after the update.

Most often, the problem arises after:

• 🔄 Updates to the firmware (especially when switching from MIUI 12 on MIUI 13/14)
• 📱 Resetting settings to factory
• 🔒 Changes to password or fingerprint in security settings
• 🗃️ Transfer of files through MI Mover or third-party managers

If you can't find a personal album, don't panic -- 90 percent of the time, the data isn't deleted, it's just blocked, and then we'll go through all the working ways to restore access, including bypassing passwords and manually restoring hidden folders.

Method 1: Standard access through gallery

If your personal album is simply hidden but not locked with a password, try returning it through the standard settings of the Xiaomi Gallery.This method works on most devices with MIUI 12-14, including the Redmi, Poco and Mi series.

Instructions:

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with a floral logo).
2. Slip along three horizontal lines (☰) top-right.
3. Select the Album item → Scroll down to the Hidden Albums section.
4. Click on the Personal Album and enter the password (if requested).

If the album is not on the list, check the display settings:

1. In the gallery, go to ☰ → Settings.
2. Activate the switch to show hidden albums.
3. Restart the app.

Is the Mi Account linked to the album used?|Is there a backup of photos in the Mi Cloud?|Have you tried restarting your phone?|Checked the display settings in the gallery?-->

Method 2: Restoring Access through Security

If your personal album is protected by a password you forgot, try resetting it through the Security menu.

• 🔑 Remember the password from your Mi Account account.
• 📱 The phone was not reset to factory settings.
• 🆔 You have sync enabled with Mi Cloud.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Settings. → Passwords and security.
2. Select Confidentiality → Personal album.
3. Click Forgot Password? and confirm the action through Mi Account.
4. Create a new password or fingerprint.

Important! Once you reset your password, all files in your personal album will remain in place, but may not be available temporarily.Reboot your device if the album doesn't appear immediately.

Method 3: Manual recovery through file manager

If standard methods didn’t work, you can try to find hidden album files manually. Xiaomi’s personal album stores data in a secure folder.HiddenAlbum or.PrivateAlbum in the device’s internal memory.

Instructions for MIUI 13/14:

1. Install a file manager with support for hidden folders (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. Go to /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/private/ or /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/files/PrivateAlbum/
4. Copy files to another folder (for example, DCIM/Camera).

💡

If the.PrivateAlbum folder is empty, check the path /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.hidden – some firmware stores files there.

Critical information: Do not rename or delete.nomedia files in these folders, which are responsible for keeping albums hidden from the gallery.

Method 4: Using ADB to unlock (advanced)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can try unlocking the album via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to your computer and enabling the developer mode.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times)
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute commands: adb shell pm clear com.miui.gallery This will reset the gallery settings but won't delete files.

After the reboot, try to reopen your personal album through the gallery.If the album was hidden due to a glitch, it should show up.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB This can cause unsaved data to be lost in other applications. USB-cable.

Comparison of Access Restoration Methods

If none of these methods worked, the last option is to contact Xiaomi’s service center with proof of ownership of the device, and employees can restore access through the engineering menu, but this is a paid service.

How to avoid loss of access in the future?

To avoid having to deal with the issue of a blocked personal album again, follow these guidelines:

• 🔐 Use the same password for your personal album and Mi Account.
• 📱 Regularly back up photos in Mi Cloud or Google Photos.
• 🔄 Before updating the firmware, check if the hidden albums have disappeared.
• 📂 Do not rename the folders.PrivateAlbum or.HiddenAlbum manually.

You can also transfer important files from your personal album to your regular storage:

1. Open your personal album in the gallery.
2. Select the files you need. → More. → Keep a copy.
3. Select the destination folder (for example, DCIM).

💡

Xiaomi's personal album doesn't encrypt files -- it just hides them from standard viewing, so when you reset your settings, the data stays on the device, but you lose access to it.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users compound the problem with the personal album by making common mistakes:

⚠️ Note: Never delete the folder. MIUI Or Android in the root directory of internal memory through the file manager, which can cause the system to crash and lose all media files.

Common mistakes:

• 🚫 Reset your phone without backup – after that, you can only restore access to your personal album through Mi Account.
• 🚫 Using third-party password crackers – such programs often contain viruses and do not work with the virus MIUI.
• 🚫 Formatting internal memory – this will delete all hidden files without the possibility of recovery.
• 🚫 Disable synchronization with Mi Cloud – without it it is impossible to restore the password through the account.

If you plan to sell or rent your phone for repair, be sure to transfer all files from your personal album to a regular storage or PC. After resetting to factory settings, access to hidden data will be lost.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions