How to find hidden videos on Xiaomi phone: step-by-step instructions

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi models, POCO And Black Shark often hides user files -- especially videos -- in secure folders or system partitions, for several reasons: automatic backups in the system. MIUI Cloud, hidden albums in the gallery, messenger cache or even viral programs that mask media files. If you suspect that there are videos on the phone that are not in the standard gallery, do not rush to reset the settings - they can be found without radical measures.

In this article, we will discuss 7 Proven methods, including search through built-in tools MIUI, Third-party file managers and even deleted file recovery, and we'll focus on the hidden folders that create apps like WhatsApp, Telegram or TikTok, and system directories that store screencasts and screen recordings. 12/13/14, Some of the methods will be different – we will specify the nuances for each version.

Before you start searching, make sure that the phone has enough charge (at least 30%) and free space (at least 1 GB).Some methods require additional apps to be installed, and memory scanning can take up to 10-15 minutes.

1. Search through the standard MIUI gallery

V MIUI There's a built-in hidden album feature that can contain videos that are hidden by the user or the system:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).

2.Slip three dots in the top right corner and select Albums.

3. Scroll down and find the Hidden Albums section (may be called Private or Blocked).

4 If the album is blocked, enter a password or fingerprint.

If there's no section, the hidden albums are disabled, and you can activate them in the gallery settings.

1. Go to Settings. → Privacy → Hidden albums.
2. Turn on the switch and set the unlock method.

Important: In some firmware MIUI (for example, MIUI 14 for global version) hidden albums are called Private Safe.If you don't find this section, update the gallery via Google Play or check for system updates.

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If the videos have been hidden through third-party apps (like GalleryVault or Hide It Pro), they won't be visible in the standard gallery.

2. Check hidden folders through the file manager

Many of the videos are stored in hidden folders that are not displayed by default, to see them:

1. Open Files (Standard Manager) MIUI) or install Solid Explorer/FX File Manager.

2. In the manager settings, enable the display of hidden files:

- In Solid Explorer: ☰ → Settings → Show hidden files.

- In the standard manager: ⚙ → Show hidden files (may need to scroll down).

3. Go to the root catalogue (/storage/emulated/0/) and check the following folders:

• 📁.thumbnails – video thumbnails (sometimes contain full-size copies).
• 📁 DCIM/.thumbnails — gallery-cash.
• 📁 Android/data/ — Here you can store videos from apps (e.g. com.whatsapp for WhatsApp).
• 📁 MIUI/screenrecorder — screen-recording.
• 📁 Pictures/Screenshots — Sometimes they contain video screenshots.

In a file. Android/data/ Videos can be encrypted or have non-standard extensions (e.g,.mp4.enc). They can only be opened through the app that created them.

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files with the.nomedia extension, they hide folders from the gallery. If you delete such a file, all media from this directory will appear in the gallery, including the system.

Check.thumbnails in the root directory

Look for video in DCIM/Camera subfolder

Open up. MIUI/screenrecorder screen-record

Look at this. Android/data/ messenger-based

Make sure that the hidden files are displayed-->

3. Search through MIUI System Search

V MIUI There's built-in search that can find videos even in hidden folders (unless they're encrypted:

1. Swipe down the main screen to open the search bar, or tap on the magnifying glass icon in the dock bar.

2 Enter the request:

- For all videos: type:video.

- For video format specific: mp4 type:video or mkv type:video.

For video from a specific application: whatsapp type:video.

3. If there are no results, try an alternative syntax:

- ext:mp4 — ferret.

- size:>50mb type:video – video larger than 50 MB.

System search MIUI Not always find files in protected folders (for example, Android/data/), But it does a good job with user directories. If the videos have been deleted, try the methods in the section. 6.

4.Use of ADB Search for hidden files

If standard methods do not help, you can connect to the phone through ADB (Android Debug Bridge, and you can do a manual search, and this requires a PC and enabled debugging. USB.

1. Enable Developer Mode on Xiaomi:

Go to Settings → About the phone.

- Tap 7 times on the MIUI version.

- Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable debugging over USB.

2. Connect the phone to the PC, install ADB Tools and execute command:

adb shell


su




find /storage/emulated/0 -type f \( -name ".mp4" -o -name ".mkv" -o -name "*.avi" \) -ls

This team will find all the video files in the main memory. SD-map, replace the path with /storage/XXXX-XXXX/ (You can find out the exact path through adb shell ls. /storage/).

3. To search in system folders (root rights required):

find /data -type f \( -name ".mp4" -o -name ".mkv" \) 2>/dev/null

⚠️ Note: Teams with su and search in /data They only work on rooted devices. On standard Xiaomi, without root, access will be restricted. ADB It can cause crashes – do not change files unless you are sure of their purpose.

5. Recovery of deleted videos

If the videos have been deleted but not overwritten, they can be restored with specialized utilities.On Xiaomi without root, the odds are lower, but trying is not a torture.

Method 1: Through DiskDigger (without root)

Method 2: Through Recuva (from PC)

If the phone is defined as a removable disc:

1. Connect Xiaomi to PC in File Transfer mode (MTP).

2. Run Recuva and select the Video file type.

3. Specify the disc corresponding to the phone (usually Xiaomi) [D:] or similar).

4. Start the scan and wait for the results.

Videos that are recovered without root are often fragmented (especially if more than a week has passed since they were deleted), and the faster you start recovering, the better the chances of returning the entire file.

6. Search for video in the cache of messengers and social networks

Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok and Instagram store videos in their folders, which are not always visible in the gallery.

WhatsApp:

Telegram:

TikTok:

To make these videos appear in the gallery, delete the.nomedia file from the folder (if any).

1. Open a file manager with root or Solid Explorer permissions.

2. Go to the desired folder (for example, WhatsApp/Media/).

3. Delete or rename the.nomedia file.

4.Reboot the phone and check the gallery.

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Videos from messengers often have non-standard names (for example, VID-20231215-WA0001.mp4 Use date sorting to find the files you want.

7. Verification of cloud storage and backups

If the video was lost from the phone, it could be automatically uploaded to the cloud.

MIUI Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud):

1. Open Settings. → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.

2. Check the Gallery section or backup copies.

3. If there is a video, download it back to your phone.

Google Photos:

1. Open the Google Photos app or go to photos.google.com.

2. Type:video or filter by date.

3.If the video has been deleted, check the Recycle Bin (retained for 60 days).

Other clouds:

If you are using Xiaomi with Android 12+, Check the synchronization settings:

1. Settings → Accounts. → Synchronization.

2. Make sure sync for Mi Cloud or Google Photos is enabled.

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 14 Gallery backups in Mi Cloud are only stored for 30 days unless the Save Forever option is enabled.

FAQ: Frequent questions about hidden videos on Xiaomi