Where to look for a hidden album on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: all ways to access

Have you ever encountered a situation where photos or videos on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 suddenly disappear from the gallery? Or suspect someone has hidden files from prying eyes? The MIUI operating system has several built-in mechanisms to hide content — from standard gallery features to system folders that don't appear in the explorer. This article will help you figure out how to find a hidden album on Redmi Note 7 without using third-party apps.

It’s important to understand that hidden files on Xiaomi can be stored in many different places: in a secure MIUI storage, in system folders with a point at the beginning of the name (for example,.nomedia), or even in the Mi Cloud service. We’ll look at all possible options, from the most obvious to the little-known tricks that work even on MIUI 10-14 firmware. If you tried to find hidden files through a standard Explorer and found nothing, do not give up: most users miss key details.

1. Standard Hidden Album at MIUI Gallery

The easiest way to hide photos on Redmi Note 7 is to use the built-in Hidden Albums Gallery feature, which is available in the standard Gallery app and does not require root rights or additional programs.

1. Open the Gallery app on your smartphone.
2. Touch three points (⋮) In the upper right corner, select Hidden Albums.
3. Enter a password or pattern lock (if you have previously set it).

If you haven’t set a password, the system can request it to be created when you first log in. In MIUI 12 and later hidden albums, the default is protected by the same password as unlocking the screen – this is important to remember if you are trying to access someone else’s files (for example, on the phone of a child or a second user).

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If you have forgotten the password for a hidden album, try resetting it through Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Hidden Albums. On some versions of MIUI, this option is only available to the linked Mi Account.

Note that the files from the hidden album are not displayed in other applications (such as Google Photos or VLC), but take up space in the memory of the device. They can be found through the file manager, if you know the exact path, as we will discuss in the next section.

2. Search for hidden folders through the file manager

System and hidden folders on Android (including Redmi Note 7) often start at.thumbdata,.nomedia,.miui, and more. They don't show up in standard MIUI Explorer by default, but they can be made visible. Here's how to do it:

• 📁 Open the Explorer app (or install Solid) Explorer/FX File Manager from Play Market).
• 🔍 In Explorer settings, enable the option to Show Hidden Files (usually under View or Display Settings").
• 📂 Go to the root folder of internal memory (/storage/emulated/0/) And look for folders with a dot at the beginning.
• 🖼️ Pay special attention to the following directories: /MIUI/Gallery/cloud/private/ — Files from the hidden album can be stored here. /DCIM/.thumbnails/ — thumbnails, sometimes containing deleted or hidden images. /Pictures/.nomedia/ — folder ignored by the media scanner.

If you use standard MIUI Explorer, the path to settings for the visibility of hidden files may be different.

1. Open the Conductor → three-line (☰) top-left.
2. Select Settings → Additionally.
3. Activate the switch to show hidden files.

Warning: Do not delete or rename system folders with a dot (for example,.android_secure or.data – this can cause app crashes or even a bootloop (locked reboot) device.

3.Use ADB to search for hidden files

If standard methods don't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for advanced users, which allows you to access all files on your device, including those hidden from the Explorer.

• 💻 A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB Redmi Note 7 (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions for finding hidden files through ADB:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should display the name of your device.
3. Use the command to view all folders (including hidden ones): adb shell ls -la /storage/emulated/0/
4. To search for files by extension (e.g. photos): adb shell find /storage/emulated/0/ -name ".jpg" -o -name ".png"

If you are looking for a specific file but don’t know its name, you can upload a list of all files to a text document:

adb shell ls -R /storage/emulated/0/ > files_list.txt

Install Xiaomi drivers from the official website

Download ADB Tools (e.g. Minimal ADB and Fastboot)

Turn on USB debugging on your phone

Connect your phone to your PC in file transfer mode (MTP)

Check the connection with the adb device command

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⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Incorrect commands (e.g. rm) -rf) They can permanently delete data or damage the system. If you are not sure about your actions, it is better to refer to other methods in this article.

4. Checking the Mi Cloud Cloud Storage

Many Xiaomi users forget that photos and videos can automatically sync with the Mi Cloud cloud. If files have disappeared from the gallery, but space on the device has not been vacated, check the cloud:

• 🌥️ Open the Mi Cloud app (or go to i.mi.com).
• 📁 Select Gallery or Backups section.
• 🔍 Search by date or file type (photo/video).
• 📥 Pay attention to the Private folder - hidden albums can be stored here.

Mi Cloud has a Hidden Albums feature similar to the local gallery to see them:

1. In the web version of the cloud, click on the profile icon → Settings → Privacy.
2. Turn on the Switch to Show Hidden Albums.
3. Go back to the Gallery section and update the page.

If you don't remember the Mi Cloud password, you can restore it through your email or phone number, and it's important that if you reset your password, all the data in the cloud will remain in place, but access to it will be temporarily blocked until you confirm your identity.

Yeah, the photos are missing from the gallery.

Yeah, but I restored them through backup.

No, I never did.

I don't know, maybe they were hidden.

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5. Search through third-party applications

If the built-in MIUI tools didn’t help, you can use third-party apps to find hidden files. Below are proven options that work on the Redmi Note 7:

When using DiskDigger or similar data recovery software, follow the instructions:

1. Select the file type to search for (e.g. JPG, PNG, MP4).
2. Specify the folder for scanning (it is better to choose the entire memory).
3. Wait until the process is complete (it can take from 10 minutes to several hours).
4. Look at the files found and restore the ones you need.

⚠️ Note: When recovering files through third-party applications, avoid saving them to the same device from which the scan is being conducted. This can lead to overwriting of data and irretrievable loss of information.

6. Verification of backups and cache of applications

Sometimes photos and videos are not hidden intentionally, but as a result of a failure or optimization of memory, in which case the files may be:

• 🗃️ In the cache of applications (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber often save media in their folders).
• 🔄 In backup copies created MIUI or third-party utilities.
• 📱 In memory of other users (if several profiles are configured on the device).

To check the messenger cache:

1. Open Explorer and go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/.
2. Find folders with messenger names (e.g. com.whatsapp, org.telegram.messenger).
3. Inside them, look for media, cache, or files directories.

To search for MIUI backups:

1. Go to Settings → System and Device → Backup.
2. Check for local backups (they are displayed in the list with the date of creation).
3. If necessary, restore data from the copy (be aware that this can overwrite current files).

If you suspect that files are hidden in another user’s profile (such as a phone with a child mode or guest access), switch to the main profile:

1. Swipe down the notification bar and click on the user icon.
2. Choose the Owner or Administrator.
3. Check the gallery and guide in this profile.

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MIUI backups are created automatically when you update your system or reset your settings, and they can contain hidden files even if you didn't save them knowingly.

7 What should I do if nothing helps?

If you’ve tried all the ways but never found the hidden files, they may:

• 🗑️ They were deleted irrevocably (in this case, only professional data recovery will help).
• 🔐 Encrypted with third-party applications (e.g. KeepSafe, Vaulty).
• 📤 Moved to an external medium (memory card, flash drive or other device).
• 🕵️‍♂️ Hidden by root access (e.g. via Magisk or Xposed).

In the most difficult cases, you can try:

1. Reset your settings to factory (but it will delete all the data on the device!).
2. Contact Xiaomi Service Center – they have tools for deep memory scanning.
3. Use specialized forensic software (e.g. Oxygen Forensic Detective), but it requires professional skills.

If you are sure that the files were on the device, but now they are not, check the activity log:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Managing Google Account → Data and Personalization → App Log and Web Search.
2. View your application history (you may have deleted files via Google Photos or another service).

FAQ: Frequent questions about hidden albums on Xiaomi