How to Open a Hidden Album on Xiaomi: 5 Verified Ways (Including Password Bypassing)

Have you ever encountered a situation where photos or videos on your Xiaomi suddenly disappeared from the gallery? Or maybe you need to return access to hidden files after resetting your phone? Secret albums in MIUI are not just a privacy feature, but a real black hole for media files if you don't know how to work with it. In this article, we'll look at all possible ways to open a hidden album - from standard methods to technical workarounds for experienced users.

It's important to understand that the hidden album mechanism on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO evolved with the MIUI versions. What worked on MIUI 12 may not be useful on MIUI 15, and some features may have disappeared after the updates. We tested all the techniques on the current 2026 firmware and highlighted the ones that are guaranteed to work. If you're looking for a way to get your files back, you're in the right place.

What is a Hidden Album on Xiaomi and Where is It Stored

A hidden album (or Private Album in English) is a protected storage area in MIUI where a user can move photos, videos and documents to hide them from prying eyes. Unlike standard archiving, the files here are:

• 🔒 Encrypted at the system level (not available through a file manager without a password)
• 👁️‍🗨️ Excluded from search results and gallery previews
• 🔄 Sync with Mi Cloud (if backup option is enabled)
• 📱 Linked to Mi Account (when resetting the phone require authorization)

Physically, files are stored in a secure folder. /data/system_users/0/private/ (The path may vary depending on the version MIUI). Access to it is blocked even for root users without special manipulation. Interestingly, Xiaomi uses its own encryption algorithm, different from standard Android, which complicates the recovery of data through third-party utilities.

⚠️ Note: If you delete a hidden album through the gallery settings, the files will not enter the shopping cart and will be permanently deleted, and you can only restore them through a backup of Mi Cloud or specialized programs like DiskDigger (with limited success).

Method 1: Standard access through the Gallery (MIUI 14/15)

The easiest method is to use the built-in Xiaomi Gallery feature.It works on all current versions of MIUI (14 and 15), but requires you to previously configure a hidden album and remember a password or pin.

Instructions:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) In the upper right corner, select Hidden Album (or Private Album).
3. Enter a password, pin code, or use a fingerprint (if configured).
4. Now you're going to see all the hidden media.

If the Hidden Album item is not on the menu, it means:

• 📱 Function disabled in settings (see Method 2)
• 🔄 You use a third-party gallery (e.g. Google Photos)
• 🔧 There was a failure after the update. MIUI (reboot required)

Method 2: Enabling a Hidden Album through Settings

Sometimes the Hidden Album item disappears from the Gallery menu after resetting or updating, in which case it can be returned via system settings:

Steps:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the gallery and tap it.
3. Select Permissions and make sure that it is included: 📁 Warehouse 🔐 Additional authorizations → Hidden album

Settings → Privacy → Special permissions

Hidden album

If the option is inactive and gray, it means:

• 🔒 Reset protection is set up on the phone (requires a password from Mi Account)
• 📴 You have a guest profile or a limited account
• 🛠️ There was a failure of the system (will help reset the cache Gallery)

Method 3: Password bypassing through Mi Account (if you forgot the code)

Forgot the password from the hidden album? Don't rush to drop your phone! Xiaomi links the hidden data to your Mi Account, allowing you to restore access without losing files.

• 📱 Phone is linked to Mi Account (check in Settings) → Xiaomi account)
• 🔄 Sync with Mi Cloud enabled (even if backup is disabled)
• 🔐 Remember the login and password from the account

Instructions for remediation:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com from a computer or other phone.
2. Sign in with your Mi Account.
3. Open the Devices section → [Your phone] → Backups.
4. Find the latest backup with the Private Data tag and click Restore.
5. Confirm the action via SMS or email.
6. After recovery, restart your phone – a hidden album will appear in the Gallery.

⚠️ Note: If you deleted your Mi Account from your phone or performed a hard reset without logging out, files from the hidden album may be permanently lost, in which case only specialized data recovery software will help (see Method 5).

Method 4: Access via file manager (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try to access files manually through a root-righted file manager or ADB. This method is suitable for users who:

• 🛠️ Have root access (unlocked bootloader)
• 💻 They're good at working with ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
• 🔧 Ready for possible loss of warranty

Method 1: Root Explorer

Install a root-enabled file manager (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer) and:

1. Give the application root access (if requested).
2. Cross the path: /data/system_users/0/private/ or /data/user/0/com.miui.gallery/private/
3. Copy the files to a secure location (e.g., to a secure location). SD-map).

Method 2: Through ADB (without root)

If root is not available, you can try extracting files via ADB, but success is not guaranteed:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap, then Additional → For Developers).
2. Open the command line and execute: adb shell su ls /data/system_users/0/private/
3. If you see a list of files, copy them with the command: adb pull /data/system_users/0/private/ C:\Xiaomi_Private\

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If ADB issues a “permission denied” error, try getting temporary root access through Magisk first or use the MT Manager utility to bypass the restrictions.

Method 5: Recover deleted files from hidden album

If a hidden album has been deleted or files are lost after being reset, you can try to recover them with specialized software.

• 🕒 The time after the removal (the earlier the better)
• 📱 Phone models (on Xiaomi with) UFS 3.1 odds are lower)
• 🔄 Backups in Mi Cloud or Google Drive

Top.-3 recovery:

1. DiskDigger (Android) scans internal memory without root, but with limitations.
2. EaseUS MobiSaver (PC) – supports Xiaomi and restores photos/video.
3. Dr.Fone is a paid, but high-performance recovery.

Step-by-step instructions for DiskDigger:

1. Install DiskDigger from Google Play.
2. Launch the app and select Full Scan (requires root).
3. Wait until the process is completed (may take a few hours).
4. Check the files found and save them to SD-map.

⚠️ Warning: Do not save recovered files back to the phone's internal memory! this can overwrite the remaining data and make further recovery impossible.

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Data recovery from a hidden album is possible only if the memory areas where it was stored were not overwritten by new files. The more active you use your phone after deleting, the lower the chances of success.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the instructions, users often face difficulties.

• 🔄 "Hidden album doesn't open after update MIUI" → Reset the Gallery cache (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the cache) or reinstall the update.
• 🔒 "My account needs a password, but I don’t remember it" → Restore access via the recovery form (requires a linked email or phone number).
• 📱 "Xiaomi's new phone doesn't see an old hidden album" → Sync data via Mi Cloud (see Method 3) or transfer files manually from an old device.
• 🔧 "ADB he doesn't see the file private/" → Check if the debugging is included USB for all applications (Settings) → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB (safe-haven)).

If none of the methods worked, the files may have been deleted at the system level, in which case you only need to contact the Xiaomi service center with proof of ownership of the device (a check or a Mi Account tied), but the chances of recovery are minimal, the company does not provide access to encrypted data even to owners.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions