How to open hidden photos on Xiaomi: all the ways to MIUI 12-14

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones offer users a photo hiding feature, a handy tool to protect sensitive images. However, not everyone knows that even “deleted” or hidden files can remain in the device’s memory and access to them requires special actions. This article will reveal all the current methods for finding hidden images on Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi models, including little-known system tricks and commands for power users.

It is important to understand that hidden photos fall into two categories: the first are those that you deliberately hid through standard MIUI functions (for example, in the Locked Folder), the second are files that the system has marked as hidden automatically (cache, thumbnails, backups), we will discuss both options, and also tell you how to recover images that you thought were irretrievably deleted. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 12, 13 and 14 (including global and Chinese versions).

1. Standard Ways: Where Xiaomi Hides Photos by Default

To start with the obvious, MIUI has built-in tools to hide content, and if you haven't changed your settings, check those locations first.

• 🔒 Locked folder is the main storage for hidden files.Access: Gallery → Albums. → Locked folder (requires a password or fingerprint).
• 📁.nomedia folder -- any folder with that prefix doesn't show up in the gallery. → Internal storage.
• 🔄 Recycle bin - deleted photos are stored here for 30 days. → Basket.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud – If sync is enabled, check Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery.

Pay special attention to the locked folder. MIUI 14 it can be hidden from the gallery menu: for this go to the settings of the gallery → Hidden albums and disable the display. To get access back, you'll need to enter PIN-the code or pattern lock you specified when you first used the function.

⚠️ Note: If you forget the password from the Locked folder, you can restore it only by resetting all settings (Settings) → The phone. → Reset settings. This will delete all the data on the device!

2. Search for hidden folders through the file manager

MIUI creates hidden directories for office files, thumbnails and gallery cache, and to see them, you need to enable the display of hidden elements in the file manager:

1. Open the Files app (or File Manager on global firmware).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
3. Activate the option to show hidden files.
4. Go to the internal storage. → DCIM.

Here you are interested in the following folders:

The DCIM/.thumbnails folder often stores thumbnails of deleted photos in low resolution, which can be opened through any image viewer.

3. ADB-Teams for experienced users

If standard methods didn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for low-level file system access, which requires connecting your phone to your PC and enabling USB Debugging.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times).
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and install ADB Tools.
4. Enter in the command line: adb shell ls /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/

To find all hidden files on your device, use the command:

adb shell find /storage/emulated/0 -name ".*" -type f

This will display a list of all files whose names start with a dot (hidden) to copy the photos found on a PC:

adb pull /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails/ C:\XiaomiHiddenPhotos\

⚠️ Note: Do not delete files in folders /system or /data through ADB — it could cause a failure. MIUI and require a reflash!

4. Recover deleted photos through applications

If the photos were deleted from the Recycle Bin or the memory card is formatted, software recovery will help.

• 📱 DiskDigger – Searches for files by signatures (free version shows thumbnails).
• 💾 Recuva (for PC) scans internal memory through ADB.
• 🔍 EaseUS MobiSaver – Supports MIUI And it even finds fragmented files.
• ☁️ Google Photos – Check the Recycle Bin and Archives in the web version.

The recovery algorithm through DiskDigger:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Select Full Scan (requires root rights for maximum efficiency).
3. Mark the file types: JPG, PNG, HEIC.
4. Wait until the scan is completed (may take 1-2 hours).
5. Save the photos to a memory card or cloud.

Important: The less you use your phone after you delete a photo, the better the chances of recovery. Each new memory record (photo, video, updates) overwrites the deleted data.

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Before you restore, turn off automatic sync with Mi Cloud and Google Photos – this will prevent overwriting temporary files.

5. MIUI system folders: where else can the photos hide

MIUI firmware creates service folders that most users don't know about.

• 📸 /Android/data/com.miui.gallery/cache/ — cache gallery (sometimes stores full-size copies).
• 🔄 /MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/ — Application backups (may contain photos from chat rooms).
• 📱 /Android/obb/ — Here some applications (for example, Viber or Telegram) store media files.
• 💬 /Android/data/com.tencent.mm/MicroMsg/ — WeChat folder with uploaded images.

To access these folders:

1. Use Total Commander or FX File Explorer (they show rootless system directories).
2. In the file manager settings, enable Show Hidden Files and Show System Files.
3. Look for files with extensions.jpg,.png,.heic,.webp.

Note the /MIUI/Backup/ folder, where MIUI automatically backs up when you reset. If you recently reset, you may find old photos in the.mbk file extension (you can open them via Mi Backup).

6. Alternative methods: clouds and instant messengers

Users often forget that photos can be duplicated in other services.

• ☁️ Google Photos: photos.google.com → Basket → Archives.
• 💬 Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Warehouse → Photo Photo.
• 📱 Viber/WhatsApp: folder /Android/media/com.viber.voip/ and /Android/media/com.whatsapp/.
• 🌐 Social Media: Check the uploads on Facebook, VK, Instagram (Archived section).

There's a hidden feature in Google Photos: if you've turned on Backup, all your photos are stored in the cloud even after they're deleted from your phone.

1. Open photos.google.com on PC.
2. In the left menu, select the basket (photos are stored for 60 days).
3. Check the archives, there may be hidden pictures.
4. Use a search by date or place (if geotags are included).

In messengers, photos are often stored in hidden folders, for example, in Telegram, the path to media files: /Android/media/org.telegram.messenger/Telegram Images/. This is where all uploaded images are stored, even if you deleted them in a chat room.

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Before you delete your messenger or reset your phone, copy your media folders to your PC – they don’t sync to the cloud automatically!

7. What should I do if nothing has worked?

If you have tried all the methods, but the photo was not found, there are radical measures:

• 🔧 Reset to factory settings (sometimes returns hidden system files).
• 🛠️ Fastboot Firmware (for experienced users only).
• 💽 Memory dump analysis (requires special software like Autopsy or FTK Imager).
• 📞 Contact the service center (if the photos are critically important).

Before resetting your settings, try creating a full backup via the Mi PC Suite:

1. Connect your phone to a PC with the Mi PC Suite installed.
2. Select Backup → Full Backup.
3. Once completed, scan the backup on your PC with 7-Zip or WinRAR – sometimes photos are stored there in an unindexed form.

If you are dealing with physically damaged memory (phone is not turned on, memory card is not readable), do not try to recover data yourself.

⚠️ Note: Use of programs for low-level memory scanning (such as: DD TestDisk on a working phone can cause loss of warranty and damage to the file system, and these methods should be used only if other options are exhausted.

FAQ: Frequent questions about hidden photos on Xiaomi