How to watch a secret album on Xiaomi Redmi: all ways to unlock

Hidden albums on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones are one of the most talked-about features among users, and many people are faced with a situation where important photos or videos suddenly disappear from the main gallery, although they still occupy disk space, the reason most often lies in the automatic sorting of MIUI, which hides some media files in secure folders, but how do you get there if the system does not show a standard path?

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to access hidden albums on Redmi Note. 12/13, POCO X5/F5 other models 2022–2026 years – from official methods through gallery settings to workarounds using a file manager and ADB-We will pay special attention to the nuances of work on the MIUI 14/15 Android 13/14, where the logic of hiding files has changed compared to previous versions.

Important: Some methods require permission to access hidden folders, which is disabled by default for security purposes, and we will explain in detail how to activate it without risking data.

Why photos are missing from the gallery on Xiaomi Redmi

MIUI automatically hides media files in three cases:

• 📁 System folders: files from /DCIM/.thumbnails, /Pictures/Screenshots/.nomedia or application folders (like WhatsApp Media) that don't show up in the gallery because of the.nomedia file.
• 🔒 Protected albums: the user manually transferred the photo to Private Folder (available on the site) MIUI 12+). These files are encrypted and stored in /miui/private.
• 🛠️ Indexing errors: after updating MIUI Or resetting gallery settings may "forget" about some files, although they physically remain on disk.

A critical feature of MIUI 14/15: Since these versions, the path to hidden albums has changed from /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/PrivateAlbum to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/files/Private. The old instructions from the internet have stopped working!

The photos may also be “disappeared” due to:

• 📱 Dual Mi Accounts: If you are logged in under a different profile, Private Folder is blocked.
• 🔄 Cloud sync: files deleted locally but left in Xiaomi Cloud (check Trash folder in the cloud).
• 🚫 Parental Controls: Content Restriction Mode is enabled (check Settings) → Special opportunities).

How to Open a Private Folder in a Gallery

If you hid your photos through the standard Xiaomi gallery, use the built-in tool:

1. Open the Gallery app (flower icon).
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → select Albums.
3. Scroll down to Hidden Albums (on MIUI 15 it may be called Private).
4. The system will ask for a password or fingerprint (if you set it).

⚠️ Note: if you forgot the password from Private Folder, you can restore it only by resetting the gallery settings (data in the hidden album will be deleted!). → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the data.

If there is no Hidden Albums section:

• 🔍 Check if you have upgraded to the latest version on Google Play.
• 📥 Install an alternative gallery (like Google Photos) and check if files are displayed there.
• 🔄 Restart your phone - sometimes MIUI Incorrectly displays hidden folders after updating.

Alternative method: access through file manager

If the gallery doesn't show you hidden photos, try to find them manually through the guide.

1. Open Files (standard Xiaomi or Total Commander app).
2. Slip on three lines in the upper left corner → select Categories → Images.
3. Enable the display of hidden files: File Manager settings → Show hidden files
4. Go to one of the paths (depending on MIUI version): /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/PrivateAlbum (MIUI 12–13) /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.miui.gallery/files/Private (MIUI 14–15) /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.hidden (for some POCO models)

⚠️ Warning: files in the Private folder are encrypted. If you copy them to your PC, they'll open as broken. To move the photos, first move them back to the main gallery via the Private Folder menu.

If the folder is not in the specified ways:

• 🔎 Use keyword search: enter private or.nomedia in the file manager.
• 📂 Check the Trash folder in the gallery – sometimes files get there after updates.
• 🔧 Install Root Browser (requires superuser rights) for deep scanning.

💡

If you don't see the Android folder in the root directory, turn on the system files in the file manager settings. On some firmware, it's hidden by default.

The way for advanced: ADB-commands to access hidden files

If standard methods don't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to force hidden folders to be displayed, which doesn't require root, but you need basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB debugging: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.
3. Open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) and enter: adb shell su -c "setprop persist.sys.miui_gallery_private_visible 1" (If it requests superuser rights, it won't work, it needs root).
4. Reboot the phone. After that, the hidden albums are supposed to appear in the gallery.

The alternative command for MIUI 14+ is:

adb shell am start -n com.miui.gallery/.activity.PrivateAlbumActivity

⚠️ Note: changing system properties through ADB After viewing the files, we recommend returning the original value: adb shell su -c "setprop persist.sys.miui_gallery_private_visible 0"

Recovery of deleted photos from hidden album

If files have been deleted from Private Folder, you can try to restore them.

1. Check the Recycle Bin: Open Gallery → Albums → Recycle Bin. Files are stored there for 30 days (on MIUI 15 – 15 days).

Use Recovery Programs

• 📱 On the phone: DiskDigger, Dumpster (requires root for deep scanning).
• 💻 On PC: Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery (Plug your phone as a phone) USB-accumulator).
• Check backups: Settings → Google → Backup or Settings → Accounts → Xiaomi Cloud → Gallery

Important: Do not write new files to your phone after deleting it, which reduces the chances of recovery, and avoid using memory optimizers (such as Clean Master), which can permanently erase data.

💡

If you lose photos regularly, set up automatic backups in Google Photos or Xiaomi Cloud, which is the only reliable way to protect data from accidental deletion.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Users often face typical problems when working with hidden albums:

• 🔐 "Unable to open Private Folder: Reason: Access rights lost after update MIUI. Solution: Go to Settings → Annexes → gallery → Permits and enable access to storage.
• 📂 "Private folder is empty, but it takes up space": "The reason: the files are encrypted, but the key is lost. Solution: try logging into another Mi Account that created the album.
• 🔄 "After resetting, hidden photos are gone": Reason: encryption is tied to your account. Solution: restore data from Xiaomi Cloud backup (if it was created).
• 📱 "New phone doesn't see old hidden photos": Reason: Private Folder doesn't sync between devices.Solution: Move files to a regular folder before moving to a new smartphone.

To avoid problems:

• 🔑 Use one Mi Account on all devices.
• 📤 Export important photos from Private Folder to the cloud regularly.
• 🔄 Don't update. MIUI via fastboot, if there is important data in the hidden album – it can reset the encryption keys.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions