Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones offer photo hiding, a convenient way to protect personal photos from prying eyes. However, many users are faced with the problem of how to return access to these files if they forgot where they were hidden, or after resetting? In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of viewing hidden photos on devices with MIUI firmware (including versions 12-14) and HyperOS shell.
It's important to understand that hidden photos aren't deleted from your phone -- they're just moved to a secure folder or changed access attributes. We'll look at both standard ways through Xiaomi's built-in tools and advanced methods for power users. If you're looking for a way to recover deleted photos, that's another topic that requires specialized software.
Before you start, make sure your device is enabled to display hidden files in the File Manager (more on this in one section). Also remember that some methods require superuser rights (root), which can violate the guarantee and security of the system.
1. Standard way through the Xiaomi Gallery
The easiest method is to use the built-in Hidden Album feature in the standard MIUI gallery, which works on all modern Xiaomi devices without additional software.
Open the Gallery app and follow the following steps:
- 📌 Tap the three-point menu (⋮) top-right.
- 🔍 Select Hidden Album (Can be called Private Photos in New HyperOS Versions).
- 🔐 The system will ask for a password, fingerprint or pattern lock – use the same unlock method as for the lock screen.
- 📷 After authorization, you will see all hidden photos and videos.
If Hidden Album is not on the menu, then the gallery photo hiding feature is disabled on your device, in which case try alternative methods from the following sections.
⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Or Redmi Note 11 with HyperOS) a hidden album can be hidden deeper.Try the path: Gallery → Albums. → More. → Settings → Showing Hidden Albums.
2. Search through the File Manager (including hidden folders)
Photos hidden through the Xiaomi gallery are physically stored in the.hide or.nomedia system folder. To see them, you need to enable the display of hidden files in the File Manager.
Instructions:
- Open the Files app (the blue-background folder icon).
- Slip on three horizontal lines (☰) top-left.
- Select Settings → Show hidden files (switch the slider to the position On).
- Go back to the root directory (/storage/emulated/0/) and find folders:.hide — this is where photos are stored hidden through the gallery..nomedia — contains files excluded from the media scanner. MIUI/Extra/Private — an alternate location for some models.
If there are no folders, try searching by keywords: enter.nomedia or hide in the file manager search bar. Also check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder - sometimes thumbnails of hidden photos remain there.
☑️ Preparing for the search for hidden files
3. Using ADB to access hidden files (without root)
If standard methods don’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that lets you interact with your phone’s file system via a computer, which doesn’t require superuser rights, but requires you to turn on the developer mode.
Step-by-step:
- Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. Tap the firmware version 7 times until the notification You became a developer!.
USB debugging
Settings → Additional → For Developers
ADB-driver
platform-tools
adb devices(Make sure the device is determined)
adb shell ls /storage/emulated/0/.hide(viewing the contents of the hidden folder)
To copy files to your computer, use:
adb pull /storage/emulated/0/.hide/ C:\Xiaomi_Hidden_Photos\⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB case and space sensitive, if the path contains spaces (e.g, /storage/emulated/0/My Files), enclose it in quote marks: adb pull "/storage/emulated/0/My Files/".
What if the ADB can’t see the device?
4. Third-party applications for finding hidden files
If Xiaomi's built-in tools don't help, you can use third-party filers with advanced features.
| Annex | Features | Download link |
|---|---|---|
| Solid Explorer | Support for cloud storage, built-in archiver, access to root folders (with root). | Google Play |
| FX File Explorer | Display of hidden and system files, FTP-server SMB. | Google Play |
| Root Browser | For root-enabled devices, full access to system partitions. | Google Play |
How to search for hidden photos through Solid Explorer:
- 🔧 Open the application and give access to the storage.
- 🔍 Tap it on three points. → Settings → Show hidden files.
- 📁 Move to the /storage/emulated/0/ Find the folders with a dot at the beginning (for example,.hide).
- 🔒 If the folder is protected, you may need to enter a password from your Mi Account.
On some Xiaomi firmware, the folder with hidden photos is disguised as a system file called com.miui.gallery.hidden, in which case it can only be found through ADB or root conductor.
5. Restore access through the Mi Account (if photos are synced)
If you had Mi Cloud sync enabled on your device, the hidden photos could have been saved to the cloud to be returned:
- Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
- Make sure that the synchronization of the gallery is enabled.
- Go to i.mi.com and log in.
- In the Gallery section, find the Private or Hidden folder.
- Select the desired photos and click Download.
If the photo is not in the cloud, but you remember that sync was enabled, try:
- 🔄 Restart your phone and wait until sync is complete (may take up to 10 minutes).
- 📱 Install Mi Cloud from Google Play and check the Recycle Bin section.
⚠️ Note: Photos hidden through the Xiaomi Gallery are only synced to the cloud if the Mi Cloud settings enable the option to back up hidden albums.
💡
If you don't remember the password from your Mi Account, restore it via [account.xiaomi.com](https://account.xiaomi.com).
6. Advanced methods (for root users)
If you have root rights, you can get full access to the system folders where Xiaomi stores hidden data, and one of the reliable ways is to use SQLite Editor to change the gallery database.
Instructions:
- Install SQLite Editor from Google Play.
- Open the app and search for the database: /data/data/com.miui.gallery/databases/media.db.
- Go to the file table and find the isprivate column.
- Change the value from 1 (hidden) to 0 (visible) for the desired files.
- Reboot the phone.
An alternative method is to search manually through Root Explorer:
- 🔍 Open up. /data/media/0/ (This is the root folder of the internal storage).
- 📁 Find folders with the hidden attribute (in Root Explorer they are highlighted in gray).
- 🔧 Change access rights (long tap) → Permissions → Check the Read and Write boxes for all groups).
On HyperOS devices, the path to hidden files may be different: check /data/user_de/0/com.miui.gallery/files/Private/.
💡
Using root methods can disrupt the stability of the system. Before making changes, back up via TWRP or Mi Flash.
Frequent problems and their solutions
When searching for hidden photos, users often encounter common mistakes, and here's how to solve them:
- 🔴.hide folder is empty: Check if you have changed the location of hidden files in the gallery settings. Make sure the photos have been hidden through the standard Xiaomi gallery, not third-party apps.
- 🔴 ADB Finds no folder: Try an alternative path: /sdcard/.hide or /storage/self/primary/.hide. Update platform-tools to the latest version.
- 🔴 File Manager does not show hidden folders: Check the display settings in the application itself (sometimes the option is hidden in View) → Hidden elements: Reinstall the file manager.
If none of the methods worked, it is possible that the photos were deleted or moved to another location, in which case try data recovery software such as DiskDigger or Recuva (you will need to connect your phone to your PC in Mass Storage mode).