How to allow access to the Gallery SD-map on Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone users often face a situation where, after installing a memory card or updating the system, photos and videos are no longer displayed in the standard Gallery app. This problem lies in the Android security system, which in recent versions strictly controls the access of applications to external drives. Instead of automatically scanning files, the system now requires explicit confirmation of user rights for each particular application.

Ignoring this request causes media files to be physically written to the drive, but software hidden from the gallery interface. You don't need to be a technician to fix this, but it's important to understand the logic of how the MIUI or HyperOS shell works. In this article, we'll look at all the nuances of granting permissions, from basic settings to specific cases where standard methods don't work.

Before you start changing system settings, you need to make sure that the memory card is correctly defined by the device. If the drive is not formatted or has file system errors, no permission settings will help. We will look at a step-by-step algorithm that guarantees that your photos and videos will return to the Gallery app.

Diagnostics of file visibility problems

The first step is to determine the extent of the problem: does the phone see the memory card at all or is the problem exclusively in the Gallery app. Often users confuse the hardware read failure with the software access restriction. Check the status of the drive through the Settings menu → About the phone → Storage. If the card volume is displayed correctly, then the physical contact is established, and it is the software rights.

Modern versions of Android use the Scoped Storage mechanism, which isolates application data from each other. The gallery no longer has automatic access to all files on the device by default.This is done to protect user data from malware, but sometimes creates inconvenience when using external media.

⚠️ Note: If the storage menu displays zero or an error message instead of the map, try extracting and pasting again. SIM-card tray, making sure the correct installation of contacts.

It’s also worth checking if Hide Content is enabled in the memory card settings, which is sometimes found when transferring data from other devices. In some cases, the system may suggest formatting the card as internal memory – this is not worth doing if you plan to change devices often, since the data will be encrypted and not read on another phone or computer.

Basic setting of access rights in MIUI and HyperOS

To restore access, you need to manually activate permission in the system menu of applications. This is the most common and effective method of solving the problem. Open the Settings menu → Apps → All applications and search the list of "Gallery". If you use a third-party app to view photos, look for its name (for example, Google Photos or Simple Gallery).

Inside the app menu, find the Application Permissions section. You'll need the file management section. Depending on the version of the MIUI shell, it can be called Media Access, Files and Media or Memory. Select "Allow all files to be managed" or "Always ask" if full access is not available.

Once the settings are changed, the system may require re-confirmation of the action through a screen unlock password or fingerprint scanning. This is Xiaomi's standard security procedure to prevent critical settings from being accidentally changed. Don't ignore this request, otherwise the settings won't be saved.

Using a File Manager for Forced Scanning

Sometimes, simply changing the rights is not enough, because the media scanner has not yet updated the thumbnail database, and in this case, it helps to force files through a standard Explorer. MIUI Open the Explorer app and go to the Images or Video category, selecting your source SD-map.

Just by opening a few files directly through Explorer, you signal to the system that this data is up to date and should be indexed. Then restart the smartphone. The reboot process triggers Media Scanner, which re-scans all available storage for new access rights.

If the photos are still not displayed after the reboot, try clearing the Gallery app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → Gallery → Memory and click the Clean button. This action is safe and will not delete your photos, it will only reset the temporary files and display settings of the application itself.

Specifics of working with Android 11, 12, 13 and later

Since Android 11, Google has implemented strict restrictions on access to the root directory of external drives. Apps that are not optimized for the new Scoped Storage standards may simply “not see” the folder on the back of the folder. SD-Xiaomi Redmi owners with new OS versions may need to use special access.

In some cases, the system, when the Gallery is first started after the update, displays a system dialog box requesting access to specific folders on the SD-If you accidentally clicked "Cancel" or the window didn't appear, you need to find this request in the settings. → Confidentiality → Permit manager → Files and media.

⚠️ Note: On Android 13 and above, access can be divided into separate categories: images, video, and audio. Make sure you give permission to all three file types if you want to see the full content.

It’s also worth noting that some Xiaomi system galleries in global firmware versions may have bugs reading certain file systems (e.g., exFAT on large-volume cards).If the problem persists, try formatting the card on your computer into a FAT32 file system, although this will limit the size of one file to 4 gigabytes.

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Use a U3 or V30 speed memory card to record video in 4K. Slow cards can cause delays when displaying thumbnails in the gallery, creating the illusion of no files.

Solving problems with hidden folders and files

Often users are confronted with the fact that files are there, but they are hidden from prying eyes. In the Linux file system on which Android is based, folders with a dot at the beginning of the name (for example,.thumbnails or.sys) are considered hidden.

Check if you have a file called.nomedia installed on your memory card. Having this blank file at the root of the card or in a particular folder tells the system not to index media files in that location. It's a useful feature for hiding system sounds or pictures from online stores, but it can accidentally hide your personal photos.

To delete this file, you'll need a file manager that supports hidden files. In Xiaomi's standard Explorer, click three dots in the corner of the screen and turn on the "Show hidden files" option. Find the.nomedia file and delete it, then reboot the device.

Alternative solutions and third-party galleries

If Xiaomi’s in-house gallery continues to malfunction, it makes sense to consider installing an alternative app from Google Play. Third-party developers often adapt their products faster to changes in Android. Popular and reliable options are Google Photos, Simple Gallery Pro or AGallery.

When installing a third-party application, it will immediately request the necessary rights, and it is important to grant them at the time of first launch, such applications often have more flexible scanning settings and allow you to manually specify the folders that you want to display, ignoring the system restrictions on reading certain directories.

And also, using cloud services can be a temporary or permanent solution, by setting up automatic folder synchronization with the Internet. SD-Google Photos or Yandex.Disk, you'll get access to your archives even if you lose all your data on a physical medium.

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If standard methods do not help, installing a third-party gallery (such as Simple Gallery) often solves the problem of accessing the gallery. SD-map instantly as these applications use their own scanning mechanisms.