Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro is one of the most popular mid-range smartphones, but even its owners face the need to hide personal photos and videos from prying eyes. Unlike flagship models, where privacy is more extensive, the Poco X3 Pro with the shell MIUI is implemented in an unobvious way. In this article, we will examine all the working methods, from built-in tools to workarounds without root rights.
The main problem is that the standard MIUI Gallery does not support the direct “hide album” function in the usual sense (such as Google Photos), but there are three reliable methods: using a secure folder with a password, transferring files to the archive and cloaking through system folders, each of which has its own nuances that are important to consider so as not to lose access to files.
If you're looking for a way to hide the album from not just random glances, but also scans by third-party apps (like messengers), the combination of methods will give you the maximum effect.
Method 1: Protected folder in MIUI Gallery
The most reliable and official method is to use the built-in “Private Folder” feature, which is available on all Xiaomi devices running MIUI 12.5+, including the Poco X3 Pro. The folder is protected by a password, fingerprint or pattern lock, and its contents are not displayed in the main gallery.
To activate it:
- Open the Gallery app.
- Slip on three dots in the top right corner and select Secure folder.
- When you first start, the system will offer to set a password - use a combination that you will not forget (it is impossible to restore access without resetting data!).
- After setting up, drag the desired photos / videos to the protected folder or select them through the Add menu.
Important: Files in the protected folder are not backed up in the Mi Cloud or displayed in search results on the device, which means that when you reset your phone to factory settings, the content will be lost unless you first copy it elsewhere.
Set a strong password (not date of birth!)
Save a backup of important files on the PC
Disable autocleaning of cache in gallery settings
Remember that the folder is not visible in the file manager-->
Method 2: Archiving Albums through File Manager
If you need to temporarily hide an album from view, but don’t necessarily have to password it, you can use archiving, which is a good technique for Poco X3 Pro, as it allows you to “hide” files in.zip or.rar format that are not displayed in the gallery by default.
Instructions:
- Open Files (standard MIUI manager)
- Go to DCIM → Camera (or another folder where your photos are stored).
- Select the files you want to hide, tap on three dots and select Compress.
- Please provide the name of the archive (for example, private_2026) and confirm the creation.
- Remove the original files from the folder (they will only remain in the archive).
To return the files back, you just need to unpack the archive, and the downside is that the archives take up space on the device, and if you accidentally delete them, it will be harder to restore them than ordinary photos.
Method 3: Transfer files to system folders
A lesser-known but working trick is moving albums into folders that are gallery-like. MIUI It ignores by default, like the.nomedia folder or the system directories. /Android/data/. This method does not require a password, but files will remain accessible through the file manager.
How to do this:
- Connect Poco X3 Pro to your PC via USB (in file transfer mode).
- In the root directory of internal memory, create a folder called.nomedia (note the point at the beginning!).
- Bring the necessary photos/video to it.
- Turn off the device and restart it (sometimes the gallery doesn’t update right away).
After that, the files will disappear from the gallery, but will remain on the device. To return them back, you just need to move the files to any other folder (for example, DCIM).
Why is the folder called.nomedia?
What if the album is still visible?
Sometimes even after using the methods described above, files continue to be displayed in the gallery, which is due to the peculiarities of MIUI and media caching.
- 🔄 Cleaning the gallery cache: go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
- 📱 Reboot device: sometimes the media scanner will only update the data after the reboot.
- 🔍 Check folder names: Make sure the folder is called.nomedia (with a dot!), not nomedia or.Nomedia.
- 🛠️ Update MIUI: In older versions of the shell, there are bugs with hidden files. Check for updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
If the problem persists, try using a third-party gallery (like Google Photos or Simple Gallery) that can ignore system folders more securely.
Protected folder MIUI| File Archive |Folder.nomedia|Application Party |I'm not hiding-->
Comparison of methods: which one to choose?
Each of these methods has its pros and cons. Below is a comparison table that will help you decide on the choice:
| Method | Level of protection | Do you need a password? | You see it in the file manager? | Compatibility with MIUI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secure folder. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes. | No. | Complete. |
| Archiving | ⭐⭐⭐ | No (optional) | Yes. | Complete. |
| Folder.nomedia | ⭐⭐ | No. | Yeah (hidden) | Complete. |
| Party of annex | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes. | Depends on the app. | Partial |
For maximum privacy, we recommend combining methods, such as first transferring files to.nomedia and then packing them into a password archive, so even when connecting the phone to a PC or using a file manager, access to albums will be limited.
💡
The protected MIUI folder is the only method that is guaranteed to hide files from all applications, including instant messengers and cloud services.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
When trying to hide an album on a Poco X3 Pro, users often make the same mistakes, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:
⚠️ Note: If you forget the password from the protected folder, you can’t restore access to files without resetting your phone to factory settings. Xiaomi doesn’t provide official tools to bypass this protection.
- 🔐 Password loss: Before using a secure folder, write the password to a secure location (for example, a password manager.
- 🗑️ Remove without backup: When archiving or transferring files, always make sure that the originals are copied to a secure location (cloud, PC).
- 🔍 Wrong folder name: the.nomedia folder should be called that way, with a dot at the beginning and no spaces.
- 📱 Unrenewed MIUI: in older versions of the shell (below) MIUI 12) a secure folder may not work properly.
Another common problem is that files reappear in the gallery after the MIUI update, which is because the system rescans the media, in which case repeat the concealment actions or clear the gallery cache.