How to watch a personal album on Xiaomi Redmi: hidden photos and videos in MIUI

The Xiaomi Redmi Personal Album is a secure storage for sensitive photos and videos that is hidden by default from prying eyes. Many users do not even know it exists until they are faced with the need to hide personal files or, conversely, find previously hidden materials. In this article, we will examine all the ways to access a personal album, including standard methods through the MIUI Gallery, as well as alternative ways for cases when the album suddenly disappears or does not open.

The thing about Redmi's personal album is that it's tied to a Mi Account and can sync between devices, which means that even after you reset or change your phone, you can restore access to hidden files -- provided you remember the data from your account. But there are nuances: for example, some versions of MIUI 14 and later, the file-hiding algorithm has changed, and the old instructions may not work. We took into account all the current updates and put together proven methods.

Where is the personal album in Xiaomi Redmi?

By default, your personal album is integrated into the standard Gallery app and does not appear on the home screen.

• 📱 Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
• 🔍 At the bottom of the screen, tap the Albums tab.
• 🔒 Scroll the list up - there should be a folder Personal album (or Private Album in English firmware).
• 🔑 When you first open, the system will ask for a password, fingerprint or pattern lock.

If the folder is not listed, it could mean one of three:

1. You never added files to your personal album.
2. The album is disabled in the privacy settings.
3. You have an outdated version of MIUI (up to 12.5), where the feature was called Hidden Albums.

In Redmi Note 12, Redmi 11 and later, a personal album can be hidden deeper in the Tools section of the gallery. If you don't see it there, try updating the Gallery app via Google Play or Mi App Store. In extreme cases, you can use an alternative method through the File Manager (more on this below).

How to add a photo to your personal album on Xiaomi

To hide photos or videos in a personal album, do the following:

1. Open the Gallery and select the files you want (click on one file, then mark the rest).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Move to a personal album.
3. Confirm the action with a password or biometrics.

Importantly, the moved files will disappear from the main gallery and will only be accessible through a personal album, and other apps (such as WhatsApp or Instagram) will not see them unless you explicitly specify the path to the folder manually.

Check that files are not used by other applications

Make sure there is enough memory on your phone.

Remember the password from your personal album

Backup important files to the cloud

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In some firmware (e.g., Redmi 10 with MIUI 13), instead of moving, the Hide option is available. It doesn't delete the file from the gallery, it just hides it from prying eyes. To return such a file back, go to Gallery Settings → Hidden Files.

What to do if your personal album disappears after the update

After the MIUI update (especially from 12.5 to 13/14), users often experience a loss of a personal album.

• 🔄 Reset gallery settings.
• 🔐 Conflict with privacy settings.
• 📱 Sync failure with Mi Cloud.

To restore access:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery.
2. Press Warehouse and clear the cache (not data!).
3. Reboot the phone.
4. Open the gallery and check for a personal album.

If that doesn’t help, try manually enabling the display of hidden folders:

1. Open the File Manager (Files).
2. Slip to the top three points → Settings → turn on Show hidden files.
3. Go to the Inner Memory path → MIUI → Gallery → Cloud → Private.

In MIUI 14, the path to a personal album has changed: files are now stored in an encrypted container, and access to them is only possible through an official gallery.

How to Restore Access to a Personal Album Without a Password

If you've forgotten the password for your personal album, there are a few ways to restore it -- but not all of them are universal.

1. Open the gallery and try to enter your personal album.
2. On the password entry screen, click Forgot the password.
3. The system will offer to reset the password through Mi Account (confirmation by SMS or email is required).

If this method doesn’t work (for example, on Redmi 9 with custom firmware), try:

• 🔄 Reset password through Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account → Security.
• 📱 Connect your phone to your PC and use Mi PC Suite to restore access.
• 🔧 In extreme cases, make a hard reset, but it will remove all data from the phone!

💡

If you have Mi Cloud sync enabled, try logging into your personal album via another Xiaomi phone with the same account.This sometimes helps bypass the lock.

On devices with an unlocked bootloader, you can try extracting files through ADB, but it requires technical skills.

adb shell


su




cp -r /data/media/0/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/private /sdcard/Download/

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This method can cause data loss or system failure, and is recommended only for advanced users.

Differences between the album on different Redmi models

The functionality of the personal album may vary depending on the phone model and the MIUI version. Below is a table with key features:

On the Redmi K50 and flagship models, the personal album supports dual authentication: in addition to password, you can configure Face ID or fingerprint confirmation. On budget devices (for example, Redmi A1), this feature can be simplified or absent.

If you upgraded your phone to MIUI 14 but your personal album never came, check the firmware region. In some global versions (e.g. Europe), the feature is disabled by default to activate it:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to turn on the developer mode.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → Developer Mode.
4. Find the option to Enable a personal album and activate it.

How to transfer files from a personal album to another phone

If you want to move hidden files to a new Xiaomi Redmi or a device from another brand, there are a few ways to do this:

• 🌥️ Through Mi Cloud: Enable sync in Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery: On the new phone, log in to the same account and wait for the files to load.
• 📁 Through File Manager: Copy the private folder (the path above) to a memory card or PC. On the new phone, place the files in the same folder.

Google Photo

1. Export files from your personal album to the main gallery.
2. Upload them to Google Photos or another cloud service.

⚠️ Note: When transferring through the file manager on phones with MIUI 14 files may not be viewable, and this is due to hardware encryption, and then the only reliable way to sync them is through Mi Cloud.

If you are transferring files to a non-Xiaomi device (such as a Samsung or iPhone), pre-export them from a personal album to a regular gallery.

1. Open your personal album.
2. Identify the files you need.
3. Press three points. → Export.
4. Select the destination folder (for example, DCIM).

Security of personal album: how to protect files from strangers

Xiaomi Redmi’s personal album is password protected, but there are ways to enhance security:

• 🔐 Use a complex password (at least 8 characters with numbers and letters).
• 👆 Set up two-factor authentication in Mi Account.
• 🚫 Turn off the notifications display from the gallery on the lock screen.
• 🔄 Regularly back up your Mi Cloud or external drive.

To prevent access to your personal album through Restore Mode or ADB, activate the Data Protection option:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Security.
2. Enable Data Protection when blocking.
3. Place a checkmark in front of the gallery.

On devices with MIUI 14, Hidden Mode is also available, which completely hides the personal album from the gallery interface.

1. Open the gallery and go to Settings → Privacy.
2. Activate Hidden Mode.
3. The album will now only be available after a special gesture is entered on the lock screen (for example, holding two fingers).

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Even with the hidden mode enabled, files remain on the phone and can be retrieved through an engineering menu or specialized software. For maximum security, use disk encryption (available in Settings → Additional → Encryption).

FAQ: Frequent questions about a personal album on Xiaomi Redmi