How to create an album in a gallery on a Xiaomi phone: 3 proven ways + tips for organizing photos

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO have a powerful standard gallery with personal album creation, the perfect tool to organize thousands of photos. However, many users still keep their images in a common thread, losing precious minutes to find the right shot. This article will reveal all the secrets of working with albums, from basic creation to advanced media management techniques.

We will discuss three main methods in detail: through the built-in Gallery app, using MIUI File Explorer and synchronizing with Mi Cloud. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances that the manufacturer does not advertise - for example, how to avoid duplication of files when transferring between albums or why some images "disappear" after the MIUI update. At the end, you will find an FAQ with answers to the most common questions and a feature compatibility table for different models.

1.Preparation: What to Know Before Making an Album

Before you start organizing photos, it’s important to understand the key principles of how Xiaomi Gallery works. Unlike Google Photos, the standard app doesn’t create physical folders on the device — albums exist only in the program interface, which means that deleting the album will not affect the files themselves, but it can make it harder to find them.

Another nuance: since MIUI 14, automatic sorting algorithms have become more aggressive. The system can self-group pictures by date, location, or even face recognition (on models with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and later). To avoid chaos, we recommend turning off auto sorting in the gallery settings: Settings → Categories → Auto grouping.

• 📁 Physical folders vs. virtual albums: the first ones are stored in the device memory (/DCIM/ or /Pictures/), The second is in the gallery database only.
• 🔄 Cloud Sync: Locally created albums don’t automatically duplicate in Mi Cloud – you need to set them up separately.
• 🔍 Album search: Use the Album filter in the gallery's top menu to quickly switch between collections.

⚠️ Note: If you use dual applications (Dual Apps function in the app) MIUI), The albums in the cloned gallery won't sync with the main one.This is a technical limitation that Xiaomi hasn't yet eliminated.

2. Method 1: Creating an album through a standard gallery

The most obvious and quickest method is to use the built-in Gallery app, which works on all Xiaomi devices regardless of the MIUI version (tested on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with MIUI 15 and POCO F5 with MIUI 14).

Algorithm of action:

1. Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Slip three dots in the top right corner (or swipe left on some models).
3. Select Create an album (in English firmware - Create album).
4. Enter the album title (e.g., "Vacation 2026" or "Documents"). Album names in MIUI cannot contain the characters /,,:, *,?, ", <, >, | - the system will automatically replace them with emphasis.
5. Click Ready and select photos to add (you can mark a few at once).

The finished album will appear in the main menu Albums section. To add new photos to it later, open the album, tap three dots and select Add. Note: MIUI 15 has a Smart Add-on feature, which will prompt you to automatically match similar shots by date and location.

3. Method 2: Album management via MIUI File Explorer

A lesser-known but more flexible method is working with the file system via MIUI File Explorer, a method that is suitable for users who prefer physical file organization or encounter errors in the standard gallery.

Advantages of the method:

• 📂 Ability to create nested folders (e.g. Vacation)/2026/Italy).
• 🔗 Direct File Work – You can move, copy or delete without an intermediary in the form of a gallery.
• 🖥️ Compatibility with OTG-accumulator FTP-servers (useful for backups).

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Files app (yellow folder icon).


2 Go to Images or manually open the folder /DCIM/.




3. Slip on the "+" in the bottom menu → "New folder".




4. Name the folder (e.g., "Family Photos").




5. Press the desired photos in the shared gallery → “Move” → select the created folder.

⚠️ Note: When moving files through File Explorer, the link to the album in the standard gallery is broken. To save the binding, use the Copy function instead of Move, and then manually delete the originals.

For advanced users, if you need to automate sorting, you can use Tasker scripts with the AutoTools plugin, for example, configure the rule: “All photos with the Paris geotag are automatically copied to the /Pictures/Travel/France folder.”

4. Method 3: Cloud Albums in Mi Cloud

For users who want to have access to photos on all devices, sync with Mi Cloud is ideal. Cloud albums have a number of unique features:

• ☁️ Automatic backup (configured in Settings) → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → gallery).
• 🔒 Ability to set a password for the album (Private album feature is available on models with Snapdragon) 8xx).
• 📱 Access from PC via i.mi.com web version (authorization required).

To create a cloud album:

1. Open the Gallery → go to the Mi Cloud tab (may be called the Cloud).
2. Sign in to your Xiaomi account (if not authorized).
3. Slip on the icon "+" → New album.
4. Please specify the title and select the photo to download. Please note that the first download may take time depending on the speed of the Internet and the size of the files.

Important: When downloading to Mi Cloud, photos are compressed to 2048×2048 pixels (if the source is larger). To maintain original quality, use the Backup function in original quality in the cloud settings - but this will require additional space.

💡

If you travel frequently, turn on the option “Download only over Wi-Fi” in the Mi Cloud settings, which will prevent unexpected mobile traffic from being used when syncing albums.

5. Common Problems and Their Solutions

Even in the latest versions of MIUI, users are experiencing bugs when working with albums, and we have collected the most common problems and ways to fix them:

5.1 Albums are not displayed in the gallery

Reason: A glitch in a gallery database or a conflict with other apps (e.g. Google Photos).

Decision:

1. Clear the gallery cache: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gallery → Storage → Clear the cache.
2. Reset the device.
3. If the problem persists, delete the gallery details (Warning: this will reset all local albums!).

5.2 Photos are duplicated in different albums

Reason: Automatic grouping by category (e.g. People, Places, Documents) or error when copying files.

Solution: Turn off auto sorting in the gallery settings or use the Find duplicates function in the Manage section.

5.3 You can't rename the album

Reason: MIUI restriction for system albums (e.g. Screenshots or Downloads).

Solution: Create a new album with the right name and transfer a photo from the old one.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for POCO (for example, POCO X6 Pro) may not have the gallery album creation function. MIUI File Explorer or install an alternative gallery (e.g. Simple Gallery).

6. Advanced techniques for working with albums

For those who want to make the most of the Xiaomi gallery, we have prepared a collection of little-known chips:

• 🔐 Hidden Albums: Rename the folder to.number (e.g.,.123) via File Explorer – it will disappear from the gallery but remain accessible through the file manager.
• 📌 Fixed Albums: Hold your finger on the album in the gallery and choose Secure – it will always be displayed first.
• 🎨 Color markings: B MIUI 15: It’s possible to assign color tags to albums for quick navigation (available in album settings).
• 🤖 Automation: MacroDroid can be used to configure the rule: When connecting to home Wi-Fi, automatically upload new photos to the Home Backup cloud album».

For photographers: if you shoot in RAW format (like Xiaomi 13 Ultra), create a separate album for such files and disable their download to Mi Cloud (as the cloud does not support RAW).

💡

Check the recent album regularly in the gallery, and you get photos that the system couldn't automatically sort, which helps you avoid losing important photos.

7.Alternative galleries for Xiaomi: when the standard one is missing

If Xiaomi’s built-in gallery doesn’t meet your needs, consider third-party apps that offer advanced album management features:

To install the alternative gallery as the default app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Default Applications → Gallery.
2. Select the desired application from the list.
3. Confirm the change (the system may request permission to access the files).

Important: When using third-party galleries, turn off automatic photo uploads to Mi Cloud to avoid file duplication and traffic overruns.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions