How to create a personal album in the gallery Xiaomi: hide the photo from prying eyes

Why do you need personal albums in the Xiaomi Gallery?

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO have long since ceased to be just a means of communication, as they have become a repository of personal memories, documents and sensitive data. Among the thousands of photos in the gallery, inevitably there are shots that are not intended for the public: screenshots of correspondence, personal documents, intimate photos or just shots that you are not yet ready to show to others, in which case the function of personal albums, a built-in tool to hide content directly from the standard MIUI gallery, comes to the rescue.

Unlike third-party apps like Google Photos or GalleryVault, personal albums in Xiaomi are system-wide integrated, meaning they don’t take up extra space, don’t require separate authorization, and work even without an internet connection. However, many users still don’t know about this feature or have trouble configuring it. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to create a personal album, including hidden MIUI 14 and earlier versions, and how to get around common bugs.

It's important to understand that a personal album is not just a folder with a password, it's a full-fledged privacy tool that:

• 🔒 Encrypts files at the system level (in newer versions MIUI)
• 👁️‍🗨️ Hiding Album From The Gallery List
• 🔄 Syncs with Mi Cloud (optional)
• 📱 Available only after authentication (password, fingerprint, Face ID)

Preparation: What to Know Before Creating a Personal Album

Before you start setting up, make sure your smartphone meets the minimum requirements.The personal album feature is available on all devices running MIUI 12 and later, including:

• 📱 Xiaomi 11/12/13 series (including Xiaomi 13 Ultra)
• 📱 Redmi Note 10/11/12 and Redmi K50
• 📱 POCO F4/F5, POCO X5 Pro
• 📱 Budget models like Redmi 10A or POCO M5 (updated to current MIUI)

If your device is older (such as Redmi Note 8 or Mi 9), check the firmware version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. Personal albums require at least MIUI 12.0.3. You can update the system through Settings → Software Update.

⚠️ Warning: On some regional versions of MIUI (e.g. Europe or India), the personal album function may be disabled by default, in which case it can be activated via Settings → Additional → Special Features → Function Lab (Enable Personal Albums).

Also note that:

• 🔋 Personal albums don't take up extra space - they just hide existing files.
• 🌐 When synchronized with Mi Cloud, sensitive photos are not encrypted on Xiaomi servers (use local storage for maximum security).
• 🔄 Once the phone is reset to factory settings, access to personal albums will be lost unless backup is made.

Method 1: Creating a personal album through a standard gallery

This is the simplest and most versatile method that works on most Xiaomi devices, and the instructions are relevant for MIUI 12-14:

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Slip along three horizontal lines (☰) in the lower right corner to open the side menu.
3. Select "Personal Albums" (or "Private Safe" in English firmware).
4. Click on “Create a Personal Album” and come up with a title (e.g., “Documents” or “Family”).
5. Set a password, a pattern lock, or enable fingerprint/face unlocking.
6. Confirm the creation - the album will appear in the personal list.

You can now add files:

• 📷 From the gallery: select the photo/video → click "More" (⋮) → "Move to a personal album."
• 📁 From file manager: find the file in Mi File Manager → long tap → Move to personal album.

⚠️ Warning: If you delete a photo from a personal album, it will disappear forever — there is no basket for such files. Before deleting, back up on your PC or in the cloud.

Check the MIUI version (not lower than 12.0.3)

Update the Gallery app in the Play Market

Create a strong password (at least 6 characters)

Make a backup of important photos on PC-->

Method 2: Use the "Secure Folder" in MIUI 14

In the latest versions of MIUI 14, Xiaomi has introduced a new feature called Safe Folder, which works alongside personal albums but has advanced features, which allows you not only to hide photos, but also:

• 🔐 Store password-coded notes and text files.
• 📄 Hide PDF- documents and scans.
• 🎵 Hide audio files (e.g. voice recordings).

To create a secure folder:

1. Open "Settings" → "Applications" → "Secure folder".
2. Click "Create a Secure Folder" and set a password (it is recommended to use a combination of letters and numbers).
3. Turn on the option “Hide the folder icon” so that it does not appear on the home screen.
4. Add files via Add Files or drag them from the file manager.

Unlike personal albums, Secure Folder supports two-factor authentication (e.g. password + fingerprint), making it more secure for storing mission-critical data.

💡

If you often move files between a regular and secure folder, add the Safe Folder widget to the home screen. To do this, a long tap on the free space of the screen → Widgets → find Safe Folder.

Method 3: Hiding albums through the file system (for advanced ones)

If you want to hide an album not only in a gallery, but also at the file system level (e.g. from other file managers), you can use the MIUI folder hiding mechanism built in.

• 🛠️ Wants to hide the folder completely from all applications.
• 🔧 Ready to work with.nomedia files.
• 📂 Uses third-party file managers (e.g., Solid Explorer).

Instructions:

1. Open the file manager and find the photo folder (usually /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera).
2. Create a new folder inside it (for example, Private) and move the necessary files there.
3. Create an empty file in this folder called.nomedia: touch /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera/Private/.nomedia You can use Termux or any file manager that supports the creation of hidden files.
4. Reboot your phone – the folder will disappear from the gallery and most apps.

⚠️ Warning: Files hidden through.nomedia will not appear in any gallery, including Google Photos and QuickPic. To return them, simply delete the.nomedia file.

How to transfer a photo to a personal album in large numbers

If you have to hide hundreds of photos, moving them one by one is not effective. There are several ways to mass-transfer them at MIUI.

Method 1: Through the gallery menu

1. Open the Gallery → select an album (e.g. Camera).
2. Press and hold your finger on any photo, then highlight the others (you can tap on thumbnails or use "Select all").
3. Click on three dots (⋮) → "Move to a personal album" → select the target album.

Method 2: Through the File System

If the photos are stored in different folders (for example, WhatsApp Images, Screenshots), it is more convenient to use Mi File Manager:

1. Open Files → Go to Internal Memory → DCIM.
2. Select folders or files → click "More" (⋮) → "Move to" → select a personal album.

Method 3: Automatically add new photos

MIUI 14 has a feature called "Advance" for personal albums:

1. Open your personal album → click on three dots (⋮) → "Album Settings."
2. Enable the option “Automatically add screenshots” or “Automatically add photos from WhatsApp”.

Note: Autoaddition only works for new files. You'll have to manually transfer existing photos.

💡

Mass transfer is more convenient to perform through the file system if the photos are more than 50.

Solving Personal Album Problems

Sometimes users encounter mistakes when working with personal albums, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

If none of these methods worked, try:

1. Reinstall Gallery: Remove updates via Settings → Apps → Gallery → ⋮ → Remove updates.
2. Recover data: Use the Mi PC Suite to scan your device for lost files.
3. Contact us for support: Tweet @MiSupport describing the problem (attach screenshots).

FAQ: Frequent questions about personal albums in Xiaomi