How to create a folder on your Xiaomi phone: 5 working ways for any model

Why Xiaomi can’t create a folder: understand the basics

Have you just bought a new Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 or POCO X6 Pro, downloaded a bunch of apps and turned the desktop into a mess of shortcuts? Or maybe the photos in the gallery are scattered over the years and you want to structure them? Creating folders on Xiaomi smartphones seems like an easy task, but many users face unexpected difficulties. For example, why some menus don't have a "Create a folder" button, and in others it suddenly appears? Or why folders on the desktop behave differently than in a file manager?

The fact is that MIUI (branded shell Xiaomi) offers several different ways to organize files — and each of them works according to its own rules. Some folders are created by a longs press, somewhere through the context menu, and in some cases you need to first enable the display of hidden functions. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods, including little-known life hacks for old and new models, and you will learn how to automate file sorting so that you do not do it manually every time.

Before you get to the instructions, check the version of your MIUI. This is what makes it available for some features. For example, in MIUI 14 and later, the file manager interface has changed a lot from MIUI 12. To find out the version, go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.

Method 1: Creating a folder on the desktop (for applications)

The most obvious way is to group app shortcuts, which not only streamline the desktop, but also speed up access to commonly used programs.

1. Step 1: Find two apps on your desktop that you want to combine, like WhatsApp and Telegram.
2. Step 2. Hold your finger on one of the apps and drag it to the second one, and in a second, a translucent circle will appear, which means that the folder has been created.
3. Step 3. Release your finger. The folder will open automatically, and you can rename it (click on "Untitled").

To add other apps to the folder, just drag them in. And to delete the folder, pull out all the apps (it will disappear automatically).

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 10A s MIUI 13) Desktop folders are created only if Standard Launcher mode is enabled. POCO" Or a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher), this method may not work. To return the standard interface, go to Settings. → Home. → Default launcher.

• 📱 Suitable for: All Xiaomi, Redmi models, POCO any version MIUI.
• 🔄 Limitation: Only application shortcuts can be stored in the folder, not files or documents.
• 🎨 Bonus: folders on the desktop can be moved, changed their color (in some themes) and even hidden.

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If the folder on the desktop has become too large and does not fit on one screen, swipe up inside it - a scrolling will appear to view all applications.

Method 2: Folders in the file manager (for documents, music, video)

If you need to structure files (photos, documents, music) rather than app shortcuts, you’ll need a built-in File Manager (or Files by Google if you installed one).

1. Step 1. Open the Files app (Blue Labeled Folder Icon).
2. Step 2. Go to the section where you want to create a folder, such as Internal Memory. → download or SD-map.
3. Step 3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Create → Folder.
4. Step 4: Enter the folder name (e.g., "Working Papers") and click OK.

You can now move files to a new folder. To do this, press the file, select Select, select the desired items and click Move (arrow folder icon).

If the Create folder button is not on the menu, check if additional features are hidden.

File Manager Settings → Additional → Show all options

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (especially custom) file manager may not support folder creation on the SD-This is due to the limitations of Android on writing to external drives. SD-The card is an internal memory (but it won’t be read on other devices!).

SD-The card is formatted as internal memory.|There is enough free space on the map (minimum 100 MB)|The settings allow the recording to SD-map (Settings) → Warehouse → SD-map → Formatting as an internal)

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Method 3: Folders in the gallery (for photos and videos)

Xiaomi Gallery automatically groups photos by date and album, but sometimes you want to create your own folders — for example, for work shots or memes.

1. Step 1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Step 2. Go to the Albums section (bottom of the screen).
3. Step 3. Click on the + icon (or Create an Album, depending on the MIUI version).
4. Step 4. Select a photo for your new album and click Ready.

It's important to understand that in a gallery, you're not creating folders, you're creating virtual albums, and the files are physically left in the DCIM folder, but they're displayed in a separate group, which is convenient if you don't want to duplicate photos and save space.

If you need real folders (for example, to transfer to a PC), use File Manager (method 2). Move photos from DCIM/Camera to your folder and they will disappear from the main gallery stream, but will remain available through Files → Images.

• 📸 For photographers: Use albums to sort your shots by event (e.g., “Vacation 2026”) and folders to sort by type (e.g, "RAW", "JPEG").
• 🔍 Search: you can search the gallery for photos by the keywords from the album titles. Just type in the search bar.
• 🔒 Hidden albums: in MIUI 14+ There's a hidden album feature (password protected) to enable: Gallery settings. → Hidden albums.

Method 4: Automatic file sorting (hidden MIUI function)

Few people know, but MIUI has a built-in tool for automatically distributing files to folders, called Smart Classification, and it's based on machine learning. Here's how to turn it on:

1. Step 1. Open Files → Settings (cog icon).
2. Step 2. Find the Smart Functions section → Smart Classification.
3. Step 3: Activate the switch and select categories for automatic sorting (e.g. Documents, Audio, Images).

Now all new files will automatically move to Documents, Music, Pictures, etc. folders depending on their type, eliminating the need to manually rake up downloads.

⚠️ Note: Smart Classification may conflict with some third-party filers (e.g., Solid Explorer or Solid Explorer). FX If files start to duplicate or disappear after this option is enabled, disable it and use manual sorting.

V MIUI 15 allows you to customize your own rules for smart classification, for example, you can specify that all files with the.apk extension must automatically move to the Installers folder, and PDF-files are in Contracts. This feature is currently only available on firmware betas.

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Smart classification saves time, but does not replace manual sorting. Check folders once a week - sometimes the algorithm gets it wrong (for example, sends screenshots to Images instead of Screenshots).

Method 5: Folders via PC (for advanced users)

If you need to create a complex folder structure (for example, for backups or projects), it is more convenient to do this through a computer. Connect Xiaomi to a PC via USB and follow the instructions:

1. Step 1 Connect the phone to your computer via a cable (preferably original).
2. Step 2. On your phone, select File Transfer (or MTP) mode in the connection notification.
3. Step 3. On your PC, open this computer — your Xiaomi will appear as a removable drive.
4. Step 4: Go to the Internal Storage or SD card folder and create new directories using standard Windows/macOS tools.

Advantages of this method:

• 🖱️ It is easier to manage a large number of files from the keyboard and mouse.
• 📂 You can create nested folders (for example, Projects). → 2026 → January).
• 🔄 It is easier to transfer files between your phone and PC.

If your computer can’t see your phone, check:

• 🔌 Cable (try another, preferably with data support).
• 📱 On the phone: Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB (Turn it on if it doesn't help).
• 🖥️ On PC: Install Mi drivers PC Suite (download from the official website of Xiaomi).

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after folders are created, Xiaomi users are faced with unexpected bugs, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

If none of the solutions worked, try resetting the file manager settings:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Files → Storage → Clear data

After that, all the manager settings will be reset, but the files on the phone will remain intact.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions