How to Create a Folder in a Gallery on Xiaomi: 5 Ways for MIUI 14 and 15

Tired of the chaos in a gallery where hundreds of photos are mixed with memes, screenshots and videos? On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI shell, it is easier than it seems to organize media files into folders — but it is not always obvious where to look for the right settings. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to create folders in a standard gallery, including hidden functions and workarounds for different versions of firmware.

It is important to understand that MIUI offers two types of folders: virtual (for easy sorting in-app) and physical (real directories in-memory of the device). The first option is suitable for fast organization, the second is for backup or synchronization with the cloud. We will show you how to work with both types, and also reveal a unique trick using a file manager to create "invisible" folders that will not appear in other applications.

Why is there no button in the Xiaomi Gallery to “Create a folder”?

Many users are faced with a paradox: the Gallery has the ability to move files, but there is no explicit option to create a new folder. MIUI:

• 📁 Automatic sorting: By default, the system groupes files by type (Screenshots, Uploaded, WhatsApp, etc.) to create “smart albums".
• 🔄 Sync with Mi Cloud: Physical folders can conflict with cloud storage, so creating them is hidden from the user.
• 🛠️ Simplified interface. In the latest versions MIUI (14+) Developers have removed unnecessary options, leaving only basic functions.

But that doesn't mean you can't create a folder. You just have to know where to look. For example, in Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 15, the path to creating a folder is hidden in the editing menu of the album, and in Redmi Note 12 with MIUI 14, you have to use a file manager to do that. We'll go through all the current methods.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos as your main gallery, creating folders in the standard Gallery app will not affect the organization of files in the Google service.

Method 1: Creating a virtual album in a standard gallery

The simplest method that works on all Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later is that virtual albums do not create physical folders in memory, but allow you to group files for easy viewing:

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Go to the Album tab (bottom of the screen).
3. Press three points. ⋮ In the upper right corner and select Create an album.
4. Enter the album title (e.g., Vacation 2026) and click Ready.
5. Select the desired files with a long press, then click Add to the album and select the created album.

The advantage of this method is that it's fast and doesn't risk damaging the file system, but there are also disadvantages:

Method 2: Physical folders through file manager

If you need real folders in your device’s memory (for example, to back up or sync to your PC), use the built-in File Manager:

1. Open the Files app (the folder icon on the desktop).
2. Go to Internal Storage → DCIM (or Pictures if you want to create a folder for images).
3. Press three points. ⋮ In the upper right corner and select Create a folder.
4. Enter the folder name (e.g., Wedding) and click OK.
5. Return to the Gallery – a new folder will appear in the Device Folders section.

This method is universal and works even on older versions of MIUI (for example, on Redmi 9A with MIUI 12.5).

• 📌 Folders created in DCIM, You will be able to see it in the gallery automatically.
• 📌 Folders in other sections (such as Download) may not appear in the gallery – they will have to be added manually through the application settings.
• 📌 On certain devices (e.g, POCO X5 Pro) the path to folder creation may be different: Internal memory → MIUI → Gallery → cloud.

⚠️ Note: Do not create folders with names starting at a point (such as.hidden) unless you understand the consequences. These folders become hidden and may not appear even in the file manager without enabling the mode of showing hidden files.

Method 3: Hidden folders for confidential files

If you need to hide personal photos from prying eyes, MIUI offers two options:

Option A: Built-in "Locked Albums" feature

1. Open the gallery. → Albums.
2. Select the files you want to hide and click More → Locked album.
3. Set a password or use a fingerprint to protect you.

Option B:.nomedia folder (for advanced users)

This method hides the folder from all media crawlers (including Gallery and Google Photos):

1. Create a folder through the File Manager (for example, Private in the Pictures section).
2. Inside this folder, create an empty file called.nomedia (no extension!).
3. Move all files you want to hide to the Private folder.
4. Restart the device – the folder will disappear from the gallery, but will remain accessible through the file manager.

To return files to the gallery, simply delete the.nomedia file.

Method 4: Automatic sorting with Mi Cloud

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud cloud storage allows you not only to back up files, but also to automatically sort them by album, a method that is useful if you often sync data between devices:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on the gallery sync.
3. In the web version of Mi Cloud (i.mi.com), create new albums and distribute files.
4. On the smartphone, the albums will appear in the Mi Cloud section inside the Gallery app.

The advantage of this method is cross-platform: albums will be available on all devices associated with your Xiaomi account.

• 📌 Free tariff Mi Cloud provides only 5 GB of memory.
• 📌 Files in the cloud take up space on your device (if you don’t disable the option to Optimize storage).
• 📌 Some models, for example, POCO M5) They may not support automatic sorting in the cloud.

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To save space, enable the option to optimize storage in the Mi Cloud settings, which will replace the original files on the device with thumbnails, leaving the full-size versions only in the cloud.

Method 5: Third-Party Applications for Advanced Sorting

If the built-in MIUI tools don’t suit you, consider alternative galleries with advanced folder management features:

When using third-party galleries, remember:

• 🔓 Some applications (such as Simple Gallery) require permission to access the storage, which can be a privacy risk.
• 🔄 When you delete a file in a third-party gallery, it is deleted from the device memory (if the basket is not turned on).
• 📱 On Xiaomi MIUI 14+ You may need to disable battery optimization for third-party galleries, otherwise they won’t update the media library.

Problem Solving: Folders don’t appear or disappear

If the folders you create don’t appear in the gallery or disappear after a reboot, check out the following points:

Problem 1: The folder is not visible in the gallery

• 🔍 Make sure the folder is in the correct section: DCIM, Pictures or Movies.
• 🔄 Restart the device – sometimes the media scanner doesn’t update the library right away.
• 🛠️ In the Gallery settings, check if folder display is enabled: Settings → Device folders → Show all the folders.

Problem 2: The folder disappeared after the MIUI update

After major updates (e.g., from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14), the folder structure may be reset to recover the data:

1. Check the MIUI → Gallery → Cloud → Backup folder through the file manager.
2. If there are files but are not displayed in the gallery, create a new.nomedia file in the folder, then delete it - this will force the media library to be updated.

Problem 3: You can’t create a folder in DCIM

On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi 12T), the DCIM folder is protected from changes.

• 📁 Create a folder in another section (e.g. Pictures).
• 🔧 Use a PC: Connect your phone to USB Transfer files and create a folder through the Explorer Windows/macOS.

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If the folder doesn't appear in the gallery but is visible in the file manager, the problem is with the media scanner. Try clearing the Gallery app's cache in the settings or installing an alternative gallery.

FAQ: Frequent questions about folders in the Xiaomi Gallery