How to Remove Album from Xiaomi Gallery: All the Ways to Work

Removing unnecessary albums in the Xiaomi gallery is a challenge that almost every MIUI smartphone owner faces. Despite the apparent simplicity, the process has nuances: some albums are not removed by standard methods, and after updates, the menu interface may change. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of removing, from basic to hidden functions that work even on the latest versions of firmware.

The Xiaomi gallery is a feature that automatically sorts photos by folder (Camera, Screenshots, Downloads) and creates "smart albums" based on metadata (e.g. People, Places). Not all of them can be deleted directly — some are system and require workarounds. We will show you how to distinguish deleted albums from immutable ones and what to do in each case.

Why the album is not deleted: we analyze the types of albums in MIUI

Before you try to remove an album, it’s important to understand what type it is. There are three categories of albums in the Xiaomi gallery, and their behavior is radically different:

  • 📁 Custom albums – created by you manually (e.g., "Vacation 2026" or "Documents"), removed in a standard way without restriction.
  • 🤖 System albums are automatically generated folders (Camera, WhatsApp Images, Telegram) that cannot be deleted, but can be hidden.
  • 🔍 "Smart albums are dynamic collections based on AI (People, Animals, Documents) managed through gallery settings.

If you are trying to delete a system album (like Screenshots), the system will simply ignore the command, in which case it will only help to hide or transfer files to another folder. MIUI.

⚠️ Warning: Deleting the album doesn't delete the photos themselves from the device! files remain in the folder DCIM Or Pictures, and they'll be displayed in the All Media section, and to completely erase the photos, you need to delete them from the file manager.

Method 1: Standard removal of user album

If the album was created by you, it is easiest to delete it:

  1. Open the Gallery app (icon with multi-colored squares).
  2. Go to the Albums section (bottom of the screen).
  3. Find the album you want and click on three dots (⋮) top-right corner of his preview.
  4. From the menu, select Delete Album (or Delete Album in English).
  5. Confirm the action by pressing OK.

This method works for all Xiaomi models, from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra, if the album is not system, if there is no Delete album item on the menu, then you are trying to delete the protected folder.

The album was created by you manually?|There are no important files in the album?|You made a backup copy of the photo?|Device not connected to the cloud (to avoid synchronization of removal)-->

Method 2: Delete via file manager (for system albums)

System albums (Camera, Downloads) can't be deleted, but you can move the files to another folder, and then the original album will be empty and disappear from the gallery.

  1. Open the File Manager (Icon with folder).
  2. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera (or another folder corresponding to the album).
  3. Select all files (long-term press → ticks) and click Cut (scissors).
  4. Create a new folder (such as Archive) in the Pictures section and paste files there.
  5. Return to the gallery and update the page - the album must disappear.

This method is suitable for Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi on any version of MIUI. If the DCIM folder does not appear, turn on the display of hidden files in the file manager settings (Settings → Show hidden files).

💡

If you move photos frequently, create a.nomedia folder in system albums (e.g. DCIM/Camera/.nomedia) that hides the folder from the gallery, but the files stay in place.

Method 3: Disable smart albums (People, Places, Documents)

Smart albums are automatically created based on the analysis of photos. They can not be deleted, but you can turn off the generation:

  1. Open the gallery and go to the Albums.
  2. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Settings.
  3. Scroll down to Smart Albums (or Smart Albums) section.
  4. Turn off sliders near unnecessary categories (People, Places, Documents, etc.).
  5. Restart the gallery and the albums will disappear in a few seconds.

On some firmware (MIUI 13 and later), these settings may be in Settings → Additional → Album Management. If you don’t have an option, update the gallery via Google Play (the app is called Mi Gallery).

Type of albumCan I remove it?Alternative method
User-generated (manually created)✅ Yes.Through the album menu in the gallery
System (Camera, Screenshots)❌ No.Transfer files or create.nomedia
"Smart" (People, Places)❌ No.Disconnection in gallery settings
Cloud (Mi Cloud)⚠️ Partially.Remove from the web version of Mi Cloud

Method 4: Remove albums from Mi Cloud (cloud storage)

If the album is synced to Mi Cloud, removing it from your phone won't cause it to disappear from the cloud.

  1. Open your browser and go to i.mi.com (the web version of Mi Cloud).
  2. Sign in with the same account as on your phone.
  3. Go to the Gallery section → Albums.
  4. Select the unnecessary album and click Remove (basket).
  5. Confirm the action. The album will disappear from the phone after sync.

If the album is not deleted, check if the option is turned on backup gallery in the settings of the phone (Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Gallery).

What if the album doesn’t sync to the cloud?
If photos are not uploaded to Mi Cloud, check: 1. Internet connection (preferably Wi-Fi). 2. Is there enough space in the cloud (free 5 GB). 3. Is synchronization enabled in account settings (Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud → Data Synchronization). 4. Are there any geolocation restrictions (in some countries Mi Cloud works with restrictions).

Sometimes albums stay in the gallery even after the files are deleted, and this is linked to the app's cache, to fix:

  1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
  2. Find the Gallery (com.miui.gallery) and open its settings.
  3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
  4. Come back and choose to clear the data (⚠️ It'll reset all the gallery settings!).
  5. Reboot the phone.

After the reset, the gallery will re-index the media files, and the "ghost" albums will disappear.Warning: This method also removes all user sorting settings and hidden folders.

Standard gallery deletion | File Manager transfer |Disable smart albums |Delete via Mi Cloud |Disposal gallery-->

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When working with Xiaomi albums, users often make mistakes that lead to data loss or crashes.

  • 🗑️ Delete the album instead of files — as mentioned, deleting the album does not erase the photo. If the goal is to make space, delete the files directly through All media files.
  • 🔄 Ignoring Sync – If backup is enabled in Mi Cloud, deleted albums can be restored the next gallery update.
  • 📱 Using third-party galleries – apps like Google Photos don’t affect system albums MIUI. Delete only through the standard gallery.
  • 🔧 Changing system folders – renaming or deleting folders like DCIM/Camera This can cause errors in the camera.

If the gallery is slower after deleting the album, clear the cache (as described in Method 5) or reinstall the update via Google Play.

💡

Before mass deletion of albums, turn off automatic sync with Mi Cloud to avoid duplicate files.

Can I recover a deleted album?
If the album was a user-generated one, you can't restore it, you have to recreate it. However, the photos that were stored in it remain on the device (in the DCIM or Pictures folders). To return the album, open the gallery and go to All Media Files. Select the photos you want, click Add to the album and create a new one. If the files were deleted with the album, try to restore them through the Recycle Bin (a section in the gallery) or programs like DiskDigger.
Why did new albums come out after MIUI?
MIUI updates often add new smart albums (e.g. Videos, Collages) due to improved AI features. To remove them: Open gallery and go to Settings → Smart Albums. Turn off unnecessary categories. If the album is left, clear the cache of the galleries (see Method 5). On MIUI 14 and later, some albums (e.g. Favorites) cannot be turned off - they are part of the interface.
How to hide an album if it can’t be deleted?
To hide system albums: Create a.nomedia file in the album folder (via file manager). Or transfer files to a hidden folder (start the title from a dot, like.private). In the gallery, click three dots (⋮) → Hidden albums and add a folder to exceptions: Hidden albums will only be accessible through a file manager or special applications (e.g. Gallery Vault).
Why are deleted photos returning to the album?
This is because: Sync with Mi Cloud — disable backup gallery in account settings. Gallery cache — clear app data (see Method 5). Duplicates in other folders — check Downloads, Pictures and messenger folders. If the problem persists, try using a third-party gallery (such as Simple Gallery) to check the real content of the folders.
Can I remove the album Recent?
Recent (or Recent) is a system album that is not deletionable. This is a dynamic collection of the latest files added. To remove it from view: Open the gallery and go to Settings → View. Turn off the option to Show recent (or Show recent). If you don't have the option, update the gallery through Google Play. On some firmware, this album is automatically hidden unless you've added new files in a week.