Why Xiaomi Gallery Shows Exclamation Point Photos – and How to Fix It

You open a gallery on your Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco to show your friends fresh photos, but instead you see gray thumbnails with a yellow exclamation mark. The files don't open, and when you try to view it, the system gives an error: "File corrupted" or "Could not download." The situation is familiar? This problem occurs in one in five MIUI smartphone owners - and it has at least 7 different reasons.

The exclamation point in the gallery is a signal that the system can't read the file. But why is it? The culprits can be firmware malfunctions, physical damage to the drive, even user errors when transferring data. In this article, we'll take every possible scenario, from the most innocuous to the critical, and give clear instructions on how to recover the photo. And you'll learn how to prevent future data loss, with built-in MIUI tools and third-party applications.

1. File system damage: the most common cause

In 60% of cases, the exclamation point is due to a failure in the F2FS or ext4 file system that Xiaomi uses for internal memory.

• 🔌 Abrupt power outage (the battery was discharged to 0% during the recording of the photo).
• 📱 Forced reboot (phone gets stuck and you hold the power button).
• 🔄 Interrupted update MIUI (Especially if the update is through Recovery).
• 💾 Extracts SD-cards without safe shutdown.

The file system keeps a log of transactions, and when a connection is suddenly broken, some of the data is left suspended. The MIUI Gallery recognizes such files as corrupt and marks them with an exclamation mark. The good news is that in most cases, data can be recovered without loss.

How to check the file system for errors:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (File Transfer Mode).
2. Open This Computer → Find your Xiaomi Disk.
3. Right-click → Properties → Service → Check (in Windows).
4. Wait until the scan is finished (it can take up to 10 minutes).

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If Windows doesn't see the phone's internal memory, use ADB to check.

adb shell fsck /dev/block/mmcblk0p1

2. Mistakes in the camera module's firmware

Few people know, but for the processing of photos in Xiaomi is responsible not only the firmware MIUI, but also a separate firmware (firmware) of the camera module. If it is damaged or outdated, the smartphone can save files in an incorrect format, which leads to the appearance of an exclamation mark.

This problem most often occurs after:

• 📲 Updates MIUI through OTA (If the camera firmware does not match the system version).
• 🔧 Handheld firmware via Fastboot (especially if unofficially used) ROM).
• 🎯 Mod settings for the camera (e.g. GCam or ANX Camera).

How to check the camera firmware version:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Slip it 5 times on the badge ⚙️ Settings (in some models - by inscription) MI screen-corner).
3. You'll see a menu with the firmware version. Compare it to the official one for your model on the Xiaomi Firmware Updater website.

3. Conflict with cloud storage Mi Cloud

If you use Mi Cloud to back up your photos, an exclamation point may appear due to a conflict between the local and cloud versions of your files, such as:

• 🖼️ You deleted the photo in the gallery, but it stayed in the cloud (and vice versa).
• 🔄 Synchronization interrupted at half the load.
• 📥 The cloud downloaded a corrupted copy of the file.

How to fix it:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery
2. Turn off sync (↔️ Synchronize the gallery).
3. Remove all photos from the cloud via i.mi.com.
4. Turn on the sync again and wait for the full load.

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Before disabling Mi Cloud, make sure all important photos are saved locally. The cloud can delete files from your phone in case of conflict of versions!

4. physical damage to memory or SD-map

If the exclamation point appears only for the photo on the SD-The problem with the card may be its physical wear:

• 💥 Gallery "hangs" when scrolling miniatures.
• 📉 Reading/write speeds have dropped in 2-3 once.
• 🔍 Files disappear or duplicate.

How to check SD-map:

If the card is damaged, don't format it right away -- try to recover data with PhotoRec or DiskDigger first, and formatting will destroy even files that can still be saved.

Backup all data on PC| Check for errors via chkdsk| Test speed in A1 SD Bench| If errors are critical, replace the card

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5. Failures in the operation of the Gallery application

Sometimes the problem isn't with the files, but with the com.miui.gallery app itself.

• 📥 Updates via Play Market (if the version is incompatible with the MIUI).
• 🧹 Clear cache through settings (sometimes temporary thumbnail files are deleted).
• 🔄 Resetting (Gallery loses access to media files).

How to reinstall the gallery:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the gallery. → Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
4. Reboot the phone.

If that doesn’t work, install an alternative gallery (like Google Photos or Simple Gallery) and check if the photos open. If so, the problem is exactly with the standard MIUI app.

6. Viruses and malware

Some viruses (e.g. Android.Trojan.SmsSend) can damage media files to blackmail users with offers to “restore” them for money.

• 📧 Spam mailings from your number.
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge (virus works in the background).
• 📁 Unknown folders (e.g.,.thumbs or.thumbs) DCIM/100MEDIA).

How to check your phone for viruses:

1. Install Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light.
2. Run a deep scan.
3. Delete any threats you find.
4. Restart your phone in Safe Mode (hold the power button → Reboot in Safe Mode) and check the gallery again.

adb install malwarebytes.apk

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7. Hardware malfunctions: when nothing helps

If you have tried all the ways, but the exclamation mark remains, the problem may be a physical malfunction:

• 💾 Wearing flash memory (especially in older Redmi models) 4X, Redmi Note 5).
• 🔌 Damage to the memory controller (for example, after a phone crash).
• 🔋 Unstable power supply (a bloated battery can weigh on the board).

How to diagnose a hardware problem:

If the phone is warranty, do not try to repair it yourself - contact the Xiaomi service center. For models older than 2 years, data recovery can cost 3-5 thousand rubles (depending on the complexity).

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Before visiting the service, back up all data via ADB pull /sdcard/ – even if the photos do not open in the gallery, they can remain on the disk!

FAQ: Frequent questions about the exclamation mark at Xiaomi Gallery

If none of these methods work, the last chance is low-level memory scanning via UFS Tool or EasyJTAG — but it requires special equipment and is better left to the professionals. In most cases, the problem is solved software-based, so don’t panic and act on instructions!