Where is the gallery on Xiaomi: 5 ways to find photos and videos

Why can’t users find a gallery on Xiaomi?

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones often put users at a loss: the standard Gallery app disappears from the desktop and hides in unexpected menus, and the reason for this lies in the shell’s features: the manufacturer regularly updates the interface, moves icons, and even replaces standard apps with alternative ones (such as Google Photos).

Also, once you update your MIUI or reset your settings, the gallery icon can either hide in the Tools folder or disappear from the app menu altogether. Some users accidentally remove the shortcut from the desktop, believing they have deleted the app itself.

In this article, we will explore all the possible ways to find a gallery on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, from basic to hidden, and explain what to do if photos are not displayed or the application is not working correctly.

Method 1: Standard Search through the Application Menu

The easiest way to do this is to search the menu for all the apps.

1. Swipe your finger up from the bottom edge of the screen to open the app menu.
2. At the top of the screen, find the search bar (magnifying glass icon) and enter the query: Gallery or Photos (in English firmware).
3. If the application is found, hold its icon and drag it to the desktop.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13 or Redmi Note 12), the search may not show system apps.

Method 2: Search through System Settings

If the gallery is not displayed in the application menu, it can be found through system settings:

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. In the list, look for the Gallery (or com.miui.gallery for tech-savvy users).
4. Click on the app and select Open.

If there's no gallery on the list, it's been disabled.

• 🔍 Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show all apps.
• 🔄 Find the Gallery and turn it on by clicking Enable.
• 📱 Go back to your desktop and check if the icon has appeared.

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If the gallery is disabled but you can't turn it on, try updating MIUI through Settings → About Phone → System Update. Sometimes this solves the system application problem.

Method 3: Restore the shortcut on the desktop

Often users remove the gallery shortcut from their desktop, thinking they have deleted the app itself, to return it:

• 📂 Open the app menu (swipe up from the bottom edge).
• 🔍 Find the Gallery in the list (if it is not, use the search).
• 🖱️ Hold the icon and drag it to a free space on the desktop.
• 📌 If the shortcut doesn’t “stick,” try first removing the Tools folder (if the gallery is there), and then repeat the action.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14), the shortcuts to system applications are blocked.

⚠️ Note: If a prohibitive sign appears when dragging the icon, then the “Light Firmware” mode is installed on your device (lightweight version). MIUI In this mode, some of the system applications are hidden, so to return the gallery, you have to refashion the device to the full version. MIUI.

Make sure the gallery is not in the Tools folder"|Check if the application is disabled in the settings|Update. MIUI last-minute|Try restarting your smartphone.-->

Method 4: Access through File Manager

If the gallery does not open or is not on the menu, photos and videos can be found through the standard file manager:

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. Go to the Images or Videos section.
3. All media files sorted by folder (Camera, Screenshots, Downloads, etc.) will be displayed here.

If the file manager is not on the desktop:

• 🔍 Use the search in the application menu (query: Files or File Manager).
• 📂 On some firmware, the file manager is called Explore or Mi Explorer.
• 🔄 If the manager is disabled, turn it on through Settings → Annexes.

Method 5: Using Google Photos as an Alternative

On some Xiaomi models (especially for the European market), the standard gallery has been replaced by Google Photos, which automatically backs up photos to the cloud and can be the primary viewer.

• 🔍 Find the Google Photos app (the colorful flower icon) in the menu).
• 📷 Open it – if there are photos of you there, MIUI It is used as the main gallery.
• ⚙️ To return the standard gallery, disable Google Photos as the default app in the settings (Settings) → Annexes → Google Photo → Open by default).

On smartphones with MIUI firmware for the global market (such as Xiaomi 12T or Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G), Google Photos is often installed as the main photo viewing app, and the standard gallery is hidden, in which case it can be returned by disabling updates for Google Photos in the Play Market.

What if the gallery doesn’t work or doesn’t show a photo?

If you find a gallery but it doesn’t open, it doesn’t show any errors, or it doesn’t display media, try the following steps:

1. Cache Cleanup: Go to Settings → Apps → Gallery → Storage and click Clear Cache.
2. Reset application settings: In the same menu, select Reset settings (does not delete photos, only resets gallery settings).
3. Access rights check: Make sure the gallery has access to the storage: Settings → Apps → Gallery → Permits → Enable Storage.
4. Device reboot: Sometimes a basic reboot helps, especially if the gallery is getting stuck.
5. Virus Check: Some malware blocks access to media files. Scan your device through Google Play Protection or Mi Security.

If the photos are not only displayed in the gallery, but are visible through the file manager:

• 📁 Check if files are hidden. In the file manager, turn on the display of hidden folders (Settings) → Show hidden files).
• 🔄 Try moving the photo from the folder. DCIM to other (for example, Pictures) and back.
• 📱 Install an alternative gallery (such as Simple Gallery or QuickPic) and check if the photos are displayed in it.

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI The gallery stopped showing the photos, but the files are in memory — the problem may be in the media database. → Memory. → Clear media storage (files will not be deleted, but the gallery will re-index them).

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If the gallery doesn't see the photos, but they're in memory, the problem is indexing. Clearing the cache or resetting the media storage usually solves this problem.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the gallery on Xiaomi