Where to look for playlists on the smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 9A: all ways and hidden folders

You downloaded music from your Xiaomi Redmi 9A, But you can't find where the playlists you've created are stored, or the standard player suddenly stopped showing your playlists, and this is a problem that many owners of budget Xiaomi smartphones know, where the interface is. MIUI It often hides obvious features behind multiple menu layers, and in this article, we'll look at all the possible places where Redmi playlists can be stored. 9A β€” From the standard Mi Music app to hidden system folders and third-party players.

Feature of Redmi 9A It comes with a lightweight version of the firmware. MIUI, So, for example, a standard music player doesn't have a separate Playlist tab, but instead it's replaced by a My Lists button, which is not always visible. Plus, if you're using a memory card, playlists can be created in different places depending on where the audio files are stored, and we'll go through each scenario in detail, including when playlists are lost after an update or reset.

1. The standard "Mi Music" app: where to look for playlists

The main place where playlists are stored on Redmi 9A β€” It's a proprietary Mi Music app, but it's not always intuitive to find your lists:

  1. Open the Mi Music app (an icon with a note on a white background).
  2. In the lower menu, tap the icon "My" (or "Library" in some versions).
  3. Scroll up - above the album list should be a section called "My Playlists" (sometimes called "Playlists").
  4. If there is no section, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Playlist Management".

Important: in a lightweight version MIUI for Redmi 9A Playlists can only be displayed if they have at least one track added to them, empty lists are automatically hidden, and check if the filter is turned on by source - sometimes the application only shows playlists with music from internal memory, ignoring tracks from the internal memory. SD-map.

πŸ“Š What music app do you use on Xiaomi?
Standard Mi Music
Spotify
Yandex Music
VK Music
Other

If the playlists are not in this section:

  • πŸ” Check if they are hidden: go to Settings β†’ Show hidden playlists.
  • πŸ“ Make sure that music files are not moved or deleted (playlists in Mi Music are just file links).
  • πŸ”„ Reboot the app: Press the Mi Music icon on the home screen β†’ Information on the annex β†’ Warehouse β†’ Clear the cache.

2. Physical location of playlists in phone memory

Playlists at Redmi 9A Not only are they stored in the interface of the app, but they're also stored as files in the memory of the device, which is especially important if you want to transfer the lists to another phone or make a backup:

Type of playlistThe path to the fileFormatNotes
Standard Mi Music playlists/storage/emulated/0/MiMusic/playlist/.m3u, .plsFiles with extension.m3u You can open it in any player.
Playlists with SD-map/storage/XXXX-XXXX/MiMusic/playlist/ (where XXXX β€” ID map).m3uThe folder is created only if the playlist is saved to the map.
Cash playlists/data/data/com.miui.player/media/.dbAvailable only with root rights
Exported playlistsAny folder at the user's choice.m3u, .txtYou can create manually through "Export" in Mi Music

Important: playlist files in the folder /MiMusic/playlist/ They are automatically updated only when you add tracks through the Mi Music app itself.m3u-manual file (e.g., through a file manager), changes may not appear in the player until the reboot.

To see the hidden system folders:

  1. Open any file manager (such as Explorer or Mi File Manager).
  2. Slip three lines in the upper left corner and select "Inner Memory".
  3. Enable the display of hidden files: Settings β†’ Show hidden files.
  4. Cross the path. /storage/emulated/0/MiMusic/playlist/.

πŸ’‘

If you're connecting Redmi 9A computer-to-computer USB, MiMusic folder may not be displayed. To see it, turn on file transfer mode (MTP) Use Windows Explorer or Total Commander.

3. Playlists on SD-map: features of storage

Many Redmi users 9A They store music on a memory card, but they don't know that playlists behave differently if your tracks are on the memory card. SD-map, take into account the following nuances:

  • πŸ“Œ Playlists are created separately for internal memory and SD-Carrying music between them breaks the ties in playlists.
  • πŸ”— When you remove the memory card, all playlists associated with its contents become inactive (gray icons in Mi Music).
  • πŸ“± If you format the card as internal memory (in the storage settings), playlists will be stored in the storage space. /Android/data/com.miui.player/.
  • 🚫 Some players (such as Poweramp) don't see Mi Music playlists on the game. SD-map without additional settings.

To transfer playlists from internal memory to SD-map:

  1. In Mi Music, open the playlist you want.
  2. Tap on three points. β†’ "Exports".
  3. Select "Memory Card" and specify the folder (for example, Music/Playlists).
  4. Confirm the export – a file with the extension will be created.m3u.
What to do if the playlists on SD-map not updated?
If you’ve added new tracks to your memory card but they don’t appear in existing playlists, try: 1.Reboot your phone – sometimes MIUI not immediately index changes to SD. 2.In Mi Music, go to Settings β†’ Update the media library. 3. If you use a third-party player, check its settings path to SD-map (sometimes it changes after reconnecting). 4. Delete and recreate the playlist - sometimes files.m3u contain absolute paths that become invalid after file transfer.

4.How to Recover Missing Playlists After Resetting or Updating

One of the most common problems for Redmi owners 9A β€” squashing:

  • πŸ”„ Updates MIUI (Especially when switching to a new version of Android).
  • πŸ“± Resetting to factory settings.
  • πŸ—ƒοΈ Data cleanup of the Mi Music app.
  • πŸ’Ύ Formatting internal memory or SD-map.

Restore playlists can be in several ways:

Method 1: Restore from a backup of your Mi Account

If you are logged in to Mi Account and have enabled synchronization:

  1. Open the Settings. β†’ Accounts. β†’ Mi Account. β†’ Synchronization.
  2. Make sure that synchronization for Mi Music is enabled.
  3. Come in to Mi Music. β†’ Settings β†’ Recover data.

Method 2: Manual recovery from files.m3u

If you still have playlist files (e.g. backup):

  1. Copy files with extension.m3u or.pls in a folder /MiMusic/playlist/.
  2. Open Mi Music and wait for the automatic scan (can take up to 5 minutes).
  3. If playlists don't show up, reboot your phone.

Make sure that the music files are in the same place.

Check if the paths to the files have changed.m3u (Open the file through a text editor)

Turn off battery optimization for the Mi Music app

Update the media library in the player settings

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⚠️ Note: If you are restoring playlists after resetting, but the music was stored on the site SD-First, check that the card is formatted in the same format (FAT32/exFAT), When you change the file system, you can go to the tracks in the files.m3u become invalid.

5 Playlists in Third Party Music Apps

Many Redmi users 9A Third-party players are preferred because of their greater functionality. Consider where playlists are stored in popular alternatives:

AnnexThe Path to PlaylistsFeatures
Poweramp/Android/data/com.maxmpz.audioplayer/playlists/Playlists in format.m3u8, Supports cloud synchronization
VLC/Android/data/org.videolan.vlc/playlist/Stores playlists in database, export is possible in.xspf
JetAudio/storage/emulated/0/JetAudio/Playlist/Own.jpl format but supports import.m3u
SpotifyCloud storagePlaylists are not saved locally, only in the account.

To transfer playlists from Mi Music to a third-party player:

  1. Export the playlist to.m3u via Mi Music (three dots) β†’ Exports).
  2. Copy the file to the playlist folder of the target application (see the table above).
  3. In a third-party player, select "Import Playlist" and specify the copied file.

⚠️ Note: Some players (e.g. Poweramp) when imported.m3u-If you don't add any tracks, rename the music folders using only the Latin alphabet.

6. Create and manage playlists through file manager

If you are uncomfortable using the interface Mi Music, you can manage playlists directly through files.m3u. This is especially useful for mass editing or porting to other devices. Here's how to do it:

File format.m3u So, it's simple: every line is a path to an audio file:

#EXTM3U


#EXTINF:187,Artist - Song Title




/storage/emulated/0/Music/Artist/Song.mp3




#EXTINF:213,Artist - Another Song




/storage/emulated/0/Music/Artist/Another.mp3

To create a playlist manually:

  1. Open any text editor (like QuickEdit or Notepad)++ PC-only).
  2. Add path lines to your tracks (you can copy paths from the file manager).
  3. Save the file with the extension.m3u folder /MiMusic/playlist/.
  4. Reboot Mi Music – a new playlist will appear on the list.

Advantages of manual editing:

  • 🎡 You can create playlists with tracks from different folders.
  • πŸ”„ Quickly update lists without using the player interface.
  • πŸ“€ Transfer playlists between devices by simply copying.m3u-file.

πŸ’‘

Files.m3u Supported by almost all music players, including Windows Media Player and iTunes. It is a universal format for sharing playlists between devices.

7. Solving Playlist Display Problems

If playlists don’t show up or don’t work properly, try the following solutions:

Problem.Possible causeDecision
Playlists are emptyMusic files moved or deletedRestore files to the same paths or edit.m3u
Playlists not updatedCash Mi Music is obsoleteClear the app cache in the settings
No Playlist tab.Lightweight version MIUIUpdate Mi Music via Google Play or use a third-party player
Playlists with SD-maps are not visibleCard removed or changed IDReconnect the map or edit the paths in.m3u

For complex cases:

  1. Check the access rights: go to Settings β†’ Annexes β†’ Permits β†’ Storage and make sure Mi Music has access to memory.
  2. Disable Battery Optimization for Player: Settings β†’ Battery β†’ Optimizing the battery β†’ All applications β†’ Mi Music. β†’ No restrictions.
  3. If the playlists disappear after the update MIUI, Try to revert to the previous version through Settings β†’ The phone. β†’ Updating the system β†’ Three points. β†’ Select a Service Package.

Frequently asked questions

Can I transfer playlists from Redmi? 9A on another phone?
Yes, for that: Export playlists to files.m3u Copy these files along with the music tracks to a new device.m3u-files in the playlist folder of the target player. If the paths to the files on the new phone are different, edit.m3u-text-editor.
Why are Mi Music playlists duplicated?
This happens if: πŸ”„ You imported the same thing.m3u-file. πŸ“ Music files are duplicated in different folders (for example, both in internal memory and on the Internet). SD-map). ☁️ Synced with Mi Account, and playlists are re-uploaded. To remove takes: Go to Mi Music β†’ My playlists. Keep your finger on the duplicate playlist. β†’ Delete. Clear the app cache in the settings.
How to back up all playlists?
The most reliable way: Connect your phone to your PC through USB (In file transfer mode, copy the entire folder. /MiMusic/playlist/ Save the music files themselves (folders) /Music/, /Download/ For security, archive the copied files into ZIP. Alternative: Use backup applications like Swift Backup (requires root) or Titanium Backup.
Can I create a playlist from YouTube Music or Spotify?
Right in Mi Music -- no, because it's streaming services. But there are workarounds: 🎧 For Spotify: Use the β€œExport Playlist” feature in the web version (spotlistr.herokuapp.com), then import.m3u locally. 🎡 For YouTube Music: Download tracks through third-party services (e.g., YouTube Music, 4K Video bootloader, then add them to the playlist manually. πŸ“± Use intermediary applications like Soundiiz to transfer playlists between services. ⚠️ Attention: Downloading music from streaming services may violate their terms of use.
Why After Updating MIUI playlists have become empty?
This is a common problem when switching to a new version. MIUI. Causes: πŸ”§ Changed folder structure for storing media files. πŸ“ The Mi Music app has been updated and it has reset the settings. πŸ—ƒοΈ The system re-indexed the media library, but did not update the links in the playlists. Solutions: Check if the music files moved to the new folder (for example, for example, the new folder, /Media/audio/ instead /Music/). Edit the files.m3u, Remove and recreate playlists in Mi Music. If nothing works, revert to the previous version. MIUI via Fastboot.