Convert LSA to JPEG

What are lsa files, and where do they come from?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a single, universally recognized .lsa image format file type that can be converted to JPEG using standard graphics tools. In most cases, LSA either refers to proprietary file types or is not an image format.

One of the latest builds of the MIUI Gallery app for Xiaomi Redmi smartphones introduced the LSA format, which stores user pictures tagged by the user as hidden. LSA files are encrypted and password-protected files only of the picture type (usually JPEGs taken with the camera) rather than merely renamed files, as in earlier app versions.

By default, all .lsa files are found on a Xiaomi device in the ~/MIUI/Gallery/cloud/secretAlbum folder, but they may also be backed up and synced via the Xiaomi cloud.

How do I recover my photos from .lsa files?

Based on information from the Xiomi community, the only way to "recover" photos from .lsa files is to find the password and unlock the files in the MIUI Gallery app.

If you’ve found such a file and want to convert it back to a readable JPEG, you usually need to use Xiaomi’s Gallery app (and your passcode/fingerprint) to “unhide” or export the picture. There isn’t a simple off-device file converter because this is part of Xiaomi’s encryption/obfuscation scheme.

If the files were emailed to you or downloaded to your computer, you must put them back in the original folder on your phone and then use the password again to unlock them.

To our knowledge, there is no alternative option to recover photos from .lsa files.

Unhide the photo directly in Xiaomi Gallery

1. Open the default Gallery app on your Xiaomi phone.
2. Access hidden album: Typically, in MIUI, you can swipe down on the Albums screen (or pinch outward on the main Gallery view), then enter your Privacy Protection Password (or use your fingerprint) to open the Hidden album.
3. Find the picture that corresponds to the .lsa file.
4. Unhide or Export:
   • Select the photo, then tap Unhide (or Move out of hidden album).
   • Alternatively, you can choose Share and send it to another app or location.
   • Once unhided or exported, the file should revert back to a standard image format (usually JPEG or JPG).

Xiaomi’s hidden feature encrypts/obfuscates images and changes their extensions to protect privacy. Only Xiaomi’s Gallery (with the correct passcode) can properly decode them. Once you unhide/export, the phone will restore the file to a standard viewable JPEG.

If you only have the file on a computer

If someone just handed you a .lsa file or you copied it off your phone without unhiding it first, you cannot directly convert it to JPEG on your computer. The encryption method is proprietary, and no well-known third-party tool can automatically decode .lsa into a JPEG.

Workaround:

1. Transfer the .lsa file back to the original Xiaomi phone (or another Xiaomi phone with the same MIUI version that can handle hidden photos).
2. Place the file in the folder where Xiaomi’s Gallery stores hidden images (this can be tricky since folder names and locations may vary by device and MIUI version).
3. Open hidden album in Gallery and enter the passcode to unhide/export the image.

Without that step, no simple .lsa → .jpeg converter is available.