What is a NOMEDIA file?
NOMEDIA file is used to instruct Android operation system not to search particular folders containing multimedia files e.g. music, videos photos etc. It is a type of hidden file with extension “.nomedia”. Whenever folder contains a NOMEDIA file, Android operating system scanner skips the folder and does not scan multimedia files in that folder. This means that the multimedia files in that folder will not be displayed in any media application, including gallery apps and music players. NOMEDIA files are typically created by apps that generate a lot of media files and do not want them to be displayed in the user’s gallery or media player. The user can also create a NOMEDIA file using a file manager app to hide the multimedia files in a particular folder.
Can I delete a NOMEDIA file?
NOMEDIA file is not an essential system file, it is only used to instruct the Operating System scanner which searches for media files to ignore a particular folder, so it means, you can delete NOMEDIA file without any problems. If you will delete NOMEDIA file, it will cause the media scanner to start scanning the folder again for multimedia files and the media files will start displaying in any media application which includes the gallery apps and music players.
But you should not delete the NOMEDIA file if you want to keep multimedia files hidden from media applications. If NOMEDIA file is missing or deleted, you can create a new NOMEDIA file in the folder and it will hide multimedia files again. This can be done easily by using a file manager app or text editor. With text editor, you can create a file and simply save it with the name “.nomedia” in your particular folder where you want to hide the multimedia files.
How to open NOMEDIA file?
A NOMEDIA file is not meant to be opened or viewed directly, as it does not contain any data that can be accessed or viewed by users. Instead, it is a hidden file that is used by the Android operating system to instruct the media scanner to ignore multimedia files in a particular folder. If you want to view the multimedia files in a folder that contains a NOMEDIA file, you can simply delete the NOMEDIA file using a file manager app, and the multimedia files will be visible in any media application, including gallery apps and music players. However, if you want to keep the multimedia files hidden from media applications, you should not delete the NOMEDIA file. Instead, you can create a new NOMEDIA file in the folder to hide the multimedia files again.
NOMEDIA file in WhatsApp
WhatsApp uses NOMEDIA files to hide its media files, such as images, videos, and audio files, from the Android device’s gallery app. This is done to maintain the privacy of the user’s WhatsApp media files and to prevent them from being accidentally shared or displayed to others. When you receive media files in WhatsApp, they are stored in a hidden folder on your device’s storage, which includes a NOMEDIA file. This prevents the media files from being displayed in the gallery app, music player, or any other media application. However, you can still view and play these media files within WhatsApp itself.
If you want to view your WhatsApp media files outside of WhatsApp, you can use a file manager app to navigate to the WhatsApp media folder on your device’s storage. The folder will be located in the WhatsApp folder, which is usually in the root directory of your device’s internal storage. Once you have located the media files, you can copy or move them to another folder or share them with others as desired. However, if you want to continue to hide your WhatsApp media files from other media applications, it is recommended that you do not delete the NOMEDIA file in the WhatsApp media folder.
How to delete NOMEDIA file in WhatsApp
Deleting the NOMEDIA file in the WhatsApp media folder will cause the media files to be displayed in the Android device’s gallery app and other media applications. However, if you still want to delete the NOMEDIA file in WhatsApp, you can follow the steps below:
- Open the File Manager app on your Android device.
- Navigate to the WhatsApp folder in the internal storage of your device.
- Open the Media folder.
- Look for the file named “.nomedia” and long-press on it to select it.
- Tap the Delete button or icon to delete the file.
Once you have deleted the NOMEDIA file, the media files stored in the WhatsApp media folder will be visible in your device’s gallery app and other media applications. However, if you want to continue hiding your WhatsApp media files, you can create a new NOMEDIA file in the WhatsApp media folder. Simply create a new text file and name it “.nomedia”, and the media files in that folder will once again be hidden from other media applications.
