How to open nomedia files
A .nomedia file is not a traditional type of file that can be opened and viewed like a text document or image file.
It is a simple text file with no content that is used to tell the system to exclude a specific directory from media scans on an Android device.
To view the contents of a .nomedia, you can use a text editor or file manager app on your Android device.
If you are using a text editor app, open the app and navigate to the directory where the file is located. Then select the file to open it.
If you are using a file manager app, you can use the app to navigate to the directory where the file is. Then select the file and choose an option to view or edit it.
Keep in mind that .nomedia files are empty and do not contain any content so there may not be anything to view when you open the file.
The purpose of a .nomedia is to tell the system to exclude the directory it is placed in from media scans, not to store any specific information.
On Android
To open on Android device, you can use a text editor or file manager app.
To open the file with a text editor app:
- Install a text editor app on your Android device, such as Jota Text Editor or Simple Text.
- Launch the text editor app and use it to navigate to the directory where the .nomedia is located.
- Select the .file to open it.
To open the file with a file manager app:
- Install a file manager app on your Android device, such as ES File Explorer or Solid Explorer.
- Launch the file manager app and use it to navigate to the directory where the .nomedia is located.
- Select the file, then choose an option to view or edit it.
On PC Computer
You can use a text editor or file management software.
To open the file with a text editor:
- Install a text editor software on your PC, such as Notepad or TextEdit.
- Connect your Android device to your PC using a USB cable.
- On your PC, use the text editor software to open the file from the directory on your Android device where it is stored.
To open the file with file management software:
- Install file management software on your PC, such as Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.
- Connect your Android device to your PC using a USB cable.
- On your PC, use the file management software to navigate to the directory on your Android device where the .nomedia is stored.
- Select the file and choose an option to view or edit it.
Online
To open a .nomedia online, you will need to use a text editor or a viewer that can handle this type. Some options for online text editors or file viewers include:
- Google Docs: upload the file to your Google Drive account and then open it with Google Docs.
- Zoho Writer: upload the file to your Zoho account and then open it with the Zoho Writer application.
- Online-Convert: upload the file to the website and then choose the “Text” option under the “Convert to” dropdown menu.
Can’t open or not working
Other problems that may prevent you from accessing these files are below
- If the drivers, the tools or equipment required is outdated.
- The computer or Android device does not have adequate hardware resources that can cope with the easy opening of the .nomedia.
- If the file that you want to open is infected with malware.
- The tool or application for opening it is not installed.
- If you accidentally delete the description from your Windows registry.
- There is an incorrect link to the file in registry entries.
- It is corrupt.
- If you cannot resolve the problems y yourself, you can get in touch with trained it support to help out.
After resolving all the issues, your device should easily open it.
Nomedia File viewers
You can use apps and a nomedia file viewer on PC and MAC OS , like:
- VLC media player
- Internet Explorer
- Windows Live Photo Gallery
- Media Player Classic
- Nomedia StudioKUMA .nomedia Manager
- Photo Gallery android file manager
For Android you can use Nomedia viewer for Android

You can download the programs easily on your android device and they are also available for free. They do not take much space on your device and work effectively in opening the .nomedia format.
Google Android can also open the .nomedia. Most devices automatically open it. Consequently, you may not need to install any of the programs mentioned above before you can run it.
Programs
- Open one of the nomedia viewers installed:
- Google Android.
- Winrar.
- Internet Explorer.
- Nomedia StudioKUMA .nomedia Manager
- From the application go to the menu of files to open the .nomedia from your device.
- Now you can view the format in the app.
Nomedia File Questions and answers
What is a nomedia file
A .nomedia file is a blank file with the .nomedia extension that is used to tell media scanning software to ignore the media files in a particular folder.
Nomedia format is a file with .nomedia suffix which is stored on a mobile device using the Android operating system.
These files are usually found in Android devices and are used to hide media files from being displayed in the Gallery app and other media players.
Nomedia files can also be on any external form of storage, like a storage card that has a connection to an Android device.
The file extension .nomedia format indicates that the content of the folder does not include any multimedia data or media file. As a result, the folder without media files cannot be indexed or scanned by a multimedia player.
The files name is .nomedia and the nomedia extension do not have any filename prefix. This format files can boost the performance of your device. It works by excluding any folder that a multimedia program doesn’t have to scan.
If a folder has many images, audio files and songs, for example, such a folder can be excluded during scanning. You only have to create a blank text file with the extension nomedia.
For example if you don’t want that an image app scan your photos just create a nomedia in the photos directory.
You can equally use the .nomedia files extension format to hide ads that are featured in any free app downloaded on your android device. This can happen when you place the said android app in the same directory as the ad.
These files are recognized easily by several android video and audio players; image browsers also recognize them. Examples of android apps are Video Player, MP3 Player, Gallery and so on. You can open a nomedia in Windows operating system if you have access to the right tools.
Where to put
A .nomedia file can be placed in any directory on an Android device. When the system scans for media files, it will check for the presence of a .nomedia in each directory and will skip that directory if it finds one.
Uses
nomedia files can be used to exclude specific directories from media scans, which can be useful if you have a folder full of files that you don’t want to appear in your device’s gallery or music app. They can also be used to speed up media scans by excluding directories that are not relevant to the media apps on the device.
Limitations
.nomedia files only work on Android devices and have no effect on media scans on other types of devices. Additionally, they only apply to media scans performed by the system or by media apps that rely on the system’s media database. They do not affect media scans performed by other types of apps or by file managers.
How to create .nomedia
On Android with a file manager
- Go to Google Play.
- Download the APP File Explorer.
- Open the App.
- Select in the menu the option file.
- Enter the name with the suffix .nomedia
On Windows Computer
We are using to do this a text editor like notepad or microsoft word.
Instructions:
- Open the text editor: notepad for example.
- On the menu on the top side of your screen select File -> Save
- Now type the name you want with the .nomedia suffix.
- You have successfully created it.
How to delete
You can delete these files like others. The problem is that sometimes it is a hidden file. We are going to see how to unhide them to be able to remove them.
- Open the app es file explorer
- In the menu select settings.
- Then select display settings
- Check the option show hidden files.
- Now you can see them and delete as other types.
How to convert
The easiest way to convert it is to rename the files to another format. Only if they are renamed to its original format the conversion will work.
You can also try to find a nomedia file converter, but there are not any popular ones.
How to download
You can download a .nomedia by following these steps:
- Go to a website that provides .nomedia for download, such as https://www.nomedia.online/.
- Scroll down to the “Download” section and click on the “Download .nomedia” button.
- Save it to your computer.
How they can affect performance
Using .nomedia files to exclude large directories from media scans can improve the performance of media apps on an Android device by reducing the number of files that need to be scanned. This can be particularly useful on devices with limited storage or processing power.
How to use to hide media files
You can use .nomedia files to hide media files from the device’s gallery or music app by placing the .nomedia in the directory that contains the media files you want to hide. This can be useful if you have private or sensitive media files that you don’t want others to see.
How to restore media files
If you have used .nomedia files to exclude a directory from media scans and you want to restore the media files in that directory, you can simply delete the file and the media files should reappear in the device’s gallery or music app after the next media scan.
Other uses
In addition to excluding directories from media scans, .nomedia files can also be used to exclude directories from being indexed by other types of apps, such as file search apps or cloud storage apps. This can be useful if you have files in a particular directory that you don’t want to be included in search results or uploaded to the cloud.
Does nomedia work on windows?
Yes, the .nomedia format works on Windows operating systems.
To use the .nomedia on Windows, you will need to create a new blank text file and name it “.nomedia”. Then, move the file into the folder that you want to exclude from media software.
Is nomedia a virus?
No, it is not. These are very useful to hide the multimedia folders.
How to view, access and find hidden files on Android
To view them just find the folders, the android directory with the .nomedia files. To unhide them you will have to remove these .nomedia
- Open the file manager app on your Android device.
- Navigate to the folder where the .nomedia is located. You may need to browse through different folders and storage locations to find the file.
- Tap on the .nomedia to open it.
.nomedia are usually hidden by default. You may need to enable the option to show hidden files in the file manager app’s settings.
How to hide multimedia files on Android
You can hide them creating a file .nomedia:
- Create a .nomedia file: To hide media files in a folder, you will need to create a .nomedia in that folder.
-
- Open a text editor app on your Android device, such as Notepad or TextEdit.
- type anything
- Save it with the name “.nomedia” and select “All files”.
- Move the new file to the folder where you want to hide the media files.
- Restart your device.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to include the leading dot in the file name. The .nomedia file must be named exactly “.nomedia”, with the leading dot included, in order for it to work properly.
- Placing a file in the root directory of the device, which will prevent all media scans from occurring.
Alternative ways to exclude directories from media scans
Yes, there are several alternatives to exclude a folder’s contents from media scanning:
- Use a media scanning app that allows you to specify excluded folders:
- Rename the folder to something that is not recognized by the media scanning app. The app will ignore the contents of the folder.
- Use a file manager app to hide the folder. Many file manager apps allow you to hide folders from view. It can also prevent them from being scanned by media scanning apps.
- Use another file extension for the media files. Some media scanning apps may only scan for certain file types. If you change the file extension, the app will ignore the files.
- Use a different method to store the media files: you could use a cloud storage service or an external hard drive to store the files.