diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/CollectionOptions/index.tsx b/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/CollectionOptions/index.tsx
index 4efe6a64cf..a08a7b38cd 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/CollectionOptions/index.tsx
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/CollectionOptions/index.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import log from "@/base/log";
-import { ItemVisibility } from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
+import { ItemVisibility } from "@/media/file-metadata";
 import { HorizontalFlex } from "@ente/shared/components/Container";
 import OverflowMenu from "@ente/shared/components/OverflowMenu/menu";
 import MoreHoriz from "@mui/icons-material/MoreHoriz";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/collectionService.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/collectionService.ts
index fd46955960..8632821b6a 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/collectionService.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/collectionService.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ import { getLocalFiles } from "@/new/photos/services/files";
 import { EnteFile } from "@/new/photos/types/file";
 import {
     EncryptedMagicMetadata,
-    ItemVisibility,
     SUB_TYPE,
     UpdateMagicMetadataRequest,
 } from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
+import { ItemVisibility } from "@/media/file-metadata";
 import { batch } from "@/utils/array";
 import ComlinkCryptoWorker from "@ente/shared/crypto";
 import { CustomError } from "@ente/shared/error";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/types/collection/index.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/types/collection/index.ts
index 1165c150ed..4997cd73de 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/types/collection/index.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/types/collection/index.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
+import { ItemVisibility } from "@/media/file-metadata";
 import { EnteFile } from "@/new/photos/types/file";
 import {
     EncryptedMagicMetadata,
-    ItemVisibility,
     MagicMetadataCore,
     SUB_TYPE,
 } from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/collection/index.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/collection/index.ts
index b7bc1a5780..b3393da69f 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/collection/index.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/collection/index.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import { ensureElectron } from "@/base/electron";
 import log from "@/base/log";
+import { ItemVisibility } from "@/media/file-metadata";
 import { getAllLocalFiles, getLocalFiles } from "@/new/photos/services/files";
 import { EnteFile } from "@/new/photos/types/file";
-import { ItemVisibility, SUB_TYPE } from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
+import { SUB_TYPE } from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
 import { safeDirectoryName } from "@/new/photos/utils/native-fs";
 import { CustomError } from "@ente/shared/error";
 import { LS_KEYS, getData } from "@ente/shared/storage/localStorage";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
index c1eef9c03d..71978ee24c 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import log from "@/base/log";
 import { type Electron } from "@/base/types/ipc";
+import { ItemVisibility } from "@/media/file-metadata";
 import { FileType } from "@/media/file-type";
 import { decodeLivePhoto } from "@/media/live-photo";
 import DownloadManager from "@/new/photos/services/download";
@@ -13,7 +14,6 @@ import {
     FilePublicMagicMetadataProps,
     FileWithUpdatedMagicMetadata,
 } from "@/new/photos/types/file";
-import { ItemVisibility } from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
 import { detectFileTypeInfo } from "@/new/photos/utils/detect-type";
 import { mergeMetadata } from "@/new/photos/utils/file";
 import { safeFileName } from "@/new/photos/utils/native-fs";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/magicMetadata/index.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/magicMetadata/index.ts
index 0fa10a5146..2d80b486d2 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/magicMetadata/index.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/magicMetadata/index.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
+import { ItemVisibility } from "@/media/file-metadata";
 import { EnteFile } from "@/new/photos/types/file";
-import {
-    ItemVisibility,
-    MagicMetadataCore,
-} from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
+import { MagicMetadataCore } from "@/new/photos/types/magicMetadata";
 import ComlinkCryptoWorker from "@ente/shared/crypto";
 import { Collection } from "types/collection";
 
diff --git a/web/packages/media/file-metadata.ts b/web/packages/media/file-metadata.ts
index 0554a64fd3..cecbe8765f 100644
--- a/web/packages/media/file-metadata.ts
+++ b/web/packages/media/file-metadata.ts
@@ -88,13 +88,50 @@ export interface Metadata {
 }
 
 /**
- * Mutable metadata associated with an {@link EnteFile}.
+ * Mutable private metadata associated with an {@link EnteFile}.
  *
  * -   Unlike {@link Metadata}, this can change after the file has been
  *     uploaded.
  *
- * -   Unlike {@link MagicMetadata}, this is available to all the people with
- *     whom the file has been shared.
+ * -   Unlike {@link PublicMagicMetadata}, this is only available to the owner
+ *     of the file.
+ *
+ * For historical reasons, the unqualified phrase "magic metadata" in various
+ * APIs refers to the (this) private metadata, even though the mutable public
+ * metadata is the much more frequently used of the two. See: [Note: Metadatum].
+ */
+export interface PrivateMagicMetadata {
+    /**
+     * The visibility of the file.
+     *
+     * The file's visibility is user specific attribute, and thus we keep it in
+     * the private magic metadata. This allows the file's owner to share a file
+     * and independently edit its visibility without revealing their visibility
+     * preference to the other people with whom they have shared the file.
+     */
+    visibility?: ItemVisibility;
+}
+
+/**
+ * The visibility of an Ente file or collection.
+ */
+export enum ItemVisibility {
+    /** The normal state - The item is visible. */
+    visible = 0,
+    /** The item has been archived. */
+    archived = 1,
+    /** The item has been hidden. */
+    hidden = 2,
+}
+
+/**
+ * Mutable public metadata associated with an {@link EnteFile}.
+ *
+ * -   Unlike {@link Metadata}, this can change after the file has been
+ *     uploaded.
+ *
+ * -   Unlike {@link PrivateMagicMetadata}, this is available to all the people
+ *     with whom the file has been shared.
  *
  * For more details, see [Note: Metadatum].
  */
@@ -200,7 +237,7 @@ export type EncryptMetadataF = typeof encryptMetadata;
  */
 export const updateMagicMetadataRequest = async (
     enteFile: EnteFile,
-    metadata: PublicMagicMetadata,
+    metadata: PrivateMagicMetadata | PublicMagicMetadata,
     metadataVersion: number,
     encryptMetadataF: EncryptMetadataF,
 ): Promise<UpdateMagicMetadataRequest> => {
diff --git a/web/packages/new/photos/types/file.ts b/web/packages/new/photos/types/file.ts
index 401dbdf098..aff511a337 100644
--- a/web/packages/new/photos/types/file.ts
+++ b/web/packages/new/photos/types/file.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
-import type { Metadata } from "@/media/file-metadata";
+import { type Metadata, ItemVisibility } from "@/media/file-metadata";
 import {
-    ItemVisibility,
     type EncryptedMagicMetadata,
     type MagicMetadataCore,
 } from "./magicMetadata";
diff --git a/web/packages/new/photos/types/magicMetadata.ts b/web/packages/new/photos/types/magicMetadata.ts
index 92d0a20986..b96e700aff 100644
--- a/web/packages/new/photos/types/magicMetadata.ts
+++ b/web/packages/new/photos/types/magicMetadata.ts
@@ -7,18 +7,6 @@ export interface MagicMetadataCore<T> {
 
 export type EncryptedMagicMetadata = MagicMetadataCore<string>;
 
-/**
- * The visibility of an Ente file or collection.
- */
-export enum ItemVisibility {
-    /** The normal state - The item is visible. */
-    visible = 0,
-    /** The item has been archived. */
-    archived = 1,
-    /** The item has been hidden. */
-    hidden = 2,
-}
-
 export enum SUB_TYPE {
     DEFAULT = 0,
     DEFAULT_HIDDEN = 1,