Transfer of applications to SD-Map on Xiaomi Redmi 8: Full instructions

Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 8 often face a critical shortage of built-in storage. Standard 32 or 64 gigabytes are quickly filled with system files, photos and, most importantly, heavy apps. When memory is full, the device starts to run slower, and space shortage notifications are annoying every time you try to take a picture or update the program.

Fortunately, the Android architecture allows you to use an external memory card not only as a flash drive for photos, but also as a full extension of the system partition, which allows you to install games and programs directly on the MicroSD, freeing up precious space in the internal module, but this process requires care, because the standard shell MIUI hides some of the settings from the average user.

In this article, we will discuss all the nuances of putting the card into internal storage mode, bypassing the manufacturer’s restrictions. You will learn how to properly prepare the media, what risks exist and how to avoid data loss during system optimization.

Preparation of memory card and smartphone for work

Before you start changing system settings, you need to make sure the quality of the drive used. Internal storage requires cards with high write and read speeds corresponding to the class UHS-I or higher. Cheap C10 cards may not cope with the flow of data, which will lead to interface freezes and program launch errors.

It is important to save all data from the card to the computer, because the formatting procedure will completely destroy the information. Backup is a mandatory step, ignoring which will lead to the irretrievable loss of photos and documents. Once you create a copy, you can insert the card into the slot of the smartphone.

⚠️ Warning: During the formatting process, the card will be encrypted with a specific device binding, and you can't simply move it to another phone or computer without losing access to the data.

The MIUI system may immediately suggest using the card as an internal storage, but often this window pops up only when you first install it or after you reset it. If you do not receive an automatic offer, you will need manual activation through the engineering menu or special commands, which will be discussed below.

Activation of the developer mode and debugging via USB

To gain access to hidden memory management functions, you need to activate a special mode in the system, which is a standard procedure for Android devices to make changes to the configuration of hardware, without this step, the compulsory map formatting menu will remain unavailable.

Go to the Settings menu, then select About Phone. Find the MIUI version and quickly click on it 7-10 times in a row. After a series of clicks, a pop-up notification will appear that you have become a developer. Now, a new Developer option will appear in the main settings menu, in the Additional section.

Inside this menu, you need to find and activate the USB Debugging Switch. The system will alert you to potential risks, but for our purposes it is safe. Also, in some versions of Redmi 8 firmware, it is useful to enable the option Do not turn off the screen when charging, so that the process does not interrupt accidentally, although this is not strictly mandatory.

💡

If the "For Developers" item is missing after the reboot, just repeat the procedure of clicking on the MIUI version - the settings are saved, but the shortcut is hidden for security.

Once debugging is enabled, the smartphone is ready to interact with the computer or execute special commands. This is a key step without which it is impossible to turn an external card into a system partition. Make sure that the lock screen does not have a complex pattern lock that can make it difficult to access during debugging.

Formatting the map as an internal storage

There are two main ways to transfer the card to internal storage mode on Xiaomi Redmi 8. The first is regular, through settings, if the system itself offers such a possibility. ADB-A team that works on any version MIUI.

Consider the method through your computer, because it's the most reliable one. You'll need a USB cable and installed ADB drivers on your PC. Connect your phone in debugging mode, then open the command line on your computer in the ADB tool folder. Enter a command to check the connection: adb devices. If you get confirmation on your phone screen, the device's serial number will appear in the command line.

Next, you need to enter a command for forced formatting. The syntax is as follows:

adb shell sm partition fdisk:64,1 private

Here, fdisk:64.1 indicates the disk ID (may differ, be recognized through the adb shell sm list-disks command), and the word private means creating a private partition. Once the command is executed, the phone will suggest formatting the card. Accept and wait for the process to end. The system will reboot or suggest restarting.

Configuring data retention by default

Once formatted successfully, the map becomes part of the system partition, but Android doesn't always automatically install new apps there. You need to manually prioritize storage. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Memory.

Here you'll see the combined memory. Click on your name. SD-In the menu that opens, select Use as internal storage if the system has shared them again, or simply make sure that the status is active.

To migrate already installed applications, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Select the desired program. If the application supports portability, the Move button will be active. Press it and wait until the process is over. Note that the Xiaomi and Google system applications will not be able to migrate.

To save new photos and videos to the map immediately, open the Camera app, click on three menu bars and select settings. Find Save in and switch to SD-A similar action should be done in messengers such as Telegram or WhatsApp, changing the way files are downloaded in their internal settings.

Features of the MIUI system with external memory

The MIUI shell has its own file system features, and when you put a card into internal storage mode, a new partition is created that the system encrypts, which means that the speed can be slower than the built-in eMMC or UFS module, especially if you use a budget card.

Some applications can be unstable, widgets, live wallpapers, and heavy games can take longer to load, and this is due to the limited speed of randomly reading small files on memory cards, and if you notice the strong interface brakes, maybe the card can't handle the load, and it should be replaced with a faster model.

⚠️ Note: When resetting the smartphone to factory settings (Hard Reset) data on formatted as internal SD-The card will be lost without recovery unless a special backup is made before resetting.

Also, it is worth considering that MIUI updates can sometimes “reset” access rights or change partition structure, it is recommended to check the health of applications installed on the card after a major update, and in rare cases, it is necessary to re-activate the developer mode.

💡

The speed of the smartphone depends on the speed class SD-maps: for comfortable operation of applications, a class not lower than UHS-I U3.

Possible problems and ways to solve them

During operation, users may encounter an error "SD-The card is corrupted" or by constant notifications to format, often indicating that the file system of the card has been damaged due to a sudden power outage or retrieval without first unmounting.

If apps stop opening, try restarting your device. In more challenging cases, cleaning the cache of Google Play services and the GetApps app store helps. Go to the app settings, find the Google Play Store, select Memory, and click Clear Cache.

Sometimes the system stops seeing the card as an internal drive, in which case you can try the command through ADB to recreate the partition, but this will require full formatting. Also check the physical contact: remove the card, wipe the contacts with a lastiche and paste back before clicking.