How to transfer applications to a memory card in Redmi 6A: all working ways

Xiaomi Redmi 6A owners often face a shortage of internal memory, especially if the device has a lot of applications.Moving programs to a microSD card seems like a logical solution, but in MIUI this feature does not work as clearly as in other Android environments. Unlike newer models, the Redmi 6A does not support full-fledged memory expansion through Adoptable Storage, but there are workarounds.

In this article, we will analyze all current methods of transferring applications to SD-map, including standard settings MIUI, utilization ADB-We will focus on Xiaomi’s limitations on porting system and pre-installed applications, which often cause errors in users. If you want to free up space in your internal memory without losing functionality, read on.

Why can’t Redmi 6A just transfer all applications to a memory card?

Many users are wondering why Redmi is a big deal. 6A There is no option to "move to" SD-map for most applications. It's architecture. MIUI Xiaomi’s security policy:

• 🔒 Android 8.1 Go: Redmi Limits 6A It runs on a lightweight version of Android, where Adoptable Storage (conversion) is a feature. SD-- I.D. cards are disabled by default, so you can keep the weaker hardware stable.
• 📱 Pre-installed annexes MIUI: System utilities (e.g. Mi Browser, Mi Music) are tied to internal memory and cannot be ported without root rights.
• 🛡️ Data security: Xiaomi blocks the transfer of applications working with personal data (banking, messengers) to avoid leaks when retrieving the card.

Also, even if the application is theoretically portable, it can run slower than the app. SD-Class 4 or Class 10 cards, not UHS-I). This is due to the limited speed of reading / writing budget memory cards.

⚠️ Attention: Transfer of applications to SD-The card may cause them to work in an unstable way after the device is restarted. Some programs (such as widgets) may stop running altogether.

What memory card is suitable for Redmi 6A?

Before you try to move apps, make sure yours is yours. SD-card meets the requirements:

If your card is formatted in NTFS, you need to reformat it to exFAT via the computer or the device itself.

1. Put the map in Redmi 6A.
2. Go to Settings → Storage → Memory Map.
3. Click Format → As internal memory (if available) or select exFAT.

Method 1: Transfer applications through standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools, but it doesn't work for all applications. Here's how to do it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (like Facebook or VK).
3. Click Warehouse → Change → Memory Map.
4. Confirm the transfer and wait for the process to be completed.

If the Memory Card option is inactive, it means:

• 🚫 The application does not support transfer (most often these are system utilities).
• 📁 The app has already been updated and its data is stored in internal memory.
• 🔧 Memory card is not formatted as internal storage.

Memory card inserted and recognized

The application is not a system application

There is enough free space on the map (at least 1.5× of the application size).

The device is not in energy saving mode-->

⚠️ Note: After the application has been moved to SD-The map of his widgets may disappear from the home screen.

Method 2: Using ADB for forced transfer (without root)

If the standard method didn't work, you could use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for debugging Android devices, which doesn't require root rights, but requires a computer.

Step 1. Install ADB on your computer:

• 🖥️ Download Platform Tools from the official Android website.
• 📂 Unpack the archive into the root of the disk C:\platform-tools.
• 🔧 Add the path to the folder to the environment variables (or use the command line from this folder).

Step 2: Connect Redmi 6A to your PC and execute the commands:

1. Turn on the phone Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About phone).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: adb devices (your device should appear).
4. Run the port command (replace com.example.app with the application package): adb shell pm set-install-location 2 This command installs the SD-Map as the default installation location for supported applications.
5. To transfer a specific application: adb shell pm move-package com.example.app

To find out the application package, use:

adb shell pm list packages | find "keyword"

For example, for Facebook:

adb shell pm list packages | find "facebook"

⚠️ Attention: After use ADB Some apps may stop updating through Google Play. To fix this, return them to internal memory by command: adb shell pm move-package com.example.app 0

Method 3: Formatting a card as an internal memory (Adoptable Storage)

This method allows us to combine SD-A card with internal memory, but with serious limitations:

• 🔄 The card will be encrypted and will not be read on other devices.
• 📉 The speed depends on the class of the card (on Class 10 possible lags).
• 🚫 Not all apps will work consistently (especially games and instant messengers).

Instructions:

1. Put it in. SD-map 6A.
2. Go to Settings → Storage → Memory Map.
3. Press Three dots (⋮) → Settings → Formatting as an internal.
4. Confirm the action and wait until it is completed (may take up to 10 minutes).
5. After formatting, select Move Data Now or do it manually later.

If the option "Format as internal" is missing, then:

• 📱 Your firmware. MIUI Cut down (often found in global versions for Redmi) 6A).
• 🔧 Memory card does not support high-speed mode (requires a class) A1/A2).

💡

Before formatting the card as an internal memory, back up all the data on it – after the procedure, they will be deleted without the possibility of recovery.

Alternative ways to free up memory in Redmi 6A

If porting apps hasn’t helped or isn’t possible, try these methods:

• 🧹 Cache Clearing: Go to Settings → Warehouse → Clean and delete unnecessary files (cache, downloads, duplicates).
• 🗑️ Removal of pre-installed applications: With the help of ADB You can deactivate unnecessary system programs: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mi.browser (replace com.mi.browser with an unnecessary app package).
• ☁️ Cloud Storage: Move photos and videos to Google Photos, Mi Cloud or Yandex Drive.
• 📱 Lite versions of apps: Install lightweight versions of social networks (for example, Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite).

It’s also worth checking which apps take up the most space:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort by size (click on the filter icon in the upper right corner).
3. Delete or clear the data for the most "heavy" programs.

💡

Even if you can’t transfer the app to SD-card, its data (for example, downloaded files in messengers) can often be moved manually through the file manager.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When transferring applications to SD-map 6A Users are faced with typical problems:

If the application does not start after the transfer, try:

1. Reset the device.
2. Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps.
3. Return it to your inner memory and re-transfer it.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions