Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a lack of built-in space. MIUI or its new version of HyperOS takes up a significant amount of space, and modern applications and media files only make the situation worse. Fortunately, most models support the installation of microSD cards, which allows you to significantly expand the capabilities of the device for storing data.
However, standard system behavior does not always involve automatically recording all files to an external medium; the user needs to activate the corresponding functions and reconfigure the saving paths for various applications, which is especially true for those who actively shoot high-resolution video or download large amounts of content from the Internet.
In this article, we will take a look at all the stages of configuration, from the physical installation of the drive to the thin software configuration, you will learn how to make the browser, camera and messengers default to use an external card, and understand the limitations of the modern version of Android on working with the file system.
Preparation and installation of a memory card
The first step is to physically install the drive correctly. Modern Xiaomi smartphones use a combined slot where a MicroSD card can be installed instead of a second one. SIM-Before removing the tray, you must turn off the device to avoid damaging the file system or electrical contact.
Once you install the card and turn on the phone, the system will automatically prompt you to format the drive, which is a mandatory procedure, since new cards often have a file system that is not optimized for mobile applications. Formatting will create the necessary directory structure for Android to work correctly.
⚠️ Note: The formatting process will completely remove all data from the memory card. If there is important information on the media, pre-copy it to the computer or to the cloud storage.
The choice of file system format plays a key role in compatibility. For cards up to 32 GB, FAT32 is commonly used, which provides maximum compatibility, but has a 4 GB limit on the size of a single file. For larger storages, the system will offer an exFAT format that is devoid of this drawback and ideal for recording video in 4K.
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Use UHS-I or UHS-II speed memory cards from trusted brands (Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston). Cheap counterparts can cause interface lags and data loss when writing heavy files.
Configuring the save path in system applications
Once installed and formatted successfully, you need to reconfigure your system applications to work with the new storage, and in the MIUI and HyperOS shell, the standard file manager and camera settings are responsible for this, and without manually activating these functions, the phone will continue to fill the internal memory.
To set up the camera, open the application, go to the settings menu (three stripes or gears) and find the item "Save to the SD-Activating this switch ensures that all new photos and videos are recorded directly to an external medium, bypassing the internal storage.
- 📸 Open the Camera app and activate the save on SD.
- 📂 In “Conductor” install the memory card as the main storage for downloads.
- 🎵 In the application Dictaphone change the way to save records in settings.
- 📹 For video recorders and third-party cameras, check individual path settings.
Special attention needs to be paid to the setting of browsers. MI Browser needs to go to the download settings and change the directory by default, which will allow you to download files, documents and other files. APK-files directly onto the map, freeing up precious system space.
Transfer applications to memory card
The issue of porting installed applications (APKs) to a memory card is one of the most difficult in modern versions of Android. Since version 6.0, Google has limited this ability in order to ensure the security and stability of the system, and now application developers must explicitly specify in the code permission to install on external media.
However, Xiaomi still has the ability to transfer some data. → Annexes → All applications. Select the application you want, click Memory, and if the developer has made it possible, move to SD-If the button is grey, it means that the application is critical to the system or not optimized for external storage.
| Type of data | Can we move it? | Where stored by default | Impact on speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | Yes. | Internal memory. | Minimum |
| Music and Documents | Yes. | Internal memory. | Absent. |
| Cash messengers | Partially. | Internal memory. | Average. |
| System applications | No. | System section | Critically. |
There's also a memory extension feature that allows you to format a card as part of internal memory, in which case the system encrypts the media and it becomes unreadable on other devices without re-authorizing, which increases security, but can reduce the overall speed of the smartphone if the memory card is not in the high-speed class.
Why can't some apps be moved?
Using a map to download files from the browser
Downloading files from the Internet is one of the most common operations, quickly filling memory. To set up automatic download on MicroSD in Chrome, go to the three-dot menu, select Settings → Downloaded files → Location of files. Here select your memory card.
In the standard MI Browser, you can set up through the download tab. Click on a person icon or three dots, select Settings → Path to Download, and specify an external drive. This is especially useful for users who often download movies or TV shows for offline viewing.
It is important to understand the difference between cache and uploaded files. Setup a download path doesn’t always carry cache pages or temporary website files. To completely clear the space, periodically check the Cleanup section in Xiaomi’s standard Security app.
- 🌐 Chrome changes path in the section "Downloaded files».
- 🔍 In Yandex.Browser setting is in the "Basic" parameters.
- 📥 In Tor Browser, the path to downloads is set at the first start or in the privacy settings.
⚠️ Note: When you actively download large files (more) 10 GB to a low speed memory card (Class) 4/6) There's a possible write error. The system can interrupt the boot if the write speed doesn't keep up with the data rate.
Working with messengers and social networks
Messengers like Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber are the main memory eaters, and fortunately most of them allow you to configure the way you save media files. → Data and memory → Path to files. Select "Another folder" and specify the directory to SD-map.
WhatsApp is a little more complicated because of its security policy of Android 11 and higher, and direct migration of the database and media to the map may be limited by access rights, but you can set up automatic media backup to the card if this option is available in your version, or manually move the Media folders after they are created.