How to quickly transfer photos to SD-Map in the phone Xiaomi: all working methods

Why Photos Take Up Your Phone’s Memory and How to Fix It

Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi line and POCO) They're known for their powerful cameras, but even 128GB of internal storage quickly runs out when you take hundreds of pictures a day. The main problem is that by default, all photos are saved to the device's internal memory, not on the device's back-end. SD-This leads to constant notifications of space shortages and slowing down of the phone.

Transferring photos to a memory card solves several tasks: frees up internal storage, speeds up the gadget and allows you to store more media files. However, in MIUI (the branded shell of Xiaomi), this process is not always intuitive — especially if you use the card as a portable storage, not as internal memory. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to transfer photos, including hidden camera settings and bypassing system restrictions.

It’s important to consider that the algorithm of actions may differ depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13, 14 or 15) and the phone model. For example, in Xiaomi 13 Pro and Redmi Note 12, the file manager interface is updated, and in older models like Redmi 9A, some options may not be available, and we covered all options from automatic configuration to manual porting over the PC.

Method 1: Setup the camera to automatically save to SD-map

The easiest method is to change the location of the new photos right in the Camera app, which is true if you're just starting out using it. SD-You want all future pictures to be saved to it.

Instructions:

• 📷 Open the Camera app on your Xiaomi.
• 🔧 Click on the icon. ⚙️ Settings (usually in the upper right corner).
• 💾 Select the Save Place or the Save folder (depending on version) MIUI).
• 📁 In the list of available storages, tap on SD-map (if not, see the "Attention" block below).
• ✅ Confirm the selection and take a test shot to make sure the photo is saved to the map.

If the camera settings do not have the option of saving on SD-The map means one of two things:

1. The memory card is formatted as internal memory (in which case it is displayed as part of the main storage).
2. You use MIUI 14/15 with limitations for some models (e.g. Xiaomi 12T or POCO F5).

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If the camera settings do not have the option of saving on SD-map, try reformatting the card as a portable storage in Settings → Memory. → SD-map → Format it as portable. Then you have the option.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro)+ 5G) choice SD-The camera can give you an error "Not enough space," even if the map is empty. MIUI 13 - solution see method 3.

Method 2: Manual transfer through file manager

If you already have thousands of photos in your internal memory, you can move them to your memory. SD-This is a standard file manager from Xiaomi or third-party applications like Solid Explorer.

Step-by-step:

• 📂 Open the Files app (File icon on the desktop).
• 🖼️ Go to the Images or Albums section → Camera (all photos taken on the phone are stored here).
• 🔘 Select files: Press and hold your finger on any photo, then mark the rest (or tap Select All).
• 📤 Click Move (arrow icon to folder) and select SD-map → DCIM → Camera (or create a new folder).
• ⏳ Wait for the transfer to be completed (it can take 5-10 minutes per 1000 photos).

Important nuances:

• 🔄 If you choose to copy instead of move, the photo will remain in your internal memory.
• 🚫 Do not interrupt the process – this can cause file damage (especially if the memory card is in the class below). UHS-I).
• 📌 After transferring, check the photos in the gallery: sometimes they can disappear from the albums (solution - restart the phone).

Make sure that SD-map inserted and recognized

Check the free space on the map (should be more volume of photos transferred)

Close all applications that work with the gallery (Google Photos, Viber, etc.)

Connect your phone to charge (for long-term operations)-->

⚠️ Note: If the error "File not moved" appears during transfer, try to copy the photo to the PC, and then from computer to computer. SD-It's bypassing the restrictions. MIUI Work with external storage devices.

Method 3: Using Google Photos to Free Memory

If you don't just need to move photos, but you need to free up your internal memory, you can use Google Photos, which lets you upload all your photos to the cloud and then delete them from your phone, but you can still access them through the app.

How it works:

1. Install Google Photos from Play Market (if not already installed).
2. Sign in under your Google account.
3. In the application settings, enable Backup and Synchronization.
4. Choose the download quality: Original (free up to 15GB) or High (unlimited but compressed).
5. Wait until the loading is complete (may take hours with a large volume).
6. In the Free Space menu, delete photos from your phone – they will remain in the cloud.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Photos are available from any device (even if you are SD-map is lost).
• ✅ Automatic sorting by date and person.
• ✅ The ability to return a photo to your phone or SD-map.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Requires a stable internet for the first download.
• ❌ Original high-resolution photos take up space in the cloud (15GB free).
• ❌ When removed from the phone, photos will disappear from the standard gallery MIUI.

Only the internal memory of the phone

Nana SD-map

In the cloud (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk, etc.)

On the computer/external disk

I don't store it, I remove it.-->

Method 4: Transfer over a computer (for large volumes)

If you have thousands of photos (for example, 20–50 GB), manual transfer through the file manager can take hours or even hang, in which case it is more reliable to connect the phone to the PC and use the conductor. Windows/macOS.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB-cable (preferably original).
2. On the phone in the notification curtain, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On PC, open This Computer → Find a Xiaomi device.
4. Go to Internal Storage → DCIM → Camera (there are photos).
5. Copy the files and paste them into the folder SD-map → DCIM → Camera.

Tips for speeding up the process:

• 🖥️ Use it. USB 3.0 (blue port) and high speed cable.
• 📂 Transfer photos in folders (for example, by year), and not all at once.
• 🔌 Do not turn off your phone until you have finished copying – it can damage your files.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone is not displayed when connecting to the PC, check: Is debugging mode enabled USB In Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (tap 7 times) → Additionally. → For developers: Are Xiaomi drivers installed on your computer (download from the official website) or are you using the original cable (cheap cables often do not support data transfer).

Method 5: Formatting SD-maps as internal memory

If you wish to SD-The card became a full-fledged part of the phone's storage (and all applications, including the camera, saved data to it by default), you can format it as internal memory. A1/A2 volume 64 GB.

How to do this:

1. Put it in. SD-phone-card.
2. Go to Settings. → Memory. → SD-map.
3. Tap Three Dots (menu) → Storage settings → Format as internal.
4. Confirm the action (all data on the map will be deleted!).
5. After formatting, select Transfer Data to move the photo and apps.

Important: Once formatted as internal memory, the card cannot be read on other devices (such as a PC or other phone) without completely erasing the data, and it is not recommended to remove it from the phone, which can cause app malfunctions.

Pros of the method:

• ✅ All new photos are automatically saved to the map.
• ✅ You can transfer applications to SD (It saves internal memory).
• ✅ No need to manually copy files.

Cons:

• ❌ The card becomes "tied" to the phone.
• ❌ When you remove the map, the applications may stop working.
• ❌ Not all Xiaomi models support this mode (for example, in the POCO X3 Pro option may not be available).

Problem Solving: Frequent Errors and Corrections

When transferring photos to SD-Xiaomi users often face typical problems, and here are the most common and ways to solve them:

If none of these methods helped, check:

• 🔋 Status. SD-Maps: Connect it to your PC and run error checks (Properties) → Service → Check it out on Windows).
• 📱 Updates MIUI: Sometimes bugs are fixed in new versions of the firmware.
• 🛠️ Developer Settings: Enable Debugging by USB Do not turn off the screen when charging for long-term operations.

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If the phone says that SD-The map is damaged, don't format it right away! Try reading the data on a PC using Recuva or PhotoRec, they can recover some of the photos.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions