How to transfer photos from gallery to memory card or SIM to Xiaomi: all ways

Xiaomi smartphones are among the most popular devices on the market due to their combination of price, performance and functionality. POCO Sooner or later, they face a lack of internal memory, and photos and videos occupy the lion's share of space, and transferring them to a microSD or microSD card. SIM-The card (if supported) can free up tens of gigabytes.

In this article, we will explore all the possible ways to move photos from the standard MIUI gallery to an external medium, from the basic method through the file menu to hidden features for power users, and learn how to avoid portability errors, which card formats are supported, and what to do if the system does not see the external drive.

If you use Xiaomi with two SIM-With cards and microSD slots, it is important to remember: some models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or the Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO X3 Pro) support a hybrid slot where you have to choose between the second SIM Check the specifications of your model before buying a storage device.

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1.Preparation: Which Memory Card to Choose for Xiaomi

Before you transfer photos, make sure your memory card is compatible with the device. Xiaomi supports microSD formats SDHC (up to 32 GB) and SDXC (up to 2 TB), but there are nuances:

✅ Recommended speed classes:

• 📸 Class 10 (U1) — Suitable for storing photos and videos in Full HD.
• 🎥 UHS-I (U3/V30) — best-written 4K-Video and fast file transfer.
• ⚡ A2 — Speeds up applications if you plan to use the card as an extension of internal memory (Adoptable Storage).

⚠️ Attention: Maps SDXC (over 32 GB) require formatting in exFAT or NTFS. MIUI It will automatically prompt you to format it when you first connect, but this will delete all data!

🔹 Model compatibility:

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2. Method 1: Transfer a photo through a standard MIUI gallery

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI gallery, which works on all devices with MIUI 12 and later, including Redmi and POCO.

📌 Step-by-step instruction:

⚠️ Important nuance: If the card is formatted as an internal memory (Adoptable Storage), the option to Move may not be available).

💡

To speed up the transfer, plug in the charger – MIUI limits background processes when the battery is low.

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3. Method 2: Transfer through the application "Files"

If the gallery does not offer a port option (for example, on older versions of MIUI), use the standard File Manager application.

🔄 Algorithm of action:

• 📂 Open the files. → Go to the Images or DCIM.
• 📌 Select files (long press) → check-check).
• 🔄 Press Move (or Cut) → Insert).
• 💾 In the list of locations, select SD-map → specify the destination folder.

⚠️ Note: If an error appears during transfer File is not moved, check: 🔌 The memory card is inserted correctly (try to re-extract and paste it back in). 📛 Map format — FAT32 does not support files >4GB (use exFAT). 🔒 There is no protection against writing on the card (switch on the adapter).

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Method 3: Use of the card as an internal memory (Adoptable Storage)

If you want your memory card to be part of your internal storage, you can format it as Adoptable Storage, which allows you to automatically save new photos and apps to the card, but there are limitations:

⚠️ Cons of the method:

• 🔒 The map cannot be read on other devices (it is encrypted).
• 🔄 When you remove the map, applications and files will become unavailable.
• ⚡ A quick card (class) is required A2 or U3).

🛠 How to set up:

1. Put the card in your smartphone.
2. Go to Settings → Storage → SD card.
3. Select Set Up → Internal memory.
4. Confirm the formatting (all data will be deleted!).
5. After the reboot, new photos will automatically be saved to the map.

💡

Formatting a card as an internal memory permanently deletes all data and makes it tied to a particular device, and use this method only if you are sure that the card will be permanently on the phone.

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

If you have to transfer thousands of photos (like after traveling), it's easier to use a PC or laptop, which is faster and more reliable than transferring them directly to your phone.

🖥 Instructions for Windows/macOS:

• 🔌 Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB-Cable (use original or certified cable).
• 📱 On the phone, select File Transfer Mode (MTP) (blind-notice).
• 🖱 On PC, open This Computer (Windows) or Finder (macOS) → Find the Xiaomi device.
• 📁 Copy photos from the Internal Storage folder → DCIM in the folder on the memory card (for example, SD Card → DCIM).

⚡ Advice for speeding up: If photos take up tens of gigabytes, use an archiver (for example, use a photo archiver, 7-Zip or WinRAR, to compress the folder before copying, which will reduce the transfer time by 30 to 50%.

• 🔄 Change mode USB on the phone (charging) → MTP).
• 🔌 Use a different cable or port USB.
• 🔄 Install Mi drivers PC Suite (official website of Xiaomi).

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6. Solving errors when transferring photos

Even with the right actions, Xiaomi users sometimes face problems, and consider the most common mistakes and their solutions:

🔧 Table of errors and corrections:

🛠 Additional advice:

• 🔄 If the transfer is interrupted, try to divide the files into batches (100-200 photos each).
• 📱 On Xiaomi models with MIUI 13+ Turn on the Developer Mode and Turn Off MIUI Optimization (can block background processes).
• 🔋 For long-term transfer, connect the phone to charging — MIUI suspends operations at a rate below 15%.

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7. Optimization of photo storage after transfer

Transferring the photo to the map is only half the battle, so to save space and speed up the gallery, make additional adjustments:

📊 Checklist for optimization:

• 🗑 Cleaning the gallery cache: Settings → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🔍 Remove duplicates: Use applications like Files by Google or CCleaner.
• ☁ Cloud Backup: Set up Auto Sync with Google Photos or Mi Cloud (free up to 5GB).
• 📁 Compression photo: In camera settings (Camera settings) → Photo resolution: Select High (HEIF) maximum.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos, turn on the option to Free up space after backup.The system will automatically delete local copies of the photo, leaving only thumbnails (saves up to 80% of memory!).

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8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)