How to transfer a photo from your phone to a memory card Xiaomi Redmi 9: video + 3 ways

Are you tired of the constant notifications "Memory is full" on your Xiaomi Redmi 9? Photos take up the lion's share of internal storage, and you don't want to buy a new phone because of this? The solution is simple - transfer the photo to a microSD card. But how do you do it correctly, so as not to lose pictures and not reduce their quality?

In this article you will find 3 We'll look at the proven ways to transfer photos (including video instructions), the method comparison table, and the answers to frequent questions. MIUI, and third-party applications - taking into account the features of Redmi 9 (including Redmi models 9A/9C/9T). Particular attention will be paid to hidden settings that allow you to automatically save new photos directly to the user. SD-This will save you from routine transfer in the future.

Why do photos take up so much space on Xiaomi Redmi 9?

Xiaomi Redmi 9 comes with 32 to 128 GB of internal memory, but even that is often lacking, because of the automatic saving of high-resolution photos. For example, a shot from the main camera (13 MP) weighs 3-5 MB, and video in Full HD – up to 100 MB / min. When you use the camera, memory is filled in a matter of weeks.

Key memory eaters:

• 📸 Photo format HEIC/HEIF (borrow 30–50% less space than JPEG, But not all devices support them).
• 🎥 Video in the video 4K (Even a 30-second video can weigh 300-500 MB).
• 🔄 Cash galleries (miniatures, temporary files for quick viewing).
• 📁 Duplicates and screenshots (accumulate imperceptibly, but can take up gigabytes).

The problem is compounded by the fact that by default MIUI stores all media files in internal memory, the memory card (if installed) remains unclaimed, and this can be fixed in two ways: transfer existing photos or configure automatic saving of new images to the SD.

Method 1: Transfer a photo through a standard "Gallery" (without software)

The easiest method is to use Xiaomi's built-in Gallery app, which requires no additional software installation and works even without an internet connection, and is suitable for transferring individual photos or entire albums.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Gallery app (an icon with colorful photos).
2. Select an album with a photo (for example, Camera or Screenshots).
3. Press and hold your finger on any shot to activate the selection mode. tick the desired photos (or tap Select all at the top).
4. Click on the icon. ⋮ (three dots) in the upper right corner and select Move.
5. In the window that opens, go to the section. SD-map (or External Storage).
6. Create a new folder (like Photos from your phone) or select an existing one, then click Move Here.

Important: If the memory card is formatted as an internal storage (rather than a portable one), the path to the folder may look like a /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Android/data/.... In this case, it is better to use the method 3 file-manager.

Make sure the memory card is inserted into the slot | Check free space on SD (minimum 10% of the photo volume)| Disable sync with Google Photos (if enabled) | Close all applications using the gallery-->

Method 2: Automatically save new photos to a memory card

To avoid manually transferring photos every time, set up Xiaomi Redmi 9 to save new pictures directly to the camera. SD-It takes 2 minutes, but it saves hours in the future.

Instructions for the camera:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Put it on the icon. ⚙️ (Settings) in upper right corner.
3. Scroll down to the Warehouse section and select the Save folder.
4. In the list of available storages, select SD-map (or External Storage).
5. Create a new folder (for example, Camera_SD) or select an existing one.

For the annex Gallery:

1. Open the phone settings → Applications → Gallery.
2. Put it on Memory. → Default storage.
3. Choose. SD-Card (if the option is active).

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ New photos are automatically saved to SD, non-memory.
• ✅ You don’t need to manually transfer files.
• ✅ Works for all applications that use the camera (Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.).

⚠️ Attention: If you extract SD-The card, new photos will be stored in internal memory until the card is inserted back!

Method 3: Transfer photos through the file manager (for advanced users)

If you need to transfer all photos at once (for example, when resetting your phone) or work with system folders, use a file manager. MIUI has built-in Files, but we recommend Solid Explorer or FX File Manager - they show hidden files and support mass operations.

Step-by-step instructions for Files (built-in application):

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. Go to the internal memory → DCIM → Camera (there are stored photos from the camera).
3. Press and hold the Camera folder, then tap Copy or Cut.
4. Go back to the root directory and select SD-map.
5. Press Insert and wait for the operation to be completed.

For mass transfer via Solid Explorer:

• 🔍 Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
• 📂 Move to the /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/ (internal memory) and select Camera, Screenshots folders.
• 🔄 Use the Move to function and point the way to SD-map, for example, /storage/XXXX-XXXX/DCIM/.
• ⚡ Enable the option to skip existing files to avoid duplicates.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos to back up, transfer files to SD-To avoid duplicates in the cloud, turn off autoload before transferring in Google Photo settings.

Video instructions: how to transfer a photo to the memory card Xiaomi Redmi 9

For clarity, we have prepared a selection of videos with a step-by-step process. Note the version of MIUI - in older versions (below 12), the menu may differ.

Recommended videos:

• 🎥 Transfer of photos through the Gallery (MIUI 13) — fitting 9/9A/9C latest-update.
• 🎥 Configuring auto-save to SD-Map - shows how to change the storage by default.
• 🎥 Porting hidden photos (folder.thumbnails) – for experienced users.

If the video is not available, watch out for the following:

• 🔹 V MIUI 12.5 and a newer path to camera settings has changed: now Settings → Additionally. → Warehouse.
• 🔹 On the Redmi. 9T (model NFC) It may be necessary to confirm access rights SD-map.
• 🔹 If the memory card is not displayed, check it in Settings → Memory (maybe reconnection is required).

💡

Before watching the video, include subtitles – they often indicate the current paths to the menu for your version of MIUI.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Transfer of the photo to SD-The map seems like a simple operation, but users of Xiaomi Redmi 9 often face problems:

1.The memory card is not displayed in the camera settings

Reasons:

• 🔌 The card is not inserted or does not communicate well (try to retrieve and paste again).
• 🗃️ The card is formatted as an internal storage (see Method 2).
• 🛠️ Damaged connector for SD-Cards (check the card on another device).

2.Photos moved but not displayed in Gallery

Decision:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone — MIUI Sometimes they don’t update the media immediately.
• 📂 Make sure that the photos are transferred to standard folders: DCIM/Camera or Pictures.
• 🛠️ Open the Settings. → Annexes → gallery → Memory. → Clear the cache.

3. "Not enough space" error during transfer

Even if SD-map is free space, MIUI It can make that mistake:

• 📌 The map is formatted in FAT32, file-free >4GB (transfer one at a time or reformat to exFAT).
• 🗑️ There are damaged sectors on the map (check via PC using chkdsk).

💡

If you use SD-The card is like an internal storage device, and moving the photo onto it won't free up the phone's internal memory, so it does expand the memory, but it doesn't replace it.

More Memory Management Tips for Xiaomi Redmi 9

Transfer of the photo to SD-The map is only part of the solution. To optimize your memory, follow these guidelines:

1.Tune the cache cleanup automatically

Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup and enable Auto Cleanup.This will remove unnecessary temporary files (like Google Play Services cache, which can weigh up to 1-2 GB).

2. Move the applications to SD-map

Not all apps support this feature, but for those that support:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Select an app (like Facebook or Instagram).
3. Slip the vault. → Change. → SD-map.

3. Use cloud services for backup

Even after the photo was transferred to SD-We recommend you to make a backup copy in the cloud:

• 🌥️ Google Photos (free 15GB, compression without loss of quality).
• ☁️ Mi Cloud (5GB free, integrated with MIUI).
• 📦 Yandex Disk (10 GB free, convenient for users from Russia).

4. disable autoload media in messengers

WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber by default store all received photos and videos in the memory of the phone.

• On WhatsApp: Settings → Storage → Save incoming media → Never.
• In Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot Media → Disable.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions