How to transfer the gallery to the memory card in Xiaomi: 3 proven ways

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a shortage of internal memory — especially when the gallery is filled with thousands of photos and videos. Transferring media to a microSD card seems like a logical solution, but in MIUI this process is not always obvious. Unlike older versions of Android, where files could be simply “dragged”, modern Xiaomi smartphones require special settings or even workarounds.

Complicating the problem is that MIUI defaults to store new photos in internal memory, and the port option is often hidden or not working properly. For example, in Redmi Note 11 or POCO X5 Pro, when you try to move files through Explorer, you may experience an error of “Not enough rights” — even if the card is formatted as an internal drive. In this article, we will discuss all working ways of transferring the gallery, including hidden settings, ADB commands and alternative applications.

It's important to understand that the transfer method depends on the version of MIUI (12, 13 or 14), the model of the smartphone and the type of formatting memory card. For example, on Xiaomi 13 Lite with MIUI 14, direct transfer through camera settings is available, and on Redmi 9A with MIUI 12.5 you will have to use ADB or third-party file managers. We tested all methods on current firmware 2023-2026.

Preparation: checking memory card and formats

Before moving the gallery, make sure your microSD card meets Xiaomi’s requirements.Not all memory cards are compatible with portability features – especially if they are formatted as portable (external).

✅ Requirements for a memory card for Xiaomi:

• 🔹 Speed class: not lower UHS-I (U1) Or Class 10, for video recording. 4K need U3.
• 🔹 Volume: From 32 GB (optimum) 64–128 GB for the gallery. 256 GB or more may not be supported by older models (Redmi) 5/6).
• 🔹 Formatting: exFAT or FAT32 (card up to 32 GB). MIUI not working NTFS.
• 🔹 Manufacturer: SanDisk, Samsung are recommended EVO Kingston – Cheap no-name cards often cause errors.

🔧 How to check the current map format:

1. Connect the card to the PC through the card reader.
2. Open this computer (Windows) or Disk utility (Mac).
3. View the file system in the card properties (right-click → Properties).

⚠️ Note: If the card is formatted as internal memory (via Xiaomi settings), it cannot be retrieved without data loss.

Method 2: Transfer through camera settings (MIUI 13/14)

The easiest way is to change the location of new photos and videos right in the Camera app, which won't transfer old files, but all new media will automatically be saved to the memory card.

📸 Instructions for MIUI 13/14:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Touch the badge. ⚙️ (Settings) in upper right corner.
3. Select a Retention Site → Memory map.
4. Confirm your choice and restart the camera.

❗ Limitations of method:

• 📛 It only works for new photos/video, and old files will remain in internal memory.
• 📛 In some models (POCO F3, Redmi Note 10 Pro option may not be available if the card is not formatted as an internal drive.
• 📛 Video in resolution 4K Sometimes they are stored in internal memory despite the settings.

💡

If the Memory Card option is inactive, remove the card, restart the smartphone and paste it back in. Sometimes this resets the MIUI constraints.

Method 2: Manual transfer through the "Conductor" (without root)

If you want to transfer existing photos and videos, use the built-in Explorer (or Google Files), which works on most models, but requires care - if you copy files incorrectly, files can be duplicated or lose metadata (shot date, geotags).

🗃️ Step-by-step instruction:

1. Open the Explorer application (the folder icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the internal drive → DCIM → Camera (photos and videos are stored here).
3. Select files (long-term press → tick the necessary ones).
4. Click Move (not Copy!) and select Memory Map → DCIM → Camera.
5. Confirm the transfer. Wait until it is completed (may take a few minutes for large files).

⚠️ Frequent mistakes and decisions:

Check the free space on the map|Create a backup photo on PC|Close all applications that use the gallery|Connect the charger (for large amounts of data)-->

Method 3: Transfer over ADB (for power users)

If the standard methods do not work (for example, on Redmi 9 or POCO M3), can be used ADB-This requires you to connect your smartphone to your PC, but you can move the gallery even without formatting the map as internal memory.

🖥️ What's the matter:

• 🔌 Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS.
• 📱 USB-cable (original, not cheap charging!).
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB (Download from the official Android website).
• 🔐 Included Debugging by USB smartphone.

🔧 Instructions for transfer through ADB:

1. Turn on USB Debugging: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode). Then: Settings → Additional → Developer → Debugging by USB.
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm your trust in the device.
3. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (Mac/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
4. Enter the commands in turn: adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true sm partition disk:179.64 private Replace 179.64 with your current card identifier (learn via sm list-disks).
5. Reboot your smartphone. Now the card will be recognized as internal, and you can transfer files through Explorer.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB It can cause data loss or system failure, and once you've done the commands, the memory card will become attached to that smartphone, and it won't be read on other devices without formatting.

5. Alternative methods: third-party applications

If the built-in MIUI tools fail, you can use third-party file managers or portable utilities, and the main advantage is that they often bypass system limitations and allow you to transfer files batchwise.

📱 Top.-3 gallery-transfer:

🔄 How to move the gallery through Files by Google:

• 📁 Open the application and allow access to files.
• 🔍 Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera.
• 📋 Select files (click on the highlight icon at the top).
• 📤 Click Move and select SD-map → DCIM → Camera.
• ✅ Confirm the action. The app will show progress and notify you of errors (if any).

💡

The side of the application is often better at transferring large files (video 4K, RAW-photo) than standard Explorer from Xiaomi.

6. Solving problems after transfer

Even after a successful gallery transfer, there may be problems: photos don't show up in the Gallery app, videos don't play or files are duplicated.

🛠️ Frequent problems and fixes:

• 🖼️ Photos are not shown in the gallery: – Restart the Gallery app. – Install Media Rescanner from Play Market and run the scan. – Check that the files are in the folder DCIM/Camera (otherwise MIUI They won't see them).
• 🎥 Videos are not played: – Make sure the memory card has sufficient speed (U3 for 4K). — Try to play the video through MX Player or VLC.
• 📁 Files are duplicated: – Use Files by Google to search for duplicates (Clean up) → - Check the folders manually. DCIM and Pictures on the memory card.

🔍 How to check if files are actually transferred:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the memory card.
2. Make sure that the files are in DCIM/Camera and the size is the same as the original files.
3. Check the space in the internal memory (Settings → Memory).

⚠️ Note: If you retrieve the memory card after the transfer, all media files will become unavailable for viewing in the gallery. MIUI does not cach previews from external drives, so the card can not be used as a “flash drive” for temporary storage.

7 Storage optimization: how to avoid repeated memory shortages

Moving the gallery to a memory card is a temporary solution, so to avoid future space shortages, set up automatic storage optimization in MIUI.

📉 Ways to save space:

• ☁️ Cloud Backup: – Enable autoload photo in Google Photos (Settings) → Use Mi Cloud (5GB for free), but note that servers can be slow.
• 🗑️ Auto Cleanup: – Activate Waste Cleanup in Settings → Memory. → Clean. – Set up the removal of screenshots older than 30 days (Settings) → Screen. → Screenshots).
• 📸 Photo compression: – In the camera settings, select Photo Quality → High instead of original (saves up to 50% of space) – Set the resolution for video 1080p instead 4K, If you do not need maximum detail.

📊 Comparison of storage methods:

💡

Combine a memory card for storing a gallery and a cloud for backups – this will protect your files from loss when your smartphone or card breaks.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving the gallery to Xiaomi