How to move the gallery to SD-Xiaomi Redmi card: 5 working ways + mistake-making

The filled internal memory on Xiaomi Redmi is a problem that every second smartphone owner faces. Photos and videos from the Gallery app take up the lion’s share of space, and transferring them to the mobile phone. SD-The card doesn't always work out of the box. In this article, we'll look at all the current ways to move media files to an external drive, including hidden settings. MIUI, Bypassing Android’s limitations and solving common mistakes.

It is important to understand: Xiaomi artificially limits the possibility of direct transfer of the gallery to the Internet. SD-map MIUI 12/13/14 But there are legal workarounds, from manually copying files to using third-party applications. 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10 and POCO X3/X4, Therefore, the instructions are relevant to 90% brand.

If you have already tried to move files through the standard menu and received the error "failed to move" or "SD-The card is not supported, don't despair, there's a section in the article that deals with these cases, including problems with the format of the map (FAT32 vs exFAT and access rights.

Why Xiaomi is blocking the transfer of the gallery to the SD-map?

Since 2019, Google has tightened the rules for working with external drives in Android, which also affected the MIUI firmware.

• 🔒 Data security: Android prevents apps from directly writing files to SD-card without the explicit permission of the user to prevent malware from accessing.
• 📁 Fragmentation of files: With frequent media transfer between memory and card, the risk of data loss due to interrupted operations increases.
• 🛠️ Productivity: SD-Class Class Class Cards 4/6 They work slower than internal memory, which can slow down the display of the gallery.
• 📱 Politics MIUI: Xiaomi follows Google’s guidelines, but adds its own limitations – for example, blocks the transfer of screenshots and uploaded images.

However, these limitations are not absolute. MIUI 12.5 and newer can be manually specified SD-map as a place to save new photos / videos, and transfer old files through Explorer or PC.

Method 1: Configure the saving of new files to SD-map

This method is suitable for future photos and videos. You won't transfer old files, but all new media will automatically be saved to an external drive.

1. Open the Camera app on your Redmi.
2. Put it on the icon. ⚙️ Settings (or swipe left/right depending on version) MIUI).
3. Select the item "Preserve Place" (or "Memory" → "Save in").
4. Indicate yours. SD-map (it should be displayed as /storage/XXXX-XXXX).
5. Confirm the selection and take a test shot – check through the Explorer that the file is saved on the map.

Important: Some models (Redmi Note 8 Pro, POCO F1) may not have this item, so use Method 3 (manual copying).

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If there is no choice in the camera settings SD-Format it in exFAT format via PC – this often solves the problem.

Method 2: Transfer existing files through Explorer

The most reliable way to transfer existing photos and videos is to use the standard Explorer (Files) from Xiaomi.

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).
2. Go to Images or Videos (depending on what you need to move).
3. Tap it on three points. ⋮ in the upper right corner and select.
4. Mark the files (you can select Everything through the tick in the hat).
5. Click More → Move (do not "copy"!).
6. In the list of locations, select yours. SD-map, SD card 1234-5678).
7. Create a folder (like Gallery) or select an existing one, then click Move here.

Warning: If there are more files 1000), process 10-30 Don't interrupt it or take it out. SD-In the map! MIUI 14 When interrupted, files can disappear irrevocably from both folders.

Method 3: Using a PC to transfer a gallery

If the transfer over the phone ends in error, connect Redmi to your computer, which works even on older versions of MIUI and is not subject to Android restrictions.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 Cable USB (Best Original from Xiaomi).
• 💾 SD-card inserted into the phone.

1. Connect Redmi to your PC via USB.
2. On the phone, select the file transfer mode (File Manager or MTP).
3. On PC, open This computer – two disks should be displayed: the phone’s internal memory and the phone’s internal memory. SD-map.
4. Go to the internal memory → DCIM → Camera (photo / video is stored here).
5. Copy the Camera folder (or individual files) and paste it on SD-map.
6. After you have finished copying, check the files on the card and delete them from the internal memory via your phone.

Tip: To speed up the process, use Teracopy (Windows) – it copies files faster than a standard conductor and checks them for errors.

Method 4: Third-party applications for gallery transfer

If standard methods don't work, use specialized applications. We tested 5 popular utilities, and the best results were:

• 📁 Files by Google: Simple interface, supports packet transfer, but doesn't work with files >4GB on FAT32.
• 🔄 X-Plore File Manager: Two-panel manager with support for root access (root), can bypass restrictions MIUI.
• 📱 FX File Explorer: Allows you to assign SD-main storage for the gallery (plugin required) FX Plus).

Instructions for Files by Google:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open the Cleanup section → Files → Images.
3. Select the files and tap Move.
4. Choose. SD-destination-card.

⚠️ Attention: Apps like ES The conductor may request unnecessary permissions (e.g. access to the SMS). Use only high-rated vetted file managers.

Method 5: Transfer over ADB (for power users)

This method requires command line skills, but allows you to transfer files even if MIUI blocks standard methods. It is not recommended for beginners - errors in commands can lead to data loss.

Procedure:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (tap 7 times), then Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB.
2. Connect Redmi to your PC and confirm debugging permission.
3. Download ADB Tools and unpack it into a folder on your PC.
4. Open the command prompt (Win + R → cmd) and go to the folder with ADB:

cd C:\platform-tools

1. Execute the command to copy files (example for DCIM/Camera):

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/ D:\Redmi_Backup\


adb shell mv /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/* /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Gallery/

Where:

• D:\Redmi_Backup\ — backup.
• /storage/XXXX-XXXX/ — path SD-map (you can find out through the command adb shell ls) /storage/).

⚠️ Attention: mv moves files, not copies! If you interrupt the process, the data may be lost. -r instead of mv.

Solving Common Mistakes When Moving a Gallery

Even with the instructions, users are facing problems.

Additional advice:

• 🔋 If the transfer takes place >1 hour, connect your phone to charge — MIUI can stop the process at a low charge.
• 📸 After transfer, check that files are opened (sometimes they are copied as "broken" files").
• 🔄 If the gallery does not see the files on SD-Map, try moving them to the folder. DCIM/Camera map.

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If none of these methods work, try using them. SD-card of another manufacturer (for example, SanDisk Ultra or Samsung) EVO) — Some cheap cards have compatibility issues with the MIUI.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving the gallery to SD-map