How to move the game to SD-Map in Xiaomi: all the ways and nuances

Transfer of games to SD-The map in Xiaomi smartphones is an urgent task for owners of devices with limited internal memory. Despite the fact that modern games take up gigabytes, the manufacturer does not always provide convenient tools for moving them. MIUI (from 12 before 15) Android (11-14), including circumvention of system constraints.

It's important to understand that not all games support external storage, and that depends on the developer's policies and the application architecture. For example, Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile often block this capability, while less demanding projects like Brawl Stars or Clash Royale are portable without problems, and we'll tell you how to check compatibility and what to do if standard methods don't work.

Why games are not always transferred to SD-map

The main reason is the limitations of Android and MIUI. Starting with Android 6.0, Google introduced the concept of Adoptable Storage, which allowed you to format. SD-But Xiaomi has disabled this feature in most firmware because of the risk of data loss and performance loss. MIUI A simplified transfer mechanism is implemented that only works with supported applications.

Second problem — DRM-Many modern games (especially those with online modes) store critical data in internal memory to protect against cheating, PUBG Mobile or Free Fire may not work after the transfer, as they check the integrity of files in a standard location. SD-class A1/A2 slow down the loading of games 15-30% compared to internal memory UFS 2.2/3.1.

🔍 Technical limitations: MIUI Blocks the transfer of system applications and games with high rights.
🛡️ Data Protection: Online-authorized games (e.g., through Google Play Games) may require internal storage.
⚡ Performance: MicroSD cards (even more) UHS-II) Lose in read/write speed of the built-in memory.
📱 Device models: On the Redmi Note 10 Pro and later, the transfer works differently than on Poco X3 Mi 11.

⚠️ Note: If your Xiaomi smartphone is released before 2020 (e.g. Redmi Note 8 or Mi) 9T), Standard transfer through settings can cause game failures with high memory requirements. ADB (described below).

What? SD-Choose a map for games on Xiaomi

Not all microSDs are suitable for gaming.

📌 Class speed: A2 (or UHS-I U3 Class maps for old devices. A1 or U1 will slow down.
💾 Volume: From 64GB (optimally 128-256GB for modern gaming) 32GB cards will fill up quickly.
🏷️ Brand: Samsung is preferred EVO Plus, SanDisk Extreme or Kingston Canvas Go! Plus.Cheap no-name cards often fake the speed class.

Characteristics	Minimum.	Recommended	For top-end games
Class speed	A1	A2	UHS-II (if supported)
Volume.	32GB	128GB	256 GB+
Reading speed	30 MB/s	90 MB/s	150 MB/s +
Recording speed	10 MB/s	40 MB/s	90 MB/s+

Before buying, check the card's compatibility with your Xiaomi model. For example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ supports UHS-I, but not UHS-II, and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra can work with both standards. Also, pay attention to the file system format: cards over 32 GB require exFAT or NTFS (but MIUI works better with exFAT).

📊 What? SD-You are using the card in Xiaomi?

Samsung EVO Plus

SanDisk Extreme

Kingston Canvas

Another (write in the comments)

I don't use it.

Method 1: Standard Transfer through MIUI Settings

This method works for most games, but only if the developer has not blocked the portability. MIUI 12–15:

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Choose the game you want to migrate (such as Clash of Clans).
Slip on Warehouse.
If the option is available, click Change and select SD-map.
Confirm the transfer and wait until it is completed (may take up to 10 minutes for major games).

If the Change button is inactive or not, the game does not support the transfer, in which case move to alternative methods.

Make sure that SD-map formatted in exFAT|Close the game and background processes|Connect the charger (transfer drains the battery)|Check the free space on the map (you need to check it). +10% of the game size)-->

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Poco) F3 or Redmi K40) After transferring the game through the settings, the return button may disappear from the main menu, this is due to a change in the path to the cache files. → Warehouse → Clear the cache.

Method 2: Transfer over ADB (for power users)

If the standard method doesn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which allows you to force-transfer almost any application, but requires a PC connection and basic command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

Turn on the Developer Mode on your smartphone: go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
Connect your phone to your PC through USB-Cable (use the original Xiaomi cable for stability).
Download ADB Tools and unpack the archive.
Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB and execute the commands:

adb devices


adb shell pm set-install-location 2




adb shell pm move-package com.example.game (replace with your game ID)

To find out the game’s package name, use the command:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "game name"

After the execution of the commands, the game will be transferred to SD-However, note that some games (such as Honor of Kings or Genshin Impact) may not run or be error-prone:

adb shell pm move-package com.example.game 0

💡

If ADB doesn’t see the device, try changing USB connection mode to File Transfer (MTP) in Xiaomi’s notification curtain. Also check drivers on PC – Windows may require Mi USB Driver installation.

Method 3: Using Third-Party Applications

If the first two methods don't work, you can try specialized utilities.

📱 AppMgr III (App 2 SD): Shows you what games you can transfer, and it does it in one tap. MIUI 14 without root.
🔧 Link2SD: It requires root rights, but it allows you to port even system games, supports the creation of symbolic links.
📂 Files by Google: Does not transfer games directly, but helps to clear the cache and free up space for their installation on internal memory.

Example of AppMgr III:

Install the app from Google Play.
Open it and give access to the storage.
In the list of applications, find the desired game (for example, Asphalt 9).
Select the Move to SD card and click on it.
Confirm the action and wait for the completion.

It is worth noting that after updating MIUI or the game, you may need to repeat the transfer, and some applications (for example, Link2SD) require unlocking the bootloader on Xiaomi, which voids the warranty.

What if the game does not start after the transfer?

1. Check if the cache files have been deleted (folder) Android/obb on SD-map). 2. Try to reinstall the game by selecting SD-map as default installation location. 3. If the game requires internal memory, try transferring only a portion of the data (such as media files) through Settings. → Warehouse → Game files. 4. For games with DRM-It may not be possible to transfer the transfer of the game, in which case only cleaning the internal memory or buying a smartphone with a large volume remains. Mistakes in transferring games and solving them Even with the correct execution of instructions, problems can arise. Consider the most common: Error Reason Move button decision Inactive Game does not support transfer or SD-map FAT32 Reformat the card to exFAT or use it ADB The game is painted after transferring Damaged cache files or incompatibility with SD-Clear the game cache or transfer back to internal memory Not enough space to play SD-The card is filled or has a limit on the size of the file (for the FAT32 — 4 GB) Delete unnecessary files or reformat the card in exFAT Game does not save progress Save files left in internal memory Manually transfer the folder with saves (usually in the /Android/data/) If after the transfer the game began to slow down, check the speed of your SD-mapping A1 SD Bench, if the reading speed is lower 40 MB/s, the card is not suitable for modern games. Also pay attention to file fragmentation: over time, performance SD-Regularly format it (save the data before you do it!) How to optimize the performance of games with the help of the computer. SD-Even after successful transfer, the games can run slower to minimize the lag: 🔄 Turn off background sync: Go to Settings → Accounts and sync and disable automatic sync for gaming. 🗑️ Clean the cache regularly: Use Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache or app SD Maid. ⚡ Use Game Turbo: In the Game Turbo MIUI There is a built-in mode for games (Settings) → Special facilities → Game Turbo, which optimizes performance. 📶 Turn off the download of updates on SD: In Google Play, go to Settings → Auto Update Apps and select Only via Wi-Fi to install updates in internal memory. For devices with HyperOS (new firmware from Xiaomi, which came to replace the new version) MIUI into 2026 Additional optimization is available: enable Advanced Performance Mode in the game settings.This reduces delays when reading data from the game. SD-map. FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring games to SD-Xiaomi card: Can I transfer Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile on SD-No, these games block the transfer because of the DRM-protection and large cache volumes. ADB or root will cause startup errors, and the only solution is to free up internal memory (for example, by deleting unnecessary files or migrating media to the Internet). SD). Why after the game is transferred to SD-Has the card stopped saving progress? Most likely, the save files are left in the internal memory. /Android/data/title game/) on SD-map. Also check the game settings - some titles (such as Minecraft) allow you to choose a path to save. SD-On most Xiaomi devices, Adoptable Storage is disabled. However, on some models (for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro)+) It can be activated through ADB Adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true. Note that the card will be encrypted and not read on other devices. How do you transfer the game back to internal memory? Use the same method as you did for porting to the computer? SD: For the standard method: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Game. → Warehouse → Change. → It's internal memory. ADB: adb shell pm move-package com.example.game 0. If the button is inactive, reinstall the game by selecting internal memory as the installation location. Why After Updating MIUI play SD-Is the card stopped working? The firmware update could reset the access rights to the SD-Solutions: Reboot the device. Transfer the games back to internal memory and back to the internal memory. SD. Format. SD-map (pre-copy the data) and re-shoot the games. If the problem persists, check if the game's package name has changed since the update (you can find out through the update). ADB).