Owners of modern Xiaomi smartphones often face a situation where built-in storage fills up faster than expected, especially for entry-level and mid-range models, where memory is limited to 64 or 128 gigabytes. Modern mobile applications and gaming projects weigh more and more, requiring the installation of gigabytes of additional data after launch.
Fortunately, most devices are equipped with a microSD card slot, which allows you to expand the available space. However, the process of transferring data is not always obvious due to the features of the MIUI shell and versions of the Android operating system. In this article, we will discuss the current ways to move games that will help you free up precious gigabytes in internal memory.
It’s important to note that the portability depends on Google’s security policies and app developers’ settings. Whereas it used to allow easy data transfer, algorithms are now stricter, and there are proven methods to get around the restrictions and use external drives as efficiently as possible.
Why Android is limiting the transfer of games
Starting with certain versions of the operating system, Google has implemented strict restrictions on external memory applications, to improve user data security and system stability, and applications moved to a memory card can run slower, as microSD read speeds often outpace the speed of the built-in UFS drive.
In addition, memory cards are less reliable and can be retrieved at any time, which will lead to the collapse of a running application, which is why game developers often block the ability to transfer them to avoid errors and negative feedback.
⚠️ Warning: Forced transfer of system or mission-critical games through the engineering menu can lead to incorrect operation, departures or complete failure to launch.
Despite the limitations, memory cards remain a great store for cache, media files and some types of game data. Understanding the logic of the Android file system will help you organize the space correctly and avoid the “Not enough memory” errors.
Preparation of a memory card and smartphone
Before you start manipulating files, you need to make sure that your memory card is ready to work. Poor or damaged drives can cause data loss or freeze your smartphone. It is recommended to use cards of a speed class at least Class 10 or UHS-I standard.
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Use memory cards only from proven brands (Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston). Cheap counterparts often have real capacity much less than claimed, which will lead to loss of game saves.
To start, insert the card into the slot and wait for the system to notify. Xiaomi will offer to format the drive. You can choose to use it as a portable storage or as part of internal memory. The second option, known as Adoptable Storage, allows the system to consider the card as part of the internal disk.
However, in the MIUI shell, the memory integration function is often hidden or absent, so in most cases we work with the card as a separate logical disk. Before you start, make sure to copy important files to the computer, since the formatting will completely clear the media.
☑️ Preparation for data portability
After formatting, check that the system sees a new amount of memory. Go to the settings and find the Settings section. → The phone. → The storage. It should show two sections: internal memory and SD-If the map is displayed correctly, you can start setting up the ways to save.
MIUI staffing facilities for data transfer
Xiaomi’s shell provides built-in file management tools that partially solve the space shortage problem. The standard file manager Mi Explorer is able to move not only photos and videos, but also some application data, unless the developer has prohibited it.
To start, open the Explorer app and go to the Analyzer section, and the system will suggest cleaning up the garbage, but we're interested in the Apps tab, and you can see how much space the games take up and if there's any way to move them. If the button is active, the system will offer to transfer the application to the SD-map.
Unfortunately, for heavy games like PUBG or Genshin Impact, this button is often inactive, so you can move only a portion of the data, such as cache or downloads, using the standard means, and select a memory card in the storage settings and specify it as the default location for new files.
You can also manually save the camera and voice recorder settings. Go to the camera settings, find the "Save on" item. SD-This will automatically make room for future game updates as media files will no longer occupy the internal space.
Use of the "Memory" function in Android settings
In the newer versions of Android, which are based on MIUI 12, 13 and 14, memory management has become more flexible. In the Settings section of the Applications → All applications, you can find detailed information about each product installed.
Inside the app menu, look for Memory or Storage, and it shows the amount of space you occupy and the Change button (if available"SD-The choice of the second option will start the process of data migration.
The process can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the size of the game.During the transfer, it is not recommended to run other heavy applications or turn off the smartphone screen for a long time, so that the system does not interrupt the process due to energy saving.
| Type of data | We can move it. | Wherever | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| APK file (app body) | Partially. | System section | Unstable work |
| Cash (Obb, Data) | Yeah (often) | Android folder | Losing progress |
| Preservation of games | Rarely. | Hidden folders | High risk |
| Downloaded maps/skins | Yes. | Game folder | Minimum |
If the storage change button is grey or missing, the game developer has a hard-won installation path, in which case you will have to use third-party methods or put up with the game taking up internal memory.
Transferring the game cache through the file manager
The most effective way to free up space is to manually transfer cache. Heavy games store graphics, sounds and levels in Android/obb and Android/data folders. These files can be safely moved to a memory card by creating links, but in standard Android without Root rights, this is difficult to do.
A simpler method is to change the download path in the game's settings themselves. Many modern projects, such as Asphalt 9 or World of Tanks Blitz, offer you a choice of download path when you first start or in the graphics settings. SD-map.
If the game is already installed, you can try to delete the cache through the application settings, and then select a memory card when you reload the data. To do this, create a folder with the game name on the memory card in the file manager and try to redirect data streams there, although modern versions of Android actively resist changing the paths in the system folder. /Android/.
⚠️ Note: When manually copying obb and data folders, keep the directory structure in mind. A single letter error in the folder name will cause the game to fail.
For users with Root rights, there are special utilities that create symbolic links, which "deceive" the system by making it think that the files are inside, although they are physically on the map, but obtaining Root rights on Xiaomi requires unlocking the bootloader, which cancels the warranty.
Specifics of working with games on different versions of Android
The system's file transfer behavior varies dramatically depending on the Android version. On versions 6.0-8.0, the process was simplified and allowed you to port almost everything. Starting with Android 9 and 10, access to the file system was limited.
Android 11, 12, 13 and 14 have closed access to the Android/data folder for third-party applications, which means that regular file managers can’t simply copy files from a memory card, and you’ll need special access or use the built-in system explorer when trying to insert files.
How to access the Android/data folder on new versions?
Owners of older devices with MIUI 10-11 were more fortunate: they often featured the function of formatting the card as internal memory, and new devices with MIUI 14 / HyperOS have to rely on manual file management and configuration of the applications themselves.
Also, consider that the speed of games depends on the speed of the card. If you move the game to a slow card, you can get "freezes" (twitches) and long loads of levels. For games, it is recommended to use cards marked A1 or A2, which are optimized to run applications.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Even if all instructions are followed, users can encounter errors, and the most common problem is that the game stops running after the transfer, in which case you need to return the files back to internal memory or reinstall the application, choosing the right path when you first download resources.
Another problem is that the system says "File is corrupted" or "Insufficiently rights." This often happens if the memory card was removed without first turning off the settings. Always use the Settings function. → Memory. → Extract SD-pre-extract.
If the game is working but the saves are gone, check if you have copied an empty folder instead of files. Some games also link the saves to your Google Play Games account or Xiaomi account. Make sure you are logged in to the same account as before the transfer.
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If the game is unstable after transfer, the only correct solution is to return the files to internal memory. The speed of the built-in drive is always higher than the speed of even the fastest microSD card.
In some cases, cleaning the cache of the Explorer app itself or restarting the smartphone helps, allowing the system to re-index the file structure and see the moved data correctly.
Optimizing storage of games without transfer
If you can't move a game, you can try to reduce its weight, and many games allow you to remove unused resources, such as high-resolution textures, language packs, or levels already passed, and these settings are usually located in the Resources section inside the game itself.
Also regularly clean up the download folder and the messenger cache (Telegram, WhatsApp), which often take up more space than the games themselves. MIUI has a built-in cleanup feature that finds duplicates and large files, allowing you to quickly free up several gigabytes.
Use cloud storage for photos and videos. Set up sync with Google Photos or Yandex.Disk with Free Space. This will delete local copies of media files, leaving them available over the Internet, and free up space for installing new game updates.
Remember, filling internal memory by more than 90% critically slows down the entire smartphone. Flash requires free space for the recording algorithms to work correctly, so periodic cleaning is more important than storing all games at once.