How to transfer games to SD-map MIUI 12:3 Proven Methods

Owners of Xiaomi smartphones on the basis MIUI 12 often face a lack of internal memory — especially when it comes to games. PUBG It takes 2 to 4 GB each, or more, and even devices with 64 GB of memory quickly clog up if you play actively. SD-But in MIUI 12 This Process Is Not As Direct as Older Android Versions.

The problem is that since Android 6.0 (and MIUI 12 runs Android 10/11), Google has limited the ability to port apps to external drives. Manufacturers including Xiaomi have gone a step further by removing the standard "Move to SD" feature from the settings menu. However, there are workarounds — and we'll look at them all, from official methods to hidden features and third-party tools. It's important to understand that not all games support portability, and some after moving can run slower or with errors. But for most projects (especially those that don't require high performance) this is a great way to save space.

In this article you will find:

🔍 Why? MIUI 12 Blocks Game Transfers – Technical Reasons and Limitations.
📱 3 working methods of transfer (including hidden settings and ADB-team).
⚠️ What happens if you transfer the game incorrectly – possible bugs and how to avoid them.
🛠️ How to prepare SD-The map to ensure that the games work stably.
🎮 List of games that can be transferred without problems.

Why in the world MIUI 12 no button "Move to" SD-map"?

In older versions of Android (up to 6.0), porting apps to an external drive was standard, but with the release of Android Marshmallow, Google introduced the concept of "Adoptable Storage" - when SD-The card is formatted as part of the internal memory. MIUI 12 did not implement this feature in its pure form, leaving users only partial solutions.

The main reasons for the restrictions:

🔒 Security: Games and applications on SD-It is easier to steal or replace the card (especially if the card is retrieved).
⚡ Performance: Read/write speed of microSD (even class) A2) lower than the internal memory UFS 2.1/3.0.
📱 Fragmentation: Game developers often don’t optimize projects for external drives.
🔄 Updates MIUI: In new versions of firmware Xiaomi removes “extra” features to simplify the interface.

However, there is a nuance: in MIUI 12 hidden remained the possibility of transfer through ADB (Android Debug Bridge, and some games support cache saving SD It's not a complete transfer, but it can also be used. SD-card as a portable storage for game files (e.g. obbcashi) OBB), which saves space, too.

📊 What Xiaomi model do you use?

Redmi Note 10/11

POCO X3/X4

Mi 11/12

Redmi 9/9A

Another model

Method 1: Transfer over hidden MIUI settings (without root)

This method works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and does not require superuser rights.It is suitable for games that initially support installation on SD (usually these are old or not very demanding projects).

Instructions:

Put it in. SD-The card should be formatted as a portable storage (not as internal memory) in your smartphone!).
Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Choose the game you want to migrate (such as Clash of Clans or Brawl Stars).
Slip on Warehouse.
If the game supports the transfer, the Change button (or SD-Click on it and select an external drive.

⚠️ Note: If no Modify button, the game does not support porting through standard settings. In this case, go to Method 2 (ADB).

Format the card in FAT32/exFAT| Check the speed class (A1/A2) Recommended |Free at least 5 GB of space |Reboot the smartphone after inserting the card-->

Method 2: Transfer over ADB (for power users)

If the game does not have built-in support SD-You can force it to transfer it via Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method requires connecting a smartphone to a computer, but it works even for games that are not normally portable.

What you need:

🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
🛠️ Utility. ADB Tools by Google.
📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap the version number → Return to Additional Settings → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Step-by-step:

Connect your smartphone to your PC and allow debugging (a request will appear on the phone screen).
Open the command prompt (or Terminal on macOS/Linux) in the adb.exe folder.
Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
Find out the batch name of the game (for example, for PUBG Mobile it is com.tencent.ig). You can do this through Settings → Apps → [game name] → Additional or command: adb shell pm list packages | grep "game name"
Move the game to SD-Map by team: adb shell pm set-install-location 2 Then: adb shell pm move-package com. /sdcard (Replace the game with the real name of the game).

⚠️ Note: Not all games will work after a forced transfer, for example, Genshin Impact or Honor of Kings can give out errors at launch, and after updating the game, it can automatically return to internal memory.

💡

If the command doesn’t work, try first to manually transfer the game through the settings (even if the button is inactive) and then repeat. ADB-Sometimes it unlocks the possibility of transfer.

Method 3: Transfer the cache of games (OBB-file SD-map

If the game itself is not portable, you can save space by moving its cache (OBB-file SD-This works for most modern games, because the weight of the games is derived from the extra data (textures, levels, sounds).

How to do this:

Connect your smartphone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
Go to /Android/obb/ (game caches are stored here).
Copy a folder with the game name (e.g. com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile SD-map (/sdcard/Android/obb/).
Remove the original folder from your internal memory.
Start the game - it must automatically tighten the cache with SD-map.

⚠️ Note: Some games (such as Free Fire or Mobile Legends) can re-download the cache to internal memory when upgrading, in which case you will have to repeat the transfer after each update.

Game.	Supports portability through settings?	Does it support OBB transfer to SD?	Does it work after the ADB transfer?
PUBG Mobile	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	⚠️ Partially (possible lags)
Call of Duty Mobile	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	❌ No (flying out)
Clash of Clans	✅ Yes.	❌ No. Cache is small)	✅ Yes.
Genshin Impact	❌ No.	✅ Yes.	❌ No (not launching)
Brawl Stars	✅ Yes.	❌ No.	✅ Yes.

How to prepare SD-transfer-card?

Not every microSD is good for storing games, and if the card is slow or damaged, the games will slow down or not start at all.

📍 Speed class: Minimum A1 (better A2). Class 10 or cards U1 They are not suitable, they are too slow for games.
🗃️ Format: Use exFAT (if the card is larger than 32 GB) or FAT32. MIUI 12 doesn't support NTFS.
🔄 Manufacturer: Give preference to the SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston brands. Cheap no-name cards often forge speed class.
📊 Volume: 64 GB is enough for 3-5 games, for a large collection take 128 GB or more.

🔹 How to check the speed SD-map?

Download the A1 SD Bench app from Google Play. Run the test — if the read speed is below 10 MB/s, the card is not suitable for gaming. Optimal score: 20+ MB/s (for A2).

What if the game is slowed down after the transfer?

If the game has started to hang, try: 1. Clear the game's cache in the settings (Settings) → Annexes → [play-name] → Clear the cache. 2. Disable background activity of other applications (in Settings) → Battery → Battery optimization. 3. Transfer the game back to internal memory - possible, SD-The card is too slow. 4. Use Game Turbo (in the game). MIUI 12 has a built-in mode for games that speeds up their work).

What games can be transferred to SD-map?

Not all games support portability, but there are categories of projects that usually work without problems:

🎲 Casual games: Candy Crush, Homescapes, Gardenscapes - transferred without consequences.
🏆 Strategies: Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, Rise of Kingdoms – often have built-in support SD.
🚗 Racing (2D/3D): Asphalt 8/9, Real Racing 3 — cache can be transferred SD.
⚔️ MMORPG: Black Desert Mobile, Toram Online – usually running with external memory.

🔸 Games that cannot be transferred:

🎮 Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail – Requires high read speed.
🔫 Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile (on some devices).
🏀 NBA 2K Mobile, FIFA Mobile – often issues errors when starting with SD.

💡 Tip: Before transferring, check the reviews about the game in Google Play - often users share their experience with the game. SD-map.

💡

Even if the game supports portability, updates can automatically download to internal memory, check the /Android/obb/ folder regularly and transfer new files to SD.

What to do if the transfer does not work?

If none of these methods worked, here are the alternatives:

🔄 Memory Cleanup: Delete unnecessary files through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup. Often released 1-3 GB.
☁️ Cloud Storage: Move photos/video to Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
📲 Lite versions of games: For example, PUBG Mobile Lite or Call of Duty Mobile Lite take up 2-3 times less space.
🔧 Root access: With superuser rights, you can forcibly transfer any game (for example, through a user’s license). App2SD), But it's risky.

⚠️ Note: If you decide to get root access, note that this is the:

Revokes the Xiaomi warranty.
It can lead to a device blink if it makes an error.
Blocks MIUI Air Updates (OTA).
Increases the risk of viruses (many banking applications refuse to work on rooted devices).

FAQ: Frequent questions about porting games to SD in MIUI 12

❓ Can I transfer Genshin Impact to the SD-map?

Technically, yes, but the game will be severely slowed down or not run at all. Genshin Impact requires high data read speeds, and even the fastest microSD (A2) won't compare with UFS 3.0's built-in memory. Better free up space in other ways (delete unnecessary files or move them to the cloud).

❓ Why after the transfer through ADB game gone?

This happens if: You have provided the wrong packet name in the command adb shell pm move-package. SD-map exFAT/FAT32, NTFS (unsupported MIUI). Solution: Reinstall the game and try to transfer it through the standard settings (if the button appears).

❓ How to transfer PUBG Mobile on SD, If there is no "Transfer" button?

Same as himself. APK-The game file cannot be moved, but you can save space by moving it. OBB-cache: Copy the folder /Android/obb/com.tencent.ig/ on SD-Delete the original folder from the internal memory. Run the game, it should pull the cache from the internal memory. SD. If the game starts to slow down, return the cache back.

❓ Can I use it? SD-map as an internal memory MIUI 12?

No, in MIUI 12 Adoptable Storage function (when) SD-The card becomes part of the internal memory) is disabled. The only workaround is to root and manually edit the fstab file, but this is risky and can lead to data loss.

❓ After the game's transfer to SD It's starting to fly?

Possible causes and solutions: 🔹 Slow. SD-map → Buy a class card A2 (For example, SanDisk Extreme). 🔹 Damaged files → Reinstall the game and re-shoot it. 🔹 The conflict with Game Turbo → Turn off the mode for games in Settings → Special facilities → Game Turbo.