How to transfer applications to a memory card in Xiaomi smartphones: all ways 2026

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are facing a shortage of internal memory sooner or later. Even 128GB models are filled with photos, videos and, of course, apps that are “growing” through cache and updates. A microSD seems like the obvious solution — but how to move the applications themselves, not just media files?

The manufacturer limits this function to MIUI By default, not all applications can be moved, and some applications can be moved, and some are unstable after the transfer, but there are both standard methods through settings and workarounds, from formatting the card as an internal drive to using it. ADB. In this article, we will discuss all the relevant ways to MIUI 14/15 Android 13/14, We also explain why some applications are not fundamentally transferred to the SD-map.

Before you start, check two things:

1. Your memory card has a speed class of UHS-I (U1/U3) or A1/A2 – otherwise applications will slow down.
2. The card volume is at least 32 GB (optimally 64-128 GB), as part of the memory will take the system during formatting.

1. Standard transfer through MIUI settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI function. It is suitable for most user applications (for example, instant messengers, games, social networks), but does not work with system services.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want to migrate (such as Telegram or Spotify).
3. Slip on Warehouse.
4. If the option is available, click Change and select SD-map.
5. Confirm the transfer and wait until it is completed (may take up to a few minutes).

⚠️ Note: After porting, some applications may run slower due to speed limits on memory card read/write, and widgets will no longer appear on the home screen if the application itself is on the main screen. SD-map.

What applications cannot be transferred in the standard way:

• 📱 System Services (Google Play Services, MIUI Security and others.).
• 🎮 Games with high performance requirements (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile).
• 🔒 Applications with administrator rights (antiviruses, password managers).

2. Formatting the card as an internal memory

If standard portability is not available, you can trick the system into making the microSD part of internal storage, a technique that works on all Xiaomi Android 6.0+ smartphones, but has critical nuances:

✅ Pros: applications are installed on the map by default, some system data is also transferred.

❌ Cons: the card will not be retrieved without data loss, it will be encrypted and will become unreadable on other devices.

Step-by-step:

1. Put the card in your smartphone and wait for it to be discovered.
2. Go to Settings. → Warehouse → [Your name is yours. SD-map] → Three dots (menu) → Storage settings.
3. Select the internal memory and confirm the formatting.
4. After the restart, the system will offer to transfer the data - agree.

⚠️ Attention: After this operation, the card will be tied to a particular smartphone, if you remove it, the applications will stop working and the data will become unavailable!

Create a backup copy of data from the card|Check the speed class (U3/A2)|Charge your smartphone at least 50%|Disable important notifications during the process-->

3. Transfer over ADB (for power users)

If the application is not portable through the settings, but supports installation on SD-You can make it move using Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method requires connecting a smartphone to a PC.

What you need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (tap 7 times) → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (original or certified).

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and allow debugging.
2. Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with adb.exe.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices must appear serial number of the device.
4. Find the packet name of the application (e.g., via App Inspector or command: adb shell pm list packages | find "application name"
5. Perform a transfer (replace com.example.app with a real package): adb shell pm set-install-location 2 adb shell pm move-package com.example.app

If the team makes a Failure error [INSTALL_FAILED_INVALID_INSTALL_LOCATION], The application does not support the transfer of SD-map ADB.

4. Cache and application data transfer

Even if the application itself cannot be transferred to SD-You can free up space by moving the cache and data, and this is true for games (for example, Call of Duty Mobile takes several gigabytes of cache) or messengers with large media files.

How to do this:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (such as WhatsApp).
3. Go to the Warehouse → Cash and press Clear cache.
4. To transfer media files (photos, videos), use the built-in settings of the application. For example, in Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Telegram folder → choose SD-map.

Some apps (such as Google Maps) allow you to save offline maps directly to the maps. SD-map:

• Open Google Maps → Profile → Offline Maps
• Press three points. → Storage settings → choose SD-map.

5. Use of third-party applications

Google Play has utilities that automate the transfer of applications to the Internet SD-However, most of them require root rights, which would void Xiaomi's warranty. We'll only look at legal options without root.

Top.-3 portability:

• 📲 AppMgr III (App 2 SD) — It shows you what applications you can migrate, and it does it in one tap.
• 📲 Files by Google – helps clear cache and offers to transfer rarely used files to the Internet SD-map.
• 📲 SD Maid – analyzes junk files and suggests optimizing storage (including data transfer).

⚠️ Warning: Be careful of apps that request root or offer "magic" memory release, many of which contain adware or viruses. Check reviews and rankings on Google Play before installing.

If you do decide to root, Link2SD or FolderMount will do the job of migrating system applications, but remember, this violates MIUI security policies and may result in some features being blocked (such as contactless payments).

💡

Before using third-party utilities, create a restore point in Settings → System → Backup. This will help roll back changes if something goes wrong.

6.Alternative ways to free up memory

If the applications are transferred SD-The card is impossible or impractical, try these methods:

🔹 Cleaning the cache of system applications:

Many system services (Google Play Services, MIUI Launcher) accumulate gigabytes of cache to clean it up:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Show all applications.
2. Sort by size and choose the most "heavy".
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.

🔹 Transferring Media Files to the Cloud:

Photos and videos take up the lion's share of memory. Upload them to Google Photos, Mi Cloud or Yandex Drive>, and then delete local copies. Google Photos has a Free Space feature that automatically deletes files that have already been downloaded.

🔹 Disabling pre-installed applications:

Many Xiaomi apps (Mi Browser, Mi Music, Mi Video) cannot be removed, but you can disable:

🔹 Use of the "Light" mode function in MIUI:

MIUI 14/15 has a Light option that reduces memory consumption by simplifying animations and background processes. Included in Settings → Special Features → Light.

💡

Transfer of applications to SD-For long-term memory savings, it is better to combine cache cleaning, cloud storage and disabling unnecessary services.

7. Why can't some applications be migrated to SD?

Even if you do everything according to the instructions, some applications are not portable to the memory card, and here are the main reasons:

🔸 Security: applications with administrator rights (banking, antivirus) store critical data in internal memory so that it can not be retrieved along with the card.

🔸 Performance: Games and resource-intensive applications (Lightroom, AutoCAD) require high read/write speeds that microSD cannot provide.

🔸 Android Restrictions: With Android 6.0, Google has tightened the rules for porting apps to the Internet SD, Avoiding compatibility problems.

🔸 Politics MIUI: Xiaomi blocks transfer of system applications to prevent shell failures.

If the app can’t be moved but it takes up a lot of space, try:

• Delete and install its Lite version (e.g. Facebook Lite instead of the main client).
• Clean the cache manually every 1-2 weeks.
• Turn off background activity in the application settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about porting apps to SD in Xiaomi