How to move applications to the SD card in Xiaomi Redmi 8

Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 8 often face a critical lack of free space in internal memory. Android overgrows with cache, and modern applications require more resources, which leads to constant notifications of filled storage. This is not only annoying, but also significantly slows down the device, causing interface freezes and long loads of programs.

Fortunately, Redmi 8 has a separate microSD card slot that allows you to expand the available storage space. However, the standard MIUI shell has its own features, and simply installing the card is not enough to automatically transfer all programs.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways to port applications, from standard system settings to more advanced methods for advanced users, you will learn how to turn a memory card into part of internal memory, what risks exist, and how to avoid data loss in the process of optimizing your smartphone.

Preparation of memory card and system for work

Before trying to transfer any files or programs, you need to properly prepare the media itself. Memory cards purchased in stores are often formatted in the FAT32 file system, which has a limit on the size of a single file at 4 GB. For installing applications, it is best to use formatting in exFAT, which allows you to store files of any size and ensures more stable work with program databases.

Put the card in the smartphone that is off or use a hot replacement through the tray on the side of the case. Once the device is turned on, Android will automatically detect a new drive. You will be offered several uses: as a portable storage for photos and music or as internal memory. For our purposes, it is critical to choose the second option if you want to maximize the space for programs.

Note that the formatting process will completely destroy all the data on the map. If it has important documents or photos, pre-copy them to your computer or to the cloud storage. Once formatted, the map will be encrypted and linked to this particular smartphone, so you can't read it on another device without re-formatting it.

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Use UHS-I (U1 or U3) speed memory cards from proven brands like Samsung or SanDisk. Cheap cards often have low write speeds, leading to lags in apps ported to them.

• 📱 Remove the SIM card tray with a paper clip
• 💾 Install the MicroSD card before clicking.
• ⚙️ Wait for notification of a new carrier in the curtain
• 🔄 Select the option "Use as internal storage"

Setting up SD-maps as internal memory

The main method for fully integrating an external drive into the system is called Adoptable Storage, which is often hidden in the MIUI shell or requires care when you first set up, and if you missed the initial system request, you can try to manually initiate it through the storage settings menu.

Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. Find your memory card in the list and click on it. From the menu that opens, select "Format." The system will warn you about data loss and suggest you choose the type of use. This is where you choose "Internal Storage" rather than "Portable Storage".

Once selected, the system will begin the process of data migration and encryption, which can take anywhere from minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the map and the number of files, during which time it is better not to use the phone, so as not to interrupt the critical process of writing system files.

⚠️ Note: Do not remove the memory card while the smartphone is running after activating the internal memory mode. This can cause damage to the file system and malfunction of applications whose data is on the card.

Manual transfer of installed applications

Once the map is successfully formatted as internal memory, Android can move individual applications to it, but it doesn't automatically happen for all programs at once, you have to manually specify which apps you want to move to free up precious space in the embedded flash memory.

To do this, go to the Settings menu. → Annexes → All applications. Select the program you want to move (usually heavy games or social networks). In the app management menu, find the "Change" or "Move to" button. SD-If the button is active, press it and wait until the process is complete.

Not all applications support this feature, but developers may not allow their programs to be transferred to external media for security or stability reasons, in which case the move button will be unavailable or missing, and you will have to put up with the application taking up space in internal memory.

Also keep in mind that the speed of the application transferred to the memory card can be slightly lower than when working with internal memory, especially if you use a low-speed card. 3D-This can be noticeable in the form of twitching graphics or long loads of levels.

Using MIUI functions to optimize

The MIUI shell installed on Redmi 8 offers custom memory management tools that can be useful in addition to standard Android features. The Security app (green icon with a shield) has a Cleanup section that analyzes the space and offers to remove garbage, but to transfer applications need deeper settings.

Some versions of MIUI have a dual application feature that creates a copy of the messenger. If you use this feature, remember that the copy also takes up space. If you move the main application to the map, you will not transfer the clone automatically - this will have to be done separately through the cloning settings or re-transfer if the system allows.

MIUI also aggressively caches system services data. Periodic cache clearing through the Settings menu → Memory → Clean helps free up space without having to carry heavy applications. This is especially true for the Media system process, which can inflate to gigabytes due to photo thumbnails.

Table of compatibility and transfer limitations

Not all types of data and applications respond equally well to portability, and understanding these differences will help you make an informed decision about what to move to a memory card and what to leave in the internal memory of a smartphone for maximum performance.

As you can see from the table, you can't touch system components categorically. Social networks and their cache are the perfect candidate for portability, because they take up the most space. With games, the situation is twofold: you can transfer, but if the memory card is slow, textures can be loaded with jerks.

Alternative methods and working with files

If standard methods don’t work, file managers like MI File Manager or third-party solutions like Total Commander can manually move folders with game cache (usually in the Android/obb or Android/data directory) to a memory card, creating symbolic links, although this is difficult to do on non-root devices.

A simpler way is to change the default save path in the apps themselves, such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber, where you can go to the settings and specify the memory card as the place to store media files, which automatically frees up internal memory, as new photos and videos will be written directly to the external medium.

For cameras, you should also change the settings. Open the Camera app, click on the menu (three bars) and select the settings. SD-Now all your pictures and videos. 4K They will be immediately on the map without occupying the interior space.

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The most effective way to free up space without transferring applications is to set up automatic saving of photos, videos and documents of messengers immediately on the Internet. SD-map through the settings of the applications themselves.

Possible problems and ways to solve them

During operation, there may be situations when the smartphone stops seeing the memory card or applications start to fly out, often due to a violation of the contact in the slot or damage to the file system after improper extraction, in which case it helps to restart the device or re-format the card.

Another common problem is slowing down the interface, which happens when the system is constantly turning to a slow memory card instead of a fast internal flash memory, and if you notice that the phone is getting worse after you transfer applications, try returning the most used programs back to internal memory.

⚠️ Warning: When you reset your smartphone to a factory setting (Hard Reset), the data on the memory card formatted as internal will be lost or unreadable. Always back up before a full reset.

There are also possible errors when updating apps through Google Play. The store can write that “not enough space”, even if the map is free, in which case it helps to clear the cache of the Google Play Store itself through the application management menu.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)