Move applications to the SD card Xiaomi Redmi 7 Note

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 7 Note smartphone often face a lack of built-in storage, especially when installing modern heavy games and applications. Standard 64 or 128 gigabytes are quickly filled with multimedia content and messenger cache, which leads to slowdown and inability to update programs. The solution is the use of an external microSD drive, which allows you to significantly expand the available space.

But the standard Android operating system and MIUI have their own external media environments, and simply dragging icons into the menu isn't enough to actually free up space in the system partition, and you need to understand the difference between moving files and integrating a memory card into the structure of the device's file system.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods for optimizing memory on your gadget, we will look at both standard system tools and more advanced methods that require caution, you will learn which applications are actually portable and which will remain on the internal drive, and how to make a memory card the main data store.

Preparation of the memory card for work

Before moving data, you need to make sure that the external drive is serviceable and meets the speed requirements. For comfortable work with applications, it is recommended to use Class 10 or UHS-I cards. Low read and write speeds can lead to interface lags and long downloads of programs.

Insert the card in the slot located in the end of the case next to the tray for SIM-When you turn on your smartphone, the system usually automatically suggests that you format the media. If you don't, go to the storage settings. Remember, formatting will destroy all the data on the media, so copy important files to your computer beforehand.

From the settings menu, select Settings → About Phone → Storage. Click on your memory card name and select the formatting option. The system will offer two uses: as portable storage or as internal memory. The first is suitable for photo and video, the second is for installing applications.

⚠️ Warning: Formatting the card as internal memory encrypts it with a special key, and then the card will not work on other devices without re-formatting and data loss.

Standard method of application transfer

The MIUI-based Android operating system allows some applications to be moved through a standard interface, a method that is secure and does not require superuser rights, but it is worth noting that not all programs support this feature, as developers can block the movement of their products.

To start the procedure, go to the Application Management section, find the program you want in the list and click on it. If you can move, you will see an active "Move" or "Change" button with a choice of storage location, otherwise the button will be unavailable or missing.

The process takes some time, depending on the size of the program, during the transfer, the icon may temporarily disappear from the desktop, do not interrupt the process and do not remove the memory card until the operation is complete, otherwise the application data may be damaged.

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
• 💾 Select the app from the list and click on it.
• 🔄 Click the “Move” or “Change” button and select SD-map.
• ⏳ Wait for the process to end and check the program.

If the displacement button is gray or absent, then the developer has forbidden installation on an external medium, in this case, the standard means of the system will not solve the problem, and you will have to resort to other methods or resign yourself to the removal of the internal space.

Using the card as internal memory

The most radical and effective way is the Adoptable Storage function, which allows you to combine internal memory and memory. SD-In this case, the system considers the external drive as part of the system partition, which allows you to map any application, even those that do not support portability as standard.

To activate this feature on the Xiaomi Redmi 7 Note, you may need to access hidden settings or use special commands, since the manufacturer sometimes hides this option in the interface. When formatting, select “Use as internal storage”.

Once the mode is activated, the system will start to transfer data and applications automatically, and you can manually control this process by choosing what to store on an external medium, and it's important to understand that after that, the card becomes an integral part of the phone.

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Using the card as internal memory is the only way to get the system to automatically install new applications on an external drive without manually transferring each of them.

Transfer of media files and data messengers

Smartphones often have their data, not their apps, but their photos, videos, voice messages and documents, and messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram have their own file-saving path settings, making it easy to free up the system partition.

In each messenger setting, look for the Data and Storage section, where you can specify a path to save media files. SD-The map and the destination folder, and then all new files will be automatically saved to external media.

For existing files, you can use a file manager. The standard MIUI Explorer allows you to allocate large folders of photos and videos and move them in a single click. It is also recommended to set up automatic synchronization of photos with the cloud to delete them from the device's memory after download.

• 📸 Open the camera settings and select save on SD-map.
• 💬 On WhatsApp, go to Settings → Data and storage.
• 📂 Use the file manager to transfer the folder DCIM and downloads.
• ☁️ Set up auto-delete from the gallery after syncing with Google Photos.

Cleaning Download regularly helps keep things in order, often accumulating APK installation files that are no longer needed after installing programs, and various documents from the Internet.

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To automate the cleanup, use Xiaomi’s built-in Security app.Cleanup finds garbage, large files and duplicates, allowing you to delete them with a single click.

Problems and limitations in the movement

Despite the convenience of using SD-The speed of reading and writing even fast memory cards is inferior to the speed of the built-in flash memory of a smartphone, which can lead to heavy games being loaded longer and the interface becoming less responsive.

Another problem is reliability: external drives are more sensitive to temperature changes and mechanical stresses. If the memory card fails, you will lose access to all the applications and data installed on it until you replace the media and restore the data from the backup.

Some MIUI system updates can reset storage settings or cause access rights conflicts. In rare cases, after a firmware update, the phone may stop seeing the card or require re-authorization.

⚠️ Warning: Do not remove the memory card "hot" while the phone is on and running.This can damage the file system and loss of data applications on the media.

Alternative methods and working with ADB

For advanced users, there is a method of changing the configuration through debugging by USB team ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method compels the system to count SD-The card is the main memory, even if the option is hidden in the menu.

This requires you to turn on the developer mode, activate debugging over USB, and connect the smartphone to the computer. The command line is used to introduce special commands that change the memory card UUID, which requires accuracy, since an error in the command can cause the device to malfunction.

adb shell sm list-disks


adb shell sm partition disk:XXX mixed 50

This method offers maximum flexibility, allowing you to allocate the percentage between internal and external memory, but we recommend using it only for experienced users who understand the risks of data loss.

• 💻 Install the drivers. ADB computer.
• 🔌 Connect your phone with a cable and allow debugging.
• ⌨️ Enter the command for the list of disks: adb shell sm list-disks.
• 🔧 Perform the partition command with the right percentage.