How to transfer data from Android to memory card in Xiaomi Redmi Note 5: 5 proven ways

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is one of the most popular smartphones of the brand, but its 32 or 64 GB of internal memory quickly run out if you actively shoot videos, install games or download music. Transferring data to a microSD card seems an obvious solution, but here users are waiting for pitfalls: the limitations of Android 7.1/8.1, features of the MIUI shell and the incompatibility of some applications with external drives.

In this article, we will discuss all the working methods of data transfer, from simply copying files to configuring the card as internal storage (with risks!). MIUI 12+ Some users lose access to data on SD-This is because of the change in Xiaomi's security policy, and we'll also tell you which files can be transferred without loss and which ones are better left in internal memory.

Important: The instructions are adapted for Redmi Note 5 (codenamed whyred), but most methods are suitable for other Xiaomi models based on Android 7-9 with support for microSD (for example, Redmi Note 4X, Mi A1).

1.Preparation: Which memory card to choose for the Redmi Note 5

Before transferring data, make sure your microSD card is compatible with the device. Redmi Note 5 supports cards up to 256 GB (officially up to 128 GB, but tests confirm work with 256 GB from Samsung EVO+ or SanDisk Ultra).

• 🔹 Speed class: minimum class 10 (UHS-I U1), videotape 4K — U3. Class cards 4/6 It will be slowed down when transferring files.
• 🔹 File system: FAT32 (up to 32 GB or exFAT (64 GB). NTFS unsupported!
• 🔹 Brand: avoid no-name cards - they're often forged.Best options: Samsung Pro Endurance, SanDisk Extreme, Kingston Canvas React.

⚠️ Note: If you plan to use the card as an internal storage (method) №5), take a model with a high rewrite resource (for example, Samsung Pro Endurance.

2. Method 1: Manual transfer of files through the "Conductor"

The easiest and safest method is to copy files manually using the standard MIUI Explorer. It does not require root rights or additional applications, but is only suitable for media files (photos, videos, music) and documents.

How to move:

1. Open the Files app (the folder icon on the desktop).
2. Go to Internal Memory → select a folder (for example, DCIM for photos or Download for downloads).
3. Press and hold the file/folder → select the rest (or tap Select All).
4. Click Copy (or Cut if you want to delete the originals).
5. Go back to the root of “Conductor”, select Memory Map → paste files into the desired folder.

Make sure the map is formatted in exFAT/FAT32|

Copy files, not move them (in case of errors)|

Check the vacant space for SD-map|

Reboot the phone after the transfer (to update the media library)-->

⚠️ Note: Do not carry system folders (Android, MIUI, Android/obb) manually, which can cause app malfunctions. For games and heavy applications, use the method №3 or №4.

Method 2: Transfer applications to SD-map (without root)

Android 7.1-8.1 (which runs Redmi Note 5) SD-The map is limited: not all programs support this function, and some may not work smoothly after transfer.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Select the application you want (such as Telegram or VK).
3. Slip the vault. → Change. → select the Memory Card.
4. Confirm the transfer. Wait until it's completed (may take a few minutes).

⚠️ Note: After the application has been moved to SD-It can start slower (especially if the card is class 10), and when you remove the card, the program will stop working (>1 GB is better to use the method №4.

4. Method 3: Transferring the game's cache (OBB-file SD-map

Games like this PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty or Genshin Impact take up gigabytes of space OBB-They can be transferred to the memory card manually, but you need to be careful:

Steps:

1. Download the game from Google Play, but don’t launch it.
2. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (in File Transfer mode).
3. On PC, go to the Internal Memory folder → Android → obb.
4. Copy the folder with OBB-files (name is the same as the file name) ID games such as com.tencent.ig for PUBG) on SD-map to the same folder structure: Memory map → Android → obb.
5. Delete. OBB-file.
6. Start the game - it must automatically find the cache on the SD-map.

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If the game doesn't see OBB-file SD-In the map, try to create a text file.nomedia (without extension) at the root of the map, which will prevent the system from scanning media files and can solve the problem.

⚠️ Note: Some games (such as Genshin Impact) will block the launch if they are not available. OBB-file SD-In this case, only formatting the card as internal memory (method) will help. №5), but it's risky.

Method 4: Formatting SD-The card is an internal memory (adoptable storage)

This method allows you to combine a memory card with internal storage, but has critical drawbacks:

• 🔴 The card will be encrypted and will not be read on other devices.
• 🔴 When you remove the map, the application and files on it will become unavailable.
• 🔴 The wear of the card increases (especially with frequent records).

If you are prepared for the risks, follow the instructions:

1. Put it in. SD-phone-card.
2. When a notification is received, a new SD-Map tap set up.
3. Select Internal Memory → Clean and Format.
4. Wait until it is completed (it can take 5-10 minutes).
5. After formatting, select Move Data Now or do it manually later.

💡

This method permanently links the card to your Redmi Note 5. If you decide to sell the phone or paste the card into another device, all data on it will be lost without the possibility of recovery.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone starts to brake after formatting, go back to standard mode: go to Settings → Warehouse → Memory map → Data portability and formatting → Format it like a portable device, and it'll delete all the data from the card!

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (with or without root)

If the standard methods don't work, you can use third-party utilities. Let's look at two options:

No root rights:

• 📁 Files by Google is a convenient guide with memory cleaning and file transfer. Supports cloud services.

With root rights:

• 🛠️ FolderMount – allows you to “mount” folders from internal memory to SD-card (for example, transfer the WhatsApp cache).

💡

Before use Link2SD smash SD-map in two sections: first (FAT32/exFAT) for files, second (ext2) You can do this through MiniTool Partition Wizard on PC.

⚠️ Attention: root-access applications can disrupt system stability if they are not configured correctly, such as transferring system folders (e.g, /data/dalvik-cache) This will lead to a boot cycle (bootloop).

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

When transferring data to SD-In Redmi Note 5, users are faced with typical errors:

FAQ: Answers to popular questions