How to transfer a photo to the memory card Xiaomi Redmi 5

Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 5 smartphone often face a lack of built-in space, especially if you are actively using the camera or messengers. The standard 16- or 32-gigabyte internal memory fills up quickly, and the system begins to warn of a critical level of free space. MIUI.

Fortunately, the model is equipped with a microSD slot that allows you to significantly expand the capabilities of the device. By moving media files to an external drive, you not only free up gigabytes for installing applications, but also protect your pictures when you accidentally reset your settings. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to transfer data, from standard tools to advanced methods.

Before you start manipulating, you need to make sure that the memory card is inserted correctly into the device. If you just purchased the drive, you may need to set it up first. Ignoring this step can lead to write errors or the inability to find files after transfer. Let's look at the preparation process in more detail.

It's important to understand that the MIUI-based Android operating system has its own file system features. Just pasting the card isn't enough, you need to format it correctly. This action will delete all the data that may already be on the media, so back up if there's anything valuable there. Once formatted, the system will create the necessary directories for storing the media.

To get started, you will need a smartphone and a microSD memory card. It is advisable to use drives from proven brands such as SanDisk, Kingston or Samsung, with a speed class of at least Class 10. Slow cards can cause the gallery to slow down when viewing photos or hanging while shooting videos.

Preparation of memory card and storage configuration

The first step after physically placing the card into a slot (often combined with the second one) SIM-Xiaomi Redmi 5 will automatically prompt you to configure a new drive when it is detected. If the notification does not appear, you will have to do it manually through the settings.

Go to the settings menu and find Advanced Settings (or Additional) section, select Memory here. In the list that opens, you will see information about internal memory and connected memory. SD-Click on your card name to see what actions are available, and the system will offer two uses: as a portable storage device or as internal memory.

  • ๐Ÿ“‚ As a portable storage: standard mode that allows you to store photos, videos and music, which can be accessed from other devices.
  • ๐Ÿ”’ How internal memory: The card is encrypted and becomes part of the system, but on older versions of Android, it can cause slowdowns.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ Formatting: A mandatory procedure to clean the drive and create a file system that the phone can understand.
  • โšก Reading speed: the choice of a high-quality drive directly affects the speed of opening heavy photos.

We recommend that you choose portable storage mode, because it's more versatile. Once you select the mode, the system will request a formatting confirmation. Press the appropriate button and wait for the process to be completed. This usually takes 10 to 30 seconds depending on the size of the map. Don't remove the map during formatting!

๐Ÿ’ก

Use cards up to 128GB for maximum compatibility with the Redmi 5 smartphone, although the device can support large volumes.

Once you've successfully formatted the card, you'll see system folders like Android, DCIM, and others, and that's where you'll move files, or into the folders you've created, and if the system can't see the card after formatting, try restarting the device. In rare cases, you need to re-install the drive.

Transferring photos through a standard conductor

The easiest and most reliable way to move a photo is to use the built-in Explorer app. MIUI It's called Explorer, and it has a distinctive yellow icon, and it allows you to selectively copy or move files from any folder in your internal memory to the next one. SD-map.

Open the app and go to the Internal Drive section. Find the folder where your photos are stored, most commonly DCIM (for camera shots) or Pictures (for screenshots and images from messengers), click on the desired folder to open its contents.

To move, you don't have to open each photo separately. You just click on the first photo for a long time, it will stand out, and an action menu will appear. At the top of the screen, you'll see icons to select all files, cancel or move them. You'll select "More" (three dots) and click Move or Copy.

โ˜‘๏ธ Algorithm of file transfer

Done: 0 / 5

After selecting the move action, the system will prompt you to specify the target folder. Click on the name of your memory card (usually indicated as SD Card or brand name. Select the destination folder, for example, create a new folder "Photos_Backup" or use the standard DCIM. Press the "Insert" or "OK" button".

The copying process will take time, depending on the number and weight of files, the progress bar will be displayed on the screen. The important thing is: do not switch to other heavy applications, do not lock the screen during the active recording phase, so as not to interrupt the process. Once completed, the files will disappear from the original folder and appear on the map.

Automatic photo saving on SD-map

So, in order to avoid wasting time on manual transfers in the future, you can set up the camera so that new images are immediately saved to an external drive, which will save you from constant space shortage, but it is worth remembering that some applications may ignore this setting.

Open the Camera app and click on the three bars in the upper right corner to enter the menu. Select Settings (cog icon). Scroll down to General or Save. Find Save on SD-map and activate the switch.

  • ๐Ÿ“ธ Standard camera: fully supports recording on external media without loss of quality.
  • ๐Ÿ“ท Third-party apps: Instagram or Snapchat can only save photos in internal memory.
  • ๐ŸŽฅ Video 4K/HD: When recording high-resolution video, the card speed must be high, otherwise the recording will be interrupted.
  • โš™๏ธ Resetting: When resetting the phone, the camera settings will return to factory settings, and the function will have to be turned on again.

If the switch is active but new photos still appear in internal memory, check the app's accesses. In rare cases, cleaning the Camera app's cache through the phone's settings menu helps. Also make sure there's enough free space on the map.

Why the camera can't see SD-map?
Sometimes the system caches the path to the old card, and you can turn off the phone, retrieve it, re-paste it, then turn it on, and if it doesn't work, format it again.

Using an external drive for shooting is a great solution, but it does not protect the system folders of messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber by default save the received media files in internal memory, and configure them to write immediately on the device. SD-The card is not always possible with regular funds.

Transfer of data messengers WhatsApp and Telegram

Messengers are the main memory eaters, they create separate folders in the internal storage, where all the pictures and videos from the chats are downloaded. To make room, these folders also need to be moved. In Xiaomi Redmi 5, the folder structure depends on the version of Android.

For WhatsApp, find the WhatsApp folder (on old Androids) or Android/media/com.whatsapp (on new ones). Inside you are interested in the Media subfolder, and in it are WhatsApp Images and WhatsApp Video. Select these folders as a whole and move them to a memory card, creating a similar structure or placing them in the root.

Telegram is the same. Look for the Telegram folder or Android/data/org.telegram.messenger. Inside is a Telegram folder, and inside it are Telegram Images and Telegram Video. SD-Once you've moved it, the messenger can create new empty folders on the old path, which is normal.

๐Ÿ“Š Which messenger takes up the most space on your phone?
WhatsApp
Telegram
Viber
Instagram Direct

โš ๏ธ Note: After moving the messenger folders, old photos may disappear from the chats, as the application will lose its way to them.Be sure that important files are saved in the cloud or on your computer before transferring them.

To keep new files downloaded to the map, in the settings of the messengers themselves (Site "Data and memory") you can try to change the way of saving, if this option is available in your version of the application.

Using cloud services to unload memory

Cloud storage can be an alternative or an addition to a physical memory card, such as Google Photos, Yandex.Disk or MI Cloud, which allows you to store images online, freeing up space on your device, especially if the memory card is full.

Google Photos is the most popular. Install the app (or use the built-in one), log in to your Google account and enable Autoboot. Once all photos are synced to the cloud, click on your profile avatar and select the Free Space option. The app will delete the photos that are already in the cloud from your phone.

ServiceFree volumeFeaturesIntegration with MIUI
Google Photo15GBSmart search, high qualityBuilt into the system
Yandex.Disk.10GBNo-limit for phone photoRequires installation
MI Cloud5GBDeep integration with XiaomiBuilt into the system
TeraBox1024 GBHuge volume, advertising.Requires installation

The benefits of using the cloud are that you can access photos from any device and protect against losing your phone, but you need the Internet to view high-quality photos. SD-map for maximum efficiency.

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The best strategy is to keep current working photos on the SD-Send archived images to the cloud for long-term storage.

Possible problems and ways to solve them

Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users of Xiaomi Redmi 5 can encounter errors, most often problems are related to the file system of the card or access rights. If the phone does not see the card or does not allow you to write files, do not rush to carry the device to the service.

The first common error is the file system format. Android prefers FAT32 or exFAT. If the card is formatted in NTFS (Windows standard), the phone can see it, but can not write data. Format the card again through the phone menu or use a computer with a choice of FAT32 file system.

  • โŒ Formatting error: Try formatting the card on your PC, then inserting it back into your phone.
  • ๐ŸŒ Slow operation: the card has a low speed class or is damaged, replace it with a faster one.
  • ๐Ÿ”’ Write Protection: Check if the card adapter has a physical Lock switch.
  • ๐Ÿ“‰ Phantom files: If space is not vacated, it is possible that a.nomedia file is left in the folder that hides the contents.

Another problem is that media files are damaged, and if they're missing from the gallery after transferring, but they're visible in the explorer, try clearing the Gallery and Media Storage app cache in the application settings, and that will force the system to rescan the memory.

โš ๏ธ Note: If the memory card suddenly ceases to be defined or requires formatting, immediately stop writing new data. This may indicate the beginning of the drive failure.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I transfer all applications to a memory card in Redmi 5?
It is impossible to transfer applications completely by regular means. Android allows you to transfer only the cache and some of the data of some applications, but the system files will remain in internal memory. SD-The card is only possible through root rights, which is not recommended for ordinary users.
Why did the images appear on the map after the transfer?
This happens if you used Copy instead of Move, or if the camera app kept saving new photos to internal memory while you were working with the old ones. Check the camera's save settings and manually delete the extra copies.
What is the maximum memory card capacity of Xiaomi Redmi 5?
Officially, the specifications indicate support for cards up to 128 GB. However, in practice, the device often works successfully with cards of 256 GB and even 512 GB, if they are formatted into the exFAT file system.
Is it safe to retrieve the card without turning off the phone?
No, it can damage files. Before extracting, be sure to go to Settings โ†’ Memory, select a card, and click Extract (or "Disable"). Only after the notification of successful disabling appears, the card can be removed.