How to transfer photos to SD card on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 model often face a lack of built-in storage, especially if the device is equipped with a basic version of 32 or 64 GB. High resolution images and the ability to record video in 4K quickly fill the available space, forcing the system to warn about a critical level of memory.

Transferring existing images to an external medium is a simple procedure, but it requires care to avoid losing files in the process. The MIUI operating system installed on a smartphone has several ways to manage files, each of which has its own characteristics. We will consider the most effective methods that ensure the safety of your archives and free up precious space in the internal memory of the device.

Before you start manipulating the file system, you need to make sure that the memory card is correctly defined by the system and ready to write data. If you just installed a new drive, the phone may suggest formatting it, and this step should not be skipped, since the file system must be compatible with Android.

There are two main scenarios: automatically saving new images immediately to the map and manually transferring an existing gallery. Both methods require preliminary preparation, but the second option is more reliable for migration of large amounts of data accumulated over the long term use of the smartphone.

It is important to understand that the recording speed depends on the class of your memory card, so for high-resolution video, it is recommended to use UHS-I or higher. Inappropriate media can cause the camera to work with delays or even refuse to record high-resolution video.

Preparation of a memory card and installation in a slot

The first step is always to physically install the drive and set it up in the operating system interface. The memory card slot in Redmi Note 7 is combined and located on the lower end of the case, next to the charging port, so you will need a special paper clip to extract the tray.

Once the card is installed, the system will automatically detect the new device and offer several options for its use, among which we are interested in portable storage mode. USB-storage device for storing photos, music and documents, while maintaining access to them through the computer.

Formatting is a must for new maps or those that have been used in other devices, as it creates a new partition table that Android understands. During the formatting process, all data on the media will be destroyed, so make sure that there is nothing important on the card, or pre-copy its contents to your computer.

⚠️ Note: Do not remove the memory card while actively recording videos or copying files, as this may cause file system damage and data loss.

• 📱 Insert the card into a phone that is turned off or use the Safe Retrieval feature if the device is turned on.
• 💾 Wait for notification of finding a new drive at the top of the screen.
• ⚙️ Go to Settings and select “Use as a Portable Storage».
• 🔄 Wait for the formatting process to be completed, which can take a few minutes.

Set up automatic saving in the camera

The easiest way to prevent internal memory overflow is to set the camera to save all new images to an external drive by default, opening the standard Camera app and going to the settings menu, which is usually hidden under a button with three horizontal lines or a gear in the corner of the screen.

In the list of parameters you need to find the item "Save in SD-A card or similar and activate the switch opposite it. Once this option is enabled, all subsequent photos and videos will be automatically recorded to an external storage, bypassing the internal memory partition of the smartphone.

Note that some shooting modes, such as slow motion or panoramas, may still store data inside the system due to the nature of the clipboard, and when this feature is enabled, the path to files in the gallery will change, which can affect the work of third-party applications looking for photos at old addresses.

Using external storage by default significantly extends the life of the smartphone’s built-in flash memory, which has a limited life of overwrite cycles, especially for users who actively shoot high-resolution videos or take serial pictures.

Manual transfer of photos through the application “Conductor”

If you need to move an existing photo archive, File Manager is your main tool for this task, giving you complete control over the process by allowing you to select the specific folders and files you want to move, leaving the system thumbnails in place.

To start, open Explorer and go to Internal Shared Drive, where the DCIM folder that contains all the camera shots is stored by default. Select the files or entire folders you want with a long press, then select Move or Copy from the bottom menu, depending on whether you want to leave the originals.

After selecting the action, the navigation menu will suggest specifying the target directory - in our case, this is a root folder or a specially created directory on the site. SD-The process of copying large amounts of data can take time, and at this point it is better not to run heavy applications, so as not to put a strain on the processor.

When using the Move function, the system first copies the data to a new location, and then deletes the originals only after the file integrity check is successfully completed, which provides additional insurance: if an error occurs in the process, the originals will remain in internal memory until the next successful one.

💡

Before mass movement, create a new folder on the memory card with an understandable name, for example"Photos_2023", Avoid mixing new images with old system files.

Use of the “Cleaning” function in settings

There is a built-in optimization tool in the MIUI shell that can automatically find files that take up a lot of space and offer to transfer them to an external medium, which is suitable for users who do not want to understand the structure of folders and prefer to delegate the task to the system.

To take advantage of this feature, go to your smartphone settings, select Memory or run the Security app and find Cleanup. The system will analyze the content and highlight the categories of files that can be moved, including photos, videos and downloads from instant messengers.

However, automatic cleaning doesn’t always work perfectly, as the algorithm may miss some hidden folders or misclassify important system caches, so after using this tool, it’s recommended to manually check the gallery and make sure that all the necessary pictures actually end up on the memory card.

The advantage of this method is that you can choose files by type, date or size, which speeds up the sorting process. You can quickly filter all video files over 100 MB and transfer them in one operation, which would take much longer manually.

Working with files through a computer

For users who have accumulated a huge archive of media files, the most reliable and quick way to transfer will be using a personal computer. USB-cable, you get access to the file system as if it were a regular disk, which allows you to use the familiar interface of Windows or macOS.

Once connected, select the USB File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification on the smartphone screen. The computer conductor will have two separate devices: the phone’s internal memory and a memory card, between which you can drag-and-drop files.

This method is good because it allows you to pre-sort photos on the big screen, remove duplicates and blur pictures before transferring.In addition, the data transfer speed through USB 3.0 (when using the appropriate cable) is often higher than when working directly from the phone interface.

⚠️ Note: When working through a computer, be sure to use an original or high-quality cable, since cheap analogues can only charge the device without transmitting data.

• 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your computer and unlock the screen.
• 💻 Open My Computer and Find a Xiaomi Device.
• 📂 Copy the folder. DCIM memory.
• 💾 Insert the copied in the root or folder on SD-map.

Decision and errors in transfer

During the data migration process, users may encounter various errors such as the message “File is too big” or “Not enough rights” and most often a file size problem occurs if the card is formatted in the FAT32 file system, which does not support files larger than 4 GB.

To solve this problem, the card needs to be reformatted in the exFAT file system, which supports large files and is compatible with Android. This can be done either through the phone settings (if the system offers such a choice), or through the computer, but remember that formatting will delete all data.

Another common problem is the appearance of “broken” thumbnails in the gallery after the transfer, when the system can not immediately index new paths to files.In this case, it helps to reboot the smartphone or clear the cache of the Gallery application through the application management menu.

💡

The exFAT file system is the best choice for 64GB or higher memory cards, providing Android compatibility and support for large files.

If the transfer is interrupted in the middle, don’t panic: check the source folder, most likely the original files are still in place and the procedure can be repeated. In rare cases, you may need to use third-party file managers, such as Total Commander or Solid Explorer, which have more flexible permission settings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)