Installing Genshin Impact on a smartphone is often a real challenge for owners of Xiaomi and Redmi devices.The game's enormous weight, which increases with each update, quickly eats away the free space of internal memory, leaving the system without resources to function properly. Many users wonder whether it is possible to take heavy files to an external drive to avoid having to delete photos or apps.
Unfortunately, modern versions of Android, including the MIUI and HyperOS shells, have strict restrictions on writing these applications into external memory, for security and stability reasons, but there are proven ways to get around these restrictions without obtaining root rights using built-in system features or specialized utilities.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods for transferring Genshin Impact to the Internet. SD-You will learn about the risks associated with using external drives for games, and get a step-by-step algorithm of actions that will help free up precious gigabytes of internal memory of your Xiaomi device.
Why Genshin Impact is not tolerated by standard means
When trying to move the game through the standard settings menu, users often encounter the “Move to” button. SD-This is due to Google’s security policy, which was implemented in Android 6.0 and tightened in subsequent releases.The system no longer allows applications to store their executable files and libraries on an external medium by default.
In addition, HoYoverse developers optimized the structure of the game files so that the bulk of the data is loaded into the internal drive to ensure maximum load speed of textures and models. SD-Cards, especially budget models, often have lower read and write speeds compared to the internal eUFS or eMMC memory of a smartphone.
⚠️ Note: Using a slow memory card can lead to constant twitching (frises) of the interface, long loads of locations and even departures of the game during combat.
Despite these limitations, some of the data, namely the resource cache, can still be moved, which will not speed up the game, but will allow the MIUI system to correctly display the availability of free space, which is critical for installing updates.
Preparation of memory card and smartphone for transfer
Before you start manipulating files, you need to make sure your hardware is ready to handle large amounts of data. Not every flash card is suitable for running demanding projects like Genshin Impact. Using an inappropriate drive can reduce all efforts to zero.
First of all, check the speed class of your card. For comfortable play, it is recommended to use Class 10, UHS-I or higher drives. It is desirable that the write speed is at least 30-40 MB / s, otherwise the process of downloading resources will take an indecent time.
It is also important to format the drive correctly in Xiaomi system. it is recommended to use the exFAT file system, as it supports files larger than 4 GB, which is relevant for modern game updates. Formatting will destroy all data on the card, so back up important documents in advance.
- 📱 Make sure the memory card is securely inserted into the slot before the characteristic click.
- 🧹 Clean the map of excess debris and fragmentation before the transfer begins.
- 🔋 Charge your smartphone to at least 60% to avoid a sudden shutdown during operation.
Transfer method through standard MIUI settings
The first and most secure way to try out Xiaomi owners is to use the standard shell functionality, which does not require third-party software, but does not work with all applications, but it is effective for some versions of the game.
To start, go to your device's settings menu, and you need to find the partition that manages installed programs, which may be called differently in different versions of MIUI, but the layout logic remains the same.
☑️ Pre-transfer check
Follow the algorithm further:
- Open Settings and select the App item.
- Go to All Apps or Application Management.
- Find the Genshin Impact list and click on it.
- Select the option of Memory or Storage.
- If the button is changed or moved to SD-The card is active, press it and confirm the action.
If the button is missing or inactive, it means that the developer of the game has banned the transfer of the main files, but this is not the end of the road - there are more advanced methods of working with the file system.
Adoptable Storage (Advanced Memory)
A more radical but effective solution is Adoptable Storage, which allows Android to understand the world. SD-The card is an extension of the internal memory, in which case the game files will be written to the card automatically when installed or updated.
On Xiaomi devices, this feature is often hidden from the average user. It may require a computer connection and the use of ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands to activate it. It is a safe procedure if you follow the instructions, but it requires care.
⚠️ Note: Once the card is formatted into internal memory, it will not be read on other devices or computers without a special reset.
To activate the mode, you need to enable USB debugging in the Developer Menu. Then connect the phone to your PC, install ADB drivers, and type a command to force the function to turn on. Once you reboot the storage menu, you will see the option to format the card as internal memory.
Command to activate via ADB
Once activated successfully, the system will offer to move the application data. Genshin Impact will have access to the expanded space, and the problem of the shortage of gigabytes will be solved at the system level.
Manual movement of cache files and resources
If system methods didn’t work, you can try manually transferring heavy game resource files. Genshin Impact stores the bulk of data (textures, sounds, models) in the Android/data folder. Moving these files can free up space, but requires the use of a file manager with extended rights, such as ZArchiver or MT Manager.
The essence of the method is to create a symbolic link or banal move the folder com.miHoYo.GenshinImpact (or similar) to the memory card, and then create a shortcut along the old path. 11/12/13/14 file-access Android/data limited and will require special permission, which is requested by the file manager.
| Parameter | Internal memory. | SD-card (Class 10) | SD-card (Class 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading speed | High (up to 500 MB/s) | Medium (up to 90 MB/s) | Low (up to 20 MB/s) |
| FPS stability | Stable. | Possible drawdowns | Probably lags. |
| Time to load | Minimum | Increased by 30-50% | Significantly increased |
When you manually transfer it, it's important to keep the folder structure intact. If the game can't find its way to the files, it'll require you to re-download the resources or it won't start at all. So before you do anything, create a full copy of the game folder on your computer.
- 📂 Use a file manager with support for working with system folders.
- 💾 Make sure you're on SD-enough space (minimum) 30-40 GB).
- 🔄 After transfer, check the integrity of files through the “Integrity Check” function in the launcher of the game.
Cache cleaning and place optimization without transfer
Sometimes porting a game isn't the only solution. Genshin Impact has a built-in resource management tool that lets you remove unnecessary language packs and resources from past versions.This can free up up to 10-15GB of space without losing graphics quality.
On the login screen, before clicking the "Log in" button, look at the menu icon in the corner (usually three stripes or a gear) where the Resources or Resource Management item is located. This menu allows you to deselect voice languages that you do not need (for example, leave only Russian text and audio, removing Japanese or Korean voiceover).
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Removing voiceover language packs through the login menu is the safest way to free up space that doesn’t affect the stability of the game.
Also, clean the launcher cache regularly. In the phone settings in the Apps section, find Genshin Impact, go to Warehouse and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with the Clear Everything button, as this will delete your progress if it's not tied to your account.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
In the process of transferring or operating the game with SD-The most common problem is the error of checking the integrity of files at startup, which occurs if the file system of the drive has errors or if the card was retrieved at the wrong time.
Another common situation is that the game stops seeing resources after updating the MIUI system, in which case it is recommended to temporarily return files to internal memory, update the game, and then repeat the transfer procedure, and check the state of the drive itself using the H2testw utility on the computer.
⚠️ Warning: If the game starts crashing immediately after the transfer, immediately return the files back to internal memory.
Remember that the speed of work SD-If you notice that the game is loading more slowly than before, maybe the storage is running out of life and should be replaced with a more modern model.
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Main conclusion: Transfer of the game to SD-Xiaomi card is possible, but requires a fast memory card (UHS-I/U3) It can affect the loading speed of locations.