Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face critical shortages of internal memory, especially when installing modern games with high-precision graphics and heavy cache. Despite the presence of a microSD slot, the Android system by default does not allow you to simply move applications to an external drive for security and stability reasons, which creates a situation where internal storage is crowded and the memory card remains almost empty.
Fortunately, there are proven ways to circumvent these limitations, allowing you to effectively use an external drive to store game data. In this article, we will discuss both the standard features of the MIUI and HyperOS shell, and more advanced methods through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which give you full control over the file system of the device.
It’s important to understand that the transfer process can vary depending on the version of the Android operating system and the specific model of your smartphone. Some games categorically refuse to work from external media due to the limitations of the developers themselves, but for most projects, expanding memory will be a salvation.
Preparation of memory card and smartphone for work
Before you start manipulating the file system, you need to make sure that the memory card used meets the speed requirements. For modern games, which often load textures on the fly, write and read speed is critical. Cheap 4 or 6 cards can cause friezes and long level loads, which will completely ruin the gaming experience.
It is recommended to use UHS-I or UHS-II cards with the Class 10 marking.Be sure to copy all important data from the card to your computer or to the cloud before starting the procedure, as in some cases it will require formatting.
Put the card in the smartphone that is off, or use a hot replacement if the device model allows it. Go to the settings after turning on and check if the system sees the new drive. If the card is correctly identified, you can proceed to setting storage priorities.
⚠️ Warning: Using low-quality memory cards to install games can lead to rapid data loss and reduced overall smartphone performance.
Make sure your Google account is synced so that in the event of unforeseen disruptions, progress in games is not lost. Many modern projects store saves in the cloud, but it is never a bad idea to be safe.
☑️ Pre-transfer check
Standard method of transfer through Android settings
Starting with the simplest and most secure way to do this, which doesn't require a computer connection. Some versions of the MIUI shell still have the ability to port applications through the standard settings menu, although Xiaomi is gradually removing this feature. To check the availability of the method, open the settings menu and find the application section.
Go to the App, then select All Apps. In the list that opens, find the game you plan to move. Click on it to open the details. If portability is possible through the standard interface, you will see an active Memory or Change button next to your current storage location.
Click on the change button and select yours in the list that appears SD-The system will start a data migration process, the duration of which depends on the size of the game, but it is worth noting that for many system and popular applications, this button may be inactive or absent at all.
In cases where the transfer button is blocked or missing, this means that the application developer has banned installation on an external medium, in such a situation, standard methods will not be possible, and you will have to resort to deeper system settings through the computer.
Adoptable Storage Mode with ADB
The most effective way to make a smartphone consider a memory card an extension of internal memory is to use a command. ADB (Android Debug Bridge. This method combines the built-in storage space and the MicroSD card, making them inseparable for the system. To implement this plan, you will need a computer with Windows, macOS or Linux and USB-cable.
The first step is to activate the developer mode on your smartphone. Go to Settings, select About Phone and quickly click 7 times on MIUI Version or OS Version. After the notification that you have become a developer, go back to the main settings menu and find the Advanced Settings → For Developers section.
In the developer menu, activate the USB Debugging Switch. When you connect your smartphone to your computer, you'll see a request for debugging permission on your screen -- be sure to tick "Always Allow" and confirm the action. Now the smartphone is ready to exchange commands from your PC.
What to do if your computer can’t see your phone?
After preparation, open the command line on your computer in the folder with the ADB tools. Enter the command to check the connection:
adb devicesIf you have a device with an ID on the list, you have a connection, you need to know your memory card ID.
adb shell sm list-disksThe system will give you a disk ID, such as disk:179.64, and remember or copy this number, it will be used for the next command, which will turn the card into internal memory.
Formatting a map as an internal memory
Once you get the disk ID, you can start formatting. This operation will completely destroy all the data on the card, so make sure that the backups are made. The command forces the system to format the drive in a file system that only this particular smartphone understands.
Enter the following command by substituting your disk ID:
adb shell sm partition disk:XXX privateInstead of XXX, substitute the numbers you got in the previous step, and once you've done the command, the smartphone can reboot or go out for a few seconds, and that's normal behavior, which is a pattern of file structure restructuring.
⚠️ Note: Once the card is formatted as internal memory, it will no longer be readable on other devices, and only this smartphone will be able to retrieve the data or re-format it to portable storage mode.
Now, the system sees the card as part of an internal drive, and when you install new games or upgrade existing ones, Android will automatically distribute data between the internal memory and the card, optimizing the space.
💡
For maximum game performance, it is recommended to manually reboot the smartphone after formatting through the shutdown menu so that all system processes correctly recognize changes in the memory structure.
Transferring cache and data to specific games
Even after you have implemented a card, some heavy games can continue to take up space in the internal storage, in which case manual cache transfer helps, requiring a file manager with permission to access system folders, such as MT Manager or Total Commander with plugins.
Find the Android/obb or Android/data folder in internal memory, and the folders with the names of the game packs (e.g. com.pubg.imobile) are located here, move these folders to the appropriate section on the memory card if the system allows it, or use the "Move" function in the settings of a particular application.
It often helps to clear the cache before transfer. Go to Settings → Applications → Selected Game → Memory and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with the "Clear All" button, otherwise you will have to re-download gigabytes of data.
Once you move the files, start the game. If it requires access to files, give permission. In some cases, the game may re-download some resources, but most of the data will already be on an external medium.
Comparison of methods and possible problems
The choice of method depends on your goals and level of training. Standard portability is safe, but limited by the game developer. Adoptable Storage mode through ADB gives maximum freedom, but requires caution. Below is a table to help you choose the best option.
| Criteria | Standard transfer | ADB (Internal Memory) | Manual folder transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Low. | Tall. | Medium |
| Risk of data loss | Minimum | Tall (requires backup) | Medium. |
| Efficiency | Partial | Complete. | Depends on the game. |
| Compatibility | Not all games. | All applications | Just the cache. |
One of the common problems is slowing down the interface after transferring many applications, which occurs if the speed of the memory card is significantly inferior to the speed of the built-in. NAND-In such cases, you should leave only heavy games on the map, and leave the system applications inside.
Also, there are possible errors in starting games after updating the MIUI system. If the game stopped opening, try in the settings for developers to disable and turn on Debugging over USB again, or temporarily return the card to portable storage mode.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove the memory card while playing games or systems if it is formatted as internal memory, and this may cause the application database to be damaged and reinstalled.
💡
The optimal strategy is to use the ADB method to combine memory, but leave system applications and messengers in built-in storage for performance.