Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 7A often face an acute shortage of internal memory: built-in 16 or 32 gigabytes quickly fill up with system files, photos and, of course, modern games. When the vacancy runs out, the device starts to work slowly, and installing new applications becomes impossible.
Fortunately, this model supports microSD card installation, which opens up opportunities for storage expansion. However, standard Android settings often don’t allow you to simply move heavy games to an external medium. In this article, we’ll look at proven methods that will help you free up precious megabytes and continue playing without restrictions.
You don't have to be an IT expert to do the things that I've described below, but we're going to look at both the standard capabilities of MIUI and the more advanced methods that you use with your computer. Internal memory is a narrow neck of budget devices, and using it properly is critical to a comfortable experience.
Preparation for data transfer and choice of memory card
Before you start manipulating the file system, you need to make sure the quality of the drive used. Read and write speed directly affects the speed of loading levels in games and the overall responsiveness of the interface. Cheap cards can cause lags and freezes, which is especially noticeable in resource-intensive applications.
It is recommended to use cards of the standard Class 10 or higher, preferably labeled UHS-I. Formatting media is better done immediately in the phone, so that the file system is optimized for a particular device, this minimizes the risk of errors when writing game cache.
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Use a 128GB memory card for the Redmi 7A, as larger drives may run unstable or require manual formatting in exFAT, which is not always supported by the default system.
To get started, remove the SIM card tray with a special clip. Set the microSD in the intended slot and wait for the system notification. If the notification does not appear, go to Settings → About Phone → Storage and check if the external media is detected.
The standard method of transfer through the MIUI settings
The MIUI shell installed on the Redmi 7A has built-in memory management tools, but they often restrict the user.The system allows only some applications to be ported, and many games, especially system or rights-based ones, remain gray and unmovable.
To try to migrate the game in a standard way, open the Settings menu and find the Apps section. In the list, select the game you want. If the developer has made it possible, click "Move to the App" button. SD-The map will be active. Otherwise, it will be unavailable.
⚠️ Note: When you transfer an application in the standard way, only a portion of the files are left on the external drive. The main cache and data often continue to occupy space in the internal memory, which only partially solves the problem.
Some users try to bypass the restrictions using debugging mode, which requires activating the developer menu by making 7 quick clicks on the build number in the About section, and then the option "Forced permission to unload to an external drive" may appear in the advanced settings, but its operation on modern versions of Android is not guaranteed.
Adoptable Storage (Advanced Memory)
The most effective way to turn a memory card into a full extension of internal memory is through Adoptable Storage, which allows you to format an external drive so that the system will consider it part of the main storage, which allows you to install any game or application directly to the map.
The Xiaomi Redmi 7A often requires access to hidden settings via a computer and an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility to implement this method. The standard MIUI interface often hides this option to prevent the use of slow memory cards that can slow down the entire smartphone.
The process requires caution, as all the data on the map will be destroyed. Make sure you save important files. Once you connect the phone to a PC with USB debugging enabled, you need to enter a special command that will force the formatting wizard to run.
☑️ Preparation for Adoptable Storage
Once the command is successfully executed, the phone will suggest formatting the card as an internal storage, agree with this action, the system will test the speed and, if the result is satisfactory, integrate the drive. Now, when installing new games, they will by default take up space on the SD-map.
Transferring the game cache manually through the file manager
Many heavy-duty games, such as PUBG Mobile, Asphalt or World of Tanks Blitz, load gigabytes of additional data into the Android/obb or Android/data folder. Moving these folders manually can free up a significant amount of internal memory, even if the application itself is left inside.
To do this, you’ll need an advanced file manager, like Total Commander or MiXplorer. Find a folder with the name of the game package (such as com.tencent.ig) in the Android/obb directory in internal memory. Copy this folder into the corresponding directory on the memory card.
However, just copying files is not enough — the game can stop seeing cache. In some cases, creating a symbolic link helps, but on smartphones without root rights, this is difficult to do. A simpler, less reliable method is to specify the path to resources in the game itself (if there is one), or try to start the game by renaming the folders before the system picks up the data from the map.
| Transfer method | Efficiency | Difficulty | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff relocation | Low. | Low. | Minimum |
| Adoptable Storage (ADB) | Tall. | Medium | Medium. |
| Manual movement of OBB | Medium | Tall. | High-pitched |
| Third-party utilities (App2SD) | Medium | Low. | Medium. |
Use of specialized applications
If you don't want to mess with the command line, you can use Google Play apps like App2SD or Files by Google, which automate the analysis process and offer optimization options, and they can transfer cache and data using the system APIs that are available.
The app scans the device and shows which games take up the most space, and it will suggest moving those that support the port function, and it will also help you find and delete junk files left over from remote games.
Why can't some games be rescheduled?
It's important to understand that without root rights, these programs are limited by the Android operating system itself, and they can't do more than the firmware allows, but they're a handy tool for managing what's allowed.
Typical problems and their solution
After transferring games, users may encounter a situation where the application has stopped launching or crashes with an error, most often due to the fact that the path to the files has changed, and the game can not find its resources. In this case, try reinstalling the application by selecting the memory card as the default installation location (if Adoptable Storage is enabled).
Another common problem is performance loss: If a memory card has a slow write speed, games can load textures with a delay, in which case the only solution is to replace the drive with a faster version or return files to internal memory.
⚠️ Warning: Do not remove the memory card while the phone is on if the apps are installed on it, this will result in immediate closure of games and possible damage to the save database.
It is also worth remembering that when resetting the phone settings to factory, the data on the formatted as internal memory. SD-The card will be encrypted and not read on another device without a full reconfiguration.Always back up your game saves to the cloud (Google Play Games) to keep up with progress.
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Using a high-quality UHS-I memory card is critical for stable post-transfer gaming, otherwise you’ll get lags instead of freed memory.