Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a lack of built-in storage, especially after installing several modern smartphones. 3D-The built-in memory fills up at lightning speed, and the system starts to work slower, blocking the installation of new updates or applications, the solution to this problem lies in the competent use of an external microSD card that allows you to unload the main drive of the device.
The current MIUI shell or its new version of HyperOS has its own file system features that differ from standard Android. Simply moving files through the file manager is often not enough, since many games require access to system partitions. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods, from standard settings to advanced tools for developers.
Before you start active, you need to make sure that your drive is compatible and properly prepared. Using a memory card of U3 speed or higher is critical for gaming, since slow recording will cause long downloads and lags. Ignoring this requirement will lead to the fact that even the transferred game will work unstable, regardless of the power of the processor of your smartphone.
Preparation of memory card and storage configuration
The first step is to physically install the card and set it up in the system, so you can insert the MicroSD into the slot, wait for the system to notify you, and go to the settings menu, and you need to format the drive as an internal storage device if you want to store application data there, not just media files.
To do this, open Settings → About Phone → Storage. Select your memory card and find “Format.” The system will warn you to delete all data, so back up important files in advance. Once formatted, the system will encrypt the card, and it will only be available on that particular device.
⚠️ Note: After formatting the card as an internal storage, extract it without losing data and move it to another phone or computer will not work without a complete reset.
It's important to understand the difference between modes of operation. In Portable Storage mode, you can store photos and videos, but you can't transfer the game to it with regular means. Internal Storage mode combines volumes, allowing the system to consider the card as part of the system partition.
The standard method of transfer through Android settings
The safest and easiest way to do this without a root license is to use the built-in functionality of the system. However, it is worth noting that not all games support a developer transfer. If the application code does not include the ability to install on an external drive, the move button may not be active.
To try to move the game, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the game you want (like PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty) and click on it. From the menu that opens, select Memory.
If the system allows for portability, you will see the “Change” or “Move to” button. SD-Press it and wait until it's done. The wait time depends on the size of the cache and the speed of your memory card. MIUI This item may be referred to as “Use as an internal storage” in the context of a particular application.
- 📱 Open the smartphone settings and go to the application section.
- 💾 Select a heavy game from the list of installed programs.
- 🔄 Press the change button of the storage location and confirm the action.
- ⏳ Wait for the data copying process to be completed.
After the operation is complete, the badge SD-The card will appear next to the app icon, signaling that most of the data is now resides on an external drive, freeing up precious megabytes of internal flash memory.
☑️ Pre-transfer check
Using a Developer Mode for Forced Transfer
If the standard method didn’t work, you can try activating the hidden Android feature, which allows you to install applications on an external drive, which requires you to turn on the developer mode, but does not require obtaining superuser rights (Root).
To activate hidden features, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on either MIUI Version or OS Version until the notification “You’ve become a developer” appears. Then go back to the main settings menu, select “Additional” → “Developers”.
In the list of options, find the option “Force allow apps on external”. Change the value to “External drive” or «SD-Then restart the device. Now, when you install new games, the system will default to a memory card.
| Parameter | Standard value | Modified meaning | The effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of installation | Automatically. | External drive | Apps are put on SD |
| Reading speed | High (internal) | Depends on the card. | Possible delays |
| Stability | Tall. | Medium | Risk of failures in extraction |
| Availability | Always. | Only with a map. | Without a map, the game won't start. |
It is worth considering that this method is experimental. Some system applications and games with anticheat may not work properly in this scenario, since the response speed of external memory is lower than that of the built-in module.
What to do if the item is not found?
Transferring game cache data through the file manager
Many modern games, such as Asphalt 9 or Genshin Impact, download the bulk of data (cache) separately from the APK installation file. Often this cache takes several gigabytes and is stored in internal memory by default. It can be moved manually.
Use a built-in Explorer or a third-party file manager like Total Commander or MT Manager. You need to find a folder with game data. Usually it is located on the Android/data/ or Android/obb/ path. The folder name often matches the name of the application package.
Select the folder with the game data, select “Copy” or “Move” and specify the appropriate directory to the target place. SD-It's important to keep the folder structure, if the game is looking for files along the way. /Android/obb/com.game.name, A similar structure should be created on the memory card.
⚠️ Note: When you manually transfer obb and data folders, access rights may be lost. If the game stops running or if it gives a file verification error, return the folders back to internal memory.
Once you move the files, start the game, and if it requires you to download it again, it doesn't work for that particular version of the application, so you'll have to leave the cache in your internal memory, and you'll have to transfer only the multimedia files to the map.
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To automatically search for heavy folders, use the Analyzer feature in Xiaomi’s built-in Explorer, which will show which files take up the most space.
Advanced methods: ADB and command line
For advanced users who are not afraid of the command line, there is a method of using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to send commands to the system directly from the computer, bypassing the limitations of the MIUI interface.
You'll need a PC, USB-cable and installed drivers ADB. Connect the phone, turn on the debugging. USB Open the command line on your computer and type a command to get a list of packages: adb shell pm list packages.
To move a particular application, use the command:
adb shell pm move-packageWhere is the name of the game package, and your identifier SD-The card (usually starts with a number, such as 168.32) ID The command adb shell pm get-volume-info all.
This method gives you the most control over the file system, but it requires accuracy. An error in the command syntax can cause the application to simply not start. Always check if the packet name is spelled correctly.
- 💻 Install platform tools ADB computer.
- 🔌 Connect your smartphone and activate debugging USB.
- 📝 Find out the exact name of the package and ID storage.
- ⌨️ Enter the movement command and check the result.
The use of ADB is particularly effective when the system interface blocks certain actions, however, after a device is restarted, some changes made through ADB without root rights can be reversed by the system.
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The ADB method provides maximum flexibility, but requires technical literacy and a computer at hand.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
In memory optimization, users often encounter a number of common errors, the most common being “boot failure” after transfer, which occurs when the memory card read speed is not sufficient to stream textures in the game.
Another issue is with updates.Google Play or GetApps may refuse to update the app if it's on removable media, in which case the system may need to temporarily move the game back to internal memory for an update and then return to the map.
There's also a problem with widgets and live wallpaper, if you've moved a launcher game or a widget app to the site. SD-map, widgets may stop appearing on the desktop until the card is fully mounted by the system after turning on.
⚠️ Note: Cheap memory cards from unknown brands often fail when active write/reading is typical of how applications work. Use only certified drives from SanDisk, Samsung or Kingston.
If the game starts to crash right after the transfer, try clearing the cache through the app's settings. If that doesn't work, the only way out is to return the data to internal storage, and don't risk progressing online games to save a couple of gigabytes.