How to transfer games to the SD card on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a shortage of internal memory, especially if the device has only 64 or 128 GB of storage. Installing heavy modern games quickly fills the free space, causing slowdowns and inability to update applications. The solution lies in the competent use of an external SD card for data storage.

Unfortunately, the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS do not simply transfer any application to an external drive in one click. Android, since version 6.0, has limited this feature for security and stability, but there are proven methods to bypass these restrictions and free up precious gigabytes.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to expand memory, from standard system settings to advanced methods using a computer, you will learn how to properly prepare a memory card, what risks exist and how to avoid data loss when transferring game caches and installation files.

Preparation of SD card and compatibility check

Before you start any manipulation, you need to make sure your memory card is suitable for storing applications. Not all drives have enough read and write speed to run heavy games without delay. Using a slow Class 4 or Class 6 card will cause games to load for eternity or even fly out.

It is recommended to use UHS-I or UHS-II cards with speed labels A1 or A2, which ensure that the drive is optimized for working with applications, not just for storing photos. If you insert the card into the smartphone slot, the system immediately prompts you to format it.

⚠️ Note: The formatting process will completely remove all data from the card. be sure to save important files to your computer or to the cloud before you start setting up.

For formatting, go to the settings menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but it usually looks like this: Settings → The phone. → The vault, you have to choose yours. SD-The system will suggest using the card as a portable storage or as internal memory.

Choosing the internal memory mode (if available on your model) automatically encrypts the card and ties it to that particular smartphone, and then you can't just paste it into another phone and read the data, which is the price of being able to install the apps.

Standard method of transfer through Android settings

The safest and easiest way, without root rights or a computer connection, doesn't work for all games, but it's worth trying first, and it allows you to migrate some of the application data, unless the developer has banned it in the program manifesto.

To start, open your smartphone settings and find the Apps section. From the list of installed programs, select the game you want to move. If portability is possible, you will see an active button, Change or Move to SD-map».

Click on the change button. In the window that appears, select yours. SD-The system will warn that some features may not work properly if the card is retrieved. Confirm the action and wait until the file copying process is completed.

It's worth noting that on the MIUI shell, this button is often inactive (gray) for most modern games, a restriction on the part of game developers who believe that external maps are not fast enough for their products, in which case more sophisticated methods will have to be used.

Use the Default Memory function in MIUI

In some versions of Xiaomi firmware, there is a hidden or explicit option to change the location of installing new applications by default.This will not carry already installed games, but will help avoid memory overflows in the future.

To find this setting, go to Settings. → Memory. If you have "Preferred installation location," select «SD-After that, all new apps from Google Play will try to install on an external drive.

It is important to understand the difference between the application itself and its data. Even if the application is moved, some of the system files will still remain in internal storage. You will not be able to free up space completely, but a significant amount of data (especially cache) can be moved.

Advanced Method: Linking through ADB (without Root)

If standard methods don’t work, a tool comes to the rescue. ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method allows you to force the storage settings for a particular application to be changed, making the system think that it should be on the app. SD-map.

To implement this method, you will need a computer (Windows, Mac or Linux), USB-cable and on-line debugging USB You can activate it by going to Settings. → About the phone and 7 times quickly clicking on the version MIUI, To create a menu for developers».

In the Developer menu, turn on the USB Debugging Toggle. Connect your phone to your computer and install the ADB drivers if they are not already installed. Open the command line on your PC and enter a command to check the connection:

adb devices

You'll see a request for debugging permission on your smartphone screen, confirm it, and now you need to know the exact name of the game package you want to migrate. You can do this through the command:

adb shell pm list packages

Find the game you want to play (e.g. com.pubg.imota) and then use the command to move:

adb shell pm move-package com.name.game sdcard

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB A mistake in the name of the package or the command can cause the application to stop running.

This is the most effective method for power users, and it doesn't require superuser rights, but it gives you deep access to the package management system, and if the game is gone or not working after the reboot, return it with the internal command.

Manual movement of cache and Obb files

Many heavy games store most of the data (graphics, sounds, levels) in an Android/obb or Android/data folder, and moving those folders manually can free up a few gigabytes even if the app itself remains inside.

Use any file manager with access to system folders, for example, MT Manager or standard access guide. Copy the folder with the game data (usually it has a packet name, for example, com.rockstar.gta3) from the inner memory SD-map.

Once you copy the original folder in the internal memory, you can delete it, but some games may not see the files in the new place, in which case users create symbolic links, but this requires Root rights, which is difficult for the average user and can disrupt banking applications.

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Use Files by Google to clean up your trash before transferring. Often, older downloads and messenger cache take up more space than the games themselves.

Possible problems and ways to solve them

While migrating games to Xiaomi, users may experience a variety of errors, and the most common problem is that the game stops updating on Google Play or stops running, claiming that the files are corrupted.

This often happens if the memory card has been retrieved or if the card's file system has errors. It's recommended to have the state of the drive through your phone's settings. If the game crashes, try moving it back to internal memory.

Also, you should consider that the speed of the game depends on the speed of the card, if you notice long loads of levels or twitching graphics, then the memory card can not cope with the flow of data, in which case it is better to remove the game from the card and leave it only in the internal storage.

⚠️ Attention: Don't put it on SD-Map system applications and services Google. This can lead to unstable operation of the entire smartphone, endless reboots or bootloop.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The optimal strategy is to keep heavy online games in your internal memory for stable play. FPS, on SD-Transfer map of single projects and multimedia.