Owners of the popular budget smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 7A often face a strict restriction of internal drive capacity of only 16 or 32 GB. After installing the Android operating system and the MIUI shell, as well as the basic set of applications from Google, the user is left with extremely little free space. This becomes a critical problem when trying to install modern “heavy” games such as PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty or Genshin Impact, which require gigabytes of free space for cache and data.
The memory deficit not only makes it impossible to install new entertainment, but also causes the entire device to slow down significantly, with the system starting to run unstable, lags appearing, and background processes being forced to close. In this article, we will discuss proven methods that allow you to free precious megabytes and transfer games to an external drive, turning your computer into a real game. SD-map to full expansion of system memory.
There are several ways to do this, from standard Android tools to the use of advanced MIUI and third-party software. It is important to understand that the quality of the memory card plays a crucial role in the speed of downloading games. Using a slow Class 4 card can lead to long loads of levels, so we will pay special attention to choosing the right drive.
⚠️ Note: Before you start any manipulation of the file system, be sure to back up important data. Transferring system partitions or formatting the card as internal memory will result in the complete deletion of all files on it.
Choosing the Right Memory Card for Games
The first step to successfully porting games is to purchase a quality memory card.The Redmi 7A internal drive works on eMMC 5.1 standard, which provides high speed read and write random blocks of data. Cheap microSD cards often can not provide similar performance, which becomes a bottleneck for game performance.
For a comfortable game, you need to pay attention to the speed marking. UHS-I speed-class U3 or V30. These parameters guarantee a minimum sequential write speed of 30 MB/s, which is critical for loading textures and accessories in modern systems. 3D-Maps marked with games A1 or A2 (Application Performance Class – optimized specifically for running applications and providing better speeds for accessing random files.
Xiaomi officially supports memory cards up to 256 GB in the Redmi 7A model, but many users successfully use 512 GB drives. When buying, you should give preference to proven brands such as SanDisk, Samsung or Kingston, since fakes often fail after several overwriting cycles.
- 🚀 Choose cards with markings A1 or A2 Maximum speed of application launch.
- 💾 Minimum recommended card size for games is 64 GB, optimal – 128 GB and above.
- ⚡ Pay attention to the Write Speed, not just the read speed shown in large fonts.
Standard Transfer through Android Settings
The Android operating system that runs MIUI provides a built-in mechanism for moving applications. However, in the case of Xiaomi, this functionality is often limited to developers to ensure system stability. However, for some games whose developers have allowed data portability, this method works without the need for superuser rights.
First, you need to insert the memory card into the slot and wait for it to be determined. Go to the Settings menu, then select the App item and then All Apps. Find the right game in the list, for example, Asphalt 9. If the developer has provided portability, the Move or Change button (in the Storage section) will be active.
Click on the Change Storage button and select SD-The system will start the process of copying files. OBB The time of the process depends on the game size and the speed of your card, and when the game is finished, the list will be marked as being on an external medium, which will free up space in the internal partition. /data.
☑️ Verification of portability
Unfortunately, many heavyweight games, such as World of Tanks Blitz or Minecraft, may not have an active port button, a limitation on the part of developers who believe that the game should only be on a fast internal drive, in which case the standard method will not work, and you will have to resort to more advanced techniques.
Use of the memory extension function in MIUI
Some versions of MIUI firmware for Redmi 7A (especially global versions based on Android 9 Pie and higher) feature a feature that allows you to format the card as internal memory. This technology, known as Adoptable Storage, encrypts the card and makes it an integral part of the system.
To activate this function, go to Settings → The phone. → The vault, choose yours. SD-Click on the menu (three dots) and select Storage Settings. If internal memory is available, the system will prompt you to format the map. SD-map.
⚠️ Note: Once formatted as internal memory, the card will be encrypted and will not be read on other devices (cameras, PCs) without re-formatting, which will delete all data.
If the “Internal Memory” option is missing or hidden (which often happens in Chinese firmware versions or after security updates), you can try to activate it through the developer menu. To do this, go to Settings → About phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI version until you see the “You became a developer” option. Then, in the advanced settings, find the default switch to write to the external drive and activate it.
| Parameter | Internal memory. | Portable storage | Adoptable Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed of access | High (eMMC) | Depends on the card. | Depends on the card. |
| Encryption | Yes. | No. | Yeah (device binding) |
| Portability | No. | Yeah, any device. | No (just this phone) |
| Use for games | Perfect. | Limited. | Good (on a quick card) |
What to do if the internal memory button is grey?
Transfer OBB data manually through the file manager
The most versatile method that works for almost all games on the Xiaomi Redmi 7A is to manually transfer heavy cache files. Games often take up little space in the app section, but their graphical resources are stored in the Android/obb folder.
First, install the game from Google Play or APKPure, but don't run it. Open standard Explorer (or download File Manager+). Go to Internal Sharing → Android → obb. Here you'll see folders with names like com.pubg.krmobile or com.garena.game.codm.
Select the folder you want and select the Copy action (do not cut, just in case). SD-You can create a new folder, like GameCache, and paste the files there. Then go back to the original obb folder in the internal memory and delete the original to make room.
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Some games may not start if they don't find the files on the original path, so create a symbolic link, but Redmi 7A without Root rights is impossible, alternatively, in the game settings (if any), specify the path to the cache, or use special path emulators.
It's important to understand that this method doesn't work for all games, and some apps check for files in the internal memory at launch, but for many projects like Subway Surfers, Temple Run, and even some versions of Asphalt, the game will quietly pull data from the external drive if the folder structure is saved.
Use of App2SD utility for automation
To simplify the process of memory management, you can use a specialized application App2SD. This tool allows you to quickly analyze memory and move applications in one click if the system allows you to do so.The application is available in the Google Play Store and is fully compatible with the Internet. MIUI.
Once you have installed and given the permissions you need, launch App2SD. Go to the App2SD tab. Here you will see a list of all the games installed. Any apps that can be moved will be marked with the appropriate icon. Click on the game and select Move to SD.
The utility also has a “Linker” feature that allows you to create links between internal memory and the card, but it requires Root rights to work. On Redmi 7A, obtaining superuser rights is possible through unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk, but it is a complex process that can void warranty and disrupt banking applications.
- 📲 The app automatically sorts games by size, helping to find the most voluminous games.
- ⚙️ System App Remover allows you to remove Xiaomi’s built-in garbage, freeing up even more space.
- 🔄 Regular monitoring of memory helps keep the system clean.
Optimization and possible problems
After the transfer of games to SD-You can see a change in the behavior of the device, the main difference is speed. Even a quick card. U3 It is less than the internal drive in speed with small files, which can manifest itself in longer level loads or periodic friezes when loading new locations in open worlds.
Another common problem is reading errors: If the memory card is not tightly attached or has defective sectors, the games can be sent to the desktop with the error "Can not download data", in which case it is recommended to check the card for errors by connecting it to the computer, or replace it with a more reliable one.
It's also important to consider the impact on autonomy. SD-The card consumes more energy during the game than working with internal memory. 7A In the game mode, it may be reduced to 10-15%.
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Transfer of games to SD-The card is a compromise between the amount of space available and the maximum performance. For light and medium games, the method is ideal, for heavy esports disciplines, it is better to leave the game in internal memory by removing unnecessary applications.