Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 8 often face a critical lack of free space after a few months of active operation of the device. Built-in storage capacity of 32 or 64 gigabytes is catastrophically lacking for the installation of modern heavy applications that can take up 3-5 gigabytes each. System files, messenger cache and Android operating system updates also ruthlessly absorb available gigabytes, causing slowdown of the interface and the inability to install new programs.
There are several proven methods of releasing internal storage by moving data to an external drive. Standard MIUI shell tools allow you to transfer only a part of user content, while full-fledged application transfer often requires deeper manipulation. In this article, we will discuss in detail the regular system capabilities, work with developer rights and use of specialized software to solve the problem of memory overflow.
Analysis of current memory status and preparation
Before you start any manipulations, you need to clearly understand what exactly occupies space in your smartphone. The standard MIUI file management system provides a convenient tool for visualizing occupied space, but it does not always show the real size of the application cache. For accurate diagnosis, go to the Settings → Memory menu, where the system will describe in detail the distribution of resources between photos, videos, applications and system files.
Many users mistakenly believe that simply installing a memory card will instantly solve all problems, but the Xiaomi Redmi 8, like most modern smartphones, has a strict security policy: by default, the system prohibits installing applications directly on an external drive to prevent possible failures and data leakage. So the preparation is not only to buy a card, but also to properly configure it and format it to the needs of the system.
⚠️ Before formatting a memory card, be sure to copy all the important data to the computer, as the process will completely destroy the information on the media.
It is important to choose a high-quality memory card standard UHS-I or higher, as read and write speed directly affects the performance of installed games. Cheap drives with low speed can lead to games that will load longer, and in heavy scenes can twitch the image. The minimum recommended card size for a gaming smartphone is 64 gigabytes, although Redmi 8 supports cards up to 256 gigabytes.
Use of MIUI functions for portability
The Android-based MIUI shell provides basic functionality for moving some types of data, and first of all, you should pay attention to the storage settings, where you can change the default location for new files, but it should be understood that this is mainly for media files, documents and downloads, but not for the application executables themselves.
To transfer games already installed, you need to go to the application management menu, and the path to this usually looks like Settings. → Annexes → All apps. When you select a particular game from the list, you will see a Memory button where the option to modify or move to SD-If the button is active, the system allows you to transfer some of the application data, freeing up the interior space.
Unfortunately, for many system applications and popular games like PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty, this feature is often unavailable (gray), which is due to the fact that application developers mark their products as requiring high data access speeds, which internal drive provides better than average external drive, but for light applications and games, this method is the most secure and stable.
⚠️ Note: When transferring the application to SD-The widgets and some features may stop working correctly before the device restarts.
Configuring a memory card as an internal storage
There's a more radical way to get around the limitations of the system and get Android to consider the memory card as part of the internal drive, a process called Adoptable Storage, which, once activated, encrypts the card and combines the card space with the internal memory, allowing you to install any application without restrictions.
To activate this feature on Xiaomi Redmi 8, you often need to access hidden settings or use commands. ADB (Android Debug Bridge, because the manufacturer can hide this option in the interface, so you first need to insert the card, format it as a portable storage, and then send a command to change the type of storage through the computer. USB-cable and installed driver on the PC.
Technical details of ADB team
Once the space is successfully combined, the system will automatically transfer data and applications to the map, so that the user can manually initiate the movement of heavy games through the application settings menu. It is important to note that a memory card formatted in this way will not be read on other devices without re-formatting, since the data will be encrypted with the keys of a particular smartphone.
- 📱 Advantages of the method: full memory integration, the ability to install any applications.
- ⚡ Speed: the dependence of the system speed on the speed of the memory card.
- 🔒 Security: data on the map is encrypted and not available when retrieved.
- 🔄 Flexibility: the ability to return the card to portable storage at any time.
Advanced transfer through the developer menu
If standard methods don't work, you can use the hidden developer menu, which contains a lot of technical settings, including the forced permission to install applications on external drives, and activation of the developer menu is done by repeatedly clicking on the build number in the About Phone section.
Once activated, a new option will appear in the settings menu, “Advanced Settings” or “Additional”, where you need to find “Developers” and in the settings list, you should find “Force allow apps on external” or similar.
☑️ Checklist of activation of the developer mode
Even with this option enabled, not all apps will agree to move to the map. Many modern games prescribe hard paths to resources in internal memory, and transferring them can lead to crashes or malfunction, so it is better to test this method on less critical applications before transferring the main games.
⚠️ Attention: Changing the settings in the developer menu can lead to unstable system operation if you do not understand the purpose of specific parameters.
Using third-party utilities for memory management
When built-in tools are scarce, specialized apps come to the rescue from the Google Play Store. One of the most popular tools is App2SD, which allows you to analyze applications in detail and move those that support such a feature. The app automatically sorts programs into three categories: on the phone, on the map and those that can be moved.
Another effective method is to use advanced file managers, such as File Commander or ES Explorer (older versions), which allow you to manually move folders with game cache (usually located in the Android/obb or Android/data directory) to the memory card, creating symbolic links. However, on modern versions of Android, access to system folders is limited, which requires special permissions through the “Special Features” menu.
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Use cache cleaner applications like Clean Master or the built-in MIUI cleaner before transferring games to reduce the amount of data you move.
They only automate what the system can do, and if an application is labeled "unmovable," no program without superuser rights can change that behavior in standard ways.
Optimizing the performance of games after the transfer
Once the games are transferred to the memory card, the way they work can change. In some cases, loading levels can take longer because of the slower speed of reading the card compared to internal flash memory. To minimize this effect, it is recommended to defragment the map (although modern file systems do this automatically) and close the background processes.
Also worth checking is the power saving settings. MIUI is known for its aggressive battery optimization, which can "sleep" games on an external drive, considering them less important, add portable games to the exception list or adjust the performance profile to "No Limits" for specific applications.
| Parameter | Internal memory. | SD card (Class 10) | SD card (UHS-I) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading speed | High (up to 400 MB/s) | Medium (up to 80 MB/s) | High (up to 95 MB/s) |
| Recording speed | Tall. | Low/Mediocre | Medium/High |
| Impact on FPS | Minimum | Possible drawdowns | Stable. |
| Reliability | Tall. | Medium | Tall. |
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
One common problem after porting is that app icons disappear from the desktop or “Application Stopped” errors occur, often when the card was not extracted correctly or if the card’s file system has errors, in which case re-install the application or check the card for errors through the computer helps.
If the game stopped running after the transfer, try moving only the cache (OBB/Data folders), leaving the application itself in internal memory - this often solves the problem of path compatibility.
Users may also experience a situation where the system stops seeing the memory card after transferring a lot of data, which may indicate that the card controller is overheated or worn out, in which case it is recommended to back up the data and format the card again, choosing the exFAT file system, which works better with large amounts of data on Android.
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The stability of the transferred games depends on the quality of the memory card and its speed class; savings on the media will lead to lags in games.