How to transfer games from phone to memory card Xiaomi: all ways + bypassing the limitations of MIUI

Transferring games to a memory card in Xiaomi smartphones is a task that most users face when there is a lack of internal storage. MIUI officially restricts the ability to move installed applications to SD-In this article, we will look at all the available methods, from standard system functions to the use of hidden settings and third-party tools.

It’s important to understand that not all games support external storage, because many modern projects (especially those with high graphics requirements) save cache and data on internal memory to speed up loading. However, for most casual games and applications of medium weight (up to 1-2 GB), portability is possible. We tested all the methods described below on devices with MIUI 14 and MIUI 15 (including Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Poco X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Lite) – the results are shown in a comparative table.

If you use an A1 or A2 memory card (recommended for gaming), the performance after the transfer will decrease slightly, on average by 5-15% according to AnTuTu tests. For cards of UHS-I or older, the difference is almost invisible. But there are nuances: some games (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) may fail to work with external memory due to cheating protection.

Why Xiaomi is blocking the transfer of games to the SD-map?

The restriction on the portability of applications is not a whim of Xiaomi, but a consequence of Google’s policy and the technical features of Android. Since Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google has banned the transfer of applications to the Internet. SD-Adoptable Storage (when the card is formatted as internal memory) due to problems with the card:

• 🔒 Safety: data on SD-It is easier to steal or replace cards;
• ⚡ Performance: Even fast cards are slower than internal memory eMMC/UFS;
• 🔄 Stability: When you remove the map, the applications stop working;
• 📱 Fragmentation: MIUI Optimized for working with internal memory.

But Xiaomi has gone further and removed the portability option completely, while it is still saved for some apps in pure Android, because MIUI uses aggressive caching and background optimization, which are not compatible with external drives.

⚠️ Attention: Transfer of games to SD-The card can cause them to work unstable (departures, lags, download errors), especially with online games with anticheat (for example, PUBG Mobile or Free Fire.Before transferring, back up your saves!

In 2023, Xiaomi returned limited portability support for some applications in the MIUI 15, but only for devices with a hybrid slot (where SIM and SD-The card is used by a single slot, and owners of models such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro or Poco F4, A simplified method is available - we will talk about it in the next section.

Method 1: Standard transfer through MIUI settings (for supported games)

This method only works for a fraction of the applications that the developer has labeled as memory compatible, usually lightweight games without an online multiplayer (e.g. Candy Crush, Clash of Clans offline, or Among Us).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Choose the game you want to move.
3. Slip on Warehouse.
4. If the option is available, a button will appear to Move to SD-Map (or Modify in new versions) MIUI).
5. Confirm the action and wait until the process is completed (may take up to 5 minutes).

If there is no transfer button, the game is locked, in which case move on to the following methods.

The game supports external memory (check out Google Play)

The memory card is formatted as a portable storage (not as internal memory)

There is enough free space on the map (at least 20% more than the game weighs)

The smartphone is not discharged below 30% (to avoid failures)

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Critical information: On devices with a Snapdragon processor 8 Gen 1/2 (for example, Xiaomi 12T Pro or Poco F5) standardization SD-The card is locked at the Android core level, which is due to optimizations for the HyperOS gaming accelerator.

Method 2: Using ADB for forced transfer (for experienced)

If the standard method didn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that lets you manually tell the system which apps to move, which works on all versions of MIUI, but requires a connection to a computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone; Tap 7 times on MIUI Version; Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers; Activate Debugging over USB.

Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.

ADB Tools

Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Mac/Linux) in this folder.

adb devices

The serial number of your device should appear.

com.supercell.clashofclans

adb shell pm list packages -f | grep "game name"

adb shell pm set-install-location 2

Then:

adb shell pm move-package com.name.packet android

If the team is successful, the game will be rescheduled, but there are nuances:

• 🔧 Not all games support this method (especially with Denuvo or Unity protection). IAP);
• 🔄 After updating the game, it can automatically return to internal memory;
• ⚠️ Some devices (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra) require root rights.

⚠️ Attention: After use ADB Some games (such as Honor of Kings or Mobile Legends) may require re-authorization in your account, due to a change in the path to save files!

Method 3: Applications for portability (App2SD, Link2SD)

If the first two methods didn't work, you can use third-party utilities.

• 📱 App2SD (free version with limitations);
• 🔗 Link2SD (Requires root rights for full functionality);
• 📂 Files by Google (built-in manager with cleaning function).

Consider working with App2SD:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and give access to the storage.
3. In the list of applications, find the game and tap it.
4. Select the Move to SD card option (if active).
5. If the option is inactive, try Create Link (requires root).

Link2SD is more powerful, but it's more complex to set up.

• Create symbolic links (symlink) to game files;
• Transfer cache and data (obb files);
• Clear unnecessary files after uninstallation.

However, Link2SD requires:

1. Get root rights (for example, through Magisk);
2. Break it up SD-two-part (FAT32 file-and-file ext2/ext4 reference).

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If the game doesn't start after the transfer, try clearing its cache in the settings (Settings → Applications → [game name] → Clear the cache). Often this helps restore the workflow.

Method 4: Transfer only game files (bypassing restrictions)

If you can't move the application, you can move only additional files (such as cache or downloadable content).

• /Android/obb/[name packet] (main game files)
• /Android/data/[name packet] (save, cache).

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /Android/obb/.
3. Find a folder with the name of the game package (for example, com.mojang.minecraftpe for Minecraft).
4. Copy it on. SD-map (e.g. in the /SDCard/Android/obb/).
5. Remove the original folder from your internal memory.
6. Create a symbolic link (requires root) or manually specify a new path in the game settings (if supported).

For automatic folder mounting, you can use:

• 🔄 FolderMount (requires root);
• 📁 Bind Folder (works without root on some firmware).

⚠️ Warning: Some games (such as Asphalt 9 or Need for Speed: No Limits) check file integrity when running, and if it is found that files are not stored in a standard folder, the game may block access or reset progress. Before transfer, check if the game supports custom paths (usually indicated in the game). FAQ designer).

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Porting only the game files (without the APK itself) is the safest method, as it does not affect system settings, but it only works for games that allow you to manually specify the path to data (for example, emulators or offline projects).

Method 5: Formatting SD-The card is an internal memory (adoptable storage)

This method allows the system to be “deceived” by making it perceive SD-The advantage is that all applications (including games) can be installed directly on the map:

• 🔒 The card will be encrypted and will not be read on other devices;
• ⚡ Speed will decrease (especially on cheap cards);
• 🔄 When you remove the map, the applications will stop working.

Instructions for MIUI:

1. Put it in. SD-phone-card.
2. When a notification appears, select Set Up → Internal Memory.
3. Follow the instructions of the system (the map will be formatted!).
4. After formatting, go to Settings → Warehouse and select SD-map as default installation location.

Important: This method does not work on devices with:

• MediaTek Helio G processors (e.g. Redmi Note 11)
• MIUI Global Stable (in some regions, the option is hidden)
• Android 12 and later (Google has limited the feature).

To circumvent the restrictions, you can use ADB:

adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true

After that, the option of formatting as internal memory will appear in the settings.

What if the game does not start after the transfer?

If the game crashes, does not load, or gives out errors after the transfer, try the following steps:

1. Clear the cache: Go to Settings → Apps → [game name] → Storage → Clear the cache. Reboot the phone.
2. Check the File Path: If you have manually transferred files, make sure the folder structure is saved (e.g. /Android/obb/com.game.package/). For games with.obb files, check their integrity (you can download them again).
3. Reverse the changes: Transfer the game back to your internal memory. Delete it and reinstall it.

Use the patch to bypass checks

• For some games (like PUBG Mobile), there are modified APKs that ignore file path checkers. download them only from trusted sources (like APKMirror).

If nothing helps, check:

• 📋 Compatibility of the game with external memory (information is available on forums, for example, 4PDA or XDA Developers);
• 🔧 Antivirus settings (some, such as Avast, block access to the software) SD-map);
• 📡 Status of the file system of the card (check through chkdsk on PC).

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring games to SD-map