How to transfer music to a memory card in Xiaomi smartphones: the complete guide

Transferring music files to a Xiaomi memory card is a challenge that most users face, especially if the smartphone’s internal memory is sorely lacking. Unlike photos or documents, audio files often take up tens of gigabytes, and losing or damaging them can be a real problem. In this article, we will examine all the current ways of transferring music - from standard tools to the most popular ones. MIUI Little-known life hacks that will speed up the process and save time.

Many people mistakenly believe that it is enough to copy files to the SD-maps, but in practice, this can lead to playback errors, missing album covers, or even the complete invisibility of tracks in the player, and we will tell you how to avoid typical problems, which formats are supported without additional codecs, and what to do if the smartphone “does not see” music after transfer. And you will learn how to automate the process so that new tracks are immediately saved to an external drive.

If you are using Xiaomi Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or the flagship Xiaomi 13 series, the instructions below are suitable for all models based on the MIUI 12-14: The only difference is the location of the individual menu items, but we'll show you the alternatives, and we'll start with the simplest method, which doesn't require a computer connection.

1.Mobile music transfer through the built-in file manager

The standard File Application (or File Manager in global firmware) is the fastest way to transfer music without additional programs. It is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones and supports external drives, including microSD and other devices. OTG-flash-drive.

To get started, open the Files app and go to the Audio or Music section (depending on version). MIUI). And this is where you can see all the audio files that are stored in the internal memory:

• 📁 Select the desired tracks or albums with a long tap (or check the boxes in the upper right corner of each file).
• 📤 Click the Transfer (or Move) button in the bottom panel.
• 💾 In the window that opens, select SD-map → Create a folder (such as Music) or select an existing folder.
• ✅ Confirm the transfer – files will start to be copied without loss of quality.

Important: If you see a message saying “Impossible to transfer: file is being used,” close all music players (including background processes) and try again. Also check that the memory card is not protected from writing – to do this, remove it and switch the physical lever on the adapter (if any).

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If the music folder is on SD-The card already exists, but does not appear in the file manager, update the list of files swipe down or restart the smartphone.

The advantage of this method is that it has instant access to music after transfer, but it also has disadvantages:

⚠️ Note: When transferring through the file manager MIUI Sometimes, track metadata (artist's name, album cover) is reset, and to avoid this, use specialized applications like Mixplorer or other types of apps. FX File Explorer.

2. Copying music from a computer: step-by-step instructions

If you have a large collection of music (for example, FLAC-It's not easy to transfer files or lossless albums over your smartphone, so you'd better connect Xiaomi to your PC and copy files directly, and this is also useful if you're downloading music to your computer and want to save it to your computer right away. SD-map.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 Cable USB (Preferably original or certified).
• 💾 Memory card inserted into a smartphone (or adapter for direct connection to a PC).

Connect your smartphone to your computer and follow the following steps:

1. On the Xiaomi screen, select File Transfer Mode (or MTP). If this window does not appear, lower the notification curtain and tap the option. USB file transfer.
2. On PC, open This PC (Windows) or Finder (macOS) – there will be a Xiaomi device.
3. Go to the Internal Storage folder → Music (or the one where your audio files are stored).
4. Copy the files and paste them into the folder SD-map → Music (or create a new one).

The speed of copying depends on the version USB And the class of memory card, like microSD. UHS-I It copies files 2-3 times faster than a normal Class 10:

• 🔌 Cable - try another (cheap cables often limit speed).
• 🔋 Battery charge – if it is below 15%, MIUI It can block the transmission of data.
• 🛡️ Antivirus – sometimes it scans the copied files and slows down the process.

Disable music syncing in Google Play Music|Close all programs that use audio files|Check the vacant space for SD-map|Use the cable USB 3.0 to accelerate-->

Once you copy, safely remove the device and check the music in any player. If the tracks don't show up, manually update the media library (more on this in the next section).

3. Updating the media library after the transfer

One of the most common problems after transferring music is that the tracks don't appear in the player (e.g. Mi Music or Spotify). MIUI Not having time to scan new files SD-It solves the problem in two clicks:

Method 1: Through smartphone settings

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find your music player (such as Mi Music or Poweramp).
3. Slip the vault. → Clear the data (this will reset the cache, but will not delete the music!).
4. Close the settings and open the player – it will automatically scan the files again.

Method 2: Through the Files Application

1. Open the files. → SD-map → Music.
2. Slip on any audio file - it will open in the player by default.
3. Close the player and restart it – now all music should be displayed.

If none of these methods worked, check:

• 🎵 File format — MIUI default supports MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV. For ALAC or DSD You may need additional codecs.
• 📁 Folder structure – some players (for example, VLC) You can’t see music if it’s deeper than 3 subfolders.
• 🔍 The presence of hidden files - if SD-The card has a.nomedia file, players ignore the entire folder.

Mi Music|Poweramp|Spotify|VLC|Other-->

4. Automatic transfer of new music to SD-map

To avoid copying every new album manually, you can set up automatic music transfer to a memory card, and there are two reliable ways to do this: through Downloads and using the MacroDroid app.

Method 1: Setup of downloads by default

1. Open Settings → Storage → Memory by default.
2. Choose. SD-Card (if the option is active – your smartphone supports this feature).
3. All downloaded files (including music) will be saved to an external drive.

Limitation: This method only works for files downloaded through a browser or Mi Download Manager.Music from instant messengers (such as Telegram) will still be stored in internal memory.

Method 2: Automation with MacroDroid

MacroDroid allows you to create a rule that will transfer new audio files to the Internet. SD-This is the map automatically:

1. Install MacroDroid from Google Play.
2. Create a new macro team: Trigger → File/Fader → New file in the folder.
3. Please specify the path to the music folder (for example, /storage/emulated/0/Download/Music).
4. Add an action: File → Move the file and specify the target folder to SD-map.
5. Save the macro and activate it.

Now, every time a new audio file appears in the original folder, it will be automatically transferred to the memory card, which is especially useful if you download music through Torrent clients or Telegram bots.

5. Problem Solving: Music is not played after transfer

Even if the files are successfully copied to SD-So you can see the map, you can see some playback errors. So let's look at the typical scenarios and their solutions:

If none of the solutions worked, check the file system. SD-map:

• 🔧 Format the card in exFAT (supports files) >4 GB) or FAT32 (If you use old devices).
• 🛠️ Check for errors through the PC (in Properties) → Service → Check it out).

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with Hybrid firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU), some features are available for you. SD-The card may be limited, in which case we recommend using Root rights and the FolderMount app to link folders.

6. Alternative ways: cloud and streaming

If you don't want to upload music to a memory card, consider cloud services or streaming platforms, which is relevant for users with limited volume. SD-cards or those who listen to music on multiple devices.

Method 1: Google Play Music (Old but Working)

Although the service is officially closed, downloaded tracks remain available:

1. Open music.google.com on PC.
2. Upload music to the library (up to 50,000 tracks free of charge).
3. In the YouTube Music mobile app, enable the option to Cach music on your device and select SD-card.

Method 2: Yandex Music / Boom

Russian services allow you to cache tracks to a memory card:

• 🎧 In Yandex Music: Settings → Kesh. → Folder on SD-map.
• 🔊 In Boom: Settings → Warehouse → Save it on. SD.

Method 3: Your own cloud (Nextcloud, Syncthing)

For full control of files, you can deploy a personal cloud:

1. Install Nextcloud on your home server or NAS.
2. Upload music to the cloud via the web interface.
3. In the Nextcloud mobile app, enable Autosynchronization on SD-map.

The advantage of cloud computing is that you can access music from any device and you can't lose files, but you still need caching to play it offline, which takes up space on the map.

7. Optimization of music storage on SD-map

To save space and avoid chaos in the music library, follow these tips:

• 🗑️ Remove duplicates: Use apps like Duplicate Files Fixer to find the same tracks.
• 🎛️ Convert formats: FLAC opus MP3 320 kbps (with Audacity or FFmpeg).
• 📂 Sort by folder: Create a structure Genre → Executive → Album for easy search.
• 🔄 Automate cleaning: set up a rule in MacroDroid to remove tracks older than 6 months.

For high-res audio fans, we recommend using SanDisk Extreme or Samsung memory cards. PRO Endurance – optimized for read/write frequently and have high speeds (up to 170MB/s).

Critical information: If you are using SD-map as the main music storage, disable the "Battery Optimization" option for music players. MIUI can suspend playback in the background, especially on models with MIUI 13+.

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For maximum compatibility, use the Music folder on the SD-map – most players by default scan it.

FAQ: Frequent questions about bringing music to Xiaomi