Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a shortage of internal storage, especially in budget models with 32 or 64 GB of memory. Installing heavy games, social networks and accumulating multimedia files quickly fill the available space, causing a slowdown.
Modern shell MIUI And its successor, HyperOS, has strict restrictions on external drives, and unlike older versions of Android, there's no simple "Move to the Internet" button. SD-This is done for the safety and stability of the operating system, but there are proven methods to circumvent these restrictions.
In this article, we will look at all the available methods, from standard system tools to advanced methods using a computer, you will learn what applications can be ported, how to avoid data loss, and whether it is worth using microSD as the main storage for programs.
Features of memory in MIUI and HyperOS
Understanding the file system architecture is the first step to successful optimization. Xiaomi smartphones use separation into internal memory and external card. By default, the system installs all applications only in the internal partition, ignoring the free space on the internal partition. SD-map.
This restriction is dictated by Google’s policy and the way modern versions of Android work: applications used to be easy to move, but now developers must explicitly specify transfer support in the code, and most popular programs do not have such support, considering internal memory to be a priority for performance.
⚠️ Warning: Forced transfer of system applications or important Google services can cause a phone to malfunction or a program to fail completely.
However, the MIUI shell allows you to use the memory card as an internal storage device through special commands or hidden settings, which makes a regular flash drive a full extension of the system partition, but the speed in this case depends on the speed class of your memory card.
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Use a UHS-I or UHS-II memory card marked A1/A2 to install applications. Regular cards can severely slow down programs.
Preparation of a memory card and smartphone
Before you start manipulating the file system, you need to properly prepare the media, the memory card will be formatted and all the data on it will be destroyed, so be sure to back up important photos and documents to your computer or the cloud.
Insert a microSD card into your device's slot. If you're using a combined tray, make sure the card is installed correctly and determined by the system. Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage to check the amount of space available and connection status.
- 📱 Make sure your smartphone battery is at least 50% during the formatting process.
- 💾 Use only quality memory cards from well-known brands such as SanDisk, Samsung or Kingston.
- 🔄 Close all working applications before setting up to avoid process conflicts.
Once physically installed, the system can suggest using the card as a portable storage or internal memory, and for our purposes, it is enough to choose formatting as a portable medium if you plan to use standard methods, or as an internal one if your version of MIUI allows you to do this directly.
☑️ Checking readiness
The standard method through storage settings
Some versions of the MIUI shell still allow you to change the default installation location, which is the safest way to do so without having to connect to a computer, but it's worth noting that this feature is not available on all models and firmware versions.
To check for the possibility, go to Settings → Memory. Find the item responsible for the preferred installation location. If this item is missing, then the manufacturer has blocked this feature at the software level for your model.
If there is a paragraph, select "SD-All new applications that support the transfer will then be automatically installed on an external medium, and existing programs will have to be manually transferred through the application management menu.
| Action. | The way is on the menu | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Memory check | Settings → About the phone | Information on the occupied place |
| Storage setup | Settings → Memory | Choosing Record Priority |
| Application management | Settings → Applications | Manual transfer of programmes |
| Formatting | Settings → Memory. → SD-map | Cleaning and preparation of carrier |
It’s important to understand that even if you’re successful, many heavy games and instant messengers may ignore this rule, and they’ll take up space in the internal partition, as their architecture doesn’t involve running on slow external drives.
Use of Developer Mode and ADB
If standard methods don't work, then development tools come to the rescue, which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and installing ADB drivers, and it allows you to force the behavior of your system to change with respect to external drives.
First, you need to activate the developer mode. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the item "Version" MIUI". After the activation message appears, a new section "Additional" or "Extended settings" will appear in the menu".
Inside the developer menu, find the item "Enable Forced Permission to Place in External Storage." Activate this switch. This action won't move applications instantly, but will allow the system to see how they can move.
adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2This command is introduced into the console ADB, establishes the priority of installation on SD-The value of "2" means external storage, "0" means automatic selection by the system, and "1" means internal memory only. Be careful when using console commands, as incorrect input can disrupt the package manager.
⚠️ Attention: When in use ADB-If the screen goes out, the process will stop and the command will not be executed.
After the changes are applied, it is recommended to restart the device. Check the list of applications: some of them may have a button "Move to the device". SD-It's a map in the control menu, which means that it worked well.
What to do if your computer can’t see your phone?
System compatibility and limitations
Even after a successful transfer, you may face a number of limitations. Android encrypts data on the Internet. SD-And that means you can't just plug the card into another phone and run apps.
Also, the read and write speeds of memory cards are usually lower than those of a built-in flash drive, which can lead to longer load times and more freezes in games, especially on budget card models.
- 🚫 Widgets and live wallpaper may stop working if the application is transferred to the map.
- 🔔 Notifications from messengers may come with a delay or not at all.
- 📉 The overall system performance may decrease with the active use of heavy applications from the card.
Some Google system applications and services are categorically un portable, and trying to do so could result in a cyclical reboot or account errors, and always leave critical components in your internal memory.
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Only transfer games and secondary programs to the map, and it is better to keep messengers and banking applications in internal memory for security and speed.
Optimization and management of multimedia files
If the applications themselves are not portable or feasible, the best solution is to migrate media files, with photos, videos, music and documents taking up the lion’s share of memory, making room for the system and the application cache.
Use the built-in Explorer or Google Files app. Select folders DCIM, Download, WhatsApp (Media section) and move them to the memory card. In the camera settings, specify saving new photos and videos immediately to the memory card. SD-map.
Many apps also allow you to change the way you save data in your internal settings, for example, in Telegram you can specify the saving of downloaded files to an external medium, in Spotify and Yandex.Music you can choose a card to store the cache of offline tracks.
Clean the app cache regularly. Even if the program is installed inside, its temporary files can grow to gigabytes. Moving only "heavy" content to the map is a compromise that keeps the interface running fast, but solves the problem of space shortage.
⚠️ Warning: Do not format your memory card as "Internal Storage" if you plan to change cards frequently or connect your phone to your PC to transfer files.