Owners of budget and mid-budget smartphones often face a lack of built-in storage, especially when it comes to the Redmi Note 5A model. Built-in 16 or 32 gigabytes quickly fill up with multimedia files, messenger cache and heavy games. The system starts to run slower, and notifications of space shortages are annoying at each camera launch. The solution is to use a microSD card that can be turned into a full-fledged extension of internal memory.
The process of data transfer is not always intuitive, because the shell MIUI has its own features of working with external drives. Standard Android allows you to flexibly manage storage, but manufacturers often hide these features for the stability of the device.
In this guide, we will look at all the steps of preparing, formatting and porting applications. You will learn how to turn a regular flash drive into a system partition, what risks exist and how to minimize performance loss. Properly configuring internal memory will allow you to install more games and save more photos without having to constantly clean the cache.
Preparation of memory card and compatibility check
Before you start any manipulations, you need to make sure that your memory card meets the requirements of speed and volume.To work as an extension of internal memory (Adoptable Storage) requires cards of a speed class at least 10 or UHS-I. Using slow cards will lead to severe delays in the interface and long loading of applications.
It is recommended to use drives from 16 to 128 gigabytes. Too large volumes, such as 256 GB or 512 GB, can be incorrectly determined by the system or work unstable on the Snapdragon 425 processor installed in the Redmi Note 5A. It is also important to check the physical condition of the contacts of the card and the smartphone tray.
- 📀 Make sure the card is marked with Class 10, U1 or higher for stable employment.
- 💾 The optimal card size for this model is from 32 to 64 GB.
- 🔍 Check the card on another device or PC for errors before installing.
⚠️ Note: All data on the memory card will be permanently deleted during the formatting process. Be sure to back up important files to your computer or cloud storage before starting the procedure.
Formatting the map as an internal storage
The standard MIUI procedure often suggests using the card only as a portable storage for photos and music. To transfer applications there, you need to activate a hidden formatting function for internal memory. To do this, insert the card into the phone turned off, turn it on and wait for the notification of the new drive.
Go to the settings menu, select Advanced Settings, and find the Memory section. If the system suggests formatting a map, agree, but be careful about the formatting type you choose. You need Internal Storage mode, not Portable storage. In some versions MIUI This item may be hidden, then you will need to use ADB-The teams that will be discussed below.
The formatting process takes 2 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the card, during which time the system creates the necessary partitions and encrypts the data, linking the card to a particular device, and once completed, the phone can automatically restart.
adb shell pm set-force-true-external-storage trueThis command (input via a computer) may be required if the standard menu does not provide the desired options, and it forcibly activates the internal memory emulation mode for external drives.
- 📲 Select the option “Use as internal storage” when you first start.
- ⏳ Wait for the data migration process to end without removing the card.
- 🔄 After formatting, it is recommended to restart the device manually.
Step-by-step instructions for transferring installed applications
Once the card is successfully formatted as internal memory, the system begins to perceive it as part of the main drive, but the automatic transfer of all applications does not always occur, you have to manually specify to the system which programs should be moved to the new drive.
Open Settings, go to the Apps and select All Apps. Find the hard game or program you want to migrate from the list. Click on it, select Memory and click Change. In the window that appears, select yours. SD-map.
Not all applications support portability. Developers may not allow their products to be installed on external drives for security or stability reasons. If the memory change button is missing or inactive, then the transfer is not possible for this particular application by standard means.
☑️ Checklist of the application's transfer
It's important to understand that even after the transfer, some of the application's system files will remain in the internal memory. This is normal for the Android architecture. The bulk of the data, such as cache, resources and additional files, will be moved to the map.
Using ADB for Forced Transfer
If standard methods don’t work, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) toolkit. This method requires a computer and enabled USB debugging on your smartphone. To activate debugging, go to About Phone and 7 times click on the MIUI build number, then in Advanced Settings, turn on Debugging over USB.
Connect your phone to your PC, open the command line in the ADB folder, and type a command to get a list of packages. Find the name of the package of the desired application (for example, com.whatsapp).
adb shell pm move-package com.example.app sdcardThis method allows you to transfer even those applications that are hidden from the average user in the standard interface, but be careful: forced transfer of system applications can lead to unstable operation of the Redmi Note 5A.
- 💻 Install the drivers. ADB platform-tools computer.
- 🔌 Connect the phone in debugging mode and confirm access on the screen.
- 📝 Use the pm list packages command to find the exact name of the application.
⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-An error in command writing or a transfer of a critical system component can lead to a cyclic bootloop of the device.
Comparison of data storage methods: table
Different approaches to file organization have their pros and cons, and understanding the difference between portable storage and internal memory will help you choose the best microSD strategy.
| Parameter | Portable storage | Internal Memory (Adoptable) | Standard internal memory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access from other devices | Yeah (through the card reader) | No (linked to phone) | No. |
| Application speed | Low/Mediocre | Medium (depending on the map) | Tall. |
| Security of data | Low (easy to steal) | High (encryption) | Tall. |
| Ability to transfer applications | Limited. | Complete. | Not applicable. |
Possible problems and ways to solve them
In the process of operation, there can be situations when applications stop opening or work with errors, most often due to a slow read speed of the card or physical damage to it, if the phone stops seeing the card, try to remove it, wipe the contacts and paste back before clicking.
Another common problem is desynchronizing file paths, whereby after updating MIUI or resetting the system may lose access to the data on the map, requiring re-authorization or, in the worst case, re-formatting.
If you notice that your phone is getting too hot or discharged quickly after transferring apps, it may be that the background processes are constantly turning to the slow memory card, in which case it makes sense to return the most commonly used applications (social networks, navigator) to the internal memory.
- 📉 Slow menu performance may indicate wear of memory card resource.
- 🔒 Access errors are often solved by re-authorizing in a Google account.
- 🛠 File system error check is possible via the recovery menu or PC.
⚠️ Warning: Do not remove the memory card while the recording process is underway or the applications installed on it are running.This can damage the application database and lose progress in games.
Optimization of the system after the transfer
Once you have moved the apps, it is recommended to clean the system of temporary files that may have remained in the old partitions.Use the built-in Security app from Xiaomi to scan and remove debris.This will free up precious space in the built-in drive.
It is also worth turning off automatic updates of applications over the mobile network if the memory card is used as the main one for downloads.Tune Google Play so that updates are downloaded only through Wi-Fi, so as not to clog the channel and overheat the memory controller.
Check the status of the card regularly, and every few months, it is useful to copy important data to your computer and format the map again to prevent the accumulation of logical errors in the file system, which will prolong the life of your Redmi Note 5A and keep the data intact.