How to transfer applications to a memory card on Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi Redmi smartphone owners often face a shortage of free storage space, especially if the device is equipped with only 32 or 64 gigabytes of memory. After installing all the necessary messengers, social networks and a couple of heavy games, the system begins to issue warnings about critical filling, which slows down the interface. The only logical solution in this situation is to use a microSD memory card to store user data and, if possible, the applications themselves.

Unfortunately, the MIUI shell has its own peculiarities and does not always allow you to simply drag a program from internal storage to external media with standard means. Modern versions of Android also limit this feature for the sake of security and performance, but workarounds do exist. In this article, we will discuss all available methods, from standard settings to advanced debugging tools.

It’s worth noting that the efficiency of the transfer depends on the specific model of your smartphone and the firmware version. Some applications, such as Google system services or the Play Market store itself, can’t be physically moved because they are critical to the operating system. However, photos, music, documents and many games can be sent to an external drive, freeing up precious megabytes.

Preparation of memory card and compatibility check

Before you start manipulating the file system, you need to make sure that your memory card meets the requirements of speed and volume. Using a slow card of a C10 class or lower can lead to noticeable slowdowns in games and long downloads of applications, since the read speed of a microSD is usually lower than that of embedded flash memory.

Put the card into the slot and wait for the system to notify you. If the card is new, the phone will suggest formatting it. For use as an app store, it is better to choose formatting as Portable Storage, so that you can quickly extract the card and read the data on the computer without reconfiguring it.

• 📀 Make sure the card has a speed class not lower. UHS-I for comfortable application.
• 📱 Check the maximum supported card size in the specifications of your Redmi model.
• 🔄 Back up the data from the card, as formatting will delete all the information.

Once formatted, the system will create a special hidden Android folder on the media, where game data and app cache will be stored, a standard Android behavior that allows programs to automatically use external storage for heavy files.

⚠️ Note: Do not remove the memory card while the applications that have been transferred to it are running, this can lead to corruption (damage) of the program databases and their incorrect launch.

Standard method of transfer through Android settings

The easiest way to do this is to work on some versions of MIUI firmware without having to get super-user permissions, and it allows you to migrate some of the application data, although it doesn't always free up space as efficiently as you'd like. First, go to your device's settings menu.

In the settings list, find the Apps section or All Apps, and it shows the full list of installed software, select the program you want to move, and if the portability function is available for a particular application, you'll see an active button or menu to change the storage location.

Settings → Applications → All Apps → [Selected App] → Storage → Change

In the window that opens, the system will suggest selecting the internal memory or SD-If the Change button is inactive or not, the app developer has banned it from moving to an external medium at the program manifest level.

Even if the transfer is successful, some files will still remain in the internal storage, which is normal for the system to behave, as executable files and important configurations must remain in a secure area, and external storage usually only stores resources, cache and additional data.

Using a Developer Mode for Forced Transfer

There is a hidden feature in Android that allows you to force the transfer of applications, even if the developer has forbidden it.This method does not work on all Xiaomi models, but it is worth trying, since it does not require complex hardware.

To activate hidden features, you need to turn on the developer mode. Find the About Phone option in the settings and click 7-10 times in a row on the MIUI version. After the notification “You became a developer”, a new section will appear in the settings menu.

• 🔧 Come to the extra. → For developers.
• 📂 Find the option “Force allow apps on external drives).
• 📲 Activate the switch and restart the device.

Once you reboot, go back to your application settings, and more programs should be able to reset, but remember that forcing system or mission-critical applications to migrate can cause the system to run in an unstable way.

⚠️ Note: Forced transfer of system applications can cause errors in the operation of the interface MIUI. If the phone starts to behave strangely after the transfer, return the system applications back to internal memory.

Transferring multimedia data and application cache

Often, the bulk of the memory is not the apps themselves, but their data: photos from WhatsApp, Telegram cache, offline maps of the navigator and uploaded videos, which frees up more space than moving executable program files.

Most modern applications allow you to choose the way to save files. For example, in Telegram you can specify a folder to the file. SD-map for downloading media files. in navigation applications such as Yandex.Navigator or 2GIS, The cards can also be downloaded directly to an external medium.

You can use the built-in file manager to transfer data that you've already accumulated, and find the DCIM folders (camera photos), Pictures (screenshots and images from social networks), and Download. Select them and select Move them by pointing the path to the memory card.

Once the folders are moved, some applications may stop seeing the files, in which case the app itself needs to re-select the path to the media files, for example, a gallery or music player will need to scan the storage again.

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Use the Cleanup feature in Xiaomi’s standard Security app before transferring.It will delete temporary files and you’ll see the real amount of data that really needs to be moved.

Advanced method: Use ADB-team

If standard methods don’t work, the Android debugging bridge (ADB) comes to the rescue, requiring the smartphone to be connected to a computer and allowing the system to be commanded directly, bypassing the limitations of the MIUI interface.

First, you need to enable USB debugging in developer mode. Connect your phone to your PC with a cable, download ADB platform tools to your computer, and open the command line in the tool folder. Make sure your phone has confirmed that you're connected to that computer.

adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2

This command prioritizes the installation of applications on external storage: 2 stands for external memory, 0 stands for automatic selection, 1 is internal only, and after you type in the command, all new applications will try to install on the map.

The following design is used to transfer already installed applications:

adb shell pm move-package

Where package_name — is the name of the application package (e.g., com.whatsapp) and storage_id — Memory card identifier, which can be found through the adb shell pm list packages command -f Or by analyzing the output of the dumpsys package. This method requires care, because an error in the name of the package will lead to the failure of the operation.

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The ADB team changes the behavior of the system globally, so after the completion of work on porting the desired applications, it is recommended to return the installLocation value to 0 (automatically) to avoid conflicts with system updates.

Possible problems and solutions

Users may experience a variety of errors during the transfer process, and it is common for an application to be ported but not updated through the Play Market or to be unstable, in which case you need to analyze the system behavior and possibly return some of the data back.

One common problem is that you lose your desktop widgets after you migrate the application. Widgets depend on the executable code that you need to have in your internal memory. If the widget is gone, try moving the application back and check it.

• 📉 Have you slowed down the speed of the application? Put it back in your internal memory, as the speed of the card may not be enough.
• ❌ Update error? Uninstall the application and reinstall it after checking the settings first ADB.
• 🚫 App not running? Configuration files likely damaged during transfer - reinstallation required.

Also, consider that when you reset your phone to factory settings, all the data on the external card related to applications may become unreadable due to a change in encryption. Before selling the device or completely reset, it is recommended to format the card through the phone menu.

⚠️ Note: If you use encryption, transferring applications to the card can be blocked by Android security, in which case the transfer is possible only after the encryption is disabled, which reduces the overall data protection.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)