Transfer of applications to SD-Map Xiaomi Redmi Note 8: full guide

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro sooner or later face the problem of lack of internal memory. Even 64 GB or 128 GB quickly clogged with applications, cache and media. One effective solution is to transfer applications to the Internet. SD-But in the MIUI This feature doesn’t work as clearly as it does on other Android devices.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to transfer applications to an external drive, including standard settings. MIUI, utilization ADB-You'll learn which apps can be ported and which can't, how to prepare them properly. SD-map and what pitfalls await users.

Important: Not all applications support the transfer to SD-This depends on the developer's policy and the application architecture, such as system applications and some games (e.g., the game, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact cannot be ported.

Preparation of SD-card for application transfer

Before transferring applications, you need to configure correctly SD-Redmi Note 8 has two options for using external drive:

• 📁 Portable storage – the card is used as a removable disk (photo, video, music) and applications cannot be moved to it.
• 🔄 Internal memory: The card is formatted as part of the system (Adoptable Storage), which allows you to transfer applications, but the card cannot be retrieved without losing data.

The second option is to migrate applications, but it has its downsides:

⚠️ Note: After formatting SD-The card, as internal memory, cannot be used on other devices without completely erasing the data, and the card will be encrypted, and when it is retrieved, some applications may stop working.

We recommend using A1/A2 or UHS-I/UHS-II cards with high read/write speeds (e.g. SanDisk Extreme or Samsung EVO Plus). Cheap cards can slow down applications.

To format the card as an internal memory:

1. Put it in. SD-card.
2. Go to Settings. → Memory.
3. Press on. SD-map → Three points (⋮) → Settings → Internal memory.
4. Confirm the formatting (the data will be deleted!).
5. Once completed, restart the phone.

Method 1: Transfer through standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use built-in MIUI tools, but it doesn't work with all applications.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (like Facebook or WhatsApp).
3. Press Warehouse.
4. If the option is available, a button will appear to Move to SD-map or modify.
5. Confirm the transfer and wait until it is completed.

If there is no button, it means:

• 🚫 The app does not support portability (e.g. Google Play Services).
• 🔒 SD-The card is not formatted as internal memory.
• 📱 You have custom firmware installed without Adoptable Storage support.

⚠️ Note: After the transfer, the application may run slower, especially if SD-Some functions (such as notifications or widgets) may be disabled.

Method 2: Transfer over ADB (for power users)

If the standard method doesn't work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) which requires connecting the phone to your computer, but allows you to migrate more applications.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🛠️ Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB Tools.

Instructions:

1. Turn on the phone Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About phone).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm access.
4. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
5. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices must appear serial number of the device.
6. Find out the batch name of the app (for example, for Facebook it is com.facebook.katana).
7. Run the port command (replace package.name with real name): adb shell pm set-install-location 2 adb shell pm move-package package.name

If the team outputs Success, the application is moved. To return it, use:

adb shell pm move-package package.name 0

⚠️ Note: Some apps (such as Google Maps or bank clients) may block work after transferring through the service. ADB. This method does not guarantee stability – departures and errors are possible.

Method 3: Using Third-Party Applications

If the first two methods didn't work, you can try specialized utilities, such as AppMgr III (App 2 SD) or Link2SD, which extend the standard portability.

How to work with Link2SD:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Grant root rights (if the phone is rooted) or use without root (features will be limited).
3. Select the app from the list.
4. Click Create a link (to transfer a portion of files) or Move to SD.
5. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

The advantages of Link2SD are:

• 🔄 Not just a transfer APK, but also data (dex, lib, cache, etc).
• 📊 Detailed statistics of the occupied place.
• 🔧 Works with and without root rights (in limited mode).

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 Without a root, not all data is transferred.
• 🐢 Possible delays when launching migrated applications.
• 💰 There's an ad on the free version.

💡

Before using Link2SD, back up your data via Settings → System → Backup. This will help restore applications if something goes wrong.

What applications cannot be transferred to SD-map

Not all programs can be migrated to an external drive, but here is a list of categories that normally block the transfer:

• 🏦 Banking applications (Sberbank, Tinkoff, VTB) – for security reasons.
• 🎮 Anticheat games (PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile – can block your account.
• 🔒 System applications (Google Play Services, MIUI Systems – their transfer will lead to failures.
• 📱 Apps with widgets – widgets will stop working.
• 🔔 Programs with background services (antiviruses, optimizers) – may not run automatically.

Transfer of banking applications to SD-The card may result in the blocking of access to the account due to a security trigger, which some banks (for example, Alfa-Bank or Tinkoff) consider suspicious activity.

What to do if the transfer does not work

If none of the methods worked, check the following points:

• 📋 SD-The card is formatted as internal memory (not portable).
• 🔌 USB-debugging included (for ADB).
• 🔄 Phone reboots after map formatting.
• 📱 The phone does not have custom firmware (like LineageOS) installed, which can block Adoptable Storage.
• 🛡️ Antivirus does not block the transfer (sometimes Avast or Kaspersky interfere with the process).

If the problem remains:

1. Try another one. SD-Card (possibly damaged current card).
2. Update MIUI to the latest version (Settings → About Phone → System Update).
3. Reset your phone settings (Settings → System → Reset), but pre-do a backup.
4. Contact Xiaomi Support – it may be a bug of a particular firmware version.

💡

If SD-The card is defined as corrupt, format it on the PC through the program SD Formatter (official utility) SD Association).

Alternative ways to free up memory

If porting apps hasn’t helped or isn’t possible, try other methods:

• 🧹 Cache Clearing: Go to Settings → Memory. → Clear the cache. That could free up 1 to 3 GB.
• 🗑️ Delete unnecessary files: Use Files by Google or MIUI Cleaner for finding garbage.
• ☁️ Cloud Storage: Move photos and videos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 🔄 Lite versions of applications: Install lightweight versions (Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite).
• 📥 Restriction of background activity: C Settings → Battery → Selection of applications disable auto-run of unnecessary programs.

You can also use the function of expanding memory in MIUI (It's available on some firmware versions. It allows you to use a part of it. SD-Maps as an additional storage for applications, but it is unstable.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring applications to SD-map