Transferring apps to a memory card in Xiaomi Redmi: a complete guide to error solutions

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones are known for their price-performance ratio, but even the most advanced models face a shortage of internal memory over time. This problem is especially acute in budget devices with 32 or 64 GB of storage, where the system and preinstalled applications occupy the lion’s share of space. MIUI This process has nuances, which the manufacturer is silent about.

Unlike “pure” Android, where the function of transferring applications to the Internet SD-The card is often absent or works selectively, firmware MIUI But they're hidden in the depths of the settings, and they depend on the Android version, the smartphone model, and even the type of memory card. In this article, we’ll look at all the portability options available, from standard tools to workarounds for “persistent” applications that refuse to move. You will also learn which memory cards are suitable for Redmi, how to avoid errors and what to do if the application stops working after the transfer.

Preparation: which memory card to choose for Xiaomi Redmi

Not every microSD card is suitable for porting applications. Xiaomi Redmi (especially Android 10+ models) impose strict requirements on the speed and class of the drive, and if you insert the first card you find, the system will either refuse to format it as internal memory or the applications will slow down.

Minimum requirements for successful application transfer:

• 🔹 Speed class: not lower UHS-I (U1) Or Class 10 — UHS-I (U3) or A2 (specially).
• 🔹 Volume: 32 GB (on smaller maps, the system may refuse to create a partition for applications).
• 🔹 Format: exFAT only or NTFS (If the card is more than 32 GB). FAT32 wrong!
• 🔹 Manufacturer: avoid no-name cards. Best options are SanDisk Ultra A2, Samsung EVO Plus, Kingston Canvas Go! Plus.

Important: Even if the card is compliant, MIUI can restrict the portability of system applications or games with high performance requirements (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile), in such cases only manual transfer through ADB (for this, see the relevant section).

Method 1: Formatting the card as internal memory

This is the most reliable method, but it has irreversible consequences: once formatted, the map cannot be retrieved and used in other devices without being completely cleaned, but all applications (except system ones) can move to it without restrictions.

Instructions for MIUI 12/13/14:

1. Insert the memory card into the slot (if your Redmi supports hybrid slot, make sure it is not occupied by the second slot). SIM-card).
2. Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Map.
3. Click Format as internal (in some versions – Configure as internal drive).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed (may take 5-15 minutes).
5. After formatting, restart the smartphone.

Now the memory card has become part of the internal storage, so that you can move the applications.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the desired application and click Storage.
3. Click Change and select Memory Card.
4. Confirm the transfer (some applications will require a reboot).

⚠️ Note: After formatting the card as internal memory, it will not be possible to connect it to the computer through a card reader - only through the smartphone itself. USB. Some apps (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) may also refuse to work with external memory for security reasons.

Method 2: Transfer through application settings (without formatting)

If you don't want to format the card as internal memory, you can try to migrate applications one at a time, which doesn't work with all programs, but it's suitable for most custom utilities and some games.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want to migrate (like Facebook or Spotify).
3. Press Warehouse. → Change.
4. If the Memory Card option is active, select it and confirm the transfer. If not, the application does not support movement.

Limitations of this method:

• 🚫 Do not work with system applications (e.g. Camera, Gallery).
• 🚫 Some games (especially those with piracy protection) block the transfer.
• 🚫 After updating the application, it can automatically return to internal memory.

💡

If the Change button is inactive, try clearing the app cache (Storage → Clear cache).

Method 3: Transfer over ADB (for power users)

If standard methods fail, it leaves you with a manual transfer over Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires you to connect your smartphone to your computer, but allows you to move even those applications that are not normally portable.

What you need:

• 💻 A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press to unlock Developer Settings, then enable Debugging by USB).

Instructions:

1. Connect Redmi to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type:

adb shell pm set-install-location 2

This command forces the system to install new applications on the memory card by default. To transfer programs already installed, use:

adb shell pm move-package com.example.app /sdcard

(Replace com.example.app with a real-life app package, such as com.facebook.katana for Facebook).

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. Google Play Services) MIUI Systems can't be forced to move, because it's going to cause system failures. ADB Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Why apps don’t portable: Common bugs and solutions

Even if you do everything according to the instructions, some applications may refuse to move to the memory card, and here are the main reasons and ways to eliminate them:

A critical nuance for owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 10/11/12: These models have a restriction on transferring applications through standard settings. MIUI The only way to work is to format the card as internal memory or use it. ADB.

How to transfer cache and application data to a memory card

Even if the application itself is transferred to the map, its cache and user data (for example, saves in games or uploaded files to Spotify) often remain in internal memory, and to free up even more space, you need to manually change the save path.

Methods of data transfer:

• 🎮 For games: Use the built-in portability (if any) or game settings menu. PUBG Mobile path to files can be changed in Settings → Graphics → The way to load resources.
• 📁 For multimedia: In apps like Spotify or Netflix, the path to downloads changes in settings (Settings) → Quality. → Download folder).
• 📱 For system data: Use a file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager) and manually move the data folders (e.g., Mi File Manager, /Android/data/com.app.name) memory-card.

Important: Some apps (like WhatsApp) don’t allow you to change the path to the database, and only backup and reinstallation with a new path will help.

💡

The transfer of only the APK-The application file (without data) is almost no free space. The bulk of the cache and user files are taken up, they need to be transferred separately!

What to do if after transferring the application is slowed down

If applications are slow to open, slow to open, or crash after transferring to a memory card, the problem is likely to be the card read/write speed. Even if it is in the U3/A2 class, the actual performance may be lower than the stated performance.

Methods of removing lags:

• 🔄 Return the application to internal memory (if it is critical, such as Google Maps or messenger).
• 🛠️ Clear the cache of the transferred application (Settings) → Annexes → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🔋 Check the card for errors through the computer (use the utility) SD Card Formatter or chkdsk in Windows).
• 🔄 Format the card again as internal memory (this will delete all data!).

If the problem persists, your memory card is probably not suitable for permanent use with applications, in which case the only way out is to buy a faster card (for example, SanDisk Extreme A2) or refuse to migrate resource-intensive applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving apps to Xiaomi Redmi