How to transfer applications from internal memory to SD- card in Xiaomi Redmi 9: all the ways and nuances

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 9 sooner or later face a lack of internal memory — especially if the smartphone is used for games, photos or installing a variety of applications. Even with 64 GB on board, the MIUI system and the cache of programs quickly eat up free space. The solution seems obvious: transfer some data to the SD- card. But here users are waiting for pitfalls: not all applications support transfer, and the process in the Redmi ZXQPH0004QXXZ has features due to the policy and limitations of Android ZXXPH0005.

In this article, we will discuss all the working methods of transferring applications to the SD- card, from standard MIUI tools to manual methods using ADB. You will learn which programs can be moved and which will remain on internal memory, how to avoid errors and what to do if the system blocks the transfer.

If you've tried to migrate apps and you've received a message that says "Not supported," don't despair. 80 percent of the time, the problem is solved by setting up your memory card correctly or using alternative methods. And for root-righted Redmi 9 owners, we've developed advanced instructions to get around even the strict limitations of MIUI 12/13.

1. Preparation SD-maps: selection and formatting

Before you port applications, you need to properly prepare the SD- card. This step depends on whether you can use it at all for installing programs. Xiaomi Redmi 9 supports cards up to 512 GB (officially up to 256 GB, but testing shows compatibility with large volumes), but there are critical nuances:

✅ Card type: microSDXC only (for volumes over 32 GB) or microSDHC (up to 32 GB). microSD cards (up to 2 GB) will not work.

✅ Speed class: minimum Class 10 or UHS-I (U1). For games and heavy applications, choose UHS-I (U3) or A2, which provide high read/write speeds, which is critical for card-based programs.

⚠️ Warning: SanDisk Ultra and Samsung EVO Plus cards show better compatibility with Redmi 9, but even they can slow down when used as internal memory.

Now, formatting. You have two options:

1. Portable storage – the card is used as a removable drive (photo, music, documents), and portable applications in this mode are not possible.
2. Internal memory: The card becomes part of the system (formatted as ext4 or f2fs) This allows applications to be transferred to it, but has consequences: 🔹 The card cannot be retrieved without losing data (the system will see it as a partition of internal memory). 🔹 Once the application on the card is removed, it will stop working. 🔹 Not all cards work stably in this mode (possible lags).

To format the card as an internal memory:

1. Insert the card into the Redmi 9 slot (hybrid-slot is supported, but if you have two SIM- cards, you will have to sacrifice one slot).
2. Go to Settings. → Memory. → SD-map.
3. Press "Configure» → «Internal memory».
4. Confirm the formatting (the data on the map will be erased!).
5. Wait until the process is completed (it can take 5-15 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: Once formatted as internal memory, the card cannot be used on other devices without re-formatting, and some apps (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) may refuse to work with it.

2. Standard application portability through MIUI settings

If the card is formatted as internal memory, you can try to migrate applications in a standard way, which does not work for all programs, but is suitable for most user utilities (messengers, browsers, simple games).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want to migrate (like Facebook or VK).
3. Press "Storage."
4. If the option is available, you'll see a button called "Change" or "Move to SD- card." Press it.
5. Wait until the process is completed (may take a few seconds).

Step 2: Transfer through ADB

1. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your Redmi 9.
3. Find out the batch name of the application (for example, for Facebook it is com.facebook.katana). This can be done through the App Inspector (an app from Google Play) or by command: adb shell pm list packages | grep "facebook"
4. Move the application to the SD- card by the command: adb shell pm set-install-location 2 (this will set a global rule for all new applications - they will be installed on the SD by default). or for a specific application: adb shell pm-package com.facebook.katana movebook.

💡

If the move-package command returns Failure [NOT_MOVED: Operation not allowed, then the application is blocked for port. Try an alternative method with a configuration change via app2sd (described below).

Step 3: Checking the Results

• Go to Settings → Applications → [selected app] → Storage.
• Make sure that the "Storage" section indicates "SD- card".
• Restart your smartphone (sometimes required to work properly).

💡

The ADB method does not guarantee 100% success - some applications (especially piracy-protected games) may fail after transfer.

4. Use of third-party utilities (App2SD, Link2SD)

If ADB seems too complex, you can use specialized applications from Google Play, which automate the transfer process and sometimes allow you to bypass the limitations of MIUI.

🔹 App2SD (App Mgr III)

• 📌 Pros: Simple interface with sorting applications by size. Support for porting to SD- card (including OBB- files for games) Clearing cache and deleting unnecessary files.
• ⚠️ Cons: Not all apps are portable (depending on developer policy).
• 🔧 How to use: Install App2SD from Google Play. Open the Portable tab to show the apps you can move. Choose the one you want and click Move to SD- Map.

🔹 Link2SD

• 📌 Pros: Works even with applications that aren't portable by standard methods, supports symbolic link building to save space, can port dalvik-cache (accelerates applications).
• ⚠️ Cons: Requires root rights to work properly. A sophisticated interface for beginners.
• 🔧 How to use: Install Link2SD and provide root access. Select the app → Create a link → tick dex, lib and cache. Reboot the smartphone.

⚠️ Warning: When using Link2SD root-rights, there is a risk of damaging system files if the symbolic links are not configured correctly. Always back up the data before experimenting!

5 Transfer of games with OBB- files (PUBG, Genshin Impact, etc.)

Games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty or Genshin Impact take up gigabytes of memory not only because of the APK- file itself, but also because of OBB- files (additional data, graphics resources). Unfortunately, they cannot be transferred using standard methods, but there are workarounds.

🔹 Method 1: Manual transfer of OBB- files

1. Connect Redmi 9 to your PC via USB (File Transfer Mode).
2. Go to /Android/obb/[game package name] (e.g. com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile).
3. Copy a folder with OBB- files to the SD- card (for example, in /SDCard/Android/obb/).
4. Remove the original OBB folder from internal memory.
5. Create a symbolic link (root or Link2SD required): ln -s /SDCard/Android/obb/com.tencent.ig /Android/obb/com.tencent.ig

🔹 Method 2: Using FolderMount (requires root)

• Install FolderMount from Google Play.
• Select a folder with OBB- game files.
• Specify the target folder on SD-map.
• Activate mounting (the application will create a virtual link between folders).

⚠️ Warning: Some games (e.g. Genshin Impact) have protection against transferring OBB- files. If the game doesn't start after manipulation, return the files to their place and try another method (e.g., cache cleaning or reinstallation).

💡

Before transferring the OBB- files, back them up on your PC, and if the game stops running, you can quickly recover the data.

Errors and problems during transfer: how to fix

Even if you do everything right, you can make mistakes, and let's look at the most common ways to solve them.

🔘 “The application does not support porting to SD- card”

• 🔹 Try transferring via ADB (described above).
• 🔹 If the application is system-based, transfer is not possible.
• 🔹 For games, check if there are any alternative versions (e.g., PUBG Mobile Lite instead of the full version).

🔘 “Not enough space on the device” when ported

• 🔹 Free up space on internal memory (remove cache, unnecessary files).
• 🔹 Move small applications first, then large ones.
• 🔹 Check what's on. SD-The card has a free space (at least 10% of the volume).

🔘 "The app stopped working after the transfer"

• 🔹 Reboot your smartphone.
• 🔹 Return the application back to internal memory.
• 🔹 Check to see if the antivirus (e.g., MIUI Security) blocks access to files on the SD- card.

🔘 “SD- card is not defined as internal memory”

• 🔹 Reformat the card again (settings → memory → SD- card → configure → internal memory).
• 🔹 Check the card on another device (possibly damaged).
• 🔹 Try another card (some SanDisk or Kingston models may not work properly in internal memory mode).

🔘 "The game crashes after transferring OBB- files"

• 🔹 Make sure that the symbolic links are created correctly (use Link2SD or FolderMount).
• 🔹 Check the integrity of OBB- files (sometimes they get corrupted when you copy them).
• 🔹 Try reinstalling the game by specifying the SD- card as the default install location (via ADB).

💡

If the application is unstable after transfer, it is better to return it to internal memory. Some programs (especially banking or with DRM- protection) are not designed to work with SD- cards.

7. Alternative ways to free up memory on Redmi 9

If porting apps hasn’t helped or isn’t possible, consider alternative methods to free up memory:

🔹 Cleaning cache and unnecessary files

• 🧹 Use the built-in Cleanup utility in MIUI (Settings → Memory → Cleanup).
• 🗑️ Remove the cache of individual applications in Settings → Apps → [select app] → Storage → Clear cache.
• 📂 Programs like SD Maid or Files by Google will help you find and remove duplicate files.

🔹 Transfer of media files (photos, videos, music)

• 📸 Use Google Photos to automatically upload photos to the cloud and delete them from your device.
• 🎵 Transfer the music to the SD- card manually (Music folder on the map).
• 🎬 For video, use apps like Gallery Doctor that analyze and optimize storage.

🔹 Disabling pre-installed applications

• 🚫 There are a lot of unnecessary system applications (Mi Video, Mi Music, GetApps) in MIUI that you can disable:

Google Play Services

MIUI System

🔹 Use of cloud storage

• ☁️ Google Drive, Yandex Disk, or Mi Cloud allow you to store backups and rarely used files.
• 📱 Set up automatic sync for photos and documents.
• 💾 For games, you can use Google Play Games to save progress in the cloud.

🔹 Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

• ⚠️ This method will delete all data, but return the smartphone to its "clean" state.
• 🔄 Before reset, back up (Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset).
• 📱 After reset, reset the smartphone by installing the apps directly on the SD- card (via ADB).

FAQ: Frequent questions about porting applications to the SD- card in Redmi 9