How to transfer PUBG Mobile to SD- card in Xiaomi: 3 working method + error solving

Moving PUBG Mobile to the SD- card in Xiaomi smartphones is a pressing task for gamers facing a lack of internal memory. Despite optimizing the game for modern devices, its weight exceeds 1.5 GB (with upgrades to 3 GB), which creates problems even on flagships with 128 GB of storage. In this article, we will discuss unique transfer methods for MIUI 14/13/12, including bypassing system constraints and solving typical errors such as “Notoo space” or “The application does not support portability”.

It’s important to understand that Xiaomi artificially blocks the transfer of most games to external media through standard Android settings. This is due to the policy of Google Play and the features of the Unreal Engine 4, which is built on the PUBG Mobile. However, there are legal workarounds – from using embedded features MIUI to manually mounting the partition on the SD- card. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5 and Xiaomi 13T models with the latest updates.

Before you start, check two key conditions:

• 📱 Version MIUI: Methods are different for MIUI 12/13 and MIUI 14 (based on Android 13/14). You can find out the version in Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI.
• 💾 Type SD- cards: Only A1/A2 class cards (e.g., SanDisk Extreme or Samsung EVO Plus) provide sufficient read/write speed for games. C10/U1 class cards will call lags.

Why is PUBG Mobile not ported to the SD- card in the standard way?

The main reason is cheating protection and Tencent's (game developer) requirement. PUBG Mobile uses file integrity checks that are triggered when launched from an external medium, resulting in:

• 🔒 Lock in Settings: The “Move to SD” button in the app menu (Settings → Applications → PUBG Mobile → Storage) is inactive.
• 🛑 Mounting error: Forced transfer via ADB or file manager causes INSTALL_FAILED_CONTAINER_ERROR code to fail.
• ⚡ Fall FPS: Even if the transfer succeeds, the game can be slowed down by the slow read speed of the SD- card (especially on cheap models).

The second reason is the architecture of the MIUI. Starting with the MIUI 12, Xiaomi has disabled Adoptable Storage (an Android feature that allows you to format a SD- card as internal memory), which is designed to increase stability, but complicates the lives of gamers. However, there are workarounds, which will be discussed later.

⚠️ Warning: Moving PUBG Mobile to a SD- card may result in an account ban if the game detects suspicious activity (e.g., modified files UE4). The risk is minimal using official methods, but it cannot be completely ruled out.

Method 1: Transfer through the built-in MIUI function (for MIUI 14)

The safest method, but only works on the latest firmware. Xiaomi has added a hidden option to transfer games to the SD- card to the MIUI 14 (Android 13/14).

1. Insert the SD- card into the slot (it is recommended to format it as a portable storage, not internal memory).
2. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Find PUBG Mobile in the list and tap it.
4. Select Warehouse → Move the card to SD-. If the option is inactive, proceed to the 2 method.

If there is no transfer button, try activating it through the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings → About phone and 7 times tap on the MIUI version.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Activate the option to Forced Allow porting to SD (if you have one in your version).

Format the card in FAT32/exFAT (not NTFS)

Use a Class A1/A2 card (minimum speed 10 MB/s)

Free up ≥2 GB of free space on the map

Disable Battery Optimization for PUBG Mobile

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Method 2: Manually move files through file manager

This method is suitable for the MIUI 12/13, where the standard transfer is blocked, the idea is to manually copy the game files to the SD- card and "cheat" the system by creating symbolic links.

• 📂 A file manager with root access support (e.g., Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
• 🔧 ADB- Debugging (includes in Settings → For Developers → Debugging by USB).
• 💻 Computer with ADB Tools installed (you can download from Google's website).

Step 1: Copying the game files

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line in the adb.exe folder.
2. Execute the command to copy the game data to the SD-map: adb shell cp -r /data/data/com.tencent.ig /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/com.tencent.ig Replace /storage/em ulated/0/ on the way to your SD-map (you can find it through the command adb shell ls /storage).

Step 2: Creating a symbolic link

To make the game “think” that the files are in the internal memory, create a symbolic link:

adb shell


su




ln -s /storage/EXT_SD_CARD/Android/obb/com.tencent.ig /data/data/com.tencent.ig




exit

Where EXT_SD_CARD is the name of your SD- card (check out the adb shell ls /storage).

⚠️ Warning: This method requires root rights. Without these, symbolic links won't work, and the game will give you error 98 (damaged files). If you don't have root, use Method 3.

Method 3: Use App2SD (without root)

If previous methods didn’t work, try the third-party App2SD app (available on Google Play), which doesn’t require root rights, but has limitations:

• 🎯 Only works with games that support OBB- files (this includes PUBG Mobile).
• 📉 Can reduce performance by 10-15% due to indirect file access.
• 🔄 Requires reconfiguration after each major game update.

Instructions:

1. Install App2SD from Google Play and provide all the permissions you have requested.
2. Select PUBG Mobile from the list of applications.
3. Tap to transfer to SD- card and confirm the action.
4. Reboot your phone (required!).

After the transfer, check the integrity of the files:

1. Start the game and wait for the lobby to load.
2. If an error occurs Resources not downloaded, return the files back via App2SD and try again with another SD- card.

💡

Before transferring, back up your PUBG Mobile saves through Game Settings → Account → Backup. This will allow you to restore progress if something goes wrong.

Comparison of transfer methods: which one to choose?

Each method has pros and cons. Below the table will help you determine the choice:

For most Xiaomi users, the best solution is Method 1 (if available) or Method 3 (via App2SD). Manual copying (Method 2) is suitable for advanced users who are willing to risk stability for memory savings.

💡

If your smartphone is on MIUI 14, try standard porting through settings first. Only if you fail, move on to alternative methods.

Typical errors and their solutions

When you transfer the PUBG Mobile to the SD- card, users face characteristic problems.

Error: “Not enough space on the device” when transferring

Reason: The system reserves space in the internal memory even after the transfer.

1. Clear the game's cache in Settings → Apps → PUBG Mobile → Storage → Clear the cache.
2. Delete unnecessary files via Files by Google (Cleanup tab).
3. Use ADB to forcefully vacate space: adb shell pm trim-caches 1G

Error: “The game does not start after the transfer”

Causes and solutions:

• 🔹 Low speed SD- cards: Replace the card with a class A2 model (e.g. Lexar Play 512GB A2).
• 🔹 Damaged files: Reinstall the game without deleting your account details.
• 🔹 Conflict with MIUI Optimization: Disable the optimization for the game: adb shell cmd package compile -m speed -f com.tencent.ig

Error: “The transfer button is inactive”

This is a limitation of MIUI.

• 🔧 Use App2SD (Method 3).
• 🔧 Activate Developer Mode and enable Forced Allow Move to SD (if available).
• 🔧 Update your firmware to the latest version of MIUI 14 (restrictions are relaxed in new builds).

How to optimize PUBG Mobile after transferring to the SD- card?

To avoid lags and departures, make additional adjustments:

1. Graphics setting for SD- map

Reduce the graphics settings to reduce the load on the memory card:

• 🎮 Set the chart to Balanced or HD (instead of HDR or Ultra HD).
• 🔄 Turn off smoothing and dynamic shadows.
• 🖼️ Reduce the render resolution to 720p (if the game supports).

2. MIUI optimization for gaming

Activate the game mode and turn off background processes:

1. Go to Settings → Special features → Game turbo mode.
2. Add PUBG Mobile to the list of optimized games.
3. Enable options: 🔋 Disable Autobrightness 📶 Lock notifications 🔄 Clear memory when startup

3. Regular cleaning of the cache

SD- cards become fragmented over time, leading to lags.

• 🧹 Clear the game cache once a week through Settings → Apps → PUBG Mobile → Storage.
• 🔄 Use the SD Maid utility to defragment the map (root required).
• 📥 Periodically copy the game files back to internal memory and back to the SD- card (this resets fragmentation).

💡

If the game starts to slow down after the transfer, try turning off the replay recording in the PUBG Mobile settings.This feature actively writes data to the map, which can cause delays.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring PUBG Mobile to SD- card in Xiaomi