Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a shortage of internal storage, especially when shooting high-resolution video. Overflow memory leads to reduced system performance, inability to install updates and constant notifications of space shortages.
Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells provide convenient built-in tools to manage the file system, avoiding installing third-party software. However, the process has its own nuances, depending on the version of Android and the device model. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to safely and quickly move video recordings to the SD card without losing a single frame.
Before you start manipulating, it is important to make sure that your smartphone technically supports external drives. Not all models of the budget and mid-range segment are equipped with a hybrid slot that allows you to use two simultaneously. SIM-Maps and flash memory, compatibility testing is the first step to successful space optimization.
Preparation of a memory card and smartphone
The quality and speed of the external drive directly affect the performance of the device. Low-cost cards can cause delays in video playback or even cause the system to freeze. It is recommended to use cards of the standard Class 10 or higher, marked UHS-I or UHS-II.
Before installing the card in the phone, you need to format it correctly. The file system must be compatible with Android, otherwise the device simply does not recognize the media. Usually, the format is FAT32 for cards up to 32 GB or exFAT for larger storage.
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Use the original adapter for SIM-Third-party keys can damage the slot contacts or the memory card itself.
Put the card into the slot and wait for the system to notify you of the connection of the new device. If there is no notification, go to the storage settings manually. The system may suggest formatting the drive as a portable storage or as part of internal memory.
⚠️ Note: Formatting a memory card completely deletes all data on it. If there are important files on the flash drive, pre-copy them to the computer.
The choice of card mode is critical for future actions. Portable Storage mode makes it easy to transfer the card between devices, but some applications may not have access to files. Internal Storage mode encrypts the card by binding it to a particular smartphone, which increases security, but makes the card unreadable on other devices without re-formatting.
Use of built-in conductor for transfer
The most reliable and versatile way to move files is using Xiaomi’s standard Explorer app, which has deep integration with the system and allows you to work with files of any type without access restrictions.
Open the app and go to the video section, which shows all the videos you find in your phone's memory, and you can sort them by date, size, or folder to quickly find the content you want, and you can select the files you need with a long press.
☑️ Transfer algorithm through the conductor
Once you have selected files, click on the "More" button in the bottom menu and select "Copy" or "Move" action, and the difference between them is significant: copying creates a duplicate file by taking up space in both storages, and moving deletes the original after the process is successfully completed.
In the navigation window that opens, select «SD-Create a new folder to structure data, for example, Video_Backup, or select an existing one. Press "Insert" or «OK» The transfer speed depends on the file size and the speed class of your flash card.
For large amounts of data, the process can take considerable time. Don't turn off your smartphone screen or run resource-intensive applications to avoid interruption of the operation.
Set up automatic recording on SD card
In order to avoid the problem of overflowing internal memory in the future, it is advisable to set the camera to automatically record video immediately on an external drive, which will eliminate the need for regular manual file sorting.
Go to the Camera app and click on the menu icon (three bars) in the upper right corner. Select Settings. In the list of options, find the section related to data storage. It may be called differently on different versions of MIUI, but the essence remains the same.
Activate the switch "Save to" SD-After that, all new images and videos will be sent by default to an external storage, which is significant, that this does not affect the performance of serial shooting or recording video in high bitrate, as long as the memory card has sufficient speed.
| Parameter | Internal memory. | SD card (Class 10) | SD card (Class 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading speed | High (up to 2000 MB/s) | Medium (up to 100 MB/s) | Low (up to 20 MB/s) |
| Recording 4K video | Stable. | Possibly with limitations | Not recommended |
| Reliability | Tall. | Medium | Low. |
| Impact on the battery | Minimum | Moderate. | High. |
It's worth noting that when you record video in 4K or 8K resolution, the system can ignore the setting and save the file to internal memory, a protective mechanism that prevents frame loss due to insufficient external card writing speed.
Why does the camera write to internal memory when it is turned on? SD-map?
Transfer through storage settings
An alternative method of managing files is available through system settings, which is convenient because it provides a shared viewable space and allows you to move entire categories of data, rather than individual files.
Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. Here you will see a detailed memory allocation diagram. Click on Internal Storage to see the list of folders and applications that take up the most space.
Find the DCIM folder that stores photos and videos from the camera, select it and select the navigation option. However, the standard Android settings interface often does not allow you to move the entire system folders without root permissions, in which case you can use the Explorer method described above.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to move system folders with names like Android, data or obb to a memory card manually, this can lead to malfunctioning applications and operating system failures.
For some models with a clean version of Android (Global) ROM) Smart Storage is available, and it automatically moves infrequently used files to the next location. SD-map, making room for new data. Check if this option is available in the memory settings section.
Work with Gallery and Cloud Services
The Gallery app on Xiaomi smartphones also has limited functionality for working with files. You can select a few videos, click on the “More” button and find the “Copy” option, but the functionality here is often stripped down compared to a full file manager.
A more advanced solution is to use cloud services in conjunction with local storage. Xiaomi Cloud or Google Photos can automatically upload originals to the cloud, freeing up space on the device. Once you successfully download the originals, you can delete them, leaving only thumbnails.
If you use third-party video editing apps like CapCut or InShot, remember that they create cache files in internal memory. Clean the cache of these apps regularly in the settings so they don't eat up the freed space.
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The optimal strategy is to store current projects and new shootings on fast internal memory, and archived videos immediately send to the public. SD-map.
Also worth considering is the use of the Cleanup feature in the Security app, which is a built-in tool that analyzes similar videos, screenshots and large files, suggesting that duplicates be removed or moved to an external medium.
Possible problems and solutions
The most common problem is the message “file too big” when trying to move the video to a card with the FAT32 file system, which does not support files larger than 4 GB.
To solve this problem, you need to format the card in exFAT format. You can do this through a computer: insert the card in your PC, right-click on the disk and select Format, specifying the exFAT file system.
Another common situation is that the phone stops seeing the card after transferring a lot of data, which may indicate that the drive is overheated or using a poor-quality card, let the device cool down and check the contact of the card in the slot.
⚠️ Warning: If the smartphone constantly loses the memory card, it may be oxidized contacts in the slot or the card itself is damaged.
You can also have a situation where the transferred videos are not displayed in the gallery, in which case you can start scanning the media files, you can reboot the device or use special media scanner applications from the Google Play store.