Transfer applications to Xiaomi memory card: a complete guide with nuances

Xiaomi MIUI-based smartphones often suffer from a lack of internal memory, especially in budget models with 32 or 64 GB of storage. Moving applications to a memory card seems like an obvious solution, but in reality the process is complicated by the limitations of the manufacturer and the features of Android. In this article, we will analyze all the working methods, from standard MIUI tools to workarounds for “resistant” applications that refuse to move.

It's important to understand that not all apps can be ported, and some can run unstable after moving. We tested methods on the Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro and Mi 11 Lite with different versions of MIUI (12.5-14) to give relevant recommendations. If your model is older than 2019, note that some features may be missing, which we will also discuss below.

Why Xiaomi restricts the portability of applications to SD-card?

The manufacturer officially explains the limitations for security and performance reasons, because memory cards (even Class A2) are slower than the UFS/eMMC internal memory.

• 🐢 Slowing down the launch of apps (especially games and social networks)
• 🔄 Frequent errors “App does not respond” when multitasking
• 🔒 Risk of data loss when retrieving a card without safely shutting down
• 🛡️ Vulnerabilities in the operation of system services (if you migrate critical applications)

Xiaomi also follows Google’s policy, which with Android 6.0 began to limit support for Adoptable Storage (full formatting of the card as an internal drive), which is either missing or works with serious reservations in MIUI, for example, on Redmi 9A it can only be activated via ADB, and on POCO F3 it is completely blocked.

⚠️ Note: Transferring system applications (e.g., com.miui.gallery or com.android.contacts) may cause a cyclical device reboot. MIUI They do not support their movement to SD-map – attempts to circumvent this restriction often end in a factory reset.

Preparation: Which memory card is right for Xiaomi?

Not every microSD can handle the role of application storage.

Before buying, check the card for authenticity with H2testw (Windows) or SD Insight (Android). A1 fakes that pretend to be A2 can run 5-10 times slower than claimed. Also note that Xiaomi does not support cards larger than 512 GB – they simply will not be identified in the system.

Method 1: Standard Transfer through MIUI Settings

It's the safest method, but it doesn't work for all applications. MIUI 12–14:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app from a list (such as Telegram or Spotify).
3. Slip on Warehouse.
4. If the option is available, click Change and select Memory Card.
5. Confirm the transfer and wait until the completion (may take up to 5 minutes).

Please note: the Change button will be inactive for:

• 🔒 System applications (Mi Browser, Security, Mi Video)
• 🎮 Cheating-proof games (PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact)
• 📱 Applications with services in the background (WhatsApp, Viber)
• 🔄 Applications already updated after the transfer (you must first remove the updates)

Make sure the card is formatted as a portable storage

Close the application you plan to transfer

Check the vacant space for SD-card (needs at least 20% more than the weight of the application)

Disable automatic update of the application in the Play Market-->

⚠️ Warning: After transferring, do not remove the memory card without first moving the application back to internal memory. Otherwise, the application will stop running and its data may be lost.

Method 2: Formatting a card as an internal memory (Adoptable Storage)

This method allows us to use SD-The card is part of the internal storage, but it has serious limitations:

• ✅ It runs on Android 6-9 (MIUI 8–11)
• ❌ Absent in MIUI 12+ rootless
• ⚠️ The card will be encrypted and will not be read on other devices.
• 🔄 After the card is removed, the phone may not boot.

If your device supports this feature, follow the following steps:

1. Put the memory card in the slot.
2. When the notice appears, the "New" SD-map" tap "set up.
3. Select Internal Memory (not Portable Storage).
4. Confirm the formatting (all data on the map will be erased!).
5. Once completed, restart the device.

On the new versions MIUI (12 and above) this menu item is hidden. ADB-team:

adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true

Once you do this, restart your phone and repeat the steps above, and note that some models (like the Redmi Note 11) still don’t work because of hardware constraints.

Method 3: Transfer over ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try forced porting over Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable for applications that don’t want to navigate through the settings menu, but have risks:

• 🛠️ Requires the inclusion of debugging by USB installation ADB-driver
• ⚠️ May cause malfunctions in the application
• 🔄 It does not work for system applications and some games.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install drivers (if necessary) and check the connection with the command: adb devices
4. 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 or the command: adb shell pm list packages | grep "app name"
5. 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 returns a Failure error [NOT_MOVED: Operation not allowed, which means the application is blocked from porting, in which case only root or installing modified firmware will help.

💡

Before using ADB, back up your data through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. This will save you from losing information if you experience a crash.

Method 4: Use of third-party applications (with root rights)

If you have root access, you can use utilities like App2SD, Link2SD, or FolderMount, which allow you to:

• 🔗 Create symbolic links (symlink) to application files
• 📁 Transfer cache and data (/data/data) on SD-map
• 🔄 Automatically move new applications

Example of Link2SD:

1. Install the app from the Play Market and provide root access.
2. Select the application from the list and tap Create a link.
3. Specify the target folder on SD-map (e.g., map, /storage/emulated/0/Link2SD).
4. Reset the device.

Important: after using such utilities, do not update MIUI through OTA. This can lead to loss of symbolic links and system failures, and avoid transferring system applications - this can be fraught with "bootloop".

⚠️ Note: On devices with Dynamic Partition (e.g. Xiaomi 12 and later) transfer system data to SD-The card can damage the super partition, in which case you will need a complete flashing through the Fastboot.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after successful transfer, users are faced with errors.

If the application is unstable after transfer, try:

1. Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps → Storage → Clear the cache.
2. Reboot your phone (sometimes helps with card mounting errors).
3. Format the memory card in FAT32 (if exFAT is used).

💡

On devices with MIUI 13/14 portability SD-If none of these methods worked, consider buying a phone with a lot of storage, using cloud storage, or rooting with custom firmware.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions