How to securely transfer data to a memory card in Xiaomi phones: 5 proven ways

Why Xiaomi Owners Choose Memory Cards – and When They Really Need to

MicroSD cards remain one of the easiest ways to expand the memory of a Xiaomi, Redmi or smartphone. POCO — Especially if you have a 32GB or 64GB model, but it's not always reasonable to transfer data to an external drive. SD-The card is slower, and some system functions (like encryption) can be turned off automatically?

First, if you’re actively shooting 4K or 8K video, even 128GB of internal memory fills up quickly. Second, the memory card saves you when you’re carrying heavy games (like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) that take 10-15GB. Third, it’s convenient for backing up photos or documents that you don’t need daily. But there are pitfalls: not all Xiaomi models support adoptable storage (when the card becomes part of internal memory), and cheap microSDs can slow down the system.

In this article, we will discuss 5 ways to transfer data – from simply copying files to configuring the map as an internal storage, as well as tell you what errors users most often make and how to avoid them.

Method 1: Simple copying of files through the "Conductor"

The most obvious and secure method is manually transferring data through a standard File Manager (or Mi File Manager), which is suitable for photos, videos, music and documents, but does not allow you to move applications (this requires another method, which will be discussed below).

How to do this:

• 📁 Open the Files app (Folder icon on the home screen).
• 🔍 Go to the Internal Memory section and find the folder with the data you want (for example, DCIM for photo or downloading).
• 📋 Select files with a long press, then tap on the icon «⋮» (three-point) → Copy or cut.
• 💾 Return to the root directory, select a Memory Card (or SD-card), create a folder (if necessary), and paste files.

⚠️ Note: If you cut files instead of copying, make sure there is enough space on the map. If there is a lack of memory, the process will stop and some data may be lost. MIUI) — It'll cause disruption.

Card format (must be FAT32 or exFAT)

Free space on SD (at least 10% more than the weight of files)

No important processes (do not copy during charging or updating)

Connecting the card (check in Settings → Storage)

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Method 2: Configure the card as internal memory (Adoptable Storage)

This method allows you to combine the memory card with internal storage so that applications and games are installed directly on the microSD. However, it does not work on all Xiaomi devices: starting with Android 9 (MIUI 10+), the Adoptable Storage function is hidden, but it can be enabled via ADB. Also the card must be fast (UHS-I U3 or A2), otherwise the system will slow down.

Instructions for Android 8 and below (without ADB):

1. Put the card in your phone and wait for the alert “New” SD-map discovered».
2. Tap on the notification. → Choose Set Up → Internal memory.
3. Confirm the formatting (⚠️ All data from the map will be deleted!).
4. Wait until the process is completed (it can take 5-10 minutes).

Android 9+ will require ADB:

adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true


adb shell sm partition disk:179,64 private

Where 179.64 is the card ID (you can find it by adb shell sm list-disks), and once executed, the card will be formatted and will become part of the internal memory.

⚠️ Warning: Once you have the card set up as internal memory, it can't be easily retrieved and used on another device, it will be encrypted and linked to your Xiaomi. If the card fails, the data cannot be recovered.

Method 3: Transfer applications to a memory card

Even if the card is not configured as internal memory, some applications can be moved manually to it, but not all programs support this functionality, especially system ones (such as Mi Browser or Security), and after transfer, the application can run slower and notifications can come with a delay.

How to move:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (such as WhatsApp or Spotify).
3. Slip it on the vault. → Change (if the option is active).
4. Select a Memory Card and confirm the transfer.

If the option to change is inactive, it means:

• 🚫 The app does not support transfer (often with games).
• 🔒 The card is formatted as a portable storage (you need to configure as an internal one).
• 📱 You have Android 10.+, Where Google has restricted this function.

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Before you move the application, clear its cache (Settings → Applications → Clear the cache) and this will reduce the amount of data being moved and reduce the risk of errors.

Method 4: Automatically transfer photos and videos through the Gallery

Xiaomi smartphones have a built-in feature to automatically save new photos and videos directly to the memory card. This is convenient if you shoot often and do not want to clog internal memory. However, the feature only works for new files - existing photos will have to be transferred manually (see Method 1).

How to set up:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Slap the icon. ⚙️ (Settings) → Preservation site.
3. Select a Memory Card (if the option is inactive, check if the card is inserted).
4. Restart the camera and all new images will be saved to SD.

Automatically transfer existing photos:

• 📸 Open the gallery. → Select an album (for example, screenshots).
• 🔄 Slap the icon «⋮» → Move it → Select a memory card.
• ⏳ Wait until the end (for the end) 1000 photo-take 10-15 minute).

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos to back up, don’t set up autosave on the map. When you delete files from your phone, they will also disappear from the cloud (because Google Photos only syncs internal memory).

Method 5: Transfer data over PC (for large volumes)

If you have to move tens of gigabytes of data (like a movie collection or backup), it's easier to do it over a computer, faster than copying over Wi-Fi, and avoids errors when transferring large files. USB-cable (preferably original) and card reader (unless the phone recognizes the card as a separate drive).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC via USB and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Open This Computer – There will be two disks: internal memory and card (if recognized).
3. Copy files from your phone to your PC (for example, to a folder on your desktop).
4. Remove the card from the phone, insert it into the card reader and connect it to the PC.
5. Transfer the data from the PC to the map.

⚠️ Critical error: Never remove a card from your phone while copying via PC. This can damage the file system and the card will have to be formatted. Also avoid using quick formatting on Windows - it doesn't check the disk for errors.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

More than 30% of Xiaomi users experience a memory card damaged error after transferring data — and 90% of cases are due to the wrong file system format.

1.The card is not recognized after formatting

• 🔧 Check the format: for cards up to 32 GB — FAT32, from 64GB - exFAT.
• 🔄 Reformat the map via PC (use) SD Formatter from SD Association).
• 📱 Update the phone firmware – in older versions MIUI bugs with SD.

2. Applications are not portable to the map

• 🔓 Check if the app supports portability (the Play Market has information in the Permissions section»).
• 🛠️ If the card is configured as internal, but transfer is impossible – try disabling encryption in Settings → Security.

3. Slow operation of applications from the map

• ⚡ Buy a class card A2 or UHS-I U3 (for example, Samsung EVO Plus or SanDisk Extreme).
• 🧹 Regularly clean the cache of applications installed on SD.

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If the phone writes “Map protected from writing”, check the physical switch on the adapter (if you use) or format the card in exFAT via your PC.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions