Owners of Xiaomi smartphones sooner or later face a lack of internal memory – especially if the device is budget (for example, Redmi). 9A POCO C31 Even after cleaning the cache and deleting the unnecessary files, the system persists in saying, "Memory is full." The solution seems obvious: move the applications to the computer. SD-map, but in MIUI This feature is often hidden or doesn't work as it does on pure Android. In this article, we'll look at all the current ways to migrate applications to an external drive, including bypassing manufacturer restrictions and nuances for different versions of firmware.
It is important to understand: Xiaomi purposefully blocks the possibility of full-fledged transfer of applications to the Internet. SD-map MIUI (It's about security policy and system optimization, but there are legal and not-so-legal ways to get around the restrictions, from embedded tools to third-party utilities, and we'll look at them all, and we'll look at the pros, cons and potential risks. If you are willing to sacrifice the speed of applications for free space – read more.
Why Xiaomi restricts the portability of applications to SD-card?
Since MIUI 12, the function of migrating applications to an external drive has become unavailable to most users.
- 🔒 Security of data: SD-Cards are easier to lose or steal, and the information stored on them (for example, messenger data) can fall into the wrong hands.
- ⚡ Performance: Read/write speed even for class cards UHS-I into 2–5 less than the internal memory eMMC/UFS. This leads to "lags" and app hangs.
- 📱 Optimization MIUI: Xiaomi firmware actively uses caching and background processes that work poorly with external drives.
- 💰 Marketing move: the manufacturer is interested in selling devices with a large amount of memory (64/128 GB instead 32 GB).
However, the limitation is not absolute: In some models (such as the Redmi Note 8 Pro or Poco X3 NFC), the portability function remains, but hidden in the depths of settings, and there are workarounds for all versions of MIUI, including the latest 2026 updates.
⚠️ Note: Transfer system applications (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.home) to SD-This card can cause your smartphone to fail. Don't touch the app with the gear icon in the control menu!
Method 1: Built-in portability (for older versions of MIUI)
If your smartphone is running MIUI 11 or older (e.g. Redmi 7, Mi A2), the chance of detecting the built-in app portability feature is pretty high.
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Select the application you want (such as Telegram or Facebook).
- Put it on the storage (or memory) item.
- If the option is available, you will see the Change or Move button. SD-map.
If you don't have a button, your version of MIUI doesn't support it, so move on to the following methods.
| Xiaomi model | MIUI version | Support for the transfer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 7/8 | MIUI 10–11 | Yes. | The feature is available for most user applications |
| Mi 9T / Poco F1 | MIUI 12 (Global) | Partially. | Only for applications that support adoptable storage |
| Redmi 9A/9C | MIUI 12.5+ | No. | The option is hidden, ADB is required |
| Poco X3 Pro | MIUI 13 (POCO) | Yes (via ADB) | You need developer rights. |
⚠️ Note: After the application has been moved to SD-The map can run slower, and the widgets will stop updating. FAT32/exFAT, which is used by most memory cards.
Buy a class memory card UHS-I (U1/U3) higher|Format the card in exFAT (via phone or PC)|Create a backup copy of data from the card|Check the vacant space (minimum) 5 GB for applications)-->
Method 2: Use ADB (for MIUI 12–14)
If there is no built-in feature, you can force applications to migrate using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that works on all versions of MIUI, but requires a connection to a computer and the developer mode is enabled.
Step-by-step:
- Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI until the notification “You’re a Developer” appears. Return to Settings → Additional → Developer and enable USB Debugging.
- Connect your phone to your PC: Download and install ADB Tools (or use the Mi Unlock Tool if you already have one). Connect your smartphone to USB, select File Transfer Mode (MTP). In the command line (Windows: Win + R → cmd), type: adb devices If the device is displayed, you're done.
Deferral of the annex
- Find out the package name of the application (for example, through the App Inspector or the Google Play website).
- Execute the command: adb shell pm set-install-location 2 This command installs SD-Map as the default installation location for new applications.
- To transfer an already installed application (e.g. WhatsApp with com.whatsapp): adb shell pm move-package com.whatsapp
Advantages of the method:
- ✅ Applications are faster than normal transfers.
- ✅ The system automatically distributes data between internal and external memory.
Disadvantages:
- ❌ The card becomes “tied” to the phone – it can not be removed without resetting.
- ❌ If the card is damaged, application data may disappear.
- ❌ Not all Xiaomi models support Adoptable Storage (e.g. Poco) X4 Pro blocks this function).
What if the option “Inner Memory” is not available?
Method 4: Third-party applications for transfer (without root)
If previous methods have not worked, you can use third-party utilities.
- 📱 AppMgr III (App 2 SD) — It shows you what applications you can migrate, and it does it in one tap. MIUI 12-14, but requires on-set debugging USB.
- 🔧 Link2SD — It's a more powerful tool, but it requires root rights to work, and it allows you to create symbolic links and even port system applications.
- 📂 Files by Google – Google’s built-in file manager can analyze memory and offer transfer of rarely used applications.