Owners of budget smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 6A often face a lack of free space. Standard 16 or 32 gigabytes are quickly filled with system files, messengers and photos, which leads to a slowdown in the device. Android system begins to work unstable, and installing new applications becomes impossible without removing old ones.
Fortunately, there is a technical ability to bypass the manufacturer’s limitations: Adoptable Storage, introduced in Android 6.0, allows the system to perceive an external drive as part of internal memory. However, in the MIUI shell, this option is often hidden from the user, requiring additional actions through a computer or special codes.
In this guide, we will discuss proven methods of activating internal memory based on the SD-We'll look at how software solutions are made through ADB-commands and hidden features of the developer menu available on the firmware version of Android 8.1 Oreo. carefully follow the instructions to avoid data loss.
Preparation SD-maps and backups
Before you start any manipulation of the file system, you need to make sure the quality of the medium used. To work as internal memory, you need a card with a high speed class, preferably Class 10 or UHS-I. Slow cards will lead to a strong freeze of the interface and long downloads of applications.
The conversion process involves fully formatting the drive, and all the data on the map at the moment will be irretrievably lost, so the first step should be to back up all the important photos, documents and videos to your computer or cloud service.
⚠️ Attention: After transformation SD-It's going to be encrypted and linked to a particular smartphone, and it's going to be impossible to retrieve and read data on another device without formatting.
Make sure your Redmi 6A has a battery charge of at least 50-60%. interruption of the formatting process due to battery discharge can damage the file system and inability to load the operating system.
☑️ Verification before conversion
Activation via the developer menu (for MIUI 9/10)
Some versions of MIUI firmware installed on Redmi 6A include a hidden switch that allows you to activate the feature without using a computer.This method does not work on all versions of Android, but it is worth trying it first, since it is the most secure.
To access hidden settings, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on MIUI Version. After the notification that you have become a developer, go back to the main settings menu.
Find the Additional Settings → For Developers. Scroll down to "Enable Forced Permission to Write" or "Force allow apps on external." Activate this switch and restart the device.
What to do if the item is not on the menu?
After rebooting, insert SD-The system can suggest formatting it. Select "Use as internal storage." If the system only says "Use as portable storage," this method didn't work, and you'll have to use the command line.
Use ADB to activate Adoptable Storage
The most versatile method, which works on almost all versions of Android without root rights, involves the use of Android debugging bridge (ADB). You will need a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux) and USB-You need to download the platform-tools from the official Google website first.
Connect your smartphone to your PC in debugging mode. To do this, in the Developer menu, include "Debugging by Debugging" USB". When connecting on the phone screen, a request for debugging permission will appear - be sure to click "Allow" and tick "Always Allow from this computer".
Open the command line or terminal in the ADB folder and type in the adb device command. If the device is correctly identified, you will see its serial number. Then you need to enter shell mode by entering the adb shell command.
adb shell
pm setForceAdoptableStorage trueExecuting this command changes the system flag, allowing external drives to be used as internal drives. SD-The notification should include the option of formatting as internal memory.
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If the pm setForceAdoptableStorage true command doesn’t help, try formatting the card as portable first, then executing the command, and only then selecting the formatting option as internal in the storage settings.
Full formatting via command line
If the change of the flag does not work, you can forcibly format the card through ADB. This method is more aggressive and requires care not to format the internal memory of the device.
In adb shell mode, type the command sm list-disks. It will show your ID. SD-cards, usually disk:179,64 or similar combination of numbers. Write down this ID, it's critical for the next step.
| Team team. | Description of action | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| sm list-disks | Shows ID of connected disks | No. |
| sm partition disk:XXX private | Formatting the disk as internal memory | High (erases data) |
| sm set-fs-mount-point | Set the mounting point | Medium. |
To start the process, use the command sm partition disk:ID private, replacing the ID with your ID. For example: sm partition disk:179.64 private. The system will begin the encryption and markup process, which can take several minutes.
⚠️ Note: sm partition completely destroys partitions on the map. Make sure you specify the correct disk (disk:XXX) corresponding to your size. SD-The card, not the internal memory of the phone.
Once the process is complete, the phone will restart. SD-The card will be displayed as part of an internal volume, rather than as a separate removable media.
Transfer of applications and data to SD-map
Once formatted successfully, the system will automatically start migrating some of the data, but not all applications can be moved completely, as developers decide whether to allow installation on an external medium. MIUI.
Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications. Select the heavy application you want (like a game or social network) If you can transfer, it will have a "Move to" button. SD-map" or "Modify".
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Even after converting the SD to internal memory, some system applications and widgets can remain on the built-in drive to ensure the stability of the system.
You can also move media files, you can set the camera to save the photo directly to the map. Go to the camera settings and select "Save to the map". SD-For multimedia in other applications (Telegram, WhatsApp), the paths to files can also be changed in their internal settings.
Use a file manager, such as the built-in "Conductor" or MI File Manager, to move folders DCIM, Download and Documents. Select folders, select Move, and specify the root SD-maps or related directories.
Possible problems and solutions
It can be difficult to operate, and users often complain about the slowdown in the speed of work, because the read/write speed is very fast. SD-cards are usually lower than the built-in eMMC memory or UFS. Lags interface - a direct consequence of using a slow drive.
Another problem is reading errors "SD-The card is damaged" or "Formatting required" which may mean the end of the card's resource or poor contact in the slot. Try to remove the card, erase the contacts with a lastic and paste back.
- 📉 Slowdown: The card can’t handle the speed of writing the cache of applications.
- ❌ Startup errors: Applications transferred to the map stop opening.
- 🔋 Battery discharge: Constant operation with external storage can increase power consumption.
If the phone stopped seeing the card after the conversion, it may have damaged the file system, which would require re-formatting as a portable drive, returning the card to its original state but deleting all the data.