How to make an SD card the main memory on Xiaomi Redmi 9

Owners of budget and mid-budget smartphones often face a lack of built-in storage, and Xiaomi Redmi 9 is no exception. Standard 64 or 128 gigabytes may not be enough to install all the necessary applications, especially if you are actively using messengers, navigators and social networks. Fortunately, the Android operating system allows you to use the memory card not just as a storage for photos and music, but fully integrate it into the system, turning it into internal memory of the device.

This process requires care, because it involves formatting the drive, which will delete all the data on it, but the result is worth it: you get additional space to install games and programs that in standard mode might not be on the device at all. It is important to understand that the speed of applications transferred to the SD-The card will depend on the speed class of the memory card itself and its physical state.

Before you start any manipulations, you need to make sure that you have a quality microSD memory card, preferably a standard. UHS-I You'll also need a computer with Windows, macOS or Linux operating system that's working. USB-cable and some free time. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to circumvent the limitations of the shell. MIUI Activate the hidden Adoptable Storage function.

Preparation of the device and selection of a memory card

Cheap memory cards from Chinese online stores often have understated performance and low write speed, which in internal memory mode will lead to constant system freezes and interface lags. It is recommended to use products from proven brands such as Samsung, SanDisk or Kingston, labeled Class 10, U3 or V30.

The next step is to back up all the important data on the memory card, and in the process of setting up, the system will format the drive into a special file system, and all photos, videos or documents will be permanently lost, and transfer them to your computer or to the cloud to protect yourself from accidental loss of information.

You also need to activate the developer mode on your Xiaomi Redmi 9. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times in a row on the item "Version" MIUI». After the inscription “You became a developer” appears, you can proceed to the following settings.

💡

Use memory cards with a capacity of no more than 128 GB for maximum compatibility with older memory controllers in budget smartphones.

Configure debugging over USB and install drivers

To execute a command that transforms SD-The card is in internal memory, and we're going to need access to the Android debugging menu through the computer. Without this step, the standard Xiaomi settings menu won't offer the right option. USB, hop on the Settings path → Advanced settings → For developers and activating the appropriate switch.

When you connect your smartphone to your computer for the first time, you'll see a request for debugging permission on your screen. Be sure to check the box "Always Allow from this computer" and click "OK." If your computer can't see the phone, you may need to install ADB drivers or the original cable to transfer data, not just to charge.

You need to download and unpack the minimum set of Platform Tools (ADB and Fastboot) on your computer, which is Google's official toolkit that allows you to send commands directly to your device's operating system, and run the command line or terminal in the tool folder to make sure that the connection is installed correctly.

Activation of internal memory through ADB

Now, the most important step is to open the command line on your computer and type in the command to check the connection: adb devices. If a device with a serial number appears in the list, then the connection is established. Next, you need to find out the ID of your memory card by entering the command adb shell sm list-disks. The system will give the answer in disk:179.64 format (numbers may differ).

With the disk ID, we can start the formatting process. Type in the adb shell sm partition disk:XXX private, replacing the XXX with your previous step digits, and this command will force the partitions for internal memory and encrypt them, making the card unreadable for other devices without unlocking.

Once the command is successfully executed, the smartphone can restart or simply update the storage list. If everything goes well, in the memory settings, you will see that the amount of internal memory has increased by the size of your storage. SD-Now the system is treating the external drive as an integral part of the device.

Transfer applications and data to a new drive

Once the card has become part of the internal memory, Android will automatically begin to redistribute data. However, not all applications are ported immediately. You can manually control this process through the Settings menu → Applications → Application Management. Select the desired program, go to the Memory section and click on the Change or Move button.

It's worth noting that some system applications and critical services of Google may refuse to move to an external drive, which is normal behavior designed to ensure stable operation of the operating system. SD-The card will take heavy games, messengers with large cache and media applications.

For transferring media files such as photos and videos, it is best to use built-in gallery facilities or file managers such as: MIUI File Manager or Total Commander. Just copy the contents of the folders. DCIM Pictures from internal memory to the corresponding directories on the SD-Freeing up precious megabytes.

Possible problems and ways to solve them

Although it seems simple, the process can run into technical difficulties: Often users are faced with a situation where after formatting the map is determined, but the applications are not installed on it. This may be due to the file system: Android prefers ext4 or f2fs, while standard cards come with FAT32 or exFAT.

Another common problem is the decline in overall smartphone performance, so if the memory card has a low read/write speed, the interface may become less responsive and the launch of applications slow down, in which case it makes sense to return to standard mode of operation of the drive by formatting it back through the phone settings.

⚠️ Note: Once the card is formatted into internal memory mode, it will only work with that particular smartphone, insert it into another phone or computer and read the data without completely resetting and losing information.

If the smartphone stopped seeing the card or began to give reading errors, try to extract it, connect it to the computer through the card reader and check for errors with standard OS tools. Sometimes it helps to re-format in native Android format via ADB.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

Use of the SD-There are obvious benefits to card storage, the main one being cost savings: You don’t have to overpay for a version of a smartphone with a lot of built-in storage if you can expand it cheaply yourself. In addition, it allows you to store on the device huge libraries of offline maps, music and movies.

But there are also significant downsides: Even the fastest memory card will always run slower than an embedded eMMC or UFS chip sold on the board, which can lead to longer system boots after switching on and periodic slowdowns when working with heavy applications.

Also worth considering is the risk of data loss: Memory cards are less reliable than internal memory and more likely to fail, and if the card dies with your phone, you may lose access to the accounts of the applications that are stored there, which will require re-authorization or restoration.

⚠️ Note: Do not remove the memory card while the phone is on if it is formatted as internal memory.This can lead to serious system failures and loss of application data.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

💡

The use of high-quality memory card class UHS-I - the key to stable operation of the smartphone after the expansion of internal memory.

⚠️ Note: When formatting through ADB The system does not re-alert data loss. Make sure that important information is copied twice before entering the partition command.

In conclusion, the memory expansion on Xiaomi Redmi 9 is a powerful tool for extending the life of the device. The system is properly configured to forget about the constant notifications “Not enough space” and enjoy the full functionality of the smartphone.