How do you do it? SD-Main memory card on Xiaomi: a complete guide with nuances

Owners of Xiaomi smartphones often face a lack of internal memory, especially if the device is from a budget or medium-range. SD-The map seems like a logical solution, but here lies a lot of pitfalls: from the limitations MIUI In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to make a memory card the main storage — taking into account the features of the firmware, model range and Android versions.

It's important to understand that the term "main memory" is often misunderstood in Xiaomi's context. SD-The latter option is not available on all devices and has serious limitations, and we will analyze both approaches, as well as alternative methods of optimizing memory without risk to the system.

Why? SD-The card does not become a “full” memory on Xiaomi

The manufacturer deliberately limits the functionality of external drives in MIUI for several reasons:

• 🔹 Data security: Annexes to the SD-It is easier to steal or damage the card when physically extracted.
• 🔹 Performance: Class maps A1/A2 slower-than-integrated memory UFS 2.1/3.0, What's slowing down the OS.
• 🔹 Fragmentation: Frequently write/delete files on SD This leads to rapid degradation of its cells.
• 🔹 Google Policy: Starting with Android 9, Adoptable Storage is not officially supported for new devices.

However, workarounds do exist, for example, on Android 8.1 and lower devices (such as the Redmi Note 5 or Mi A1) you can activate Adoptable Storage via ADB. And on newer models (Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro) you will have to settle for manually porting applications or using the card as a portable drive.

⚠️ Attention: Formatting SD-The card as internal memory irreversibly deletes all data from it and makes it unusable for use in other devices without re-formatting.

Preparation SD-maps: requirements and choices

Not every microSD is suitable for the role of "main memory."

• 📌 Speed class: Not lower A1 (optimally A2 Class 10 cards without "A" marking are not suitable!
• 📌 Capacity: From 32 GB (in practice, 64 GB and higher is better due to system overheads).
• 📌 Manufacturer: SanDisk Ultra, Samsung are preferred EVO Plus, Kingston Canvas Go! Plus - they're less likely to be faked.
• 📌 File system: Adoptable Storage will be required ext4 or f2fs (automatically selected by the system).

Before buying, check the card for authenticity with H2testw (Windows) or F3 (Linux/macOS). Counterfeiting often has an understated real capacity and write speed below the stated. Also make sure your device supports the right amount of cards – some Xiaomi budget models (such as the Redmi 9A) are limited to 256 GB.

Method 1: Formatting SD as an internal memory (Adoptable Storage)

This method only works on Android 8.1 Oreo and below, as well as some MIUI firmware for Android 9 Pie.

1. Put it in. SD-Card to smartphone and wait for its detection.
2. Go to Settings. → Warehouse → [Name of name SD-map] → Three dots (menu) → Storage settings.
3. Choose the internal memory (internal storage).
4. Confirm the formatting (all data will be deleted!).
5. Wait until the process is completed (it can take 5-15 minutes).
6. Reset the device.

The system will then move some of the data to SD-But take note:

• 📵 Not all applications will work with external memory (especially system and secure games).
• 🐢 Read/write speeds will drop by 30-50% compared to built-in memory.
• 🔄 The map cannot be removed without formatting – it will become “tied” to the device.

Make a backup copy of data from the card|Charge your phone at least to 50%|Use a class card A1/A2|Check the free space on the map (minimum) 10 GB)|Disable two-factor authentication in applications (during the procedure)-->

⚠️ Attention: On devices with Android 10+ The option "Internal Memory" may not be available even with Adoptable Storage support, in which case manual activation is required via the Adoptable Storage. ADB (see next section).

Method 2: Activate Adoptable Storage through ADB (for Advanced)

If the settings do not have the option of formatting SD as internal memory, but the device theoretically supports it (check the table above), you can use ADB. This method requires a computer and basic knowledge of the command line.

Steps:

1. Install Platform Tools (includes adb).
2. Activate USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional → For Developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute in the terminal: adb shell sm list-disks Remember the disk ID (e.g., disk:179.64).
4. Run the command (replace disk:X,X with your identifier): sm partition disk:179.64 private
5. Reset the device.

After the reboot. SD-The card will be formatted as internal memory. To return it to its original state, use the command:

sm partition disk:179,64 public

Method 3: Manual transfer of applications to SD-map

If Adoptable Storage is not available, you can manually port the applications, which works on all versions of MIUI, but has limitations:

• 🚫 Not all apps support portability (especially system and cache games). >1GB).
• 🔄 After updating the application, it can automatically return to internal memory.
• 📁 Only parts of the data are transferred – the main files remain in the phone.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want to transfer.
3. Press Warehouse. → Change. → SD-map.
4. Confirm the transfer and wait until it is completed.

For mass transfer, use third-party utilities like AppMgr. III (Requires root rights on new versions MIUI). Alternative - the function of the Warehouse → Transfer of data to SD-The map is in the settings, but it is not available on all devices.

💡

Before perenosoming an application on SD, check its size in Settings → Storage. If it takes less than 100 MB, the transfer may not give a noticeable effect, but will increase the fragmentation of the card.

Alternative methods of memory optimization

If the transfer is SD-The card is impossible or ineffective, consider these options:

• 🧹 Cache Clearing: Clean App Cache Regularly Through Settings → Warehouse → Clean or use CCleaner.
• ☁️ Cloud Storage: Automatic Photo Upload to Google Photos or Mi Cloud (up to 5GB free).
• 🔄 Reset to factory settings: Radical method if system is cluttered (make backup!).
• 📂 Media transfer: Music, videos and documents can be manually moved to SD through the conductor.
• 🛠️ Lite versions of apps: Install Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite and analogues instead of full versions.

For supportive devices OTG (for example, POCO F3) You can connect the external SSD-This is important for working with large files (video editing, backups), the read/write speed in this case will be faster than the microSD.

💡

On devices with MIUI 12.5+, the Smart Clean feature has appeared, which automatically deletes unused files. Activates in Settings → Storage → Smart Cleanup.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When working with SD-Xiaomi users face typical errors:

If the phone brakes after formatting the SD as internal memory, return the settings to the original state.

1. Connect the phone to the PC.
2. Run in ADB: sm partition disk:X,X public (replace X,X with your disk ID).
3. Reset the device.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions