How do you do it? SD-Internal memory card on Xiaomi Redmi 9A: full-length guide

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 9A often face a lack of internal memory — only 32 GB, of which about 22-24 GB are available to the user. When installing even basic applications (WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Maps) and shooting photos in high resolution, the place ends in literally a month. The solution is: convert a microSD card into internal memory, thereby expanding the amount of software installation and data storage.

But the process has critical nuances: not every memory card will work, and the wrong actions can lead to data loss or even system failure.This article provides a step-by-step guide to MIUI 12/13, a comparison of methods (via settings and ADB), and a breakdown of common errors, such as when the system refuses to format the card as an internal one.

Before you start, make sure that your SD-The card meets two key requirements:

• 🔹 Speed class is below UHS-I (U1) class 10. Class Cards 4/6 It will not work, the system will give an error in formatting.
• 🔹 Volume from 16 GB 256 GB. Optimal — 64-128 GB (price/volume). Cards per 2 TB Redmi 9A supportive.

Preparation: which SD-Choose a map and how to avoid mistakes

Not all memory cards are equally useful. The Redmi 9A is critical not only in volume but also in the type of flash memory. Cheap cards without UHS-I or with the words "For App Performance" (A1/A2) often run slowly, leading to lags when running applications with SD.

Important: SDHC (up to 32GB) and SDXC (up to 64GB) cards are compatible with the Redmi 9A, but using cards larger than 128GB may require a firmware upgrade to MIUI 13+. Check the current version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.

Before the procedure begins:

• 📱 Backup all data from your phone (photos, contacts, messages) to the cloud or PC. When formatting the card as internal memory, all files on it will be deleted irretrievably.
• 🔋 The battery must be at least 50% charged, and if the phone turns off during the process, the card may become unreadable.
• 🛠️ Make sure that there are no important files on the card – once converted to internal memory, it will not be able to be extracted and read on another device without formatting.

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If you buy a memory card specifically for memory expansion, give preference to models labeled A2 – they are optimized for running applications and work 30-40% faster than conventional Class 10 cards.

Method 1: Formatting SD-maps through settings MIUI

This is the easiest method that works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later. However, it has a limitation: the system can refuse to format a card if it does not meet the speed requirements or was previously used as portable storage.

Step-by-step:

1. Put it in. SD-slot 9A (undertray SIM-map).
2. Open the Settings → Memory.
3. Tap your name on it. SD-maps (e.g. "SanDisk" 64GB").
4. In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and select Storage Settings.
5. Select Internal Memory → Clean and Format.
6. Confirm the action. It'll take 2-5 minutes.

If the item Internal memory is inactive or absent, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🚫 The map is already formatted as a portable storage. Solution: format it as an internal one. ADB (method).
• 🚫 The card is damaged or too slow, so you can either check it on another device or replace it.
• 🚫 Custom firmware installed. Solution: go back to the official MIUI.

Make a backup phone data|Check the battery charge (>50%)|Put the card in the slot|Make sure the map is empty.|Close all applications-->

Method 2: Formatting via ADB (if the standard method does not work)

If MIUI refuses to format the card as internal, you will have to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting the phone to a PC, but gives 100% result if executed correctly.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📥 Utility. ADB Tools by Google.
• 🔧 Included debugging by USB phone-on.

Instructions:

1. Download and unpack ADB Tools to any folder on your PC.
2. On the phone, go to Settings → About phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times to activate the developer mode.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
4. Connect your phone to your PC and in the folder with ADB, start the command line (Shift + PCM → Open the PowerShell window here).
5. Enter the commands in turn: adb devices (should appear serial number of your phone) adb shell sm list-disks (remember the disk ID, for example, disk:179,64) sm partition disk:179,64 private
6. Wait until the process is complete (the phone can restart).

Attention! After executing the sm partition command, all data on the card will be erased and the map itself will become unreadable on other devices without re-formatting, and some applications (such as WhatsApp) may refuse to work with internal memory on the SD.

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Formatting through ADB — only way to MIUI use SD-The card is internal if the standard method of settings does not work, but then the card can not be removed without loss of data.

4. Typical errors and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, Redmi 9A users often run into problems.

Another common problem: after converting the card into internal memory Redmi 9A It starts to slow down. This is because the read/write speed is so fast. SD-The card is lower than the built-in memory of eMMC 5.1:

• 🔄 Move it to SD Media files (photos, videos, music) and apps are stored in internal memory.
• 📉 Turn off interface animation in Settings → Additionally. → For developers (reduces the lags).
• 🗑️ Clean the app cache regularly through Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.

⚠️ Note: If after formatting the card as internal memory, the phone stopped turning on or stuck on the logo MI, Take the card out, hold the power. + Volume up for 10 seconds for forced reboot. Once turned on, insert the card back, the system must recognize it automatically.

5 How to transfer applications to SD-map

By itself, converting a card to internal memory does not guarantee that applications will be installed automatically on it; MIUI requires manually specifying the storage location for each application.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Select the app you want to migrate (like Facebook).
3. Slip the Warehouse.
4. Click Change and select SD-map.
5. Confirm the transfer. The process may take a few minutes.

Limitations:

• 🚫 Not all applications support portability. System utilities (Settings, Phone, Messages) remain in internal memory.
• 🚫 Some games, for example, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact may not run from SD-Cards for protection against piracy.
• 🚫 Application widgets transferred to SD, may not work.

To automatically transfer new applications to SD:

1. Open Settings → Memory → Reservation by default.
2. Choose. SD-map.

⚠️ Attention: If you delete SD-A card formatted as internal memory will no longer work on any applications that are transferred to it, and if you re-insert the card, the system may require that it be re-formatted, which will result in data loss.

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To check which apps have already been ported to SD, open Settings → Memory → Applications and sort the list by storage location. SD apps will be marked with the appropriate icon.

6 How to get it back. SD-map

If you decide to stop using the card as internal memory (for example, to transfer it to another phone), it should be formatted back to portable storage.

Method 1 (via settings):

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Tap it on. SD-map → three-point (⋮) → Storage settings.
3. Select Portable Storage → Clean and Format.

Method 2 (via ADB if the first one fails):

adb shell


sm partition disk:179,64 public

(Replace 179.64 with your current card ID from the sm list-disks command)

You can then retrieve the card and use it in other devices, but keep in mind:

• 🔄 If there were apps on the map, they would stop working.
• 📁 Files (photos, videos) will remain in place, but the path to them will change.

7. Alternative ways to expand memory on Redmi 9A

If the transformation SD-cards in internal memory are not suitable (for example, due to a slow card or unwillingness to lose data), consider alternatives:

• 🖥️ Cloud storage: 🔹 Google Drive (15GB free). 🔹 Mi Cloud (5GB free, integrated into the MIUI). 🔹 Yandex Drive (10GB free) Plus: data is available from any device. minus: requires the Internet and can slow down when connecting slowly.
• 📁 Manual file transfer: 🔹 Use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager) to move your photo/video to the site. SD. 🔹 Set the camera to save pictures immediately on the map: Camera → Settings → Preservation site → SD-map.
• 🔧 Optimizing internal memory: 🔹 Remove the app cache in Settings → Memory. → Cleanup. 🔹 Turn off automatic app updates on Google Play. 🔹 Use Lite versions of apps (e.g. Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite).

For advanced users, there is another option: folder linking, which allows the system to be tricked into saving application files to SD, although they technically remain in internal memory, but this method requires root rights and is not recommended for beginners.

FAQ: Frequent questions about use SD-maps as internal memory