Owners of modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO often face an unpleasant situation when the built-in storage is crowded and new pictures become impossible. Built-in memory is consumed rapidly, especially if you shoot high-resolution video or use RAW mode, which takes hundreds of megabytes per file. Fortunately, most current models support the installation of microSD cards, which allows you to effectively expand the available space for storing media files.
However, simply inserting a card is not enough, as the camera defaults to keep all the images in internal memory, ignoring the external drive. To solve this problem, you need to properly configure the system or use a file manager to force transfer of existing photos. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods available in the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS, so you can free precious gigabytes.
Before starting the procedure, make sure your memory card is intact and formatted in a compatible file system. Usually the system itself will offer formatting on the first installation, but after formatting, the card becomes available only for reading and writing data from that particular device without the ability to easily extract and read on a PC without re-formatting (if the internal drive mode is selected), but for photos it is better to use portable storage mode.
Preparation of memory card and storage configuration
The first step is to physically install the memory card into the device slot. Depending on the model of your Xiaomi smartphone, the tray can be combined (SIM + SIM + microSD) or hybrid (SIM + SIM / microSD). Carefully remove the tray using a paper clip, install the microSD card and return the tray to its place. The system should automatically identify the new medium and suggest that it be configured.
Once the drive is detected, the operating system will offer two use cases: as a portable storage device or as part of internal memory. To transfer photos and videos, the best option is Portable storage, which allows you to store media files that will also be available when you connect the card to a computer or other device without losing data.
⚠️ Note: If you choose Internal Storage mode, the system will encrypt the card and it will become unreadable on other devices. This option is less convenient for archiving photos, since when you reset your phone settings without unlocking the card, the data will be lost. The setup is completed when a notification of a successful mount appears at the top of the screen (the curtain), and you can now move on to changing the settings for saving in the camera or manually copying files through the explorer. 📊 How you plan to use it SD-Map?Photo and video onlyFor installing appsHow music playerFor backupsAutomatically save photos on SD-The most convenient way to solve the problem of overflow memory is to configure the Camera application so that it immediately saves new pictures to an external drive. This will save you the need to manually transfer files in the future.In the standard Xiaomi camera app, this option is hidden in the settings menu, which often goes unnoticed by users. To activate the function, open the Camera app and tap the menu icon (usually three horizontal lines or a gear) in the top corner of the screen. Find Settings and scroll the list to the memory-related section. SD-map" or "Use SD-Activate the switch next to this point. If the option is activated, all new photos and videos will be automatically recorded in the folder. DCIM/Camera externally. Please note that some shooting modes, such as “Portrait” with bokeh effect or shooting in format HEIF, They may still require internal memory to be processed by artificial intelligence algorithms before being saved. ☑️ Setup of Xiaomi Camera Open Camera App Press the settings menu (three stripes) Find the item Save on SD-MapActivate the switch Completed: 0 / 4 It's worth noting that the write speed on a memory card can be lower than on an embedded flash module. 4K or use serial shooting mode, there may be delays between frames or warnings about low recording speed. U3 or V30 Manually transfer photos through standard Explorer If you already have a large number of photos in internal memory, they must be manually transferred. For that, in the shell. MIUI And HyperOS uses a built-in File Manager that has enough functionality to handle files without having to install third-party software. Open the Explorer app and go to the File or Review tab. Find the folder. DCIM, And that's where the Camera subfolder is located, and that's where your pictures are stored. You can select the photos you want with a long press, or you can select "All" through the control menu, then you can click "Copy" or "Move" and then you can select the action, and then you can ask the system to specify the destination. In the list of storages, select yours. SD-map (usually indicated as SD Card or brand name card. Create a new folder for convenience or select an existing one, for example, DCIM/FromPhone, and confirm the operation with the button "Insert" or "copy here». Parameter Internal memory SD-Card Speed Operation Type Access High Speed Depends on card class Copying 1 GB ~ 5-10 Sec Reliability High Medium (Data Loss Risk) Depending on the number of files Use System and Application Media and Documents Mass Transfer Formatting Not recommended Required Periodically Fast Formatting The copying process may take some time depending on the size of the file It is not recommended to interrupt the operation or remove the memory card until the process is complete, to avoid damaging the file system and losing some of the photos. What to do if the copy freezes? 5 Try canceling the operation, check the integrity of the memory card through the storage settings, sometimes the problem is solved by restarting the smartphone before you try again. Also make sure that the map has enough free space and is not full of fragmented files.Using the Google Files app, many Xiaomi smartphones preinstalled the Files by Google app, which is a great alternative to the standard Explorer. It has a more modern interface and a more convenient tool for cleaning up memory, and moving files between storages. Launch the app and go to the Overview tab. In the Devices section, you'll see two storages: internal memory and storage. SD-Open internal memory, find the Pictures folder (screenshots, images from instant messengers) or DCIM (Select the files you want to move. Click on the three dots in the menu and select "Move to..." In the window that opens, select SD-map. The advantage of this method is that the application will automatically prompt you to create a folder with the same name, if it does not already exist, which helps to maintain order in the file structure. 💡Use size sorting in the Files app to quickly find the heaviest videos and photos taking up the most space and move them first. The app also can find duplicate files and blurry photos that can be safely disposed of, freeing up even more space before transferring the residues to the map, making the memory optimization process complex and efficient. A significant part of the memory is occupied not only by photos from the camera, but also by images received in WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and other messengers. These files are usually stored in separate directories inside internal memory, such as a folder. Android/media Or a root folder with the name of the application, and to move them, use the same algorithm of actions through Explorer. WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images or Telegram/Telegram Images. Select the content and copy it to SD-a specially created folder, for example, Backup/Messengers. It is important to understand that simply moving files will not change the way you save new images in the messengers themselves. To make new images immediately fly to the map, you need to go to the settings of each application (Section “Data and storage”) and change the way you save media files, if such an option is supported by the Android version of the application. ⚠️ Note: When transferring files from application system folders (Android/data) on new versions of Android (11, 12, 13, 14) You can have access restrictions, and the system can request special permission to access the folder, so you can confirm that, so that the operation is successful. Regularly cleaning up instant messenger folders from video files, which often weigh more than the photos themselves, helps keep the smartphone in fast mode. Possible problems and solutions: Users may encounter various errors in the process of transferring data, the most common being the message "File is too big" when trying to copy to a card, which occurs if the card is formatted in the file system. FAT32, It does not support files larger than 4 GB. To solve this problem, the card must be reformatted to the exFAT file system. You can do this directly in your smartphone: go to Settings → The phone. → Warehouse, select. SD-Make sure you choose the exFAT format if the system offers a choice. Another common problem is the disappearance of photos after transfer, which may be because the gallery does not immediately index new files. In this case, try restarting your device or clearing the Gallery app cache through your application settings. Also check if the photo folder is hidden (the presence of a.nomedia file in the folder hides its contents from the gallery). 💡The exFAT file system is optimal for memory cards over 32 GB, as it is compatible with Android and Windows and supports files of any size. If the memory card is determined to be damaged, try connecting the smartphone to the computer and check it for errors with standard Windows tools or utilities like SD Formatter: Physical wear and tear of the card can also cause failures when writing large amounts of data. SD-Map on Xiaomi? In modern versions of Android and shell MIUI/HyperOS portability of applications to SD-The card is limited or completely absent for most programs, and Android developers have abandoned this feature due to the slow speed of applications from an external drive. You can move only the data of some applications (if allowed by the developer) through the “Storage” menu in the settings of a particular application, but the application itself is not the same. APK-The file will remain in the internal memory, why the thumbnails in the gallery disappeared after the photo was transferred? It takes time for the system to restructure the media index, and after the mass transfer of files, the gallery has to re-scan the storage, which can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the number of photos. You can speed up the process by restarting your phone or clearing the cache of the Gallery app. SD-No, memory cards are less reliable than the built-in memory of a smartphone, and they are prone to sudden breakdowns. It is recommended to use the map as additional space or temporary storage, but important photos should always be duplicated in the cloud services (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk, Mi Cloud) or on your computer. SD-You can use free apps from the Play Market to check the speed, for example, A1 SD Bench or Test Device. They will show the real speed of reading and writing, which will help to understand whether the card is suitable for recording video in the video. 4K Or a quick serial shot. What to do if the phone can't see? SD-If you don't, check the card on another device. If that doesn't work, check the card on another device. If the file system was damaged at the time of recording, and you need formatting. Also make sure that the card is not fake.