Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 7 often face a critical shortage of built-in storage, especially in the basic versions of the device. Built-in memory capacity of 32 GB or 64 GB is catastrophically lacking for the installation of modern heavy applications, games and accumulation of multimedia content. The MIUI system installed on the device takes up a significant part of the space, leaving the user with a limited resource for personal needs. Which is why the question of how to transfer applications to a memory card becomes one of the most pressing for owners of this popular model.
Fortunately, Redmi 7 has a separate microSD card slot that allows you to significantly expand the available volume. Proper use of external drive allows you to offload the system partition and speed up the interface. However, the process of data transfer and configuration of storage has its nuances that must be taken into account for the stable operation of the Android operating system. In this guide, we will discuss all the steps from choosing the right card to forced transfer of programs.
Before you start manipulating a file system, it’s important to understand that not all applications support developer portability, and some system components and critical services need to stay on the internal drive for security and performance. However, most custom programs, social networks and media players can be successfully moved.The Redmi 7's built-in memory has a faster read/write speed compared to average. SD-maps, so you should only transfer what really takes up a lot of space.
Preparation of memory card and smartphone for work
The first step is to choose and install the right drive. For modern applications, it is recommended to use Class 10 or higher cards, as low reading speed can lead to programs freezing. Insert the microSD card into the slot located at the end of the case using a special clip from the kit. Make sure the device is turned off or put into standby mode before removing the tray to avoid damaging the contacts.
After switching on the smartphone system MIUI It should automatically identify the new storage. Usually, at the top of the screen, a notification appears that a new device has been connected. If that hasn't happened, you need to go to the settings manually. Go to the Settings menu, select About phone, then Storage. Here you will see information about the internal drive and external drive. SD-map.
⚠️ Before you start setting up, be sure to copy important files from the memory card to the computer, since during the formatting process all data will be irretrievably deleted.
Next, you need to format the drive in an Android-compatible file system. The system will offer two uses: as a portable storage or as internal memory. For our purposes, that is, for installing applications, the best internal memory mode is best, although it will link the card to a particular device. Choose the appropriate item and wait for the formatting process to end.
☑️ Checking readiness
Setup the map as an internal storage
Adoptable Storage, which is implemented in Android, allows you to combine an external card with the system partition. On Xiaomi Redmi 7, this process occurs through the standard settings interface. Once you select the "Use as internal storage" mode, the system will begin to migrate data, which can take some time depending on the volume of files already available.
It's important to understand that once you format your card for internal memory, it will stop reading on other devices without re-formatting. This is an Android security measure to prevent data theft. If you plan to change your memory cards often or use them on other gadgets, this method may not be convenient. However, for stationary use in a smartphone, this is the optimal solution.
Once you have completed the setup, the system will suggest moving existing data. You can accept the port to free up space on the built-in disk. In some versions of MIUI, this item may be hidden or unstable. If the standard transfer did not occur automatically, you will have to use manual adjustment methods through the developer menu.
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Advanced settings.
- 💾 Find the Memory Item and select yours. SD-map.
- ⚙️ Click on three dots in the corner of the screen and select Format.
- 🔄 Select the option Internal memory and confirm the action.
It's worth noting that applications that are ported to the map may be slower than internal flash memory, because of the physical limitations of the connection interface and the quality of the memory cards themselves, so you shouldn't be able to transfer instantaneous response programs like navigators or heavy online games to an external drive.
Why doesn’t the system offer to format the map?
Forced transfer of applications through the developer menu
In situations where standard methods don’t work or the system refuses to port a specific application, you can take advantage of the hidden features of Android. This requires you to activate the developer menu. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI version. After that, a new section for developers will appear in the settings menu.
Inside the developer menu, you need to find the item responsible for installing applications, called "Force allow apps on external storage." Activating this switch gives the system a command to ignore the restrictions set by the application developers and allow them to be moved to the application. SD-map.
Settings → Additional settings → For developers → Allow saving to external storageOnce this feature is enabled, you need to restart your smartphone. Only after the reboot, the changes will take effect. Now, when you try to move the application in the standard program management menu, you will have the opportunity to select an external card, even if this option was previously unavailable (gray).
⚠️ Attention: Forced transfer of system applications or Google services can lead to unstable smartphone operation and the appearance of errors in the interface.
Note that not all applications work properly after such a forced transfer, widgets may stop updating, and notifications may come with a delay, and if you notice strange behavior of the program, it is better to return it to the built-in drive through the application management menu.
Manual control of installed applications
To manage the transfer of individual programs, you need to go to the appropriate settings section, and the path to it usually looks like this: Settings → Applications → All applications. Here is a complete list of installed software. Select the desired application from the list to open its properties.
In the app menu, find Memory** or Storage. If transfer is possible, there will be a button to Change or Move to SD-You click on it, you start the migration of the program data, the progress bar will show the status of the operation. Don't interrupt this process and don't turn off the phone until it's done.
| Type of application | Recommendation on accommodation | Impact on speed |
|---|---|---|
| Social networks (VK, Telegram) | SD-map | Minimum |
| Heavy. 3D-game | Internal memory. | High (possible lags) |
| Office packages | SD-map | Average. |
| System services | Only the inside | Critical |
After the transfer, some of the data will still remain on the internal drive, which is normal for the system to behave, because some shared libraries and cache must remain accessible to other processes. APK-file and main application resources.
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Use the Cleanup feature in the Security app regularly to remove residual debris from remote applications and free up a few more megabytes of valuable internal memory.
Setup camera and multimedia to record on SD
While the main topic of the article is about apps, freeing up space is also achieved by porting photos and videos. Redmi 7's camera defaults to storing files in internal memory. To change this behavior, open the Camera app and click on the menu icon (three bars) in the upper right corner.
In the menu that opens, find the gear icon (Settings). Scroll down the list of options to Save on SD-Now all new images and videos will automatically be saved to an external drive, bypassing the internal storage.
Similar settings are worth checking on messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram. On WhatsApp, the path looks like this: Settings → Data and Storage → Media Visibility (indirectly affects) or through the file manager you can reconfigure save paths if the application supports folder selection. On Telegram, you can set up automatic cache cleanup so that media files do not occupy space constantly.
- 📸 Open the Camera app.
- ⚙️ Go to Settings (cogs).
- 💾 Activate the switchboard Save to SD-map.
- 🎥 Check the work by taking a test photo or video.
Remember that memory cards have a limited overwriting resource. When you are actively shooting high-resolution video, the card can wear out faster than usual. For regular video shooting in 4K or FullHD 60fps, you should use cards with a high TBW (Terabytes Written) score.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Users may experience a number of difficulties in operating, and one of the common problems is that applications suddenly disappear or start errors, often due to a temporary loss of contact or failure of the card.