How to install the game on the flash drive on the Xiaomi smartphone: 3 proven ways

Installing games on a flash drive instead of the internal memory of a Xiaomi smartphone is a topical solution for owners of devices with limited storage capacity. POCO 128GB of memory is quickly clogged with modern games like Genshin Impact (15 GB)+ GB or Call of Duty Mobile (8)+ Transfer of games to microSD or OTG-The flash drive frees up space for photos, videos and other apps, but requires Android to be set up properly and bypass restrictions MIUI.

This article provides 3 working methods for installing games on an external drive (including forced transfer via ADB), a list of compatible flash drives for Xiaomi, as well as solutions to typical errors like “App not installed” or “Insufficient space”. All instructions are tested on MIUI 14/15 (Android 13/14) and are relevant for models from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

⚠️ Important: Not all games support external memory, PUBG Mobile and Free Fire can give errors when running from a flash drive due to cheating protection. Before installing, check the requirements of the game on Google Play or on the official website.

1. Which flash drive to choose for games on Xiaomi: requirements and recommendations

Not every microSD or microSD or USB-A flash drive is good for installing games. Cheap drives with low read/write speed cause lags, hangs and errors when you start. Xiaomi optimal memory cards with characteristics:

• 🔹 Class speed: UHS-I U3 or V30 (For heavy games (such as Diablo Immortal) it is better. UHS-II.
• 🔹 Volume: 64GB (32GB is not enough cache space) and the maximum depends on the smartphone model (for example, Redmi Note 13 Pro).+ Supports up to 1 TB).
• 🔹 Format: exFAT or NTFS (file-wise >4GB). MIUI automatically offers to format the card when you first connect.
• 🔹 Brand: Samsung EVO Plus, SanDisk Extreme, Kingston Canvas Go!. avoid no-name cards - they are often forged.

For connection USB-You'll need flash drives. OTG-Adapter (Type-C or Micro-USB depending on Xiaomi model).Please note: some games (e.g. Honor of Kings) block launch from the X-ray. OTG-scaling up due to the risk of using cheats.

On Xiaomi models without a microSD slot (for example, Xiaomi) 13/14 The series can only be used OTG-But the speed of reading through the OTG on 20–30% lower than the built-in microSD, which will affect the performance in games.

2. Preparation of Xiaomi smartphone to install games on a flash drive

Before installing games, you need to configure MIUI Without these steps, the system can block the data transfer or issue an error "The application does not support installation on the data transfer". SD-map».

Formatting of the flash drive

If you are using a new memory card, MIUI It will offer you to format it when you first connect. Choose the exFAT format, which supports files over 4 GB (relevant for games like Asphalt 9). USB-Flash drive formatting can be done on PC:

1. Connect the flash drive to the computer.
2. Open “This Computer” → Right-hand button on the flash drive → “Format”.
3. Select the exFAT file system and click “Start”.

Configuring access rights

By default, MIUI restricts the recording to external drives, to allow game installation:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Storage.
2. Find the File Manager app and enable access to external memory.
3. In Settings → Additional → For developers, activate the option “Debugging by USB” (you will need for the method with ADB).

Note: If the option is hidden, go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.

Formatting in exFAT|Checking the read/write speed|Configuring access rights to MIUI|Activation of debugging by USB (for ADB)|Checking the compatibility of the game with external memory-->

Method 1: Installation APK-file-to-stick

The easiest method is to download APK-The game file and install it directly on the external drive. Suitable for games that do not require installation on internal memory (for example, Brawl Stars or Clash Royale).

Installation steps:

1. Download. APK-Game file from a trusted source (e.g. APKMirror or official website).
2. Connect the flash drive to your smartphone and open the File Manager (Files).
3. Move the APK to an external drive (for example, to the Download or Games folder).
4. Run the installation directly from the flash drive. If the “Installation locked” error appears, allow installation from unknown sources: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Files → Allow installation from this source

⚠️ Note: Some games (such as Roblox or Minecraft) install the main files on the flash drive, but the cache and updates still take up internal memory. ADB).

Pros and cons of the method:

• ✅ Simplicity (does not require root or PC).
• ✅ It works on all Xiaomi models.
• ❌ Not all games support external memory installation.
• ❌ Cache and data can remain in internal memory.

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Before installing an APK, check its hash (MD5) on a site like VirusTotal to protect against viruses and modified files.

Method 4: Transfer the installed game to the flash drive through the Android settings

If the game is already installed in internal memory, it can be transferred to the flash drive through the standard MIUI settings. The method does not work for all applications, but is suitable for most casual games (for example, Candy Crush or Subway Surfers).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Choose the game you want to move.
3. Press "Storage» → «Modify" (or "Move to" SD-map»).
4. Confirm the transfer. The process may take a few minutes.

If the Transfer button is inactive, the game does not support this function, and only Method 3 (via ADB) will help.

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 It does not work for system applications.
• 🚫 Some of the data (cache, updates) may remain in internal memory.
• 🚫 On some Xiaomi models, for example, POCO F5) transfer option hidden.

Note: After transferring the game to the flash drive, its icon may disappear from the home screen. To return it, add a shortcut manually through the application menu.

5. Method 3: Forced transfer of the game to a flash drive via ADB (for experienced)

If the first two methods fail, the forced transfer over ADB (Android Debug Bridge) remains, which requires a PC connection, but allows you to transfer almost any game, including Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB (download from the official website).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB Xiaomi.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
2. Check the device connection command: Adb devices should appear serial number of your Xiaomi.
3. Find out the game's package name (e.g. PUBG Mobile's com.tencent.ig) via the App Inspector app or by command: adb shell pm list packages | grep "game name"
4. Transfer the game to the flash drive by the command (replace package.name with a real identifier): adb shell pm set-install-location 2 adb shell pm move-package com.tencent.ig
5. Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Note: Some games (such as Free Fire) after transferring through the ADB You may have an error called "Insufficient Memory" when you update, in which case you temporarily return the game to your internal memory, update it, and then transfer it to the flash drive again.

ADB's extended teams:

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Transferring over ADB is the only way to install heavy games (10+GB) on a USB drive without root rights, but after the MIUI update, the settings may reset and the procedure will have to be repeated.

6. Solving errors when installing games on a flash drive

Even when set up correctly, errors can occur, and below are the most common problems and solutions for Xiaomi smartphones.

“Not installed annex”

Causes and solutions:

• 🔸 Damaged. APK: Download the file again from the official source.
• 🔸 Incompatible architecture: Make sure that APK It is suitable for your processor (for example, arm64-v8a for Snapdragon).
• 🔸 Lockdown MIUI: Turn off the defenses. MIUI In Settings → Annexes → Application management → Settings (⚙️) → Protection MIUI.

6.2. “Insufficient space on the device”

An error occurs when:

• 🔸 The game tries to write the cache to internal memory. Solution: transfer the cache manually through ADB or use the FolderMount app (requires root).
• 🔸 The flash drive has less than 10 percent of the free space, so you can either vacate the space or use another card.

6.3 The game does not start after the transfer

What to do:

• 🔸 Reinstall the game from an official source (not from a flash drive).
• 🔸 Check the speed of the flash drive – if it is below 40 MB / s, the game will slow down.
• 🔸 For games with protection (such as Call of Duty), try to disable the flash drive, start the game, and then connect the drive back.

Note: On Xiaomi models with Dynamic RAM Expansion (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+), flash drive games may run slower due to a lack of RAM. Turn off the feature in Settings → About Phone → Memory → Dynamic RAM Extension.

7. Alternative ways to save space on Xiaomi

If transferring games to a flash drive didn’t help or isn’t suitable, consider other options for freeing up memory:

• 📁 Cache Clearing: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → [Game] → Clear the cache.In Genshin Impact, for example, the cache can take up to 10 GB.
• ☁️ Cloud Savings: Games like Clash of Clans let you save progress to the cloud and delete local data.
• 🔄 Games streaming: Xiaomi Game Center services or NVIDIA GeForce NOW Allows you to play without installation (requires a stable Internet connection).
• 🗑️ Remove unnecessary files: Use the built-in Cleanup utility (Settings) → The phone. → Memory. → Cleanup).

For models with virtual memory support (for example, Xiaomi 13T), you can expand RAM due to internal storage:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Memory.
2. Select Dynamic RAM Extension and set a value between 2 and 8 GB.

Note: Virtual memory does not replace physical RAM, but it helps reduce the system load when running heavy games.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)