How to install applications on a memory card in Xiaomi: all the ways and limitations

Xiaomi smartphones are getting more internal memory every year, but even 128 or 256 GB can fill up quickly if you actively install games, messengers and multimedia applications. The microSD card seems to be the obvious solution — cheap storage expansion, but with MIUI it is not so easy. Unlike many Android devices, where transferring applications to SD is carried out in a couple of clicks, owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi face system limitations. Why this happens and how to circumvent these restrictions in legal ways — we will discuss in this guide.

The main problem lies in the policy of Google and Xiaomi: since Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the portability of applications to external drives has been severely curtailed due to security and performance concerns. MIUI It goes even further, in most cases, the function of transferring applications to the SD-The card is simply not in the settings menu, even if the card is formatted as an internal storage, but that doesn't mean there's no solution. MIUI 12–14 (including HyperOS) and put them together in this tutorial – from standard settings to hidden features for power users.

Why Xiaomi is blocking the installation of applications on the SD-map?

At first glance, the limitation seems counterintuitive: Why buy a memory card if you can't transfer at least some of the applications to it? In fact, Xiaomi has good reasons for this:

• 🔒 Data security: Annexes to the SD-It is easier to steal or replace cards, especially if the cards are retrieved and used on other devices. MIUI This is considered a vulnerability.
• ⚡ Performance: Memory cards (even class) A2) They are slower than the built-in memory. UFS or eMMC. Transfer applications to SD It can cause lags and hangings.
• 📱 System Fragmentation: Xiaomi Optimizes MIUI I'm working with built-in memory. SD How a full storage facility requires additional resources and testing.
• 💾 Android Restrictions: Starting with Android 10, Google has tightened rules for working with external drives. Xiaomi follows these guidelines to avoid certification issues.

However, some apps (such as Google Play Store or Galery) may be partially used by the company. SD-A card for storing cache or media files, full portability is only possible for certain categories of software.

Preparation SD-Maps: Formatting as an internal storage

Before you try to transfer applications, the memory card must be properly prepared. MIUI has two formatting options:

1. Portable storage: The card is used as a removable drive (photo, video, documents) and cannot be ported.
2. Internal storage: The card becomes part of the system (similar to the internal memory), only in this case you can transfer some applications.

To format the card as an internal storage:

1. Put it in. SD-card (if your model supports memory expansion).
2. Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Map.
3. Click Format as internal (in some versions, Configure as internal memory).
4. Confirm action. Attention: all data on the map will be deleted!
5. Once formatted, the system will suggest moving some of the data (photos, videos) to the map, which is not about applications, but will free up space in the internal memory.

The card supports speed class A1/A2 (for applications)

The card volume is at least 32 GB (optimally 64-128 GB)

Backup of important data from the map

Battery charge more than 50% (process can take 5-10 minutes)

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Once formatted, the card will be encrypted and tied to your device, and it won't be read on another phone or PC without formatting!

• ⚠️ Not all Xiaomi models support formatting SD as internal storage (e.g., some series devices) POCO M or Redmi Note with MIUI for POCO).
• ⚠️ The card will be faster than the internal memory, which can affect the performance of ported applications.

Method 1: Transfer applications through standard MIUI settings

If your Xiaomi model supports app portability (this is true for MIUI 10-12 devices and some POCO firmware), do the following:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want to migrate (like Facebook or Spotify).
3. Click on Warehouse (or Memory in some versions).
4. If the option is available, you will see the Change or Move button. SD-Press it.
5. Confirm the transfer. The process may take a few minutes.

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 It doesn’t work on all models (Redmi Note 11, POCO X3 Pro and newer option are often missing).
• 🚫 Not all applications support portability (e.g., system or high performance requirements).
• 🚫 After the transfer, the application may run slower or give errors.

If there's no port button, your firmware is blocking this function, so move on to alternative methods.

Method 2: Using ADB for Forced Transfer

For power users, there is a workaround through Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This method works on most Xiaomi devices, but requires a PC connection and basic command line knowledge.

Step 1: Preparation

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then go back to Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC via cable (use Xiaomi’s original cable for a stable connection).

Step 2. Transfer commands

Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) in the adb folder and type:

adb shell


pm set-install-location 2 # forced installation on SD by default




pm move-package com.example.app # Replace com.example.app with an app package

To find out the application package, use:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "appendix name"

Important:

⚠️ Warning: Not all applications will work after forced transfer; some may become dyed or lose data; do not carry system applications or banking services!

💡

Before using ADB, back up your data via Settings → System → Backup. If you fail, you can restore your applications to the internal memory.

Method 3: Transferring cache and application data to SD

If you can't move the application itself, you can free up space in the internal memory by moving the cache and user data to the SD, and this works for many applications, including games.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (like Google Chrome or TikTok).
3. Click Warehouse → Clear the cache (this won’t delete your data, only temporary files).
4. If you have the option to Transfer data to SD, use it. Otherwise:
5. Install a file manager (e.g. Files by Google) and manually move the folders with the app data (usually located in /Android/data/ or /Android/obb/).

Example for games:

• 🎮 The obb folder contains additional game files (for example, for Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile).
• 📁 Data folder stores saves and settings (transfer can reset progress!).

Method 4: Using a memory card as a portable storage for application files

If formatting an SD as internal storage is not available or desirable, you can use the card to store additional application files (for example, downloaded maps in Google Maps or music in Spotify).

How to set up:

1. Format the card as a portable storage (not internal!).
2. In the application settings, find the option to store files. For example: In Google Maps: Settings → Offline Maps → Storage settings. In Spotify: Settings → Data → Download folder. On Netflix: Settings → Downloads → Location.

/storage/XXXX-XXXX/Android/data/

This method does not carry the application itself, but saves space in the internal memory by moving heavy files.

💡

The portability of applications to SD in Xiaomi is severely limited due to MIUI and Android policies, the most reliable ways are to use the card to store media files and cache, as well as forced transfer via ADB (for power users).

Errors and problems when transferring applications to SD

Even if you managed to transfer the application to a memory card, the following problems may occur:

• 🐢 Slowdown: Annexes to the SD They can be longer and slow down, especially if the class card is used. A1 (not A2).
• 🚨 Update errors: Some apps (such as Google Play) refuse to update if installed on the app SD.
• 🔄 Reset after reboot: Rarely, but it happens that after a reboot, the application “forgets” its path and requires re-installation.
• 🔒 Blocking banking applications: SberBank Online, Tinkoff and others may prohibit the work with the Bank SD security-related.

How to fix it:

• If the app is dyed, transfer it back to the built-in memory.
• If the card is slow, check its class (should be A2) or replace it with a faster model.
• If the application is not updated, temporarily transfer it to the internal memory, update, then return to SD.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) post-formatted SD And if the phone stopped seeing the card, try it:

1. Reset the device.
2. Remove and re-paste the card.
3. If it doesn’t work, format the card as a portable storage (the data will be deleted!).

FAQ: Frequent questions about porting apps to SD in Xiaomi