How to install applications SD-Map in Xiaomi smartphones: all ways of 2026

Why applications are not installed on SD-Xiaomi Map and How to Fix It

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the problem of lack of internal memory, especially on budget models like Redmi. 9A POCO M3. It would seem that the solution lies on the surface: to transfer applications to the SD-But here, users are in for a nasty surprise, in modern versions of Android and the shell. MIUI This function is either hidden or it's limited?

Starting with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google has changed the way it works with external drives. SD-Default cards are seen as portable storage (for photos, music, documents) rather than an extension of internal memory.Manufacturers including Xiaomi have further tightened those restrictions in their firmware. MIUI, So we can avoid problems with performance and safety, but there are workarounds, and we'll go through them in detail below.

It is important to understand that not all applications can be transferred to the SD-For example, system services (com.miui.home, com.android.phone) and games with anti-piracy protection (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile will remain in internal memory, but for most of the user programs — messengers, social networks, utilities — there are solutions.

Preparation SD-maps: selection and formatting

Before you try to migrate applications, you need to properly prepare the memory card itself. SD-These are the key requirements:

• 🔹 Speed class: minimum class 10 or UHS-I (better UHS-II Class Class cards for speed. 4/6 They will slow down applications.
• 🔹 Volume: from 32 GB (optimally 64-128 GB). Cards less than 16 GB MIUI It may not be possible to format as an internal memory.
• 🔹 Manufacturer: give preference to brands SanDisk, Samsung EVO, Kingston Canvas – Cheap no-name cards often fake real volume.
• 🔹 File system: Formatting as internal memory will require ext4 or f2fs (automatically selected by the system).

If you've already used a card on your phone to store photos or music, you need to format it completely.

1. Put it in. SD-card in the smartphone slot (on some Xiaomi models only hybrid slot is supported - check if it is not occupied by the second one) SIM-card).
2. Go to Settings. → Warehouse → SD-map.
3. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select Storage Settings.
4. Select Format as internal memory (Warning: All data on the map will be deleted!).

⚠️ Note: After formatting SD-The card, as internal memory, cannot be retrieved without losing data, the system will treat it as part of the main storage, and if you pull out the card, some applications may stop working.

Method 1: Transfer applications through MIUI settings (official method)

The easiest, but also the most limited, way is to use the built-in MIUI feature, which is suitable for most custom applications, but does not work with system services and some games.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want to transfer (such as Telegram or VK).
3. Slip on Warehouse.
4. If you have an option, you'll see a Change button next to the words "Inner Memory." Click on it.
5. Choose. SD-map and confirm the transfer.

Pay attention to a few nuances:

• 🔸 The Change button will be inactive if the app developer has banned the transfer to the SD-Map in the manifesto (android:installLocation).
• 🔸 Some applications may be slower after porting, due to limited read/write speeds. SD-map.
• 🔸 Application data (cache, settings) may remain in internal memory. to transfer them will require additional actions (see section on data transfer).

If there is no change button at all, it means that:

• 📌 SD-The card is not formatted as internal memory (see the section on preparing the card).
• 📌 The application is system-based or has portability protection.
• 📌 Your version. MIUI Blocks this function (relevant for some regions, for example, for firmware) MIUI EU).

Method 2: Using ADB for Forced Transfer

If the official method didn’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that lets you manually tell the system where to install applications, which takes a computer and a little more effort, but works even with programs that don’t normally carry.

To start, turn on USB debugging on your smartphone:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version until you become a developer!
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Activate the debugging switch over USB.

Now connect your phone to your computer (use Xiaomi’s original cable for a stable connection) and execute the following commands in ADB:

adb shell


pm set-install-location 2 # forced installation on SD- card




pm move-package com.example.app # replace com.example.app with your application’s batch name

To find out the batch name of the application, use the command:

pm list packages | grep 'keyword word'

For example, for WhatsApp it will be com.whatsapp, for Instagram it will be com.instagram.android.

⚠️ Attention: Forced transfer through ADB This can lead to unstable applications, especially if SD-Some programs (e.g. Google Play Services) will not work after the transfer!

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If the pm move-package command returns the error [INSTALL_FAILED_INVALID_INSTALL_LOCATION], So the app is strictly non-transferable. Try an alternative method with link2sd (see next section).

Method 3: Link2SD application for deep transfer

Link2SD — This is a utility that allows you not only to transfer applications to the SD-It's also useful for games that take up a lot of space with cache, like Call of Duty Mobile or Free Fire).

Link2SD requires:

• 🔧 Root rights (on some Xiaomi models, they can be obtained through Magisk).
• 🔧 SD-map formatted with a section ext2/ext3/ext4 (second-part).
• 🔧 Installed annex Link2SD Google Play.

Instructions for setting:

1. Download and install Link2SD.
2. When you first start, the program will prompt you to select the file system for the second partition. SD-maps - choose ext4.
3. Reboot the phone.
4. In the main Link2SD menu, select the app you want to migrate.
5. Then, click on it and choose to create a link (or move to it). SD-card if root rights are not available).
6. Confirm link building for APK, DEX and Lib files.

Important: If you are using Link2SD without root rights, the transfer will be incomplete – only a part of the files will move to the port. SD-For full transfer (including application data) root is mandatory.

Method 4: Transfer application data (cache, settings)

Even if the application itself has been successfully transferred to SD-The card, its data (cache, settings, uploaded files) often remain in internal memory, for example, on YouTube these are uploaded videos, on Spotify they are offline playlists.

There are two ways:

1. Through the App Settings: Open Settings → Annexes → App management. Select the application you want (like Google Maps). → Clear cache (this won't delete important data, only temporary files) If you have the option to Transfer data to the SD-map, use it.

Through the file manager

• Install FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer.
• Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
• Go to /sdcard/Android/data/, where most applications are stored.
• Select a folder with the data of the desired application (for example, com.spotify.music) and transfer it to the folder. SD-hand-write.
• Create a symbolic link (root rights required) or manually specify a new location in the application settings.

⚠️ Note: Manually moving data without creating symbolic links will cause the application to stop seeing its files. Use this method only if you understand the risks or have root access to build links through ln -s.

Problems and Solutions: Why Apps Don't Work After a Transfer

Transfer of applications to SD-The map is not always a smooth process. Here are the most common problems and the ways to solve them:

If none of these methods worked, consider alternative ways to free up memory:

• 🗑️ Remove unused applications (use Settings) → Annexes → Unused).
• 🗑️ Clear the cache through Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🗑️ Transfer media files (photos, videos) to SD-Map or cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud).
• 🗑️ Use the Lite mode function in MIUI for lightweight versions of applications.

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If your Xiaomi smartphone does not support the transfer of applications to the SD-map through standard settings, the only working alternatives are ADB or Link2SD Without them, full portability is impossible due to the limitations of Android and MIUI.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring applications to SD-map