How to transfer applications to the memory card in Xiaomi Redmi 6A: all the ways and nuances

Why at Redmi? 6A It is not possible to transfer applications to SD-standard-map?

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 6A often face the problem of lack of internal memory, especially if the device has many applications or games. The logical solution is to transfer some of the software to a microSD card, but here users are waiting for an unpleasant surprise: in the standard settings of MIUI, the option to transfer applications to SD is simply absent.

It's about the restrictions that Xiaomi has put on the firmware for budget models. 6.0 Marshmallow, Google has changed the policy of working with external drives, allowing the transfer of applications only mounted as internal SD-Adoptable Storage technology, but Redmi 6A It works on Android 8.1 Oreo with a shell MIUI 9/10, In fact, many applications (especially system and cache games) do not fundamentally support external media portability.

But that doesn't mean that there are no solutions. There are several workarounds, from official (but limited) to alternative, root-rights-based ones, and in this article, we'll look at all the working methods, their pros and cons, and give you some recommendations for optimizing memory without porting applications.

Method 1: Formatting SD-The card is an internal memory (adoptable storage)

This is the only official way to transfer some applications to a memory card in the Redmi 6A. However, it has serious limitations:

• 🔹 The map will be encrypted and tied to the device – it will not be read on another smartphone or PC without formatting.
• 🔹 Not all applications will be able to run from external memory (especially games and system utilities).
• 🔹 Speed of operation SD-Cards (especially Class Class Class Classes) 4/6) It may be lower than the internal memory, which will lead to lags.
• 🔹 When you remove the map, the application will stop working on it.

If you are satisfied with these conditions, follow the instructions:

1. Put it in. SD-card to slot (cards are supported to the slot) 256 GB, but optimally used 32-128 GB UHS-I/U1 higher).
2. Go to Settings. → Warehouse.
3. Tap your name on it. SD-maps, for example, SD-map: 32 GB).
4. In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and select Storage Settings.
5. Choose Format as internal and confirm the action. Attention: all data on the map will be deleted!
6. Once formatted, the system will suggest moving some of the data. Choose Move now.

⚠️ Note: If you don't have an app port option after formatting, restart the device. Also check that the card is formatted in the file system. ext4 or f2fs (This makes the system automatically).

Method 2: Transfer applications using ADB (without root)

If the previous method didn’t work or you don’t want to format the card as an internal one, you can use ADB debugging. This method does not require root rights, but will require connecting the phone to the computer.

The essence of the method: through the command adb shell pm set-install-location, we forcibly instruct the system to install applications on the SD-But there are nuances:

• 🔹 It doesn’t work with all apps (many ignore this setting).
• 🔹 After restarting the device, the settings may reset.
• 🔹 Some apps (such as WhatsApp, Telegram) will still be installed in internal memory.

Instructions:

1. Turn on the phone Developer Mode: go to Settings → About phone and 7 times tap on the item MIUI version.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-Drivers and open the command line in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
5. Run the command to transfer applications to SD: adb shell pm set-install-location 2 where 2 is the code of external storage.
6. Reboot the phone.

To return the application installation to internal memory, use the command:

adb shell pm set-install-location 0

⚠️ Note: This method does not guarantee the transfer of already installed applications; it only changes the place of installation of new programs.

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If you still install apps in internal memory after you execute the command, try turning off automatic updates to apps in the Google Play Store and install them manually, sometimes bypassing restrictions.

Method 3: Use of applications for transfer (with and without root)

Google Play has several utilities that promise to transfer applications to the Internet. SD-But their effectiveness depends heavily on the phone model and the firmware version:

If you choose to use Link2SD or FolderMount, consider that they will require:

1. Get root rights (for example, through Magisk or KingRoot).
2. Break it up SD-two-part: FAT32 (for files and ext2/ext3 (reference).
3. Configure the application according to the instructions (a separate link is created for each application).

⚠️ Attention: Getting root rights voids the device warranty and can lead to system instability. 6A It is especially risky to use methods of unlocking the bootloader through informal tools - this can lead to a "brick" (breakdown) of the device.

Method 4: Application data portability (not APK-file SD-map

If you can’t move the application, you can try moving its data (cache, media files, saves), which is important for games, messengers and programs that store a lot of temporary files.

Methods of data transfer:

• 📁 Manually via File Manager: Open Explorer (or install Solid Explorer, FX File Explorer. Go to the /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/. Find a folder with the name of the application package (for example, com.whatsapp). SD-map (e.g. in the /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Android/data/). In some applications (such as WhatsApp) you can specify the path to SD-map.

Through the application settings:

Telegram

VK

Warehouse

Memory.

Important: After data transfer, some applications may not work well or require re-authorization. SD-Map due to Android security restrictions.

Alternative ways to free up memory without transferring applications

If none of these methods worked, consider alternative options for optimizing your memory.

• 🧹 Cache Clearing: Go to Settings → Apps, select any application and click Clear Cache. Use Settings for bulk cleaning → Warehouse → Clean up.
• 🗑️ Remove Unnecessary Files: Use the Built-in Cleanup Utility MIUI Or install Files by Google to search for garbage.
• ☁️ Cloud storage: Move photos, videos and documents to Google Drive, Yandex Drive or Mi Cloud. MIUI There is a built-in backup function in the cloud.
• 📦 Lite versions of apps: Replace heavy apps with lighter versions (e.g. Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite, Spotify Lite, etc).
• 🔄 Disable Auto Updates: In Google Play, turn off automatic app updates or configure it over Wi-Fi only.

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Even if the application is transferred to SD-card is not possible, regular cleaning of the cache and deleting unnecessary files can be released to the 3-5 GB of memory on Redmi 6A functionally.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you try to move applications to SD-mapping 6A We often face typical problems, and we'll look at the most common ones and how to solve them:

Another common problem is the disappearance of data after retrieval. SD-This happens if the card is formatted as internal memory, to avoid data loss:

• Always correctly extract the map through the Settings menu → Warehouse → Extract SD-map.
• Make regular backups of important data on your PC or in the cloud.
• Don't use it. SD-The card is internal if you connect it to other devices frequently.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions