Xiaomi smartphones with limited internal storage often face a shortage of space for apps, photos and files. One effective solution is to use a microSD card as an internal drive, a feature available on most Android devices (including MIUI) that allows you to expand your phone’s memory to an external medium.
In this article, we will discuss how to turn SD-Xiaomi’s internal memory card, which models support this feature, and what to do if the system refuses to format the media, and you’ll learn about the pros and cons of this solution, from speeding up applications to the risks of data loss when you extract the card. If you often encounter a notification “Not enough memory”, this guide will help solve the problem without buying a new smartphone.
Xiaomi smartphones support SD as internal memory
Adoptable Storage was officially introduced in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but Xiaomi has implemented it with the caveat that not all models support this mode, and in some cases it is hidden in the settings.
- 📱 Full support models: Redmi Note 4/5/6/7/8/9/10, Redmi 5/6/7/8/9, Mi A1/A2/A3 (Android One), Mi 5/6/8/9 (base MIUI 8–12). These devices allow you to format the card as an internal one through a standard menu.
- ⚠️ Models with limitations: Redmi Note 3/Pro, Mi 4/4i — require manual inclusion through ADB Or custom firmware. POCO F1/F2/F3 The function may not work smoothly due to optimizations for games.
- ❌ Models without support: Xiaomi 11/12/13 series, Redmi K40/K50, Black Shark – in these devices slot for SD-The card is missing or blocked at the program level.
Important: Even if your model is supported, the manufacturer can disable the feature in newer versions of MIUI. For example, after upgrading to MIUI 13 on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the option disappeared from the menu, but it can be returned via ADB.
⚠️ Attention: On devices with UFS-memory (e.g. Xiaomi) 10T or POCO X3 Pro) use SD-cards as internal memory can lead to a slowdown of the system – the read / write speed of microSD is 5-10 times lower than that of the built-in drive.
Requirements for SD-card to be used as internal memory
Not every microSD is suitable for expanding internal memory, and Xiaomi has strict requirements for media:
- 🔹 Speed class: minimum UHS-I (U1) Class 10 is recommended for stable application operation UHS-I U3 or A2 (Optimized for random read/write operations).
- 📏 Volume: from 16 GB (in practice, better 32 GB and higher). cards less than 16 GB system may not offer formatting as internal.
- 🔄 File system: after formatting, the card will be transferred to ext4 or f2fs (This means that it will not be read on a PC without additional software.
- 🔋 Manufacturer: Preference SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston brands – cheap no-name cards are often fake and work unstable.
Before buying, check the card for authenticity with utilities like H2testw (Windows) or F3 (Linux/macOS). Fake media can show an oversized volume, but in fact have only 4-8 GB of real memory.
| Characteristics | Minimum requirement | Recommended option |
|---|---|---|
| Class speed | Class 10 / U1 | UHS-I U3 / A2 |
| Volume. | 16GB | 64–128 GB |
| File system after formatting | ext4 | f2fs (for Android 7+) |
| Recording speed | 10 MB/s | 30+ MB/s |
⚠️ Note: If you're using a card with a capacity of more than 128GB, make sure your smartphone supports exFAT before formatting.Some older Xiaomi models (like the Redmi) 3S) Can not work with cards over 128 GB without first partitioning.
Step-by-step instructions: how to do SD-memory-card
The process of converting an external card into internal memory is a process that involves several steps, and all data on the card will be deleted, so pre-copy important files to your PC or cloud.
Battery charge > 50% | Backup card data | Check card for errors (via PC) | Disable antivirus (can block the process)
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Step 1: Put the card in your smartphone and wait for the system to determine it. SD-map," press Set up.
Step 2. Go to Settings: Settings → Memory. → SD-map (or Warehouse) → Storage in new versions MIUI). Tap the card name and choose Format as internal.
Step 3: Confirm action. The system will warn you that:
- 🔄 The card will be encrypted and will only work on this device.
- 📱 Applications can be transferred to it through Settings → Annexes.
- ⚠️ Removing the card without pre-mounting will lead to failures.
Step 4: Wait for the formatting to be completed (it may take 5-15 minutes) and after the reboot, the map will be displayed as part of the internal memory in the Warehouse section.
What if the option “Format as internal” is not available?
How to transfer applications to SD-map
Once you convert the card to internal memory, not all applications can be transferred to the card, depending on the developer's policy and the Android version:
- 📲 Portable applications: most games (PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty, instant messengers (Telegram, Viber), multimedia players. Transfer is available through Settings → Annexes → [Select an application] → Warehouse → Change. → SD-map.
- 🚫 Intolerable applications: system utilities (MIUI Security, Google Play Services, banking applications (SberBank Online, Tinkoff), some social networks (Facebook, Instagram).
For forced transfer, ADB can be used:
adb shell pm set-install-location 2This team will establish SD-map as a priority installation location for new applications. To return default settings, follow:
adb shell pm set-install-location 0⚠️ Attention: Transfer of applications to SD-grade-up A1 Test the operation of games/programs after moving - if they slow down, return them to the internal memory.
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To free up space on the internal drive, transfer to SD-map not only applications, but also cache (in the same settings of the app store) and user data (for example, downloaded maps in Google Maps or Yandex.Navigator).
Problems and Solutions When Using SD as Internal Memory
Even after successful formatting, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The card is not determined after the reboot | Unstable contact in the slot or a corrupted file system | Remove the card, clean the contacts with alcohol, reformat |
| Apps fly out after transfer to SD | Low speed card (class below A1) | Return apps to internal memory or buy a faster card |
| You cannot transfer the application to the map (button is inactive) | Developer bans transfer to AndroidManifest.xml | Use App2SD or root rights to force transfer |
| The map became "raw" after being retrieved. | File system ext4/f2fs not supported by Windows | Connect your phone as an MTP or use DiskInternals Linux Reader |
If the map is no longer defined, try resetting the storage settings: Settings → System → Resetting → Resetting the storage settings. This operation will not delete the data, but will return the settings for porting applications to the factory.
Alternative ways to expand memory on Xiaomi
If your model doesn’t support formatting SD as internal memory, or you don’t want to risk performance, consider alternatives:
- 🔄 Manual file transfer: Use the card as external storage for photos, videos and music (MIUI Camera: Select the saving of pictures on SD.
- ☁️ Cloud services: Mi Cloud (5 GB free), Google Drive (15 GB), Yandex.Disk (10 GB). Automate uploading photos through Settings → Synchronization.
- 🔌 OTG-Drivers: Connect the flash drive through USB OTG-Adapter. Xiaomi supports FAT32/exFAT/NTFS (starting MIUI 10).
- 📱 Memory Optimization: Clear the cache in Settings → Memory. → Clean up, remove unused applications, disable background synchronization for unnecessary services.
For devices with MIUI 12+, the Lightweight Applications feature is available, which is lightweight versions of programs that take up less space. It is included in Settings → Applications → Lightweight Applications.
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If your smartphone supports you USB OTG, external SSD-A drive (such as SanDisk Extreme Portable) will be a more reliable and faster solution than a microSD, especially for storing large files (video) 4K, project).