Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often face a lack of built-in storage, especially on budget and mid-range models. Internal memory quickly fills up with system files, messenger cache and heavy games, which leads to a slowdown in the device.
But standard Android settings don't always allow you to just move a program with a click. MIUI security and HyperOS have their own features that require careful attention. In this article, we'll look at how to get around the limitations and get your phone to use a memory card as a full extension of the system.
Now, not all apps are moving, and the speed depends on the class of card you're using, and only UHS-I Class 10 or higher cards are suitable for installing programs, or you run the risk of getting the interface to freeze all the time. Let's take a closer look at the preparation and configuration process.
Preparation of memory card and smartphone for work
Before any manipulation of the file system, you need to make sure that the hardware is compatible and healthy. The file system of the card must be formatted correctly so that the operating system can write application executables to it. Older formats like FAT32 may not support the necessary access rights.
Plug the card into the slot of your Xiaomi device and wait for the notification of the connection of the new media. If there is no notification, go to the settings manually. To work properly, you need to format the drive, which will delete all data, so back up important photos and documents in advance.
The formatting process is run through the storage settings menu, and the system offers two uses: as a portable storage or as an internal storage, and for our purposes, it is critical to choose the second option, which is often hidden or requires activation through special commands.
☑️ Pre-transfer check
Make sure that the screen does not show any reading errors. If the card is determined to be corrupt, try formatting it on your computer in exFAT or NTFS format, although Android prefers its own markup when converting to internal storage.
Activate Adoptable Storage on Xiaomi
In modern versions of MIUI and Android, the portability function is often hidden from the average user, to protect against inexperienced activities that can lead to system instability, and to access full functionality, you need to activate the developer mode.
Go to Settings → About the phone and find the MIUI version or OS version. Click on it 7-10 times quickly until you get a message that you have become a developer.
Next, you need to run a hidden test menu. Open the Phone application and type the combination ##6485## or use it. ADB-The most reliable way to do this is to use the command line.
⚠️ Warning: Forcing the card to be formatted for internal memory makes it unreadable for other devices without unlocking the encryption key.
To activate via ADB, connect your smartphone to your PC, enable USB debugging, and type in the sm set-force-adoptable true command. After that, restart the device and try formatting the card again through the standard menu by selecting the "Use as internal storage" option.
What to do if the team is not working?
Step-by-step instructions for transferring applications
Once the mode is activated and the map formatted successfully, you can start migrating programs. Not all applications can be moved completely, some system components must remain on the main drive for the operating system to work correctly.
Open your phone settings and find the Application → All Apps section. Select the program you want from the list. If transfer is possible, you will see an active Move or Change button in the Storage section.
Press the button and select yours. SD-The process can take anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on the size of the application. During the transfer, do not turn off the screen or remove the card so as not to damage the files.
| Type of application | Possibility of transfer | Impact on speed | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social media | Partial | Average. | Move the cache |
| Hard games | Complete. | High. | U3 card required |
| System services | Impossible. | Critical. | Keep it in mind. |
| Multimedia. | Complete. | Low. | It is obligatory to transfer |
Some cache games (like PUBG or Genshin Impact) may require manually moving folders with data. Use the MIUI or Total Commander file manager to move the Android/obb folder to a new path if the automatic transfer fails.
Camera and Multimedia Setup by Default
Not only software, but also media files help to free up space, and the camera on Xiaomi smartphones stores photos and videos in internal memory by default, changing this setting will significantly reduce the load on the main storage.
Open the Camera app, click on the menu as three bars or a gear in the corner of the screen. SD-Map" or "Save Way" and activate the switch. Now all new images will be recorded directly to the external media.
Similar settings are worth checking in messengers, Telegram and WhatsApp can specify the path for downloading media files, and this is especially true for group chats, which quickly generate gigabytes of garbage.
Remember (periodically) to clean the shopping cart in the gallery. Deleted files often remain in the hidden.Trash folder on the memory card for 30 days, continuing to take up space.
⚠️ Note: When recording video in resolution 4K or 8K The memory card may not be able to record data, which will cause the recording to be interrupted.
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For stable camera operation, configure the hidden folders in the Files app to manually control the filling of the DCIM and MIUI directories.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Users may experience read errors or slowdowns in the process, often due to poor memory card quality or file system conflict, and the speed of reading random blocks on cheap cards is much lower than that of a phone's internal memory.
If apps start to fly out or the phone is "dull," try extracting the card and checking it on your computer with the SD Memory Card Formatter utility.Re-formatting in the phone often corrects logical markup errors.
Another common problem is data loss after a system update, sometimes MIUI resets access rights to an external drive, in which case you need to re-authorize the system or reformat the card, saving the data beforehand.
If you encounter an “Application Not Installed” error, make sure there is enough free space on the map, the system requires a buffer zone for temporary files during installation, and check if the Google Play Store cache is full.
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The speed of the smartphone with portable applications depends on the speed class of the memory card (A1/A2).