If you have an SD card, you can set it as the default install location for some apps—thus freeing up space for more apps than you would have otherwise been able to install. You can also move almost any currently installed app to the SD card. There are a few different ways to do this, and which you use depends on your version of Android and which apps you want to move. Android 6. Some pre-Marshmallow devices may let you move apps manually, but only if the developer allows it.

If you want more flexibility than either of these options offer, you can root your phone and use an app called Link2SD to make it happen. Traditionally, SD cards in Android devices have been used as portable storage. That means you can store files like videos, music, and photos on it for use on your device, and plug the SD card into your computer to transfer files back and forth.

When used as portable storage, an SD card can be removed without affecting the functionality of the device. However, Android 6. Adopting your SD card as internal storage will install new apps to your SD card by default if the app developer allows it.

You can move the app back to internal storage later if you want. Additionally, when you adopt your SD card as internal storage, you cannot remove the SD card from the device without affecting the functionality of your device and the SD card is not usable in any other device, including your PC.

Once you adopt an SD card on a Marshmallow device, it will only work with that device. You can read more about the difference between portable and internal storage on an Android device. Be sure to back up the data on your SD card to your computer before adopting your SD card as internal storage.

The adoption process will erase all data on the SD card. You cannot remove the SD card from the device and plug it in directly to your PC to transfer files. If the SD card is a less expensive, slower SD card, it will slow down your apps and device. Insert the SD card in your device. You should see a notification saying that a new SD card was detected. A screen displays allowing you to choose whether you want to set up the SD card as portable storage or internal storage. A message displays warning you that after the SD card is formatted as internal storage, it will only work in that device.

You are also advised to back up the data on the card. If there are still apps installed on the SD card that you forgot to move back to the internal storage, the device displays a warning that the apps will be erased. This step will move your photos, files, and some apps to the SD card.

This selects the SD card as the preferred storage location for all apps, databases, and data. The internal storage remains the preferred storage for all content. When the process is finished, a message displays telling you that your SD card is working. Tapping on one of the items under Device storage on the Storage screen in the Settings app allows you to view usage information about that storage location. You can manually move apps between internal storage and the SD card, but this is not recommended, and can cause unintended consequences on some devices.

You do not need to specify where to store content for each app. By default, apps will always store their content in the preferred storage location. If you only want to store pictures, movies, and music on your SD card, using the SD card as portable storage is a better option for you.

In addition, this option is only available for some apps—the app developer must deem them movable in order for them to be moved. So depending on the apps you want to move, this may or may not be very useful to you. On a stock Android device, such as the Nexus 7, swipe down once to access the Notifications panel, and again to access the Quick Settings panel. Scroll through the list of apps and tap the app you want to move to the SD card.

Current visitors New profile posts Search profile posts Billboard Trophies. Android 7. Forums Tablets Android Tablets. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Previous Next Sort by votes. Jacques Hattingh Estimable. Aug 10, 5 0 4, 0. Apr 6, 25, , 13, This is the only way to do it, without rooting a device, which I personally would never recommend. First, you need to be using a tablet that is running at least Android "Marshmallow" 6.

Second, you will need the instructions I am including below. And third, you need a tablet that has not been restricted by the manufacturer from making this change. Which does happen. NOTE: If any of the steps are missing on your tablet, or they don't work for you, then you have a tablet that either has an older Android version or has been restricted by the manufacturer. If that is the case, you will not be able to use this information.

It needs to be blank because when the card is converted to "Internal" storage, it will be formatted wiped and encoded making the cards data only readable by that device. Your SD Card will now be formatted as internal storage. Reboot your tablet. NOTE: If you don't reboot the tablet, many things may not work correctly, so make sure you do. When the card is converted to "Internal" storage, it will be formatted wiped and encoded making the cards data only readable by that device , so anything on it prior would be gone.

At the bottom of the list you should see the SD card's details, including the option to format it and make it "Internal" storage. Once this is done, reboot the device and you can start running things from the card. In the absence of documentation on the net, we can therefore only advise you to reverse the steps described below before a system update.

Back up photos or music on your computer or in the cloud and free up as much memory on the SD card and smartphone as you can. Uninstall unnecessary apps and migrate your data back into the internal memory. Then format the MicroSD card as removable media.

Only then is it safe to install an Android update. We have finally come to the end of this article. Do let us know what you think of adoptable storage. Have you managed to use this feature on your phone? This article was heavily revised in May to reflect fresh changes. Older comments and some older steps have been retained. I've bought a Motorola G that was released this year and runs Android It has a slot for one SD Card which can be used as internal storage. As mentioned in the article, Samsung never supported adoptable storage even when the feature was new.

So what you found was not surprising. The manufacturer's that disabled the internal storage option did so for a few reasons. For Samsung it was a weak card reader. It was older and slow. It was never meant to be used as a full speed interface to storage. Just backup and transfer and because of this, many units that bypassed and ran even a good SD card would eventually overheat and occasionally burn the reader.

I know LG did it due to issues with having to explain to consumers needing a specific rated card speed. It wasn't worth the aggravation. As for Sony, cheap reader once again, and from a company that makes fast SD cards it's better to avoid that entire situation. My lg pnone does not add the space as internal memory to the internal storage but creates two sd carfs one internal and one external sd card. I foget exacly what card it is but its a 32 g sandisk ultra high speed.

Can I get it to add to the internal storage. I seem to have followed all of the steps correctly but cannot migrate data. I have an lg x power 3, android 8.

I am showing internal 16gb, sd card 65 of gb its a I'm not concerned about the size being wrong as that's a common error. I can individually move apps back and forth fine. I have tried with the private and a mixed 50 option. Should I factory reset and do it first? Thanks for any help. File manager no longer works, but ofther managers such as cx explorer do. Any apps i try to download default to the internal storage so not enough space.

I have done this on my LG K4 model m using a sandiskextreme pro 32 g sd and it seams to be working okay. Notice a little bit of a lag but only a few seconds. Galaxy J7 V running Android 9: after running sm partition Tried again with same results.

Restarted phone several times. Card no longer appears in settings app. Any suggestions? Billqs I get the same kind of problem with the Migrate Data selection which I assume is the same as the "move data" they referred to. I get "settings has crashed" as well. Mine is Oreo as well. On a KEY2 running 8. IllegalStateException: command ' volume partition disk,64 private' failed with ' Command failed'.

After doing the above, the internal storage reads as G, but when I go to "Migrate Data" I keep getting an error message telling me that "Settings has crashed". Does anyone know why? I am using Oreo. I don't know if it's some sort of protection LG put in or what? Hi I have a 32 gb sd chip and my phone is a cheap prestige 2 zte with little to no space to handle much access outside of the basic call text and repeat. For steps to move files from your internal storage to an SD card, please see above.

I was thinking about that too, like you could put games in your sd card and still could play the game. The phone should not have an SD card option if i cannot make it the default memory. Customers should be informed if a significant feature like this to be removed from the Galaxy model lines.

I have an old gen 4 amazon fire and it will put nearly everything on the external storage, apps, pictures, movies, videos, basically all it keeps internal is its system files. I got this thinking it was an upgrade.