How to install apps on SD

Contents hide

1 What to know before installing apps on SD

2 How to install apps on SD

3 Use SD as internal memory

3.1 Adopt an SD card the easy way

3.2 How to adopt an SD card from settings

3.3 How to install Android apps on SD via third party apps

3.4 Related posts:

Have you run out of space in your phone’s internal memory? In this guide, you will learn how to install apps on SD so that you can free up space and get the most out of your storage. Storage management has become easier with the help of cloud services, streaming and smartphones have much more space available on their internal memory. Regardless, it’s often a matter of time before you find yourself looking for apps to delete to make room in memory. Many of you own inexpensive devices, which usually make a lot of sacrifices in the storage department. You may also enjoy playing games, and these apps are known to use a significant amount of storage space. The good news is that if your device comes with expandable storage, you will be able to install apps on SD. Also, you can turn your microSD card into internal storage. By doing this you can actually install Android apps on SD and any other data you might have on your phone. We show you how to do both.

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What to know before installing apps on SD

There are a few things to keep in mind before moving on. While the ability to install apps on SD was widespread, it has become a lesser-used process in recent years. For starters, the list of devices that support SD cards is getting shorter. Most are mid-range or budget phones. And even if your device has an SD card, it may not support transferring apps to SD card. Also, app developers need to enable this feature. Very few do this nowadays. We also want to remind you that some phones can turn external memory into internal memory. This too has its downsides. The main ones are that the phone requires the use of the SD card at all times and the card cannot be used on another phone unless it is formatted. We will talk about this method and its consequences in the last section of this guide.

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How to install apps on SD

The good news is that it’s easy to move apps to SD on Android. Note that some apps don’t allow this feature. Manufacturers may also remove this functionality. Open the app Settings. Go to App. Access the app you want to move to the SD card. Select Archiving. If the app supports the feature, you will see an option called Storage used. To change where the app is stored, tap the button Edit just below. Select the SD card. Touch Move. The phone will transfer the files. This process is reversible, so if you ever decide to move the app to internal storage, you can move it again using the same procedure.

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Use SD as internal memory

If the above method is not good for you or not supported by your app / manufacturer, there is still another way to move apps to SD on Android. It may be the most appropriate option. You can make Android treat your SD card as internal storage. This will make everything much more convenient, as you no longer have to worry about where to put apps and files. The internal memory and SD card will turn into a single storage space. Turning the microSD card into internal storage has its downsides.

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Once you’ve turned an SD card into a phone’s internal storage, you’ll only be able to use that storage drive with that phone (unless you format it). Also, the phone will only work when the aforementioned microSD card is inserted. Removal will trigger a factory data reset. In addition to making your phone and SD card slaves to each other, you should also worry about performance. SD cards can be slow. Make sure you have one that is fast enough to maintain good performance on your Android device. Finally, not all phones support this feature, even if it has expandable storage.

Adopt an SD card the easy way

Insert the microSD card into your phone.
If your device supports it, a notification will ask you how you want to use it.
Choose to adopt an external memory. This will format and encrypt the microSD card.

How to adopt an SD card from settings

Insert the microSD card into your Android phone. Open the app Settings. Select Archiving. Tap the SD card that you have inserted. Press the menu button and select Storage settings. You choose Format as internal. Awards Erase and format. Awards OK. Migrate your data (or choose to do so later).

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How to install Android apps on SD via third party apps

If you have no luck with native ways to move apps to SD, you may want to try one more thing: using a third-party app. There are a lot of them on the Google Play Store. A very popular one is AppMgr IIIformerly known as App 2 SD. Remember it doesn’t work with all apps.