ATTENTION: starting from android version 4.4 and higher, Google has disabled the built-in function to transfer data to a memory card, and only some manufacturers integrate it on their own and not all applications can be transferred - so who does not have a transfer button, you can immediately go to the third section.
All applications that we install on our smartphone on Samsung Galaxy, Lenovo, Xiaomi, Alcatel, Meizu, Asus Zenfone, Nokia, Huawei, Sony Xperia, Prestige, Irbis tablet, and so on, go to non-removable internal memory.
Unfortunately, with the increase in the number of installed applications, photos, music, videos, and programs, our device begins to suffer from a lack of free space for additional files - especially cheap models.
For this, Android has a very useful feature transfer the data of individual applications to external storage - a micro SD card.
If your smartphone or tablet has a slot for a memory card, then you can easily transfer most of your applications, photos, music, videos to the memory card and in this way free up space in the phone's memory.
To do this, you can use one of the three methods provided below: built-in tools, through a computer (laptop) or using a third-party program that is not included in the built-in set.
The method using the program is the most effective, since the built-in function is increasingly being removed by xiaomi, redmi, lg, zte, redmi 4x, htc, asus, huawei, samsung, meizu, lenovo, lg, samsung, fly, alcatel, redmi, sony xperia, prestigio and you will not find it on most even the best modern smartphones.
NOTE: depending on the android version, for example, android 6.0, android 7, android 5.1, android 4.4 and so on, there are also some nuances when moving files from phone to sd memory card.
The first way to transfer data from android phone internal memory to sd card is built-in tools
Android has a feature that allows you to move an app to a map. Just go to "Settings" > "Application Manager".
It should immediately be noted here that, for example, in my Samsung galaxy with android 6, the “Application Manager” function was, and when it was updated to android 7.0, it disappeared. Instead, there was a good optimization.
If you have an application manager, you can see the games and programs installed on the SD memory card, as well as those that can be transferred.
Therefore, then touch the application that interests you, and then in the new window, find the item "Move to SD card" - click on the button.
After a while, the app will be moved.
The second way to transfer data from the internal memory of an android phone to an sd card is through a computer
This method works well for moving multimedia files such as photos, movies, songs, images (and more).
Using a computer, you have the ability to quickly transfer music, videos and other data to an SD card using a USB cable (set it as a USB storage device).
When browsing the contents of a smartphone, you can see two separate media: internal memory and an external sit card.
For convenience, you can use the Apowersoft Phone Manager program. If you do not have a computer, you can use the File Manager program, which you must first install yourself on your Android phone.
The third way to transfer data from the internal memory of android phone to sd card is using apps
If you want to transfer applications and games to a memory card, in the store Google Play you can find programs that will quickly make such a process. I recommend using AppMgr III(known as App 2 SD).
Download it. Only not all applications installed in the smartphone's memory can be transferred to a memory card. Pre-installed in the system, they are usually not subject to movement.
After starting AppMgr III, you will see which ones can be migrated. With AppMgr III, you can quickly transfer everything to a memory card at once, and not one at a time.
To do this, press and hold your finger a little so that it appears in a red wrapper, and then select "Move All". You can also check the list of installed applications and files that you want to transfer to a memory card.
Which applications can be transferred to a memory card and which cannot or is not recommended
Is it possible to transfer all applications to a memory card? No, everything is impossible. Why can't everything be transferred? Therefore, this is not provided by the android system, the phone manufacturer or the author of the application.
You cannot transfer whatsapp (whatsapp), facebook to an SD memory card - if it was originally built-in, updates, play market, youtube, firmware and others were originally built-in.
Some smartphone owners want to transfer the cache, especially from the game - this is available using the program - "FolderMount".
You can also easily transfer maps: from Yandex navigator, Navitel (even recommended from navitel), garmin, city guide, google maps.
Sometimes people ask me how to transfer viber and the VK application to a flash sd card. It depends on the smartphone and Android version. Sometimes the system allows it, sometimes it doesn't.
A lot of information that cannot be transferred through programs and built-in smartphone tools can be moved using a computer, for example, a folder, a song, pictures, downloads, arches, various audio, SMS messages, a gallery - more precisely, its contents, viber pictures and so on. Good luck.
Modern Android devices support the extension internal memory decent size cards. This is useful for many reasons. For example, in the event of a factory reset or other breakdowns, you will not lose important applications and personal information. Among other things, on weak smartphones and tablets, this allows you to slightly speed up the device, leaving it with additional space to create a paging file.
Built-in way to transfer an application to an SD card in Android
For many applications, there is a native way to transfer to the map. To determine if the program can be transferred to another drive, go to "Settings" -> "Applications" and see if the button labeled "Move to SD" is active. If so, feel free to click and wait for the system to cope with the task on its own. If the button is not active, this function may have been blocked by the developers (working from the built-in disk is faster by default). AT this case go to section 2 and use third-party software.
Programs for transferring to SD card in Android
There are a huge number of paid and free programs that can help us in the assigned task. However, the most popular of these is AppMgr III, also known as App 2 SD. In addition to its main function (transferring programs to the card), it also clears the cache and shows summary information on files, their distribution into groups, free space on the device, and so on. Managing the program is extremely simple: all the contents of the phone / tablet are divided into 3 sections - “On the phone”, “On the map”, “Only in the phone”. Consequently, the “On the map” applications can be moved to the “On the phone” section, and the third group, alas, cannot be transferred at all. Very handy, the App 2 SD supports mass selection and dragging, so you don't have to waste time dragging and dropping programs one at a time.
Transfer cache to SD card in Android
An interesting detail regarding the optimization of Android devices is that the cache can take up more space than the application files themselves. Therefore, a separate transfer of the cache to the SD card may be useful. For this purpose, you will need another program called FolderMount , as well as pre-obtained root. If your device meets these requirements, use the program as follows:
- launch FolderMount and click "+" in the upper right corner of the screen;
- in the line "Name" we drive in the name of the application whose cache we want to move;
- in the "Source" line, respectively, write the address of the folder with the cache, for example * SD / Android / obb / program folder *;
- in the line "Destination" select the final location;
- click the checkbox at the top and the pin icon opposite the name from the first item in the list;
- when the transfer is complete, the pin will turn green.
If you are thinking of transferring programs to an external card due to the fact that the device has begun to work slowly, do not rush to complicate yourself with this process. It may be worth using special programs to clean up disk space, after which the device will return to its full functionality again.
Applications in the Android OS are installed by default in the internal memory section. Therefore, owners of devices with 8/16 GB drives often face a lack of free space on their Android device, which can be solved by transferring applications to an SD memory card. If this is not done, then the ability to install programs on a smartphone or tablet disappears, you cannot download data from the Internet or receive a file via bluetooth / NFC / Wi-Fi. Since for these purposes, internal memory is used by default.
In order to continue to fully use a smartphone or tablet, you need to transfer massive applications to an external memory section. How to transfer applications from internal memory to sd card on android, read on.
Foreword
Applications consist of two main components - the program itself and the cache. The latter is an additional file for correct operation, not to be confused with temporary data. More often, this approach is used in games where developers put graphics or additional content, with a volume of 15-100 MB and up to 2-3 GB. Whereas in most programs, due to the small volume, it makes no sense to separate the cache into an additional file.
Early android versions allow you to transfer the cache to a memory card. At the same time, it should be noted that given function must be supported by the OS, which is the responsibility of the manufacturer and the developer, who must enable portability in the application. Otherwise, ROOT rights are indispensable.
Standard way
Devices on Android up to 4.0 and some models with version 4.2 and higher, allow you to move applications and / or cache through the settings menu. To do this, open the device settings, the "applications" item and select the desired program. After information about the amount of memory used, there is a button "move to SD card". Don't let the different name fool you.
Main advantages:
- Simplicity. ROOT rights are not required.
Main disadvantages:
- Moving apps to SD card is not available on all devices.
- You cannot migrate an application if the feature is not implemented by the developer and manufacturer.
Third Party Applications
If the standard method does not work or is not convenient, it is recommended to try as an alternative third party programs: AppMgr III (App 2 SD), Link2SD or Folder Mount. The listed utilities allow you to identify roaming applications, view detailed information about the occupied space, etc.
AppMgr III (App2SD)
A simple and not overloaded application for transferring programs to a memory card, viewing free space, clearing temporary cache, etc. To move an application:
- Open the hidden panel by clicking on the 3 bars at the top left of the screen.
- Select Move Apps.
- On the "Roaming" tab, mark the program.
- Confirm the move in a new window.
If you give AppMgr III ROOT rights, the program's capabilities will expand, which will allow you to transfer previously inaccessible applications.
Main advantages:
- Informativeness.
- Additional features: freezing programs, quick cleaning of the temporary cache, etc.
- It is not necessary to have ROOT rights.
Main disadvantages:
- On devices where app transfer is blocked at the system level, transfer is not supported.
- Additional features are not available without ROOT rights.
- Some features are hidden in free version programs.
Link2SD
A more functional utility, with support for transferring applications to a MicroSD card in three different ways:
Link
The application, including system files, and all related files are transferred to a pre-created 2nd partition on the MicroSD card. At the same time, a link is created so that the system would continue to "consider" the moved application installed in the internal memory section. ROOT required.
Linking external data folders
The method is similar to the previous one, while creating an additional partition on the MicroSD card is optional. it best option, if you want to transfer a large game or program cache. The instruction is simple and consists only in confirming the actions:
- You need to select an application and click on the "send" button.
- Mark what data you want to move.
- In the new window, select a section if the map is divided into two or more parts.
- Wait for the end of the procedure.
Transfer to MicroSD card (App2SD)
The method is similar to that described for AppMgr III. Allows you to transfer applications and cache. ROOT is not required.
Main advantages:
- Informativeness.
- Extensive opportunities for transferring cache and applications.
- It is not necessary to have ROOT rights for the App2SD method.
Main disadvantages:
- Move does not work on devices where the feature is disabled at the system level.
- ROOT is required for full operation.
- Most of the features are not available in the free version of the program.
Folder Mount
The utility allows you to transfer folders with application data, leaving links for the system to keep the correct work. To move you need:
- Launch Folder Mount and create a pair. To do this, click on the "+" button, from above, or in a hidden window on the left, which opens by pressing the button in the form of three bars.
- Set options. The name is to understand which application has been ported. Source is the folder that you want to move. Destination is the folder for the destination location.
- Click the checkmark icon at the top.
- In the window that appears, make a choice: "yes" - the destination folder will be created automatically, "no" - select the destination folder manually.
- Wait for the file transfer to finish.
Main advantages:
- Ease of transferring applications.
Main disadvantages:
- Requires ROOT for full operation.
How to transfer applications to a memory card using Adoptable storage
The feature is available on all devices starting with Android 6.0. The principle of operation is to create a single array of data from the internal and external storage. After activating Adoptable storage, by default, applications are installed on the internal disk, after which they are transferred in the "Standard way", described at the beginning of the article, to the external area - MicroSD. The Adoptable storage method does not require ROOT rights, but it needs to format the memory card first, which will erase all available information.
Instructions for activating Adoptable storage:
- Install a microSD card and wait for a suggestion on how to use it in the notification bar. The gear icon will allow you to customize the map.
- In the new window, select the item "Internal memory" and click "next".
- Confirm the action and click on the "clean and format" button. Please note that all data on the microSD will be deleted.
- Wait for formatting to finish.
- The system will offer to transfer part of the data to an external drive in order to free up space on the internal drive. It is not necessary to transfer files immediately.
- Then go to settings, then apps. Select the program and in the new window select "storage". The "change" button will allow you to transfer the application to the outer area of the shared disk.
Important! To use Adoptable storage, it is recommended to use a memory card with a high data exchange rate, at least class 10. Otherwise, the performance of the device will decrease.
Main advantages:
- The simplicity of the method.
- Not required ROOT rights.
Main disadvantages:
- MicroSD data is encrypted, which prevents the card from being used in other devices. If the device fails, you will not be able to extract photos from the memory card.
- Only devices with Android 6.0 and above are supported.
- For effective work, a microSD card with high data transfer speed is required.
Conclusion
If there is not enough internal space, and you wondered: how to transfer applications to a memory card on an android, one of the methods described above will definitely help. The easiest is to check the movement in the settings using the App2SD method. For owners of devices with a modern version of Android, 6.0 and higher, the Adoptable storage method is available. Otherwise, you will need ROOT rights to move the entire application or just a folder with massive data, which Folder Mount and Link2SD can do.
The problem that affects many devices is that they lose speed over time. You may have noticed that new devices are more productive, but the accumulated applications, files, and updates consume system resources, which leads to slower performance.
Move from device memory to SD card
With the right maintenance and the right equipment, you can maintain optimal performance on your smartphone or Android tablet, if it has OS version 4.0 or higher, as well as a microSD card slot.
You can use external drives to free up storage space. High quality SD cards can be found at an affordable price. But you should check the maximum capacity microSD cards that your device supports before making a purchase. Increasing the available storage space can be achieved in the following ways:
- Move files to SD card;
- Move apps to SD card;
- Change default camera storage to SD card.
In principle, there is no set rule on how much of the internal memory of a mobile device must remain free for normal operation. But here the rule "more is better" applies.
Another advantage of storing files (especially music, videos, and photos) on external storage is the ability to quickly transfer them to another smartphone or tablet. Also it can come in handy when you want to do backup your files when you reset your device to factory settings.
Moving files to SD card
First, let's look at how you can transfer files and folders from the device's memory to an external card:
- open file manager on your Android device.
- Select local storage. It may be referred to as "device memory", "internal memory" or something similar.
- Find required files or folders you want to move. Hint: Camera images are usually found in the DCIM folder.
- Click the Menu icon to display a drop-down list of actions.
- Click "Select" or "Select All" from the drop-down list of actions. You should then see empty checkboxes next to the files, and the single empty checkbox at the top is usually labeled "Select All" or "0". If you don't see these flags, press and hold on a file or folder to display the flags.
- Click empty checkboxes , to select the individual files or folders you want to move, or click Select All at the top of the window.
- Click the Menu icon again to display a drop-down list of actions.
- Select Move.
- Find the desired destination folder on external SD card or click "Create Folder" to create and name the destination folder.
- Select a destination folder.
- Select Move Here.
Wait for your device to finish moving files and folders. Repeat these steps until you have moved all the files and folders you want from your device's internal storage to your SD card.
Move apps to SD card
Average mobile app does not require a large amount of memory, but after you have installed dozens of such programs, you need to do something. In addition, many popular applications require additional space for saved data and cache.
Android OS allows you to move apps to and from the SD card. However, not every application can be stored on an external drive - pre-installed and system applications remain in the device's memory.
- Go to device settings.
- Select "Application Manager" (or just "Apps") to see an alphabetical list of all the apps on your device.
- Select the app you want to move. You will be presented with the details of the application and actions with it.
- Click the "Move to SD Card" button. If this button is highlighted in gray and does nothing when you click on it - the application cannot be moved. If the button is called "Move to device memory" (or something similar) - the application is already on the SD card.
- You may need to click on "Storage" ("Memory") to open a list of actions, including "Edit". If there is no Edit button, the application cannot be moved.
- Click the Change button to view the storage options: Internal storage and SD card.
- Select your SD card and follow the prompts that appear.
Wait for your device to finish moving the app. Repeat these steps until you have moved everything desired applications from your device's internal storage to your SD card.
Default camera storage
You probably take a lot of photos with your smartphone, and you don't want to move photos and videos to an external drive every time. Solution? Change the default camera storage. Do this once and all the photos and videos you take will be saved in the DCIM folder on your SD card.
Most but not all camera apps offer this option. If yours does not have such an option, you can from the Google Play store.
- Turn on the camera on your device.
- Click on the menu icon (usually in the form of a gear) to access the camera settings.
- Select "Storage Location".
- Select an SD card. It may also be referred to as " External storage”, “Memory card” and so on.
Now you can take pictures knowing that they will all be saved to your SD card.
Transferring files to long-term storage
Eventually, the SD card can fill up too. In such a case, you can move the files from the SD card to the laptop, or desktop computer using a card reader. From there you can move files to the external HDD or upload them to an online storage site (such as Dropbox or Google Drive).
Most smartphones and tablets running operating system Android have a relatively small amount of built-in physical memory, which does not allow storing mobile device large files. This shortcoming is easily compensated by installing external memory, usually represented by microSD cards. However, photos, audio and videos are not the only type of content that requires users to resort to expanding the internal memory of the device, games and applications can also fill it.
There are two ways out of the situation - either to remove a part software, or try to transfer applications from your phone to a memory card. Why try? Because this procedure, simple at first glance, can cause certain difficulties for a beginner. In addition, the method of transferring software from the internal memory of a mobile gadget may depend on the model and version of the operating system, however, these differences, if present, are not so significant. So let's learn how to move apps to SD card in Android.
Moving applications using standard Android tools
The function of transferring applications to the card using regular means appeared in Android 2.2 and was removed in version 4.4, but it is still available in many firmware. If you have the fourth version of the system, do the following. Go to Settings - Application Manager or Settings - Applications, select desired program and press the "To SD Memory Card" button, if available.
If the button is missing or inactive, then you cannot transfer the application to the card using Android. It concerns mainly system applications, as well as programs, manipulations with which are not provided by the developer.
You can try to move applications from your phone to a memory card on Android up to 4.3 in such a radical way. Go to the "My Files" folder, by default it is labeled as sdcard0, select and then cut in Explorer all its contents or folders of selected programs and paste into the location extSdCard, that is, to the external memory of the SD card. Everything that can be transferred will be moved, system files will remain in place. You can use this method if the application transfer button is not active, however, you cannot give a 100% guarantee that everything will work perfectly after that.
As a rule, when using the regular function of transferring applications, not all data is transferred to the memory card, but only part of it. The cache, for example, may remain, and special utilities are required to transfer it.
Now let's see how to move apps to SD card in Android 5.0 and 5.1. In version Android 4.4 KitKat, due to improved security, the application transfer algorithm was changed, but soon many third-party developers adapted their applications to the new algorithms, thus making application transfer available. First of all, go to the section with third-party applications and check if there is a corresponding button in their settings. If yes, use it, if not, proceed as follows.
Go to settings, select Memory - Main Memory, activate the "Memory card" radio button and click "Change". After the reboot, the system will consider the memory of the SD card as internal, all applications and games will be installed on it from now on. The disadvantage of this method is that already installed apps, you may have to reinstall, as they will not automatically move to the memory card.
In the sixth version, transferring applications from your phone to a memory card on Android has become a little easier, and the transfer function itself has been improved. Here is the simplest example. After opening the settings, go to the "Applications" section, select the desired program, click Memory - Change and select "SD card" from the menu that appears. The application will be migrated.
Also, in Android 6.0 and above, you can use new feature Adoptable Storage, which allows you to use a memory card, albeit with some restrictions, as part of the internal storage. To use it, after creating a backup copy of the data on the card, go to the phone settings, select "Memory", click on your SD card there and follow the chain of options Settings - Format as internal memory - Erase & Format.
Upon completion of the procedure, select the option "Use as internal storage", click "Next" and restart the gadget. After these manipulations, a new “Memory” tab will appear in the application menu, with which you can move applications from the internal memory of the smartphone to the external one.
Since the SD card will be encrypted for security, you will not be able to use it as a normal medium, that is, read and write data to it from a PC.
Transferring applications to the SD card using special programs
Unfortunately, all the above transfer methods, including the last one, cannot guarantee one hundred percent success. If the transfer is not supported by the firmware or its possibility is not provided by the developer of a particular application, you will not be able to transfer the software using the standard means of the operating system. In such cases, you should use special programs However, even they cannot promise that everything will go as it should. Here you need to try, if one program does not cope with the task, you should choose another one and so on. There are quite a lot of methods and programs invented and intended for these purposes, but we will limit ourselves to only three examples of transferring applications from a phone to a memory card on Android.
Method 1
To move applications to external memory, you can use free program AppMgr III (App 2 SD). It is extremely easy to use. The program automatically sorts all installed applications into three groups: On phone (portable), On SD card (already transferred) and Phone only (not transferable).
Clicking the icon of any application in the list brings up a menu where you can find the desired option. If available, the function of automatically transferring the application to the card when it is installed will also be available.
Method 2
This method is more efficient and reliable, but to use it, you will need root rights and two applications - Link2SD and any disk manager, since two partitions will need to be created on the memory card, preferably one in the FAT32 file system, the other in the Ext4 file system (for older versions of Android Ext3). To split the map into sections, you can use both desktop programs like Paragon, and mobile, for example, Aparted.
After the partition is created, launch Link2SD and immediately select file system second partition (Ext4), after which the program will ask you to reboot the device to mount a new volume. After the reboot, start Link2SD again. This time you will see a list of applications installed on your smartphone. Further, everything is simple. Through the main menu of the program, go to the "Memory" section, open the menu of the roaming application and click the "Send" button in the properties.
This method allows you to move almost any games and applications to the memory card, including system ones, but we would not recommend transferring the latter without special need. The risk that after the completion of the procedure they will not work correctly, although not great, is still present. You should also be careful with the most commonly used applications, such as browsers and instant messengers.
Method 3
The two examples above showed how to transfer applications from internal memory to an SD card on Android. The third way refers not so much to the programs themselves, but to their cache, the size of which, as you know, can significantly exceed the size of the application itself. For business, you again need root rights and a utility FolderMount. After launching this program, click the plus sign in the upper right corner, in the next window in the "Name" field enter the name of the application whose cache you are going to move, and in the "Source" field specify the path to the directory with the cache files.
The cache folders are located at SD/Android/obb, the name of the folder you need will contain the name of the application. Finally, in the Destination field, you must specify the directory on the SD card where the cached data will be transferred. Having configured the transfer settings in this way, first click the checkmark in the upper right corner of the screen, and then the pin button opposite the selected application. After a few seconds, the application cache will be moved to the memory card.
