How to move apps to SD on Android

how to move apps to sd

Most Android mobile devices have a microSD memory card slot today. This allows you to be able to extend the internal memory if necessary, or have a backup of your files. The internal memory is not infinite, and when it is reaching its limit, you may need to transfer more content to the card, thus freeing up space. On This tutorial explains step by step how to move apps to SD.

So you will forget about the mistakes by insufficient space, not being able to download things because you don't have space, or preventing app or operating system updates from being installed because there's not enough memory. And it is that, just as you can do in the camera app to save the photos and videos in the SD, you can also make the apps reside in this secondary memory.

Preliminary considerations

Micro SD

Before proceeding to read the steps on how to move apps to SD on Android, you should keep a few things in mind. This function was not possible before without rooting. In other words, only users who decided to expand the capabilities of their system (with the risks that root also entails), could use the SD as a second storage drive for data and apps. Instead, after the release of Android 6.0, the feature was made available to all users.

Since then, it has been a common feature in Android smartphones, although not in all. Where it is possible, it saves a lot of space on the internal memory drive, which helps the device run faster compared to when the main drive becomes saturated. But it has its risks and drawbacks too:

  • If you move your apps to the SD card you should know that they won't work if you remove this card, so they will be dependent on it. And if this card suffers any problem, they will not be available either.
  • with memory cards SD class 10 or higher (UHS or UFS), there will not be too much problem to store the apps in it. But if you have an older card, putting the apps there can be a performance loss, since the transfer speed is not as good. That is, older cards will have a lower performance than the internal memory of the mobile.
  • See if your mobile allows you to move the applications to the SD card, since some block this function with their customization layers (UIs) or directly do not include SD slots.
  • Recommended format before the SD card and leave it clean to improve the hosting and performance of the apps.
  • Not all apps can be passed to the SD card.
  • Please check the version of your Android operating system first, as it can only be done from Android 6.0 onwards. In previous versions it can be done through root, but it is not recommended, much less for users without technical knowledge.
  • ¡Beware of Google Play apps to move the apps to the SD! Many of them all they do is make a backup of the apps on the SD, but they don't move them. Others simply use Android's own function to move them, so they are somewhat redundant (and on manufacturers that block the function by default it won't work). And there are even those that create links between internal and external memory.
  • Make sure your mobile has enough battery charge, or connect it to the electrical network to prevent it from running out during the process and some data being passed from being corrupted.

How to move apps to SD step by step

how to move apps to sd

In order to free up some space in your internal memory and move the applications to the memory card, you just have to follow these steps on how to move apps to SD:

  1. Go to the Settings app on your Android.
  2. Find the Apps section. If you prefer, you can also use the search engine to locate this option first.
  3. Now go into Applications.
  4. There you will see a list with all the apps you have installed at the moment. Select the one or ones you need to move to the microSD.
  5. Then you can click on the Storage option.
  6. Inside you will see that Internal storage is currently selected, you can choose the SD card to be stored there.
  7. Press change, confirm the choice and wait. Please be patient, there is a time lapse where you will not be able to use the apps while the data is passing.
  8. Now, if you follow steps 1-6 again, you will see that the SD card is now selected as the medium.
  9. In many cases it is necessary to reboot the system once the process is complete. In fact, it is the most recommended.
  10. Finally, check if all the apps you have passed are working properly.

Transfer photos and videos to SD

Another possibility is transfer photos and videos from your camera to SD to free up space in the internal memory, since if they are videos in high resolutions, such as 4K, and high quality images, then they will take up a huge amount of space. The steps to be able to use the SD card as a storage medium for these multimedia files, the steps that you should follow are:

  1. Open the Camera app on your Android.
  2. Then enter the Settings of this application.
  3. Look for the Save to SD card option, which will be disabled.
  4. Activate this function and all the new photos and videos you take from now on will be stored there.

The previous ones will not be moved from the internal memory, but you can use your system's file manager to access Internal Memory > DCIM > Camera. There will be the previous ones to carry out this step, which you can also cut and move to the SD.

Alternative to free up space

If you cannot find these options to transfer the apps to your terminal, as in the case of some Huawei, Xiaomi, and other brands, it is because the developer has blocked this function. It could be done by root in these cases, but remember that it is a risk and you could leave your system in-operative. In these cases, if you don't dare to follow the root steps, there is also another possibility to free up space in your internal memory.

Basically it is move other files to SD, and that they do allow brands and models such as Xiaomi (MIUI) that do not allow apps to be transferred to the SD. The steps to follow are:

  1. Open Settings on your Android.
  2. Then scroll to the Storage option, or search for it in the search engine.
  3. Enter the settings of your storage space and scroll down the screen.
  4. You will see that there are several options, one of them is Storage Settings.
  5. Inside there are three options: Camera, Themes and Gallery.
  6. Under each of these options you will see that “Internal storage” is checked. It would be a matter of clicking on this option and selecting the SD so that they are stored there.