Do you want to download another application, but there is not enough internal memory? There is a solution: just move the already installed applications to the SD card. Our instructions are suitable for version 6 and higher. The names of some menu items may vary slightly depending on the smartphone model and system version.
Transfer applications to the SD card through Android settings
- Go to the gadget settings and select the “Applications” section.
- Open Application Manager to see all installed programs.
- Select the application you want to move to the memory card. In our example, this is Instagram.
- Open the "Memory" tab and in the "Used" section, click "Change".
- Select a memory card as the storage area and click Move.
- The location changes will take some time. Typically, this procedure is completed in a minute.
Important: Not all applications can be moved to the SD card. To move some programs, you must have root rights and the Link2SD application.
Transferring applications to a memory card using App 2 SD Pro
If you want to move multiple apps at once, download App 2 SD Pro to make the transfer process much easier.
After installing App 2 SD Pro, a window will open with information about all installed programs. Here you can check the boxes next to the applications you want to move to the map. Just click OK and App 2 SD Pro will complete the transfer process.
Sooner or later, every user of Android devices is faced with a situation where the internal memory of the device is about to run out. When you try to update existing applications or install new applications, a notification pops up in the Play Market stating that there is not enough free space; to complete the operation, you need to delete media files or some applications.
Most applications are installed in internal memory by default. But it all depends on what installation location the program developer specified. It also determines whether it will be possible to transfer application data to an external memory card in the future or not.
Not all applications can be transferred to a memory card. Those that were preinstalled and are system applications cannot be moved, at least if you do not have root rights. But most downloaded applications tolerate the “move” well.
Before you start transferring, make sure that there is enough free space on your memory card. If you remove the memory card, the applications that were transferred to it will not work. Also, you should not expect that applications will work in another device, even if you insert the same memory card into it.
It is worth remembering that programs are not completely transferred to the memory card; some of them remain in the internal memory. But the bulk is moved, freeing up the necessary megabytes. The size of the portable part of the application is different in each case.
Method 1: AppMgr III
The free AppMgr III (App 2 SD) has proven to be the best tool for moving and uninstalling programs. The application itself can also be moved to the card. It's very easy to master. There are only three tabs displayed on the screen: "Moveable", "On the SD card", "In phone".
After downloading, do the following:
Another useful feature is automatic application cache clearing. This technique also helps free up space. 
Method 2: FolderMount
FolderMount is a program designed to completely transfer applications along with the cache. To work with it you will need ROOT rights. If you have them, you can even work with system applications, so you need to select folders very carefully.
To use the application, follow these instructions:
Method 3: Move to SDCard
The easiest way is to use the Move to SDCard program. It is very easy to use and takes up only 2.68 MB. The app icon on your phone may be called "Delete".
Using the program looks like this:
Method 4: Standard means
In addition to all of the above, try to transfer using the built-in tools of the operating system. This feature is only available for devices with Android version 2.2 and higher installed. In this case, you need to do the following:
But what to do if the Android version is lower than 2.2 or the developer did not provide the ability to move? In such cases, third-party software, which we talked about earlier, can help.
Using the instructions in this article, you can easily move apps to and from your storage card. And having ROOT rights provides even more opportunities.
A phone memory card is the best expansion option for installing and storing files. There are several ways to transfer utilities, music, games and photos to the SD card of Samsung devices and more.
Below I will show you a few methods that I personally use. You can take them into service!
File manager
Use File Explorer or similar from Google Play to gain access to information stored on the Android device.
- Find the files you want to move;
- Mark the desired objects, go to the menu, select Move;
- Specify the future location of the files on the SD card;
You can move the files to an existing folder or create a new one.
Transferring applications to an SD card
Photos and music are copied easily, with applications on Android devices everything is much simpler than it seems:
- Open “Settings”, “Applications” section, “Management” item;
- Find the software you need (game or program);
- See if it's possible to move it to SD;
Samsung and other Android devices allow you to move some applications - if this is allowed, the “To memory card” button will be active. All you have to do is press it, the bulk of the data will be transferred to the SD card, a smaller part will remain in the device’s memory, freeing up space.
Wait until the end, the reverse operation may be performed!
How to transfer cache to memory card on Android?
The cache takes up a lot of space; in some cases it is easier to move its files to a memory card. Download the FolderMount program (does not work without root rights).
Having root will make it possible to use the program:
- Click the "+" icon;
- Enter the name of the file, in the “Source” field - the location of the cache folder;
- Fill out the “Destination” field by entering the address of the SD folder;
- Click the checkmark at the top and the pin symbol next to the name;
The pin will turn green once the cache transfer is complete!
Protected Applications
Some applications are protected from being copied to a memory card; it is impossible to transfer them without root rights. You will need to download the free program Link2SD, install, launch and find the necessary software.
Two buttons will appear in front of you: “Actions” and “Transfer to SD card”. Click the second one, confirm the action by clicking “OK”. Confirmation of superuser rights will be required: select “Allow” and wait until the transfer is completed.
In addition to the above-mentioned programs and standard tools for devices running Android, there is a large amount of software that allows you to transfer files to a memory card.
Carefully read the description of such software to find out in more detail the possibility of working without root rights, the range of functions and other features. Store files on a flash drive, freeing up space on the Samsung device itself for optimal performance!
Today we will tell you how to transfer internal memory files and applications to the SD card of your Android phone or tablet. And also how to store files and photos on a microSD card to free up space in your smartphone’s memory. All the methods are simple and will help you avoid or delay the appearance of the “Not enough space” message on your Android device.
What you need to know about micro SD cards
Many inexpensive Android smartphones have a small amount of internal memory (4 or 8 GB). At the same time, 16 GB is not always enough, because few people limit themselves to a couple of movies and applications. Many users want their gadget to hold as many high-resolution photos and videos as possible, as well as all their favorite music tracks. Luckily, most Android smartphones support microSD cards.
Before purchasing a card, you need to find out what the maximum memory capacity of the gadget is. Flagships usually reach 128 GB and higher, but many Android smartphones are limited to 32 GB. Frankly speaking, this amount of memory is enough for most users.
After inserting a microSD card, you can set a new saving path for new applications, photos, videos, audio files and others; change the location where pictures are saved in the camera settings, as well as songs downloaded from the Google Play Music application. But what about applications that are already downloaded to the internal memory of the smartphone?
How to move apps to SD card on Android
Let's make a reservation right away: not all applications can be moved to a microSD card: some applications have protection that will prevent this from happening. In other words, users of smartphones with 4 and 8 GB of internal memory, who are accustomed to downloading and installing dozens of applications, even with a microSD card, may encounter the problem of lack of memory.
The ability to move an application to a memory card is usually determined by the application developer, and sometimes by the device manufacturer.
For example, one of the smartphones on which you can move applications to an SD card. But these applications will become unavailable when you remove the memory card.
In order to find out whether it is possible to transfer a particular application to a microSD card, go to “Settings”, then to “Applications” and select the one you need. On some Android smartphones, the settings menu may have a different name and look, but the application settings should be there in any case.
The first tab of the application settings menu displays all downloaded applications on the smartphone. On the tab to the right are those stored on the SD card.
To move an application, go to the “Downloaded” tab and click on the application. For the example in the screenshots, we chose Clash of Clans.
There will be an item “Move to SD card”, click on it. After which the message “Move” will appear, and at the end of the process the item will change to “Move to internal memory”. Now the application has appeared on the “on SD card” tab.
It's also worth noting that many downloadable free apps are available to move around. And for those who often run out of available memory, we recommend deleting applications after use.
How to Move Photos, Videos and Other Files to Android SD Card (Memory Card)
In addition, you can also quickly and easily move photos, videos, audio and other files using a computer or laptop. To do this, you just need to connect your smartphone to your PC via a USB cable.
Through the computer, you can view the contents of both internal and external memory (they will appear as two different devices). To move files on Mac OS, you can use Android File Transfer, which displays internal memory and SD card contents in different tabs.
Here, to move files from internal memory to external memory, you just need to drag them with the mouse to any convenient place, including the memory of the computer itself. The main thing is not to accidentally capture system files of the Android operating system.
File Manager
You can also use a file manager. Many Android smartphones have this application installed by default. If you don’t have it, you can download a free file manager from Topnet999, but ES Explorer is the most popular among users of Android devices.
At the very top there will be a “Memory” tab - click on it to see all the available types of memory on your smartphone. “sdcard0” refers to the internal memory of the smartphone, and “sdcard1” refers to the external memory. Let's start by moving photos.
First, open “sdcard0” and go to the DCIM folder, then to Camera. Photos taken with your smartphone camera are stored here. Click on the three dots at the bottom right and select “Select multiple files.” We mark the necessary photos that we want to transfer to the memory card. After that, select “Move”, go to the desired folder on the microSD card and click on “Insert”.
This way you can move audio and other files on your smartphone.
Modern Android devices support expanding the internal memory with cards of a very decent size. This is useful for many reasons. For example, in the event of a factory reset or other failure, 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 swap file.
Built-in way to transfer an application to an SD card in Android
For many applications, there is a native method of transferring to a card. To determine whether you can move the program to another drive, go to “Settings” -> “Applications” and see if the button labeled “Move to SD” is active. If yes, feel free to click and wait for the system to handle the task on its own. If the button is not active, the developers may have blocked this function (working from the built-in disk is faster by default). In this case, go to section 2 and use third-party software.
Programs for transferring to SD card in Android
There are a huge variety of paid and free programs that can help us with the assigned task. However, the most popular of them 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 on 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. It’s very convenient that App 2 SD supports the ability to bulk select and transfer, so you don’t have to waste extra time dragging programs one by one.
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 an SD card may be useful. For this purpose, you will need another program called FolderMount, as well as being previously rooted. 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 “Name” line, enter 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 “Destination” line, 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 planning to transfer programs to an external card because the device has become slow, 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 regain its full functionality.
