Android without storage issues — set your SD card as main storage

Smartphones are becoming more powerful, recording higher-quality video and running demanding games, which increases storage needs. If internal memory fills up quickly, a microSD card can be a simple solution — provided your phone supports this format.

This was reported by SlashGear.

Why this is useful and who it’s for

The growing demand for storage is a result of better photo/video processing and 'heavy' games. Flagship base configurations often start at 128 GB, which can fill up quickly. You could opt for 512 GB or 1 TB upfront, but predicting your needs is difficult — many users end up seeing the 'Storage full' message. If your smartphone has a microSD slot, you can move some data to the card and free up internal storage

You can format an SD card as internal storage by following these steps:

• insert the microSD card and make sure your phone recognizes it correctly;
• open 'Settings' — 'Storage' and select your SD card;
• tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and choose 'Storage settings';
• select 'Format as internal' and confirm the action (Format SD card). All data on the card will be erased, so make a backup first;
• after formatting, tap 'Move data' to transfer compatible apps, photos, and videos to the SD card.

Note that due to the rarity of this hardware feature and varying card speeds, not all phones allow setting an SD card as 'default.' If this option isn’t available, the card is still useful for storing large media files, freeing up internal storage for app installation.

Formatting the card as 'adoptable/internal storage' allows you to install apps directly on it, as if it were part of the internal memory. Performance will depend on the read/write speeds of the specific microSD card.

After this type of formatting, the card cannot be simply moved between devices. To transfer it, you will need to reformat it as portable via 'Settings' — 'Storage' — 'SD card.' The advantage of a 'portable' card is the quick sharing of photos, videos, and documents between different devices — you lose this mobility if you make it 'internal.' If you are ready to dedicate a microSD card 'permanently' to your phone, this is a convenient option.

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