Don't you detest it when you try to install a new app on your Android device and the "Not Enough Space" warning pops up? It means all those games, photos, and 4K videos have finally taken their toll.

If your telephone has a retention menu slot, and so the solution is like shooting fish in a barrel. A microSD card is a cheap way of expanding your phone'southward storage. You can motion apps to an SD bill of fare to gratis up space, rather than removing apps on your Android device.

How you exercise this depends on what Android version yous're using. We'll take a look at all the means to move Android apps to an SD card in this guide.

Using an SD Card on Android: Nuts

Earlier you become started, consider a few points.

Memory cards are slower than internal storage, then you lot may find slightly worse functioning for resources-intensive apps. When picking a card, go for the fastest memory carte with the largest capacity that your phone tin support—bank check your phone'south specifications to run into what cards information technology'southward compatible with.

Also, be sure you know how to spot a imitation microSD menu to avert getting scammed.

It isn't possible to move preinstalled apps without rooting, and even some third-party apps may not back up it. Also, on older versions of Android, you might not exist able to employ widgets associated with apps y'all've moved to your retentiveness card.

With all this in mind, allow'due south meet how to move apps to an SD menu.

Employ an SD Menu as Internal Storage

Android Marshmallow introduced changes to the way Android phones can handle retention cards, and these changes have continued into the later versions of Android.

You tin at present set microSD cards to work every bit internal storage. Instead of having internal and external storage existing every bit dissever spaces, Android views the card equally an extension of your congenital-in space.

Data and apps can write to either every bit needed, and information technology all happens seamlessly. As a outcome, you don't demand to worry about where your apps are stored.

You have to set this up first. Your card will be wiped in the procedure, so make sure y'all've backed up any data you need:

  1. Insert the card into your phone. When the New SD Carte notification appears, tap Set up Upwards.
  2. Side by side, you demand to cull how your phone should use the card. Select Telephone Storage on Android nine, or Use as Internal Storage on older versions. Alternatively, go to Settings > Storage, select the carte du jour, tap the menu button, and select Storage Settings. Tap Format as internal.
  3. On the side by side screen, tap Format SD Bill of fare, or Erase & Format. This volition wipe your card.
  4. On Android ix and newer, you're offered the take chances to movement your content—including apps—onto the card. Information technology likewise shows y'all how much infinite yous'll save. Hit Move content to complete.

This feature is called Adoptable Storage, and it requires you to keep your card in your phone permanently. The carte du jour is as well encrypted, so you lot cannot put it in another device to copy the data.

The big downside to adoptable storage is that all Android phones are different, and then some manufacturers choose not to offering it on their devices. If you don't have it, then you'll take to move your apps to your SD bill of fare manually.

How to Move Apps to an SD Menu on Android 9 Pie and In a higher place

Yous tin withal transfer apps to an SD card on Android 9 and later manually, even if your telephone doesn't support adoptable storage. Just remember that you tin can't do information technology for every app, and not at all for pre-installed apps:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info.
  2. Observe the app you want to motion in the list and tap it.
  3. Select Storage. If the app supports moving to a card, y'all'll run across a push button here labeled Modify. Tap this.
  4. Select the SD Carte in the Change storage dialog box. This brings up a confirmation screen. Tap Move to begin.

To motility the app back to internal storage, repeat the steps in a higher place but select Internal shared storage in the final step. You lot should always practise this when you desire to change or remove your memory card.

How to Motility Apps to an SD Card on Android viii Oreo

The process for moving an app to the SD card on Android 8 is basically the same as for Android ix:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info.
  2. Ringlet down to detect the app you lot want to motility to the card and tap on it.
  3. Select Storage. If the app supports being moved to a bill of fare, you'll see a department labeled Storage used. Striking the button marked Change.
  4. Select the menu you want to movement the app to, followed by Move.

How to Move Apps to an SD Card on Android vii Nougat

You lot tin can move apps to a memory card on Android seven Nougat through Settings. Notwithstanding, yous can't move all apps. If they don't support it, you lot won't meet the Change push button in Step iii:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps.
  2. Locate the app you want to move to your microSD bill of fare and tap on it.
  3. Become to Storage > Change and choose your bill of fare from the prompt box that opens.
  4. Tap Move to complete the procedure.

Depending on the size of the app, it may take a few moments to complete (especially in the case of big games), so don't touch your phone until it's done. To move the app dorsum, echo the steps and choose Internal shared storage in Step 3.

How to Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 6 Marshmallow

Moving apps to a microSD bill of fare is the same on Marshmallow as it is on Nougat:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps, then tap on your called app.
  2. Tap Storage > Change, then choose the card when prompted.
  3. Striking Move to consummate the process.

How to Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 5 Lollipop

Lollipop has less robust back up for retentivity cards than afterward versions of Android, but y'all can nevertheless move apps from inside Settings.

You're limited in which apps you tin can place on your external storage; it depends on the developer supporting the option. Also, the entire app doesn't motility beyond to the card either—merely role of it does.

You lot can see which apps you've got on your carte past swiping to the correct tab in the App screen, labeled On SD Card. This makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to identify any that you may wish to motility dorsum in the hereafter.

To move apps:

  1. Get to Settings > Apps and tap the app yous desire to motility to your SD carte du jour.
  2. Next, nether the Storage section, tap Move to SD Card. The push button volition be grayed out while the app moves, so don't interfere until it's done.
  3. If there's no Move to SD Card option, the app cannot exist moved.

Once it'due south washed, the Storage section will update to bear witness how much of the app is now stored on the menu (and how much is all the same in internal storage). The Move button will at present read Move to Phone or Move to Device Storage.

Tapping on this allows you to remove the app from the card.

How to Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 4.x and Earlier

Support for microSD cards was extremely limited in all Android 4.10 versions (including KitKat, Jelly Edible bean, and Ice Foam Sandwich). Stock Android didn't support the ability to move apps to an external card at all, as Google seemed intent on phasing cards out entirely.

However, some manufacturers did opt to include the feature in their own versions of the operating system. If your older device supports it, the process is straightforward:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps.
  2. Next, locate and tap the app you want to move to the card.
  3. Select Move to SD carte. If this button isn't available, you lot can't motion the app (or your phone doesn't back up doing so).

In the unlikely effect that y'all're still using an Android 2.x device, these steps are roughly the aforementioned ones yous'll encounter. Home screen widgets are not supported in these sometime versions—you'll need to keep an app on internal storage if yous want to use a widget.

If you don't have the pick on your phone, then yous'll demand to look into a third-party app.

How to Move Apps to an SD Card Using Link2SD

If your phone doesn't support moving apps to the SD carte, or if you want to move an app that doesn't back up it individually, there are a few old tertiary-party apps that tin help y'all out. Apps2SD is a pop option, equally is FolderMount. Both crave a rooted Android phone.

Nosotros're going to look at another choice, Link2SD, which has both root and non-root features. You can utilize information technology to motion apps to your card in bulk, to "force-move" apps that don't normally allow information technology, and to offload information folders for larger apps and games to your external storage.

First, launch the app and grant root permissions if your phone is rooted. And then tap the app y'all want to motility and select an option:

  • Link to SD Carte du jour: This requires root and moves the entire app and its data to your card.
  • Move to SD Carte: This doesn't require root and simply works if your phone supports moving apps to external storage. If you do have root, you tin can likewise force-move apps that don't otherwise support it.
  • Link to SD Carte (Data and Cache): Moves data files, and requires root.

To motion more than ane app at a fourth dimension, tap the card button in the top right corner and cull Multi-select. Now tap all the apps y'all want to move, hit the menu button once more, and choose either Link to SD carte du jour or Motility to SD carte du jour. These are the same options as described to a higher place.

Link2SD is complimentary, with a paid upgrade. It hasn't been updated for some time, but still works on Android 2.three and upwardly.

Download: Link2SD (Free) | Link2SD Plus ($ii)

How to Movement Apps to an SD Card on Android

The all-time way to transfer apps to your SD card depends on what version of Android you're using, whether your phone's manufacturer has implemented all the features, and what app y'all want to motility.

In summary:

  • On phones that support adoptable storage, that's the best choice. It removes whatever need to manage your card manually.
  • For phones that only support moving apps to the bill of fare manually, that method is the best and cleanest.
  • If your telephone doesn't support any of this, or if you take specific requirements, consider rooting and using Link2SD.
  • Don't overlook the occasional disadvantages of using an SD card on Android.

If your apps are taking up too much space, some other proficient solution is to utilise Lite versions of popular apps. Not simply are they smaller and have up less space, but they run faster on older or less powerful phones too.

10 Lite Android Apps That Are Faster Than the Full Versions

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About The Author

Andy Betts (215 Manufactures Published)

Andy is a freelance writer and junior editor for Android at MUO. He'due south been writing about consumer tech since the early 2000s for a wide range of publications, and has a passion for all things mobile.

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