Phone with microSD card.
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Some Android phones don't have a lot of storage, so yous might run out of room for apps. If your device has an SD card slot, you lot can use that to expand the storage and have more room for apps. However, SD card back up is more limited than it used to be.

What You Need to Know

Android apps are installed to your device's internal storage by default. If you have a microSD carte du jour, you tin move some of your currently installed apps over to the microSD card. This is not supported by all apps, however. In fact, many don't support this characteristic at all.

The state of SD menu back up on Android is a shell of what information technology used to exist. Non but is it much harder to find Android devices with SD card slots, but the functionality has been greatly diminished as well. We'll show you lot what y'all might be able to do if you have a microSD card in your Android device.

Note: Running an app off your SD card will almost always be slower than running it off the internal storage, and then but use this if you absolutely have to–and if you tin, effort to use it for apps that don't crave a lot of speed to run well.

RELATED: How to Free Up Storage Infinite on Your Android Phone

How to Move an Android App to an SD Carte

Showtime, swipe down from the peak of the screen (in one case or twice, depending on your device) and tap the gear icon to open the Settings menu.

Next, select "Apps."

Select "Apps."

You may need to tap "See All [Number] Apps" for the full listing of installed apps. Some devices show the full listing right away.

Tap to see all apps.

Select the app that yous would like to move to the SD carte du jour.

Select an app.

Next, on the App Info folio, select "Storage" or "Storage & Cache."

Select "Storage."

If the app supports moving to the SD card, you'll see a "Alter" button. Tap it.

Select "Change."

A bill of fare will pop up with the option to change the storage location to "SD card."

Select "SD Card."

Tap "Move" on the adjacent screen to brainstorm the exporting process.

Tap "Move."

Yous'll run into a progress bar during the process bar. When it's done, you'll be returned to the Settings app.

Progress bar.

Tin You Install Apps Directly to the SD Card?

Older versions of this commodity explained how to install apps directly to the SD card and move whatsoever app to it, whether it officially supported the characteristic or not. Unfortunately, equally of 2022, that's no longer a feasible option on modern versions of Android.

Some manufacturers—namely, Samsung and LG—previously immune users to format microSD cards as internal storage. That meant apps and games would exist installed there by default. Sadly, this feature is no longer present on newer devices.

Technically, information technology's however possible if you're willing to get through the trouble of rooting your Android phone. In the past, this article recommended using apps that required root access, such every bit MiniTool Partition Sorcerer and Link2SD.

Rooting an Android phone is non as worth information technology as it used to exist. Android has gotten much ameliorate and the rooting procedure has simply gotten more difficult. It's simply not a legitimate solution for the majority of people.

Sadly, not many Android phones have SD card slots anymore, and it seems that even fewer apps support the power to be moved to external storage. If yous do take an SD card slot, you should accept advantage of it.

SAMSUNG PRO Plus 128GB microSD

A 128GB microSD card that comes with an adapter for easily transferring files from your phone to calculator. Samsung SD cards are highly regarded for their quality.