Mobile Phones > Android > 296 296 people found this article helpful How to Use an SD Card as Default Storage on Your Android Device Discover step-by-step instructions to transform your SD card into internal storage and optimize your Android’s performance By Jeremy Laukkonen Jeremy Laukkonen Writer Shoreline Community College Jeremy Laukkonen is a former writer for Lifewire. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles . lifewire’s editorial guidelines Updated on June 25, 2025 Jeremy Laukkonen / Lifewire In This Article View All In This Article Step-by-Step: Set as Default Why Use an SD Card? Troubleshooting Frequently Asked Questions Close The Download Change your SD card to work like built-in storage to save space on your phone.Some phones don’t let you use SD cards like this, so check if your phone has the option.Be careful, as this process erases everything on the SD card, so back up anything important. This article explains how to set an SD card as the default storage device on Android. How to Set an SD Card as the Default Storage Device on Android Setting your device to use an SD card as internal storage allows you to install apps directly onto the SD card, eliminating the need to frequently move files when your internal storage is low. Here’s how: This process requires Android 6 or later. However, manufacturers may disable this option, so it might not be available even on compatible versions. If supported, you’ll see it in the storage manager. Insert an SD card into your device. Your phone may have a micro SD card slot or micro SD card tray. The tray may be shared with both the SIM and the SD card. Go to Settings > Storage. Tap your SD card from the Portable Storage section. If it isn’t already formatted, you’ll be prompted to do so before you can proceed. Select the three-dot menu in the upper right corner. Tap Storage settings. Tap Format as internal. Tap Format SD card. When an SD card is formatted, its contents are erased. Back up whatever you want to keep before completing this step. Tap Move content. Tap Done. Your SD card will now function as internal storage. Why Use an SD Card as Internal Android Storage? The option to use an SD card as internal storage is primarily useful for Android devices that don’t have a lot of built-in storage space. If your phone has a small amount of storage and an SD card slot, then setting a large, fast SD card as the internal storage method will let you download more apps, store more photos and videos, and even speed up the use of the device. One challenge with using an SD card as internal storage is that they are often slower than built-in storage. This is not always true, but it usually is. Your device will even warn you if your SD card is especially slow because some apps won’t run correctly if the storage isn’t fast enough. Saving and loading photos, videos, and other files on slow cards can also take noticeably longer. Understanding Smartphone Storage Why Can’t I Set My SD Card as Internal Android Storage? Using an SD card as internal storage was first introduced with Android 6, so it isn’t available at all on devices with older versions of the operating system. If you are running a compatible OS version, but you don’t see the option to format the SD card as internal, then it has probably been disabled by the manufacturer. Some phone manufacturers disable this feature because their phones don’t have SD card slots, and others do it because using a slow card results in a poor user experience. So rather than allowing you to have a poor experience, they disable the feature altogether. If you see the “format as internal” option but it doesn’t work, there might be an issue with the card or your device. In such cases, try to fix the corrupted SD card, replace it with a good one, or update the Android OS. Something else to keep in mind is even if you can’t complete these steps, but the card does work, you can still move apps to the SD card (some only run on internal storage) and move over files. The Step-by-Step Guide to Reading SD Cards on Any Device FAQ How do I access my SD card storage on Android? To access your SD card on Android, go to the Files app. Scroll down to the All storage section to see your options. How do I recover deleted photos from an SD card on Android? To recover deleted photos from an SD card, use an app like DiskDigger. Recovering files with DiskDigger requires root access to your smartphone or tablet. How do I move files to an SD card on Android? To move files to an SD card on Android, go to the Files app and locate the file. Long press the file to select it, tap three dots > Move to, and then select the destination. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit