A number of Marshmallow (Android 6) and above users have complained of insufficient / low storage space for installing applications despite having much unused space on their SD card. This brief guide will teach you how to easily convert those several free Gigabytes on your external SanDisk card to Internal Storage.
How can I convert / use my SD card as Internal Storage on my Android Marshmallow phone?
1. Switch off the phone, insert the SD card you wish to use as internal storage then boot up the phone. You should get a notification that a new SD card has been detected (Click here for what to do if you did not get a notification prompt); double tap the notification
2. Tick Use as internal storage then tap Next
3. Tap Erase & format (ensure to have backed up important stuff on it)
4. Wait while the SD card gets formatted
5. Tick Move now or Move later depending on when you wish to move media files from the internal storage to the newly prepared SD card then tap Next
6. Tap Done
I did not get a notification after inserting SD card, what do I do
1. Navigate to Settings > Storage and tap the SD card (portable storage)
2. Tap the Menu at the top right and select Storage settings
3. Tap Formal as internal
Hovatek….just a button away!
60 comments on “How to use external SD card as Adoptable Storage in Android”
Charlae4ive
July 7, 2016 at 7:22 pmThis cant work on Tecno C8 ooooooooo…..running Android 6.0….and i really wush i can use my sd card as my installation storage
Hovatek
July 7, 2016 at 7:29 pmtested and confirmed on an Infinix Hot 2 Marshmallow
Stephanie
July 12, 2017 at 9:58 amHow please cause I want to download a movie and. I want it to save and I have 7.4gb free but I don’t know how to use it
Hovatek
July 12, 2017 at 10:34 amYou want to know how to download this movie to your external SD card instead of phone storage. Is that right6?
Desmond
July 8, 2016 at 2:37 amBoss can the memory card be used on another phone because I heard that if you format as internal ..it cannot be used on another devices
Hovatek
July 8, 2016 at 9:58 amYou can use it on another device, you’ll just have to re-format it
Stephanie
July 12, 2017 at 9:57 amHow do u reformat it
Gaurav
July 31, 2016 at 3:52 pmNEED A CWM FOR MARSHMALLOW RUNNING GIONEE S PLUS PHONE
Hovatek
July 31, 2016 at 3:53 pmwe’ve sent you an email
Tobi
August 15, 2016 at 10:19 pmPls how do I root & install twrp on my infinix hot S ?
Hovatek
August 16, 2016 at 6:22 amwhats the Android version?
Tobi
August 16, 2016 at 8:27 amAndroid 6.0 marshmallow
Hovatek
August 17, 2016 at 4:19 pmDo you have the firmware?
Tobi
August 16, 2016 at 10:05 pmAndroid 6.0 marshmallow
Adekunle Samuel Akorede
December 9, 2016 at 4:29 pmPlease is it working on Tecno W3 cod right now, it isn’t
Hovatek
December 15, 2016 at 4:34 pmSome have complained that it isn’t.
We’ll look into this
Opeoluwa
February 3, 2017 at 5:09 amPlease help out. it doesn’t work on my Tecno w3. what’s the solution?
thanks in anticipation.
Hovatek
February 5, 2017 at 7:18 pmWith HIOS, you’ll need to use root + lucky patcher + Link2SD
Adedeji
February 6, 2017 at 9:30 pmPlease after this, what’s next?
Hovatek
February 9, 2017 at 11:25 amThats all. Apps and their data will subsequently be saved to the SD card
Femi
February 10, 2017 at 12:38 pmWith HIOS, pls do write d full steps on how to use root + lucky patcher + Link2SD in order to move apps to SD card so that we can gain access to it. Thank you.
Nabilson
March 21, 2017 at 11:54 pmPlz help me
My tecno w3 doesnt support that
Plz send the email to me
Mnabil201015@gmail.com
Omotessy Johnson
April 18, 2017 at 12:39 pmSd card is not working as internal memory on my itel s11. I tried d step u put online pls he can I use SD card 4 internal memory
Hovatek
April 18, 2017 at 4:20 pmThis might not work on non-stock Marshmallow. You would require root
Abdulraheem Khadijat Temitope
June 20, 2017 at 4:35 pmI can’t save anything on my memory card
Hovatek
June 20, 2017 at 5:41 pmCould you explain what you mean in detail
oluwaseun
July 13, 2017 at 7:32 pmbro @hovatek
my phone pro is dat d video on memory card will not display on my video player app and all file playing video until I go into xender app to play it
Hovatek
July 13, 2017 at 10:30 pmTry using VLC and let me know if it persists.
lisy
July 24, 2017 at 8:16 pmi doesn’t work.. i tried it but it doesn’t show the notification it just say sd card ready to use
Hovatek
July 24, 2017 at 8:30 pmWhat’s the phone model?
Lisy
July 24, 2017 at 9:03 pmTecno c7
Hovatek
July 24, 2017 at 9:18 pmIt doesn’t work on HIOS.
chigozirim
August 5, 2017 at 9:16 amsir plz I am using itel s11 Android 6.0 but it’s still not showing that sign. I have donated my phone more than two times still it’s not working pls sir what will I do to it
Hovatek
August 6, 2017 at 12:47 pmhave you formatted the SD card?
thowju
May 1, 2018 at 5:45 amI’ve formatted the sd card of the itel s11. it doesn’t show the option for format as internal, just format only.. I’ve formatted it but it still has the same issue. i can’t install/move apps to sd card
Enigma
May 1, 2018 at 6:12 amWhat’s your phone’s Android version?
Note that not all Marshmallow and above devices support Adoptable Storage
Ozzid
October 27, 2017 at 5:19 pmPlz will this work on Tecno w3 I’m fed up with D’s phone already can’t use my mcard agn nd phone memory filled
Enigma
October 27, 2017 at 6:25 pmNo, Tecno’s HIOS doesn’t support this feature
Niki Odeyemi
November 8, 2017 at 7:15 pmI can’t use my SD card as internal memory on Tecno Camon CX. I only have “use as portable storage” on the option.
Kindly help as my phone internal memory already full please
Enigma
November 9, 2017 at 10:08 amThis feature doesn’t work on HIOS. Tecno only recently introduced it to the CX Air in the latest OTA update
Niyi Odeyemi
November 9, 2017 at 10:54 amWhat’s the way forward please?
Enigma
November 9, 2017 at 11:25 amYou either wait and hope Tecno does the same for the CX or try using Link2SD
Niyi Odeyemi
November 9, 2017 at 11:41 amHow will I go about using Link2SD as suggested
Enigma
November 9, 2017 at 11:49 amYou’ll need to post at our Forum. have you registered there?
Niyi Odeyemi
November 9, 2017 at 12:18 pmNo
Niyi Odeyemi
November 8, 2017 at 7:18 pmSorry I’m Niyi Odeyemi not Niki Odeyemi
Niyi Odeyemi
November 9, 2017 at 12:19 pmKindly help please
Tudor
November 15, 2017 at 10:44 amI am using Techno W3, but the notification is not coming up,
How can you be of help pls?
Enigma
November 15, 2017 at 11:27 amIt typically doesn’t work on HIOS
Tudor
November 15, 2017 at 10:45 amI have Techno W3, but is still not working,
Please help me out.
Uriel Hoki
December 1, 2017 at 9:04 pmI am using Tecno wx3, internal memory is filled up.How can i switch to external SD card?
Enigma
December 2, 2017 at 7:00 pmIt doesn’t work on HIOS
Ted
December 11, 2017 at 9:44 amHi, please will it work on infinix note 4?
Enigma
December 11, 2017 at 9:48 amIt should
Kosy michelle
December 13, 2017 at 8:31 amMy 16gb cant play videos on my phone camon cx and when i snap pictures it wont show it will be saying no thumbnail found whats the problem my sd card is new so why
Enigma
December 13, 2017 at 8:03 pmFree up space on phone storage , not SD card
Victor
December 14, 2017 at 11:33 amSorry please this doesn’t work on Infinix hot s (x521)…
Tope
December 18, 2017 at 7:45 amplease help with this.
I wanted to change the SD card i use but the phone no longer give me the option to use SD card as internal storage. It only gives use as portable device.
Please what can i do?
Enigma
December 18, 2017 at 11:46 amYou need to format the SD card in FAT32 format first
Covenant
January 2, 2018 at 10:21 amHello
..thanks for the help but my infinix hot phone isn’t giving me options to change my SD card to default storage what can I do