Are you tired of constant notifications about low memory on your smartphone? Photos and videos take up the lion's share of internal storage, but freeing up space without losing data seems impossible? There is a solution: transferring the saving of media files to external SD card. This simple trick will not only free up gigabytes of memory, but will also speed up the device, especially if you have a budget smartphone with 32 or 64 GB of internal storage.

Unfortunately, many users are faced with the fact that modern versions Android (starting from Android 7 Nougat) limit writing to removable media by default. Manufacturers like Samsung, Xiaomi or Huawei often block this function in standard camera applications, citing “data security”. But you can bypass the restrictions - and we will show you how to do this on any Android device, regardless of the OS version or brand.

In this article you will find:

  • 🔧 Step-by-step guide for a standard camera and Google Photos
  • 📱 Ways to bypass restrictions on new versions of Android (10+)
  • ⚙️ Setting access rights for the SD card as internal storage
  • 🚨 Common mistakes and how to avoid them
  • 🔄 Alternative methods for transferring existing photos

Before you begin, make sure that your SD card:

  • ✅ Has a speed class UHS-I (U1/U3) or Class 10 (for recording video in 4K)
  • ✅ Formatted in exFAT or FAT32 (NTFS is not supported by most smartphones)
  • ✅ Not damaged (check on PC via chkdsk in Windows)
📊 What size memory card do you use?
Up to 32 GB
32–64 GB
64–128 GB
128 GB or more
Not I use

1. Setting up the standard camera application

Most manufacturers allow you to change the location where photos are saved directly in the camera settings. However, the interface and available options may vary greatly depending on firmware and smartphone model. Let's consider a universal algorithm:

Open the application Camera and find the icon ⚙️ (gear) or ⋮ (three dots) - usually it is located in the upper corner of the screen. In the menu, select Settings → Save location (or Storage). There should be options here:

  • 📱 Internal memory (selected by default)
  • 💾 SD card (the item we need)
  • ☁️ Cloud (Google Photos, Mi Cloud, etc.)

If there is no item SD card it means your smartphone blocks recording to external media. This is typical for devices with Android 10+ and firmware from Xiaomi, Oppo or Realme. In this case, go to next section.

⚠️ Attention: On some devices Samsung (for example, series Galaxy A or Galaxy M), the option to save to an SD card appears only after first insertion of the card and reboot. If you inserted the card later, remove it, restart the phone and reinsert.
Brand Model/Firmware Supports SD as the main one storage Notes
Samsung Galaxy S20+, One UI 4.0+ ✅ Yes Requires formatting of the card as internal memory
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro, MIUI 13 ❌ No (only through workarounds) Use Google Camera with patch
Huawei P40 Lite, EMUI 12 ⚠️ Partially Works only for photos, videos are saved to internal memory
Nokia Nokia 5.4, Android One ✅ Yes Without additional settings

2. Bypassing restrictions on Android 10 and later

Starting from Android 7 NougatGoogle has tightened its policy for working with external media, and in Android 10 and Android 11 these restrictions have become even stricter. Apps are now unable to write files to the SD card by default without the user's explicit permission. Here's how to get around it:

Method 1: Formatting the SD card as internal storage

This method is suitable for devices that support Adoptable Storage (accepted storage). It allows you to combine an SD card with internal memory, but has some nuances:

  1. Insert the SD card into your smartphone.
  2. Go to Settings → Storage.
  3. Click on the name of your SD card → ⋮ → Storage settings.
  4. Select Format as internal.
  5. Confirm the action (all data on the card will be deleted!).

Advantages: applications and photos will be saved to the card automatically.
Disadvantages: the card cannot be removed and read on another device without formatting. It will also be encrypted, and when you reset the phone, the data will be lost.

⚠️ Attention: On some devices (for example, Samsung Galaxy A52after formatting the card as internal memory You cannot transfer applications to it —media files only. This is a limitation of the firmware.

Method 2: Using Google Camera with a patch

If your standard camera application does not support saving to SD, install a modified version of Google Camera (for example, from the developers BSG or Arnova8G2). These versions have advanced settings, including storage selection:

  1. Download the APK from a trusted source (for example, celsoazevedo.com).
  2. Install the application by allowing installation from unknown sources.
  3. Open Settings → Advanced → Save location.
  4. Select SD card and specify the folder (for example, DCIM/Camera).

Download a compatible version for your model|

Allow all permission requests on first launch|

Create a DCIM folder on the SD card manually (if it does not exist)|

Disable battery optimization for the application-->

Method 3: Force change of access rights (root)

For advanced users who are ready to get root accessthere is a radical way - editing the file platform.xml:

1. Get root access (for example, through Magisk).

2. Open the /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml file in a text editor (for example, Root Explorer).


3. Find the line:


<permission name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE">


4. Add after it:


<group gid="media_rw" />


5. Save the file and restart the device.

After this, any application will be able to write files to the SD card. Risk: Incorrect changes may cause the system to crash.

3. Setting up Google Photos for automatic transfer

If your camera stubbornly ignores the SD card, you can go the other way: set up automatically uploading photos to Google Photos and then delete the originals. This method does not save space on the device directly, but allows you to free it up manually or on a schedule.

How to set up:

  1. Install the application Google Photo from Play Market.
  2. Open it and sign in to your Google account.
  3. Go to Settings → Backup and sync.
  4. Turn on the switch and select High quality (unlimited storage) or Original quality (counted from the Google Drive quota).
  5. Enable the option Delete copies from the device after backup.

Now all new photos will be automatically uploaded to the cloud, and the originals will be deleted from the phone after 30–60 days (configurable). To return a photo to an SD card:

  1. Open Google Photos and select an album or date.
  2. Click ⋮ → Save to device.
  3. In the file manager, move the downloaded files to the SD card manually.
⚠️ Attention: When using High quality Google compresses photos to resolution 16 MP and videos to 1080p. If original quality is important to you, choose Original quality, but keep in mind that it takes up space in your Google Drive quota (15 GB free).
💡

Create a folder on the SD card Google Photos Backup and save files downloaded from the cloud there. This way they will not be duplicated in the internal memory.

4. Transferring existing photos to an SD card

If the internal memory is already full of photos, you can transfer them to the SD card manually. Any file manager is suitable for this, but we recommend Files by Google or Solid Explorer —they support batch movement and do not contain advertising.

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Open the file manager and go to the folder DCIM → Camera (photos from the camera are stored here) or Pictures (screenshots and uploaded images).
  2. Select files (long press → mark the ones you need or click Select all).
  3. Click Move (not "Copy"!).
  4. Select the destination folder on the SD card (for example, /storage/XXXX-XXXX/DCIM/Camera).
  5. Confirm the move.

To speed up the process, use batch move:

  • 📁 In Solid Explorer you can create a task to move files older than 30 days.
  • ⚡ In Files by Google yes function Cleaningthat offers to transfer rarely used files.
  • 🤖 To automatically transfer, install the application AutoMove (requires setting up rules).
⚠️ Attention: Some file managers (for example, standard in MIUI) do not show hidden folders on the SD card. To see them, enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
What to do if the photos do not move?

If the error "Insufficient space" or "File in use" appears when moving files, try:

1. Reboot the phone.

2. Remove and reinsert the SD card.

3. Disable Google Photos or other application that may block files.

4. Use a PC to transfer (connect your phone as a USB drive).

5. Problems and their solutions

Even after correctly setting up saving to an SD card, users encounter errors. Let's look at the most common ones and ways to solve them:

Problem Possible cause Solution
Photos are saved to internal memory, despite the settings Limitations firmware (MIUI, ColorOS) Use Google Camera or Open Camera
SD card not detected Incompatible format (NTFS) or damage Format the card on exFAT on a PC
Insufficient rights error when writing Android 11+ blocks access Format the card as internal memory
Videos are saved, but photos are not Manufacturer limitation (for example, Huawei) Use a third-party camera

Critical information: On devices with Android 12 and newer (for example, Samsung Galaxy S22 or Google Pixel 6) standard methods of saving to an SD card may not work due to policy Scoped Storage. In this case, the only working options are formatting the card as internal memory or using the camera with manually selecting the saving path (for example, FOSS Camera).

If, after transferring photos to the SD card, they do not appear in the gallery:

  1. Open the application Gallery.
  2. Go in Settings → Folders.
  3. Enable display of folders from the SD card (for example, DCIM, Pictures).

6. Alternative ways to save space

If transferring to an SD card is not possible for some reason, consider other methods of freeing up memory:

  • ☁️ Cloud storage: In addition to Google Photos, there are Yandex Disk (10 GB free), Mega (20 GB) or Amazon Photos (unlimited photo storage for Prime owners).
  • 🗃️ Photo compression: Applications like Photo Compress or Resize Me! reduce the weight of images without noticeable loss of quality.
  • 🔄 Automatic cleaning: In the Android storage settings there is function Smart Storage (smart storage), which deletes old backups.
  • 📦 Archiving: Transfer photos to PC and pack them in ZIP/RAR with a password (saves up to 30% of space).

For owners Samsung there is a proprietary solution - Samsung Cloud (15 GB free). It is integrated into the gallery and allows you to automatically synchronize photos and delete originals from the device. To enable:

  1. Open Samsung Gallery.
  2. Click ⋮ → Settings → Sync with Samsung Cloud.
  3. Turn on the switch and select Photo.
  4. Activate Delete items from device.
💡

If you often take photos in RAW format or shoot video in 4K, even a 128 GB SD card will quickly fill up. In this case, combine cloud storage (for originals) and SD card (for previews and compressed copies).

7. Optimizing work with an SD card

To avoid data loss and failures when writing to an SD card, follow these recommendations:

  • 🔋 Safe removal: Before removing the card, tap Extract in the notification or in the storage settings. Abrupt removal can damage the file system.
  • 🔄 Regular formatting: Once every 6-12 months, format the card (after copying the data) via PC to exFAT —this prevents fragmentation.
  • 📉 Controlling free space: Leave at least 10% free space on the card, otherwise the recording speed will drop.
  • 🛡️ Write protection: If the card is used for reading only (for example, for music), switch the lever on the adapter to position Lock.

To check the speed of the SD card, use the application A1 SD Bench. Minimum recommended indicators:

  • 📸 For photos: 10 MB/s (recording)
  • 🎥 For Full HD video: 20 MB/s
  • 🎥 For 4K video: 30+ MB/s (U3 class)

If the recording speed is below normal:

  1. Check the card for authenticity (many "128 GB" from AliExpress turns out to be relabeled 16 GB).
  2. Format the card in exFAT (FAT32 limits the file size to 4 GB).
  3. Try another card - some smartphones do not work well with cards SanDisk Ultra, but normally - from Samsung EVO.

8. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Can I save photos to an SD card on an iPhone?

No, iPhone does not support SD cards directly. Alternatives:

  • Use Lightning reader to import photos to the card.
  • Set up automatic upload to iCloud and then delete the originals.
Why after transferring photos to an SD card, they disappeared from the gallery?

This is due to the fact that the gallery scans only the internal memory by default. Solutions:

  1. Open the gallery → Settings → Folders and enable display of folders from the SD card.
  2. Reboot your phone - sometimes a rescan is required media files.
  3. Install an alternative gallery (for example, Simple Gallery), which supports SD cards.
Can I save Instagram Stories to an SD card?

Yes, but not through the app itself Instagram. Options:

  • Use the application Story Saver and in its settings specify the path to the SD card.
  • Download Stories to your phone, and then manually move them through the file manager.

Please note: saving other people's Stories may violate rules Instagram.

How to make sure that screenshots are saved to an SD card?

To do this, you need to change the saving path in the system settings:

  1. Install the application Screenshot Touch or Super Screenshot.
  2. In the application settings select Save path and specify a folder on the SD card (for example, /storage/XXXX-XXXX/Pictures/Screenshots).
  3. Disable the standard screenshot function in the Android settings (if possible).

On some firmware (for example, MIUI) the path for saving screenshots is hardcoded into the internal memory and does not change.

What to do if the SD card suddenly becomes “read-only”?

This problem often occurs due to:

  • 🔌 Physical switch on the adapter (check the position Lock).
  • 🦠 Virus (scan the card on your PC with an antivirus).
  • 💥 File system damage (format the card in exFAT).
  • ⚡ Power shortages (try another card reader or USB hub with power).

If the card cannot be formatted, use the utility SD Formatter from the SD Association.