Owners of modern smartphones Samsung Galaxy often face a situation where an expensive device with a large amount of built-in memory still ends up jammed to capacity. The main reason for this phenomenon is multimedia files: high-resolution photos and 4K videos take up gigabytes of space in a matter of weeks of active shooting. When the free space runs out, the system starts to work slower, and the ability to take a new photo disappears completely.
Fortunately, most models in the mid-range and budget segment, as well as some flagships from previous years, support the installation of a memory card microSD. This is an ideal solution for offloading your main storage. Proper organization of files allows you not only to free up space for new snapshots, but also to speed up the interface, as it becomes easier for the system to index the remaining data. In this article, we will analyze all the available methods for transferring images, from automatic setup to manual control through a file manager.
Preparing a memory card and checking compatibility
Before you begin the data transfer procedure, you need to make sure that your device is physically capable of working with an additional drive. Not all models Samsung have a slot for memory cards: many modern flagships have lost this feature for the sake of moisture protection and compactness. Check the specifications of your model on the official website or in the documentation included with the box.
If a slot is present, it is important to choose the card itself correctly. To record high-resolution video and run the gallery quickly, a high recording speed is required. Regular cheap class 4 or 6 cards can become a bottleneck, causing the camera to take a long time to save each frame or completely refuse to record video in 4K.
⚠️ Attention: Before installing a new memory card, be sure to turn off the phone. Hot swapping the drive on some models can lead to damage to the file system or loss of data already written to the flash card.
It is recommended to use standard cards UHS-I U3 or V30. These markings guarantee a minimum write speed of at least 30 MB/s, which is critical for modern smartphone cameras. After physically installing the card in the tray (usually combined with the slot for the second SIM card), turn on the device and wait until the notification about the new drive appears.
If the phone does not see the card immediately after turning it on, try removing it, wipe the contacts with a soft eraser and insert it back until you hear a characteristic click.
Setting up automatic saving of photos to the SD card
The most effective way to avoid filling up the internal memory is to configure the camera so that all new pictures and videos are saved immediately to external storage. This will save you from having to manually transfer files regularly. The standard “Camera” application in the shell One UI has a built-in function for this.
To activate the mode, open the camera application and find the gear icon in the upper left corner of the screen. In the settings menu that opens, scroll down the list of options to the section responsible for file location. The option may be called "Storage Location" or "Save to SD Card". Switch the toggle switch to the active position.
After enabling this function, all subsequent pictures will automatically go to the folder DCIM/Camera on an external drive. However, there is an important caveat to keep in mind: some specific shooting modes, such as Super Slow-mo or shooting format RAW on certain models, may still save data to the internal memory due to high write speed requirements, which the memory card cannot always provide reliably.
☑️ Checking camera settings
Manually transferring files through the app “My files”
If you have already accumulated a large archive of photos in your internal memory, automatic camera settings will not help you move old photos. To do this, you will need to use the standard file manager My Files (My files), which is preinstalled on all smartphones Samsung. This tool provides full access to the device directory structure.
Launch the application and you will see two main sections: “Internal memory” and “Memory card”. Go to the internal storage and find the folder DCIM. This is where all photos and videos taken with the camera are stored by default. Inside this folder there is usually a subfolder Cameracontaining your personal photos.
To transfer data, follow these steps:
- 📁 Long press to select one photo, then click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select “Select all” or mark the desired files manually.
- ✂️ Click on the “Move” or “Copy” button in the bottom menu. The difference is that moving will delete the originals from the internal memory, and copying will create duplicates.
- 📂 Return to the main "My Files" menu, go to the "Memory Card" section and open the destination folder (for example, create a new folder
Photos_Archive). - ✅ Click the "Done" or "Paste Here" button to complete the operation.
The process of moving a large number of files may take several minutes. At this time, it is not recommended to minimize the application or lock the screen to prevent the system from suspending the background task. If there are a lot of files (thousands of pieces), it is better to split them into groups of 500-1000 pieces for more stable operation.
Why is it better to use “Move” rather than “Copy”?
When copying, you take up space twice: the file remains in the internal memory and appears on the card. This only makes sense for creating a backup. To free up space, always choose to move, but make sure that the files open correctly on the new card before deleting the originals.
Transfer via computer using a USB cable
Sometimes managing files directly from your smartphone screen is inconvenient, especially if you need to sort thousands of images by dates or events. Connecting to a computer provides a wider range of tools and high data transfer speeds. This method is especially relevant if the internal memory of the phone is almost full and the device begins to slow down.
Connect the smartphone to a PC or laptop using the original cable USB Type-C. After connecting, a request for permission to access data will appear on the phone screen. Select File Transfer or MTP mode. If you select Charge Only mode, the computer will not see the device's file system.
On your computer, open My Computer (or This PC). Your phone will appear as a removable device. Inside you will see two disks: internal memory and a memory card (if it is installed and recognized). Open the internal memory, find the folder DCIM, select the desired photos and simply drag them with the mouse to a folder on the memory card or to the computer’s hard drive.
| Transfer method | Speed | Convenience | Risks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Via file manager | Medium | High (no wires needed) | Battery drain |
| Via USB cable | High | Medium (PC required) | Connector damage |
| Via cloud | Low (depends on the network) | High (automation) | Internet required |
⚠️ Attention: Never remove the USB cable while file transfer is active. This may result in corruption of the file table and loss of some of the data that is currently being written to the disk.
Using a USB 3.0 cable and a USB 3.0 port on your computer will significantly speed up the process of transferring gigabytes of photos compared to older USB 2.0 standards.
Usage cloud services as an alternative
In some cases, the physical memory card may be inaccessible or damaged. An alternative solution is to use cloud storage. Services like Google Photos, Yandex Drive or Dropbox allow you to automatically upload pictures to the Internet, freeing up local space on your phone.
Application Google Photos has a convenient “Free up space” function. After the photos are synced to the cloud, the application will offer to delete their local copies from the device. This is a safe method, since the originals remain accessible from anywhere in the world if there is an Internet connection.
However, this method has its limitations. First, free cloud space is limited (usually 15 GB for a Google account), and you will have to pay monthly to expand your space. Secondly, downloading and viewing photos requires a stable connection to the network, which is not always convenient when traveling or with poor coverage.
Possible problems and solutions
Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users may encounter a number of technical difficulties. The most common problem is the “Not enough space” error when transferring, even if there are several gigabytes free on the memory card. This is often due to the fact that the card is formatted with a file system FAT32that does not support writing single files larger than 4 GB.
If you are trying to transfer a long 4K video that is larger than 4 GB, the system will block the operation. In this case, the memory card must be reformatted to the file system exFAT. You can do this through your phone settings: go to Settings → Device maintenance → Storage → Memory card → Format.
Another common situation is that the gallery does not see transferred photos. This is due to a glitch in the Android media scanner that updates the thumbnail database. To fix this, reboot your device. If the problem persists, you can try clearing the cache of the Media Server or Gallery application in the application settings section.
⚠️ Attention: Formatting a memory card completely deletes all data on it. Before performing this operation, be sure to copy important files to your computer or other safe place.
It is also worth remembering that the characteristics of interfaces and menus may vary slightly depending on the operating system version Android and the shell version One UI. If you do not find the described menu items, use the search in the phone settings by entering the keyword “Memory” or “Storage.”
What to do if the memory card is detected as damaged?
If the phone prompts you to format the card every time you turn it on, it may be damaged. Try inserting it into the card reader on your computer and check it with the chkdsk utility. If errors are not corrected, the card will have to be replaced.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Can I transfer installed applications to a memory card on Samsung?
In modern versions of Android and the One UI shell, the ability to transfer applications to a memory card is limited or completely absent. The developers recommend installing applications only in the internal memory to ensure stable operation and data security. Only media files and documents can be transferred to a memory card.
Why, after transferring photos, are they displayed in the gallery as duplicates?
This happens if you used the “Copy” function instead of “Move”. As a result, the original remained in the internal memory, and a copy appeared on the card. To fix this, go into the internal memory and delete the original files, after making sure that the copies on the card open correctly.
Will the speed of the phone deteriorate if you store all the photos on an SD card?
The speed of the phone interface itself will not change, but the speed of opening the gallery and viewing heavy photos may decrease if the memory card has a low speed class. For comfortable use, U3 or V30 class cards are recommended.
How to safely remove a memory card without turning off the phone?
Go to Settings → Device maintenance → Storage. Find your memory card in the list and click on the eject icon (triangle with arrow) next to it. Only after a notification appears that the card can be removed, remove the tray.
How many years will the information on a memory card last?
Memory cards are not intended for archival storage of data for decades. Memory cells can degrade over time, especially if they are rewritten frequently. It is recommended to back up important photos to a computer or to the cloud once every 6-12 months.