How to Easily Make MicroSD Card Become Internal Memory Without Root – No More Insufficient Storage

No root tips and tricks to make limited storage smartphone become bigger with external micro sd card. Some smartphone still have limited storage usually less then 32 GB. Some bigger storage smartphone such as 64 GB or more also will get some problems if we take a lot of pictures or video recording or download many applications with big data files like games. Please note, we make this information for Android smartphone which already use at least Marshmallow version. Google understand many brand design their smartphone with limited or small internal memory storage to make phone price become cheaper. However, many Android smartphone users want to install as many interesting applications as possible from Google Play Store, but sometime they do not have enough internal memory space left, because all installed applications will use internal memory as default storage.

External memory only good to keep other files like photos / videos or offline movie and music or download files, but it can not keep applications data. Therefore we will give information how to make MiroSD SD Card become Internal memory for Android smartphone with Marshmallow or newer. This process known as Adoptable Storage. The MicroSD simcard will merge with Internal memory. All new applications will keep installed data at MicroSD card.

Can We Use External Memory SD Card To Add More Internal Memory Storage ?

For Android Marshmallow and up, we can do this Adoptable process easily. Please prepare Fast MicroSD simcard with minimum class 10 or use UHS – ultra high speed memory (UHS 1 or above), faster is better.

Why should I use fast MicroSD card? Because when we want to change external memory MicroSD simcard become internal memory at Android, then it will need fast read and write speed, otherwise our applications which put the data into slow MicroSD will run with a lot of trouble or lag.

We are recommended to use at least 32 GB fast MicroSD memory, because this process will make our external microSD memory become permanent resident inside our Android smartphone, we can not easily move or replace anytime we want, because when we unplug already made Adoptable storage SD Card, then our Android will work not normal because they can not find applications data to run. Therefore, more bigger is better to keep our memory plug forever at our smartphone. Please note, all adapted sd card will get reformat and encrypted. Therefore we have to backup all files and data from our sdcard before doing this process.

There are two steps doing Adoptable Storage :

1. Using default Menu Setting

Some smartphone open this process with menu Setting. With this menu we can easily make our External Memory SD Card become Internal memory. There are some locations from Setting menu, some brand will put with different name, but as far they use at least Marshmallow, then we can find near: Setting > Storage > sdcard. Find menu and choose Storage setting.We can choose to Format as internal. After formatting process finish, then we have to Move data from internal memory or merge.

2. Using ADB USB Debugging with Computer PC

This is more advance steps for some Android smartphone who do not have default menu Setting to process external memory SD card for adoptable storage. Usually highend smartphone like Samsung Galaxy S7 / S8 or LG G4 / G5 / G6, do not show Adopted storage menu. However, we still can use ADB USB Debugging which installed and run from computer PC. First we need to download SDK Tools from this link.

We assume that users who use this process already know how to activate USB Debugging from Developer Options. If you do not know how to do this, please read carefully some other resources from Internet, or please find help from some professional.

1. Please make sure the Android battery is not empty or at least 50% capacity left.
2. Make sure our Computer already known our Android by using command :adb devices
3. Continue type :adb shell sm list-disks
4. Continue type :adb shell sm list-volumes all (we will see disk-ID which will use at no.6 steps – eg: 179,64)
5. Continue type :adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true
6. Continue type :adb shell sm partition disk:179,64 private (wait several minutes depend on smartphone and sd card)
7. Continue type :adb shell sm set-force-adoptable false
8. Continue type :adb shell sm list-volumes all
9. After no.8 finish, then Reboot / Restart our Android phone
10. After finish reboot, then continue choose Setting > Storage > sd card > (find menu) Migrate data

Please note that all already use adoptable storage microsd card, can not read anymore with external device then Android smartphone who done this process, because the MicroSD card is encrypted and only readable with this phone. That is why we should forget to unplug or remove this memory card to transfer some files.