While Samsung tablets are easily some of the most popular tablets the market has to offer in terms of their overall specs and functionality, one of the problems that they have is that they tend to have limited storage spaces. That means that you might have to go and get yourself an SD card with enough room for your Samsung tablet. But, in most cases, the default storage remains to be the tablet’s built-in storage. So, how do you set an SD card as the default storage for a Samsung tablet?
Your tablet needs to run at least Android 6.0 to set your SD card as the default storage for your tablet. Go to Settings, Storage, and then select your SD card. Tap the three-dot menu then select Settings. Choose the option where you can format your SD card as internal storage and then reboot your tablet.
In the past, it was impossible for you to set your SD card as the tablet’s default storage. This meant that you had to manually move all of the files from your tablet to your SD card every single time. However, thanks to the newer Android updates, it is now possible for you to use your SD card as your default storage.
Can you use your SD card as your Samsung tablet’s default storage?
Aside from the iPad, Samsung tablets are some of the most popular tablets in the world as they rank first among Android tablets. This means that the quality and functionality of Samsung tablets are unquestionable as there are plenty of people who trust these tablets over any other Android tablet in the world.
However, one of the problems when it comes to Samsung tablets is that they tend to have limited internal memory spaces that can be problematic for those who are heavy users. And even if you don’t store a ton of files on your tablet, some tablets just have limited storage spaces that can quickly fill up. That means that you may want to use an SD card as another storage option for your Samsung tablet.
But, then again, there is another problem in relation to using an SD card. Even if your SD card has enough room for more files, your tablet might not recognize that it has enough space because it only looks at the Samsung tablet’s own internal storage space. That’s why, when you are downloading apps or files, the tablet might prompt that you don’t have enough storage because it is only looking at the internal storage.
This can be problematic because you would have to manually move some of your files to your SD card, and this can also be too much of a hassle for those who may not have enough time. There is even a danger of accidentally deleting files and apps that are important while you are trying to free up space in your tablet’s internal storage.
So, in this case, can you set your SD card as your Samsung tablet’s default storage? After all, there are plenty of benefits that you can get if your tablet is using your SD card as its default storage instead of relying on its internal storage.
The good news is that, yes, you can use your SD card as the default storage for your Samsung tablet. But the catch here is that you should be running at least Android 6.0 on your tablet for you to be able to do so. If you are not religiously updating your tablet and it has been around for a very long time that you actually bought it before the Android 6.0 update, then there is a chance that you won’t be able to use your SD card as your default storage unless you update your Samsung tablet to the latest Android version available.
But if you have a really old Samsung tablet that no longer supports the latest Android version or, at the very least, Android 6.0, you won’t be able to make this work. Then again, it can be rare to find Samsung tablets that are already too old that they can’t support Android 6.0. As such, it is more than possible for you to be able to set your SD card as your Samsung tablet’s default storage.
How do you set the SD card as the Samsung tablet’s default storage?
So, if you are looking to set your SD card as your Samsung tablet’s default storage, here is how you do it:
Method A
- Go to your tablet’s Settings and then select Storage.
- In the Storage part, go to SD Card and then tap the three-dot menu that you can see in the top right of the window.
- After tapping the three-dot menu, choose Settings.
- In your SD card’s settings, you can select Format as internal so that the tablet will format the SD card as the default internal storage for your phone. After that, choose Erase & Format.
- Your SD card will now work as the default internal storage for your tablet but be sure to reboot it first.
Method B
- Head to your device’s settings and then choose Storage & USB.
- At the bottom of the window, you can see the details of your SD card. This page will include the option to format your SD card as the internal storage of the tablet.
- Choose to format the SD card so that it will now become the tablet’s internal storage. After that, reboot the tablet.
Take note here that you should be using a fresh SD card that doesn’t have anything in it. If you are using an SD card that has files stored in it, move them into your tablet’s internal storage and back them up through the cloud or any other method of backing your files up. That’s because formatting your SD card as your tablet’s internal storage will delete all of the files stored in it.
What are the advantages of setting up an SD card as the default storage?
If you are wondering why you might want to use your SD card as the default storage, here are the things you need to know:
1. You’ll have a larger storage
Using your SD card as the default storage for your tablet will allow you to have a larger place for you to store your files. That means that you don’t have to delete or transfer some of your files and apps. Of course, when you are downloading larger files that your tablet’s internal storage can’t handle, that won’t be a problem for your SD card.
2. SD cards don’t take up a ton of power
Unlike your tablet’s internal storage, SD cards don’t take up a ton of power. So, whenever your tablet is loading a file from the SD card, it will be able to save up more power compared to using its internal storage.
3. They save you money
Instead of relying on cloud services or on a new tablet with larger storage space, you can simply use a much cheaper SD card to expand your current tablet’s storage options. This will allow you to save more money in the long run.