2 Easy Ways to Move Photos to an SD Card on a Samsung

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Quickly free up storage space on your phone/tablet by moving pictures to an SD card
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Do you want to transfer photos to the SD card on your Samsung Galaxy? Transferring pictures to your SD card is a good way to free up space on your phone's internal storage. You can also use an SD card to transfer photos from one phone to another or even transfer them to your PC to be able to edit them. This wikiHow article teaches you how to move files/pictures to an SD card on your Samsung Galaxy.

Quick Steps

  1. Open My Files and select Internal Storage .
  2. Go to the folder with the pictures you want to move.
  3. Select the photos and tap Move .
  4. Return to the first page and select SD card .
  5. Select a folder and tap Move Here .
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using the My Files App

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  1. This app comes preinstalled on all Samsung Galaxy devices, and the app icon has a yellow background with a folder on it. You can find it in your Apps menu in the Samsung folder. [1]
    • Make sure you have an SD card inserted in your phone. Samsung Galaxy phones have SD card slots in different places depending on the version. Some can be found under the phone's back cover, while others have a slot at the top of the device. [2]
    • The Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra, S6, Note 10, and Note 20 models do not support SD card storage.
  2. It's the first option below the categories box. This contains all files and folders on your phone.
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  3. Images may be stored in a few different locations. Images taken with your camera are generally in the "DCIM" folder. Other images may be in the "Pictures" folder. Images associated with a particular app (i.e., Photoshop Express, Instagram) may be stored in a folder for that app inside the "Pictures" or "DCIM" folder.
  4. Pick a photo you want to move and hold your finger on it until your phone vibrates. You'll know the photo is selected by the yellow checkmark to the left of the image.
  5. Now that you are in selection mode, you can just tap on any other photos you wish to move. Once again, you'll know they're selected by the yellow checkmark.
    • Alternatively, you can long-press an entire folder full of images to select the entire folder.
  6. It's at the bottom of the screen in the lower-left corner. It has an icon that resembles a folder with an arrow pointing right. [3]
  7. Tap the icon that resembles a bracket pointing left, either in the upper-left corner or at the bottom of the screen, to back out of each folder. Keep navigating back until you return to the Home menu of the My Files app.
  8. It's the second option below the "Categories" window. It will be right beneath the Internal storage option.
    • Depending on the type of SD card or the Samsung Galaxy model, it might say Memory card instead.
  9. Scroll through the list of available folders and subfolders until you find the ideal location. Tap the folder to which you want to move the image(s).
    • Alternatively, you can create a folder for these photos. To do so, tap the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner. Then tap Create Folder . Type a name for the folder and then tap Create . Then tap the folder you just created to open it.
  10. It's in the lower-right corner of the screen. This moves the folder you selected to the current location on the SD card. [4]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using the Gallery App

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  1. It looks like an icon of a flower on a pinkish-red background.
    • Make sure you open the Samsung version of Gallery instead of a third-party app like Google Photos.
    • Make sure you have an SD card inserted in your phone. Samsung Galaxy phones have SD card slots in different places depending on the version. Some can be found under the phone's back cover, while others have a slot at the top of the device. [5]
  2. It's at the bottom of your screen.
  3. You'll see a plus sign at the top of your screen that gives you more options to create an album.
    • If you don't see the plus sign, tap â‹® > Create album .
  4. If you plan on taking pictures of specific people in the future and want to automatically save those captures to your SD card, select Auto-updating album instead.
    • Skip this step if you chose Create album in the previous step.
  5. You won't see this option if you don't have an SD card inserted in your phone.
  6. Once you switch the album to the SD card, give it a name, and then tap Create .
  7. Tap and hold on an image until a checkmark appears in the top left corner of the thumbnail. Tap to select other photos.
  8. You'll see this three-line menu option in the lower right corner of your screen.
  9. It's usually the third option down from the top of the menu.
  10. It's saved on the SD card, so moving the pictures will remove them from internal storage and only keep them on your SD card.
    • If you chose Copy to album , the pictures will be available both on your SD card and internal storage. [6]
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Community Q&A

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Add New Question
  • Question
    I'm not seeing the SD card in storage, but I know I have one.
    Community Answer
    The SD card is often labelled as "External Storage" if you view it in the files app. If it doesn't show up, make sure the SD card has been inserted into the correct slot (not a SIM card slot) and with the correct orientation.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Yes No
    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 5
  • Question
    When I am in DCIM, there is no select item "button". It merely brings up the photo. There is no "select all" button at the top either. Can I assume this article is out of date?
    Kingdom Of Chess
    Community Answer
    Locate the files you wish to transfer to your external SD card by navigating through your device's storage. After choosing MORE, choose Edit. Next to the files you want to move, put a checkmark. After choosing MORE, choose Move.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0
  • Question
    How can I have photos automatically stored on an SD card?
    Faolan
    Community Answer
    Go to the settings in the camera app and look for a toggle for "storage location" that will allow you to pick where your photos are saved by default between the internal storage and the SD card.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 6
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062607/
      2. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062607/
      3. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062607/
      4. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062607/
      5. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062607/
      6. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/using-an-sd-card/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open the My Files app and select the Images category.
      2. Choose an image folder.
      3. Long press on a photo to select it and then tap on any additional photos you want to move.
      4. Tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the screen, then tap Move from the list of options.
      5. Select SD card .
      6. Choose a folder to move the photos to and then tap Done .

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