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4 Proven Ways to Move WhatsApp to SD Card

Nicola Massimo

Written By Nicola Massimo |

"Can we move WhatsApp to the SD card of our Android and save space on its internal storage?"

If you also own an Android device and are running low on free storage, then you might be having a similar doubt.

These days, social apps like WhatsApp can consume a large chunk of the device’s data and can affect its processing as well. If the app has a lot of saved information like videos, photos, etc. Then you might wish to simply move WhatsApp media to an SD card.

While the app does not provide a native fix for it, read on and learn how to move WhatsApp data to SD cards in different ways.

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Part 1: Can WhatsApp be Moved to SD Card Directly?

Before we discuss how to move WhatsApp to SD cards, it is important to have a look at its native features.

As of now, there is no inbuilt solution provided by WhatsApp to make SD card the default storage or move its data to the attached SD card.

Nevertheless, users can go to their device storage and manually move their WhatsApp media to SD cards.

Part 2: How to Move WhatsApp to SD Card on Android

To move WhatsApp to an SD card on an Android device, follow these steps:

1. Step 1: Open Your Phone's Settings
To get started, go to the Settings on your Android device.
2. Step 2: Choose "Apps & Notifications"
In the Settings menu, find and tap on "Apps & Notifications."
3. Step 3: Find and Select "WhatsApp"
Scroll through the list of apps until you see "WhatsApp." Once you find it, tap on it to access its settings.
4. Step 4: Open "Storage & Cache"
In the WhatsApp settings, choose "Storage & Cache."
5. Step 5: Change Storage Location
In the "Storage & Cache" section, find the "Change Storage Location" option.
6. Step 6: Select Your SD Card
A list of storage options will appear. Choose to move to SD card as the new storage location for WhatsApp.
7. Step 7: Start the Transfer
After selecting the SD card, tap on the "Move" option to begin the transfer.

By following these steps, you can successfully move WhatsApp to your SD card while maintaining its functionality. Please note that the steps may vary slightly depending on the Android device and its version.

Part 3: Alternative Method to Back Up WhatsApp to PC for Free

If your device is running low on space, then you should consider taking a backup of your WhatsApp data and later deleting its media files from the storage. To do this, you can take the assistance of MobileTrans - WhatsApp Transfer. With just one click, it will take an extensive backup of your WhatsApp data including chats, attachments, contacts, voice notes, and more. The application will make sure that the quality of the data would remain intact and 100% secure.

Apart from that, you can use it to directly transfer WhatsApp from one phone to another, and backup/restore other apps such as Kik, LINE, WeChat, and Viber. You can download it below.

Click here to get MobileTrans for PC by email
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1. Connect your smartphone to the system and launch the MobileTrans on it. From its home page, visit the “Backup & Restore” module.

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2. Connect your phone to the computer via USB Cable. Then go to App Backup & Restore > Backup, and choose to backup WhatsApp.

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3. A new screen will be displayed, now you can start to backup your WhatsApp by simply clicking on the Start button.

backup whatsapp faq

4. In no time, the application will start saving all the WhatsApp data from your device to the local storage. Keep your device connected during the entire process to get the best results.

When the entire backup is saved, you will be notified. If you want, you can view the backup content from here. Later, you can even preview the backup data, export it as an HTML file, or even restore it to your target device.

backup whatsapp faq

Part 4. How to Move WhatsApp to SD Card with ES File Explorer

As you can see, the native settings of WhatsApp don’t allow us to move WhatsApp to SD cards. Thankfully, you can take the assistance of a file explorer app to do the same. If you don’t have a smart inbuilt file manager on your Android, then you can take the assistance of ES File Explorer. It is a freely available Android application that lets us manage and move our data from one source to another. Though, before you learn how to move WhatsApp media to an SD card, make sure that the target location has enough free space to accommodate the transferred data.

1. Install ES File Explorer on your Android by visiting the Play Store and launching it whenever you wish to move WhatsApp data to an SD card.

2. As you would open the file explorer, it will let you browse the device/SD card storage. From here, go to the internal storage > WhatsApp folder. Now, you can view all kinds of data stored by WhatsApp on your device’s internal storage. Simply select the folders or files you wish to move.

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3. After making the appropriate selections, just tap on the “Copy” option on the toolbar. You can also go to the more options, and tap on the “Move to” feature as well.

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4. Now, browse to your SD card and simply select the location where you wish to move WhatsApp media to your SD card. Confirm the location and transfer the selected data to your SD card storage instead.

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Please note that if you are cutting the WhatsApp media from its source, then it would also make it unavailable on the app as well.

Part 5: How to Move WhatsApp to SD Card without Rooting

Most Android users choose not to root their devices due to different reasons. While rooting will let you set the connected SD card as the default WhatsApp storage, there’s still a solution for non-rooted devices. You can just connect your device to your system and go to the location where WhatsApp data is stored.

In this way, you can access your WhatsApp media and transfer it to any location of your choice. Here’s how to move WhatsApp to SD cards via Windows Explorer.

1. Using a working USB cable, connect your Android device to your computer.

2. After when the device would get detected, you will get a connection prompt on your phone. Tap on it and choose to connect your device for media transfer.

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3. Now, go to Windows Explorer and open the device storage. Simply browse to the WhatsApp folder and copy/cut the files you wish to move.

4. That’s it! Later, you can just go to your SD card storage (or any other location) and paste the copied WhatsApp data to the target location.

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Part 6: Bonus Tip: How do I Set WhatsApp’s Default Storage to SD Card?

In case if your Android device is rooted, then you can also set the connected SD card as default storage for the downloaded WhatsApp media. To do this, you can take the assistance of multiple apps like Photo & File Redirect, XInternalSD, and FolderMount. Though, you should know that most of these apps would only work on a rooted device. Let’s consider the example of XInternalSD and how we can use it to move WhatsApp to SD card by setting it as default storage.

1. Unlock your Android device and download a secure copy of the XInternalSD apk file on it.

2. Once the app is installed, launch it and go to its settings. From here, enable the option to set a custom path for the SD card. Tap on the “Path to internal SD Card” and change it to an external SD card.

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3. After when the path is changed to an external SD card, tap on the “Enable for apps” option.

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4. This will display a list of all the apps that you can save on SD cards. From here, make sure the “WhatsApp” option is enabled.

5. That’s it! Now, you can exit the app and move the WhatsApp folder to the SD card. Delete it from the internal storage afterward and restart the device to apply these changes.

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There you go! Now when you know not one, but three different ways to move WhatsApp to SD cards, you can easily meet your requirements. With these techniques, you can backup your WhatsApp data, free-up more space on the device, and do so much more. Though, if you want to manage your social app data like a pro, then simply use MobileTrans - WhatsApp Transfer. A highly professional tool, it can backup and restore your WhatsApp data in no time. Feel free to give it a try and share this guide with others to teach them how to move WhatsApp to SD cards easily.

Click here to get MobileTrans for PC by email
or Try our MobileTrans App on mobile >>>

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Nicola Massimo

Nicola Massimo

staff Editor

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