Quick Answer
Yes, it is possible to change the storage location for WhatsApp data and media to an SD card. This can help free up space on your phone’s internal storage.
Steps to Change WhatsApp Storage to SD Card
Here are the steps to change WhatsApp storage location to SD card:
- Insert the SD card into your Android phone.
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Tap on “Storage usage” and select your SD card when prompted.
- Tap on “Back up to this storage” to confirm.
- Wait for WhatsApp to move existing backups and media to the SD card.
- Go back to Settings > Storage and data > Storage usage and verify that the app data is now being stored on your SD card.
Note that your SD card needs to have enough free space for WhatsApp’s backups and media files to be moved over. The app will notify you if the card does not have sufficient storage available.
Advantages of Moving WhatsApp to SD Card
Here are some of the benefits of changing WhatsApp’s storage location to an SD card:
- Frees up space on your phone’s internal storage
- Allows you to back up large amounts of WhatsApp data
- Lets you quickly transfer WhatsApp data between devices by moving the SD card
- Provides more flexibility in managing your storage needs
- External SD card storage tends to be cheaper than built-in storage
By offloading WhatsApp backups and media to external SD card storage, you can save gigabytes of space on your phone’s internal UFS/eMMC storage. This is especially useful for budget phones that have limited built-in storage.
Requirements for Using SD Card for WhatsApp
To successfully change WhatsApp’s storage location to an SD card, your device and SD card need to meet the following requirements:
- Phone must be running Android 5.0 or higher version of the operating system.
- SD card must use FAT32 file system format.
- SD card must have fast read/write speeds to avoid lags. Class 10 rating is recommended.
- Minimum free space required on SD card depends on size of WhatsApp data. 1GB free space is recommended.
- SD card must remain inserted in phone through entire WhatsApp migration process.
- Set SD card as adoptable storage for simplified file management if your Android version supports it.
If your SD card does not meet these requirements, you may face issues while trying to change the WhatsApp storage location. Formatting the SD card to FAT32 on your PC and getting a higher speed card usually resolves such problems.
How WhatsApp Uses Storage
Before changing the storage location, it helps to understand how WhatsApp uses phone storage:
- Profile photos and media files sent/received are saved in internal storage by default.
- Text messages use negligible storage, media messages use storage for embedded media.
- Group chats use more storage as they usually have more media and messages.
- WhatsApp call logs also take up some device storage.
- Regular backups can quickly consume gigabytes of storage over time.
The following table shows the approximate WhatsApp storage usage for different media files:
| Media Type | Storage per file |
|---|---|
| Photo | 1-10 MB |
| Audio file | 1-5 MB/minute |
| Video file | 10-50 MB/minute |
| GIF image | 0.1-2 MB |
As you can see, frequent sharing of photos, videos and audio notes can quickly consume gigabytes of storage over time.
Troubleshooting WhatsApp SD Card Storage Issues
In some cases, you may encounter issues while trying to move your WhatsApp data to an SD card. Here are some troubleshooting tips for common problems:
WhatsApp storage change unsuccessful
If you get a “Change storage unsuccessful” error while changing WhatsApp storage, try these steps:
- Check if SD card is inserted properly and has at least 1GB free space.
- Reformat SD card to FAT32 file system on PC.
- Disable memory optimization for WhatsApp in phone settings.
- Install latest WhatsApp update and retry storage change.
- Try a different, higher speed SD card.
WhatsApp keeps defaulting to phone storage
If WhatsApp reverts to using phone storage again after some time, try these fixes:
- Set SD card as adoptable storage if Android supports it.
- Check for “Insufficient storage space” warning in WhatsApp and free up space on SD card.
- Clear WhatsApp cache and data before retrying storage change.
- Make sure to not remove or unmount SD card after changing storage.
WhatsApp media not visible on SD card
If you can’t find WhatsApp media files on SD card after changing storage, do this:
- Go to Android settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Storage and check allocation.
- Reinsert SD card and restart phone to remount storage.
- Check SD card on computer to confirm files are present.
- Force stop WhatsApp, clear data and retry storage change process.
Lost WhatsApp data after changing storage
In rare cases, moving to SD card corrupts backup files leading to data loss. To recover lost data:
- First stop using WhatsApp and remove SD card.
- Use data recovery software to scan SD card and retrieve deleted files.
- Request WhatsApp for a Google Drive backup restore to phone storage.
- Import the SD card backup after WhatsApp restore succeeds.
Following proper backup practices prior to storage migration can prevent such data loss scenarios.
WhatsApp Storage Management Tips
Besides changing the storage location, you can also manage WhatsApp disk usage better with these handy tips:
- Frequently clear unwanted chats and media to free up space.
- Enable auto-download only on Wi-Fi to minimize mobile data usage.
- Limit groups to only necessary participants to reduce media forward spam.
- Use WhatsApp’s built-in storage usage tool to find and delete large files.
- Back up WhatsApp data regularly to avoid overhead of frequent backups.
- Set chat wallpaper to solid color instead of image to save storage.
Properly organizing and cleaning up old WhatsApp data can significantly reduce your storage needs.
Conclusion
Moving WhatsApp storage location to an SD card is a simple process that can free up significant internal storage space on your Android phone. Make sure to use a high-speed SD card formatted as FAT32 and have adequate free space on it before beginning the migration.
Follow the steps carefully, troubleshoot any errors you encounter, and remember to back up your WhatsApp data regularly both on local storage as well as Google Drive. With proper backups, you can seamlessly transfer WhatsApp data between different storage locations.
Managing WhatsApp disk usage by cleaning unwanted data and optimizing settings can also help minimize your overall storage requirements. Using an SD card for WhatsApp storage provides flexibility, but internal management is also key for long-term storage optimization.