Home Android GuidesAndroid Guide: How To Force Apps to the SD Card Without Rooting!
29
Oct

Android Guide: How To Force Apps to the SD Card Without Rooting!

Written by Rachid Otsmane-Elhaou. Posted in Android Guides

With the Froyo 2.2 release of android, we also gained the ability to install some* apps to the sd card. This is something that many people wanted to enable us to install more apps and more games than previously possible. However one of the poor features of froyo a2sd is the fact that we can only move those apps to the sd card that the app developer has allowed us to, something many forget to code when releasing their app. There is also the fact that we have to manually click to move apps to the sdcard, when for most of us this is the required default behaviour.

Well, there is actually a way to force your android phone running 2.2 or above to install all apps to your sd card by default, regardless of whether the developer has allowed you to do it or not. Oh, and you do not need be rooted to do this (in fact, there is a much easier way if you are rooted)! Just follow the jump for instructions!

movetosdcard

Instructions

  1. Download the Android SDK from here.
  2. Unzip the contents of this folder somewhere convenient.
  3. Turn on usb debugging on your phone
    1. Settings > applications > Development > Tick USB Debugging
  4. Now plug in your phone to your PC.
  5. Your PC may install the required drivers itself.
  6. If your PC shows you the New Hardware Wizard window, then follow the instructions below:
    1. Download the drivers here:
    2. Unzip the drivers somewhere convenient.
    3. For XP:
      1. Select Install from a list or specific location and click Next
      2. Select Search for the best driver in these locations
      3. Un-check Search removable media
      4. Check Include this location in the search
      5. Click Browse… and locate the folder where you unzipped the drivers zip file
      6. Click Next to install.
    4. For Vista/Win7:
      1. Select Locate and install driver software
      2.  Select Don’t search online
      3.  Select I don’t have the disk. Show me other options
      4.  Select Browse my computer for driver software
      5. Click Browse… and locate the folder where you unzipped the drivers zip file
      6. Click Next
      7. Click Install to install
  7. Open the folder where you unzipped the android sdk to (the first file you downloaded) and go inside tools folder.
  8. Copy the address of this folder.
  9. Open a new command prompt window:
    1. Press the Windows key + r
    2. Type cmd
    3. Click OK
  10. In this command window type cd 
  11. Now paste in the address of the tools folder you copied in step 7 together with a preceding space
    1. It should look something like cd C:android-sdk-windowstools
  12. Press enter.
  13. Now type adb shell and press enter.
  14. There should now be a $ or a # sign.
  15. Type pm setInstallLocation 2
  16. Unplug your phone and restart it.
  17. From now on every app you install will be installed to the sd card by default!!

But… [READ ME]

There was actually a reason behind google not installing all apps to the sdcard by default. That reason is because some apps will not work properly if they are installed on the sd card. You need to be aware of this because if you don’t know, then those apps will start to break and malfunction. Apps that fall into this category are those that require a background service running all times, and ALL widgets.

So, twitter, instant messages, any app with a widget and also launcher replacements hyave to be manually moved back to the internal memory, or they will break. So, just the same way as you used to move apps to the sd card, simply do the opposite and move the apps similar to what I have described back to the internal memory.

Any issues please leave a comment, good luck!

 

Rachid Otsmane-Elhaou

Rachid Otsmane-Elhaou (26) is a Business Analyst by day, but his real passion is technology, and in particular android (how can you not love the little green guy?). Rachid runs the Droid-Den website, that came about with a mission to help and inform android users about the great device(s) they have in their grasp.

Find me on Twitter (Le3ky) and Google+.

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  • http://twitter.com/kop_04 siraj

    Fantastic! Thanks m8

  • ion

    Please could you explain this?
    (in fact, there is a much easier way if you are rooted)

  • http://www.droid-den.com Rachid

    Install this app and use it to set the install location: http://goo.gl/fAJ6

  • http://twitter.com/sbsxaid Zaid Amer

    And I thought u brought a solution for the poor 2.1 hero guys :(
    Sounds a good solution tho, cheers :)

  • Reed Alex16

    i have done all of that. Just wondering,how do i move apps back across to the phone memory?

  • Daymoss

    Much easier yes but for some reasone some people cannot root their phones (like me)

  • Tinusch

    Will this kill the guarantee of my phone?
    Otherwise thanks for description… would solve a lot of my problems…

  • http://www.droid-den.com Rachid

    Technically err maybe, but practicallyi think you’ll be ok

  • http://twitter.com/SealTree SealTree

    Can you help please? I have followed instructions and all apps are now on the SD…But I’m still getting the ‘Low on Space’ message…where ‘on the phone’ it shows 147 MB of memory used and only 6.5MB available.
    Any ideas what that 147MB is for?

  • Ts

    I got an permission denied when typing “setinstalllocation 2″

  • Anthonypadilla8

    it says adb is not reconized as a internal or external command operable program or batch file what do i do?

  • http://www.droid-den.com Rachid

    did you paste the address of the tools folder correctly?

  • Brekel

    You’ll find a file in the /tools directory called “adb_has_moved.txt”. This tells you how to get it.

  • Heaberbelle

    i have download the driver, however even when i select the folder they are stored in, it doesn’t find them or install them? I can only get as far as into tools, after that it doesnt work for me? help please? x x x x x

  • RICHARDJR31

    its pn set(capitol)i and (capitol)L in the words :)

  • RICHARDJR31

    sorry …   pm and the rest

  • RICHARDJR31

    it did not place the drivers directory in the right place put that directory in the android_sdk_windows directory

  • RICHARDJR31

    move the adb application to the android-sdk-windows directory i had to do that too

  • RICHARDJR31

    and remember the i in install and the l in location are caps

  • RICHARDJR31

    open ap2sd and see what ones are still on phone . remember it resets where downloads go but does not move what is already on phone

  • RICHARDJR31

    just go into settings click on the app and click move th phone

  • RICHARDJR31

    oh and make sure to move the android_winusb file to the drivers directory if not there

  • Faizan Mansuri

    when i type adb shell and press enter it says  adb is not recognised as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file…
    please tell me what shall i do???

  • Elenac

    I am trying to do the above but must install all on D given
    that C doesn’t have anymore room. I got all downloaded, went to execute
    in CMD and got the following error message. What can I do now? 
    Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]

    Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
    C:UsersAsus>D:program filesandroid-sdk

    ‘D:program’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,

    operable program or batch file.

     

  • http://www.facebook.com/dominic.leung888 Dominic Leung

    The adb shell is moved!

  • jutt

    the link of app u gave is not working… :/

  • http://www.facebook.com/daryl.s.buday Daryl Salas Buday

    is this still applicable with Ice Cream Sandwich????

  • angelo

    do you have also a guide for Mac?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/RXTAXXNL4D4UD4CZEW466EWQIM Zym

    I got problem of full message memory so glad to hear I can install apps to SD card but you said that some apps are meant to be installed on phone so may not work if installed on SD card but can I, after install (it will go directly to SD right?), I move the app to phone? and is this action reversible?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/RXTAXXNL4D4UD4CZEW466EWQIM Zym

    I got problem of full message memory so glad to hear I can install apps to SD card but you said that some apps are meant to be installed on phone so may not work if installed on SD card but can I, after install (it will go directly to SD right?), I move the app to phone? and is this action reversible?

  • Vishu Singh

    but it doesn’t  work on my Sony ericsson neo v [Ice cream sandwich}………….plz help me for this

  • http://www.facebook.com/MrZoolook Stuart Kagamine Len Hayes

    Put the directory between quotes..
    “d:program filesandroid-sdk”

    Its easier to use the tab key… just type ‘d:p’ then just press tab until the command becomes ‘d:program files’ then just delete the second ” and type ‘a’ press tab. It sounds complicated, but tab completion is a dream to use when using the command line.

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