Samsung Galaxy S5 Plus: (Full Guide) Manage the SD Card / External Storage

Inserting the SD Card:

1. Turn off the smartphone and remove the back cover


2. Insert the SIM card first, as the SD card slot is on top of the SIM tray


3. Insert the SD card with the gold contacts facing down


4. Gently push the card into its compartment until it clicks


5. Refit the back cover

Check the Amount of SD Card Storage:

1. Tap "Apps" while on the home screen


2. Go to "Settings"


3. Swipe to "System" and tap "Storage"


4. The "Total" and "Available space" values are shown under "SD Card"

Formatting the SD Card:



WARNING! Formatting the SD Card will result in the deletion of all data stored on it. Before proceeding, you might want to create backups. To format the SD Card:

1. Tap "Apps" while viewing the home screen


2. Tap "Settings"


3. Scroll to "System"


4. Tap "Storage" and under "SD Card" tap "Format SD Card"


5. Tap "Format SD Card" again to confirm


6. Press "Delete all"

Change the Default Storage Location for Pre-Loaded Apps



NOTE: Most pre-loaded application such as "Camera", and "Internet" store data on the phone's internal memory by default. You can change these apps' settings so that they use the SD card instead



Camera App:

1. Tap "Camera" from the home screen


2. Tap the "Settings" icon located in the Upper-left corner


3. Swipe to and tap "Storage"


4. Select "Memory card"

Voice Recorder:

1. Tap "Apps" while on the home screen


2. Tap "Voice recorder"


3. Touch the "Settings" icon located in the top-left area of the screen


4. Swipe to and tap "Storage"


5. Select "Memory card"

Internet App:

1. Open the apps drawer and tap "Internet"


2. Press "Menu" and go to "Settings"


3. Under "Advanced", tap "Content settings"


4. Tap "Default storage" and select "SD Card"

Nearby Devices (DLNA):

1. Go to the phone's "Settings" menu


2. Swipe to "Connect and Share"


3. Tap "Nearby devices" and set the feature's switch to "ON"


4. Tap "Download to" and select "SD Card"

Deleting or Transferring Files



Transferring Files from the Internal Storage to the SD Card:

1. Tap "Apps" on the home screen


2. Launch "My Files"


3. Swipe to "Local storage" and tap "Device storage"


4. Navigate to your device storage and locate the files you wish to move to the SD Card


5. Mark the check boxes associated with the items you wish to transfer


6. Tap the "Menu" icon located in the upper-right corner and select "Move". NOTE: you can select "Copy" if you wish to create duplicate files


7. Tap "SD memory card" and navigate to the desired folder


8. Tap "Move here" (or "Paste here")

From the SD Card to the Internal Storage:

1. Tap "Apps" while viewing the home screen


2. Launch "My Files"


3. Swipe to "Local storage" and tap "SD card"


4. Tap "SD memory card" and navigate to the desired files or folders


5. Mark the items you want to transfer


6. Press "Menu" and select "Move" or "Copy"


7. Tap "Device storage" and go to the desired target location


8. Tap "Move here" or "Paste here"

Delete Files Using Your Smartphone:

1. Tap "Apps" on the home screen


2. Launch "My Files"


3. Swipe to "Local storage" and tap "SD Card"


4. Tap "SD memory card" and touch the "Menu" icon located in the top-right area


5. Tap "Select" and mark the check boxes next to the desired items


6. Tap "Done" > "OK"

Transferring Files between the SD Card and a Computer



Windows PC:

1. Connect the Galaxy S5 Plus to your computer via USB


2. Swipe the "Notification" bar down


3. Tap "USB Connected" > "Connect USB storage"


4. On the computer, click "Open folder to view files" in the AutoPlay window


5. Navigate to the phone's SD card directory


6. Locate the desired files on the SD, or open a second Windows Explorer window and locate the files you wish to transfer from the PC to the SD


7. Copy and transfer the desired files


8. When the transfer is done, safely disconnect your smartphone

Transfer Files from a Mac Computer:



NOTE: Skip the first 2 steps if Samsung Kies is installed on your Mac

1. Visit Kies using your Mac's Internet browser


2. Click "Download for Mac OS" and follow the on-screen prompts to install Kies on your Mac


3. Connect your smartphone to the Mac via USB


4. Swipe the "Status" bar down, tap "Connected as a media device" and mark the "Media device" check box


5. Launch Kies on your computer


6. In Kies, click the "Folder" icon next to "External memory"


7. Navigate to where you wish to add files to your SD card


8. Locate the desired files on your Mac and drag-drop them into Kies


9. Once the transfer is done, eject the Samsung Galaxy S5 Plus and safely disconnect it