[2023] 4 Ways to Move WhatsApp to SD Card

WhatsApp is one of the most versatile instant messaging apps, where folks from all around the world come to connect. Several gigabytes of data, including messages, photos, videos, audio, and documents, are shared via this platform daily. If you use WhatsApp often, and try checking the percentage of your internal storage the data shared on this platform takes, you will be amazed. 

Regardless of how much internal storage you have, a time will come where you won’t have enough to download or install new data. To avoid such, you need to take control of your WhatsApp and the best way to do that is to move WhatsApp to SD Card. There are 4 professional ways to do this, which will be demonstrated in this article. Read on!

Can I Move WhatsApp to SD Card Directly? 

No, you can’t! It’s impossible to move the WhatsApp application to an external storage like SD Card. The reason is that WhatsApp is a system application which can only be installed on a mobile or computer system and not SD Cards. However, you can link or transfer WhatsApp media files to SD Card, if you are looking to manage your internal storage so your phone can function at optimal level. 

Move WhatsApp to SD Card via Third Party Software

Firstly, we suggest backing up your WhatsApp, then deleting the data to free up space. With the right third-party software, you can manage storage on your Android and iPhone by backing up WhatsApp media files off your device. In this section, we will introduce two powerful software programs, one for Android and the other for iOS, that you can use to backup data and move WhatsApp to SD Card. 

Check below and select the right software that suits your mobile operating system, and follow the corresponding guide underneath: 

1. Move Android WhatsApp to SD Card

DroidKit is one of the top-rated data backup solutions that offers a foolproof way to manage data off your Android internal memory. With this software, you can backup your desired WhatsApp data without compromising quality. It backs up several types of WhatsApp media files, from photos to videos, documents, audio, messages, and more. 

• Move WhatsApp to SD Card without compromising quality in 1-click. 
• Transfers 15+ types of Android data smoothly from iOS to Android, and Android to Android. 
• High data transfer speed you can ever think of, as DroidKit moves gigabytes of data in seconds. 

Step 1. Open DroidKit on your Windows or Mac computer. Choose the WhatsApp Manager option under the Data Manager function.

Step 2. Click Back Up WhatsApp section, then you need to connect your Android phone to your computer via a USB cable. Once successful, click Back Up Now.

Step 3. And the backing up process will begin.

Step 4. Minutes later, you’ll see Backup Completed page. You can click View to check your WhatsApp backup.

Step 5. When the backup is completed, proceed to transfer the WhatsApp data to your SD Card via DroidKit. Ensure you have the right card reader to connect your SD Card to PC/Mac, then follow the on-screen guide to move the data without stress. 

2. Move iPhone WhatsApp to SD Card

AnyTrans is an excellent data management software built specifically for iOS users to move content across devices. This software helps you migrate data from iOS to iOS, and Android to iOS. With this data management solution, you can also handle data transfer from WhatsApp to SD Card. It moves content like videos, chats, audio, calendars, etc. 

• 1-click to link and transfer data from your iOS device to another iOS or Android phone. 
• AnyTrans has an interface that’s extremely simple to navigate by anyone, including amateurs. 
• Moves gigabytes of data with high accuracy and precision at a remarkably high speed. 
• More functionalities; data recovery, data extraction, system fix, system cleaner, and many others. 

Here are steps to back up your WhatsApp:

Step 1. Download AnyTrans and run it on your computer > connect your iPhone to the computer > choose the Social Messages Manager on the left side > select the Back Up WhatsApp option.

Step 2. Then you can click Back Up Now to save your WhatsApp message for MacBook/PC. At the same time, you can click on the Enable Backup Encryption button to encrypt the backup, or click on the Change Backup Path button to change the transfer path.

How to Move WhatsApp to SD Card with Windows Explorer

Another simple way to manage your WhatsApp media files on any iPhone or Android device is to transfer data to SD Card via Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer is a built-in application that lets you migrate data from any mobile device or external storage such as USB Drive, SD Card, and more to your PC. 

You can also use Windows Explorer to transfer data from one mobile device to another without hassles. What you need to achieve this is a trusted USB cable and you are good to move WhatsApp to SD Card in no time. Follow the piece of instructions below to move WhatsApp to SD Card using Windows Explorer: 

Step 1: Get your iPhone or Android mobile device to your PC using the authentic USB cable. Once connection is established, get a card reader, add your SD Card, and connect it to the same PC. 

Step 2: When your PC detects both devices, it will display a prompt like below, and click Open folder to view files: 

Alternatively, you can navigate to the lower left corner of your screen and enter Windows Explorer in the search tab, then click the icon that corresponds with your entry. 

Step 3: On the left sidebar, locate your iPhone or Android name and click on it to access the internal storage. Select WhatsApp > Media to proceed. Copy all the necessary data from your WhatsApp folder using the right keys. After that, click on the SD Card icon and paste the copied data there. 

Limitations

• Data transfer can take several hours or days to finish depending on the size. 
• This approach can be confusing for amateurs.  

How to Move WhatsApp to SD Card without Rooting

With ES File Explorer, you can also transfer WhatsApp to SD Card without rooting your mobile device. This approach is best for Android phones. If you use this mobile operating system, follow the steps below to move WhatsApp media files to SD Card via ES File Explorer: 

Step 1: Open Google Play Store on your Android and download the latest version of ES File Explorer. Launch the app to help you transfer WhatsApp to SD Card after installation.  

Step 2: Once the app comes up, it will display your local storage and SD Card storage. Select the local storage and click WhatsApp. Another screen with all your WhatsApp data will pop up. Browse through the data displayed and mark the ones you want to move. 

Step 3: Click Copy or Cut at the bottom of your screen, then click More. Pick Move to from the options shown and select SD Card as your preferred destination path to send the copied data. 

Limitations

• ES File Explorer is only available for Android mobile phones. 
• Not all files are available for transfer.
• Data quality isn’t retained when you use this approach. 

FAQs

How do I set WhatsApp’s default storage to SD Card?

The solutions above would move your WhatsApp data to SD Card without issues. However, you must be available to do this occasionally so you don’t lose any data which can be stressful and sometimes skip your mind. To avoid this, you can count on apps like Photo & File Redirect, XInternalSD and more to help you store WhatsApp data to SD Card automatically.

Here we will demonstrate how to set WhatsApp’s default storage to SD Card using XInternalSD. Follow the procedure below: 

• Install a copy of the XInternalSD apk file on your Android phone. 
• Open the apk file, and then go to Settings to configure your device to use SD Card as preferred storage path for data. To do this, hit the Path to internal SD Card icon and change the current name to your SD Card name. 
• When that’s completed, tap on Enable for apps, and a screen with all apps on your Android phone will come up. 
• Select WhatsApp and any other app you wish to add to the list. Click OK once done. 

How can I change storage location in WhatsApp? 

It’s impossible to change the storage location for your WhatsApp data. All data downloaded from this instant messaging app is moved to your local storage by default for both iPhone and Android. The only thing you can do to manage your storage is to move or backup the data from time to time then delete the corresponding from your internal storage. 

Where is WhatsApp storage in iPhone and Android? 

By default the storage for WhatsApp data on any mobile device is the internal storage. However, if you use an Android phone, you can always change the settings to SD Card if you have an external storage installed on your device. iOS devices don’t support SD Card, so your WhatsApp is everly available in the local storage. But you can stop the app from downloading data to your local storage. 

Final Words 

Managing storage is the first step to keeping your device to work at optimal level. WhatsApp data can take several gigabytes of space which often slows down the operation of any mobile phone. To avoid such without losing your crucial data, you can apply the solutions above to move WhatsApp to SD Card. Our best approach is the AnyTrans and DroidKit software which moves WhatsApp data to SD Card smoothly on iPhone and Android respectively.