Android apps install to the internal storage by default, but you can
also set the SD card as your default install location. This trick allows
you to move almost any app to the SD card – no root access required.
This tweak requires Android 2.2 or later. To change the default
install location, you’ll need to use the ADB, or Android Debug Bridge,
utility included with Google’s Android SDK.
Enable USB Debugging
First, you’ll need to enable USB debugging on your Android device.
Open the Settings screen, tap Applications, and select Development.
Tap the USB Debugging checkbox to enable it. This will enable debug
mode, allowing you to change the settings on your Android device from
your computer. You may want to disable debug mode after completing this
process.
Install the Android SDK
You’ll need to download and install Google’s Android SDK on your computer. If you don’t already have Oracle’s Java JDK installed on your computer, you’ll have to download and install it before installing the Android SDK.
After you’ve installed both the JDK and Android SDK, launch the SDK Manager from your Start menu.
The ADB utility isn’t installed by default. It’s included in the
Android SDK Platform-tools package – select this package and click the
Install button to download and install it.
After the process completes, connect your Android device to your
computer with its included USB cable. Windows should locate the device
and install the appropriate drivers automatically. If it doesn’t, you
may have to download and install the appropriate drivers from your
Android device’s manufacturer. Do not mount the device after connecting
it – just plug it in.
Using ADB
Open a Windows Explorer window and navigate to the android-sdk\platform-tools folder.
On Windows, you’ll find this folder at C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools by default.
Check C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools if you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows.
Launch a Command Prompt window in this folder by pressing and holding
the Shift button, right-clicking in the folder, and selecting Open
command window here.
Run the adb devices command and you should see your connected Android device.
Run the following command to set the default install location to your SD card:
"adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2" (With out quotes"")
If you want to revert this change later and install apps to the internal storage by default, run this command:
"adb shell pm setInstallLocation 0" (With out quotes"")
0 represents your device’s internal storage, and is the default. 2 represents the external storage, whether it’s an SD card or USB storage.
Moving Apps to SD Card
Apps that refused to leave your system storage can now be moved to
the external storage. For instance, below you’ll see screenshots of the
Slacker Radio app. Before the change was made, the Move to USB Storage
button was grayed out. After the change was made, the button is enabled
and the app can be moved.
To move an app to the SD card, open the Settings screen, tap
Applications, and select Manage Applications. Select the app you want to
move and tap the Move button on its details screen.
A Warning
Some apps shouldn’t be installed to your SD card and should remain
installed on the internal storage. The external storage is unavailable
when your Android device is mounted on your computer, so apps that
remain running all the time should be left on your internal storage.
Widgets, launchers, animated wallpapers, and anything you want to use
while your Android’s SD card is mounted on your computer should be left
on the internal storage.
Recommendation : Better always buy android devices with decent internal storage capacity.
Recommendation : Better always buy android devices with decent internal storage capacity.
Courtesy : http://www.howtogeek.com
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