How to Use an SD Card as Permanent Storage Expansion DriveUsing SD card as permanent storage is a handy and convenient way of expanding the storage of laptops as most have a card reader built in.
SD cards are a handy way of expanding laptop storage, as most laptops have a card reader built-in, and they do not take up USB sockets or have long trailing cables.
When inserting the SD card, it is by default added as a second drive letter (sometimes D: or E:), which will function OK, but anything in your Windows 10 libraries must be manually copied to the SD card. This tutorial will show you how to mount the SD card in a folder and change the location of your library so that any photos, videos or downloads get saved to the SD card instead of the internal hard drive.
This process will delete any files on your SD card.
Firstly, to use an SD Card as permanent storage, we must format your SD card to NTFS. Be sure to backup or copy any files you wish to keep.
- Open "Computer"
- Right-click (or long tap) on your removable drive and choose "Format..."
- Choose "NTFS" from the "File System" drop-down menu and click "Start"
- Accept the warning
- Open the SD card through "Computer" and create four new folders: "Documents", "Music", "Pictures", and "Videos".
Now, we're going to create a mount point.
- Open "Computer"
- Navigate to your "C:" drive (or primary drive where Windows is installed).
- Create a new folder and call it "SD card".
Now for the fun part. We will mount the SD card into the folder we've just created and then "fool" Windows into adding the SD into the libraries.
- On the start screen, search for "Disk Management" - it is listed under "settings" as "Create and format hard disk partitions".
- Find your removal disk - it will be listed as "Removable". You can check the drive letter and the storage space to ensure you have the correct disk.
- Right-click (long press) on the SD card and choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths..."
- Click Add
- Ensure "Mount in the following empty NTFS folder" is selected and then click "Browse"
- Navigate to "C:\SD card" and select the folder. Click "OK".
Now, let's add the SD card to the libraries.
- Open Libraries
- Click on "Documents"
- At the top of the window, click "Manage"
- Click "Manage library"
- You'll now see a window called "Documents Library Locations" click on "Add"
- Navigate to "C:\SD card", then click on the "Documents" folder you created and click "Include folder".
- Optional: you can also set the SD card as the default location to save stuff. Just right-click (long tap) on the folder you've just added and then click "Set a default save location".
- Repeat the process for the other libraries
Your libraries are now saved directly to your SD card. When you save things like albums or photos, they are now on your SD card instead of your laptop's internal storage to save space.
If you remove the SD card, you'll break the link and won't be able to access the files in your library. When you re-insert the SD card, the link will be re-established, and you can access the files again.
