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How to add more storage space to Android TV


Not all Android TV boxes are equal; some have a three-digit amount of internal storage, while others may have no more than a single-digit amount.

ContentsAndroid TV Storage:The BasicsDelete Unused Apps and GamesAndroid TV:External StorageInternal Storage vs. Removable StorageHow to Set Up Android TV Internal StorageHow to Move Android TV Apps to an External DriveWhat About Increasing Storage on Smart TVs ?More Android TV storage tipsLearn more about Android TV

If you need to increase the memory of your Android TV device, keep reading. Here's how to increase storage space on Android TV.

Android TV storage:the basics

You can increase your Android TV storage in two ways:

  1. Focusing on optimizing internal storage space.
  2. By adding more external storage.

Remove unused apps and games

The easiest way to increase the amount of internal storage available on Android TV is to remove apps and games that are taking up space.

If your device is running the stock Android TV operating system, you can follow these instructions to remove content that you no longer need or need:

  1. Turn on your Android TV device and wait for the home screen to appear.
  2. Go to Settings menu (gear icon).
  3. Scroll down general settings subsection and select applications .
  4. Select See all apps .
  5. A list of all apps on your device is displayed. Highlight the app you want to remove and select it.
  6. On the next screen, navigate to Uninstall>OK .

Make sure to only remove apps listed in the Installed apps section. Deleting system apps may cause your device to crash.

Also remember that you cannot remove pre-installed apps such as Google Play Games; you can only turn them off. Disabling an app will hide it from various menus and lists on your device, but will not free up the associated memory it is using.

Android TV:external storage

Under the hood, Android TV supports any form of FAT (File Allocation Table) external storage, including USB flash drives, external hard drives, and SD cards.

Related:The best microSD cards you can buy today

In practice, however, the forms of external storage you can use will depend on the device itself. Not all Android TV sticks/boxes include the necessary ports.

Be sure to check your device's ports before deciding what kind of Android TV storage you're going to use. You may be able to use an adapter or dongle to convert all available ports to the type you need.

Internal-storage vs. removable-storage

A little confusing, external storage on Android TV can be formatted as internal storage or removable storage.

There are important differences. Specifically, the Android TV operating system will consider any external storage formatted as internal storage to be part of the device's internal memory.

That means you can use it to store apps and games, but you can't remove the storage and use it on other devices. If you delete external storage that has been adopted as internal storage, applications or games that depend on it – whether for system files or saved games, etc. – will no longer work.

Otherwise, if you format Android TV external storage as removable storage, you won't be able to move apps and games, but you can eject Android TV storage and use it with other devices. This will not affect any apps on your Android TV system.

The removable method is useful if you load a lot of apps and need to access APK files frequently, or if you want to move photos or videos to your Android TV box for viewing on your TV screen.

How to set-up Android TV internal storage

If you want to use your external storage device as removable storage, you don't have to do anything – just plug it in and eject it if necessary.

However, if you want to adopt an external storage drive as the internal storage of Android TV, you need to follow a few steps.

  1. Make sure you have connected the external player to your Android TV box and, if necessary, turned it on.
  2. Open Android TV Settings menu.
  3. Scroll down to Device Preferences and press the Select button on your remote.
  4. In the next menu, select Storage .
  5. Find the name of the external storage drive you just connected to your Android TV device and press Select .
  6. Choose Configure as internal storage and press Select .
  7. Wait for the process to complete.

Most Android TV devices will only allow you to format one external drive as internal storage, even if there are multiple USB/SD card ports on your box.

(Note: In theory, your Android TV device should recognize the storage when you first plug it in. If so, you can skip the first four steps listed above.)

How-to-move-android-tv-apps-to-an-external-player

Once you've set up your adopted internal storage, you can start moving apps and games to the new drive.

To do this, go to Settings>General Settings>Applications>[App Name]>Storage used and select the new desired storage location from the list.

Note that some apps cannot be moved to adopted external storage. This is solely determined by how the developer coded the app. As a user, there is nothing you can do other than directly contact the developer of an application.

What about increased storage on smart-tvs?

Some smart TV manufacturers, such as Sony, Philips, Sharp, and Hisense, use the Android TV operating system to provide built-in smart features.

As such, if your Philips TV is running low on storage, for example, you can use the same steps we've already covered to add additional external storage as internal storage (assuming you have 'a free USB port)

If your smart TV does not use Android TV (unlike Samsung, for example), you will need to refer to the manufacturer's documentation for more information.

More Android TV storage tips

If you've gone the removable storage route, we recommend installing one of the reliable file explorers for Android TV. Several Android TV file managers are available on the Google Play Store.

The Android TV operating system does not come with a built-in file explorer, so if you do not install one, you will not be able to access and transfer your APK files and other content.

Learn more about Android TV

If you've read this article cover to cover, you should now know everything you need to know about Android TV storage space. Including how to add more storage.

However, you can do so much more with Android TV. To get started, try adding more apps to Android TV.

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How to add more storage space to Android TV