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On a Galaxy phone with microSD support, use My Files to select photos, choose Move or Copy, then select the SD card as the destination. First check that your exact phone model supports a microSD card; not every Galaxy phone does.

Before you start: check the phone and card

Confirm that your exact Galaxy model supports microSD storage and insert a compatible card. Samsung does not provide a universal compatibility list or maximum card capacity in the cited instructions, so check your model’s specifications if you are unsure.

Move or copy photos with My Files

  1. Open My Files.
  2. Find the photos under a category such as Images, or browse the folders in internal storage.
  3. Touch and hold a photo to select it, then select any other photos you want to transfer.
  4. Tap Move to relocate the selected photos, or Copy to leave the originals in internal storage and create copies on the card.
  5. Return to the My Files home screen and tap SD card.
  6. Open the destination folder and tap Move here or Copy here.

Samsung’s My Files instructions describe moving or copying files to external storage; this method does not transfer files directly to another app such as Gallery. Menu labels and layout can vary by model and software version. Samsung’s microSD and Galaxy guidance and Samsung UK’s SD card instructions show the file-management route.

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Move photos using a Gallery album

Samsung UK documents an alternative that moves images into an album stored on the SD card. The exact menu may not be available on every Galaxy phone or software version.

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  1. Open Gallery and go to Albums.
  2. Open the options menu and create an album on the SD card.
  3. Return to Pictures and select the image you want to move.
  4. Tap More options, then Move to album, and choose the SD-card album.

Samsung UK says albums stored on the card are marked with a small SD-card icon. Samsung US also documents moving or copying an image to another album, but its microSD transfer instructions use My Files and do not say that every Gallery version can create an SD-card album. If the SD-card album option is missing, use My Files instead. Samsung UK’s Gallery and SD-card steps and Samsung US’s microSD instructions reflect this difference.

If the SD card or a photo is missing

  • SD card is not listed in My Files: Check that the card is inserted correctly and verify that your exact phone model supports microSD. Samsung notes that support varies by model. Samsung’s compatibility guidance
  • Gallery does not show the SD-card album option: Gallery instructions vary by region, device and software presentation. Use the My Files steps if the card appears there.
  • A photo is not shown individually in Pictures: On newer devices, Gallery may group similar-looking images. Open the grouped thumbnail to view the images inside. Samsung’s Gallery guidance

Use a PC if the phone has no microSD slot or you need another destination

Samsung also documents transferring files to a computer over USB. Connect the phone with a data-capable USB cable, choose file transfer mode when prompted, and manage the files from the computer. The cable must fit the phone and computer ports. Samsung’s phone-to-PC transfer instructions cover this alternative.

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