How to use the micro SD card on the Fire tablet?

With the release of Fire OS 6 on Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen) and Fire 7 2019 (9th Gen), Fire OS 7 on Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 2020 (10th gen), Fire HD 8 Plus (2020), and Fire OS 8 on Fire 7 2022, Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen), and Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen), you have the new option of using the micro SD card as the tablet (internal) storage (adoptable storage) to expand the internal storage on these 3 5 devices.

This Fire tablet how-to guide explains the new option and the pros and cons of using the micro SD card as adoptable storage on Fire HD 10 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 (8th Gen), and Fire 7 (9th Gen). Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen), Fire HD 8 Plus 2020, Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen), and Fire HD 10 Plus.  It also explains when you need to use the adoptable storage option.

The guide also shows you how to use the micro SD card as internal storage, and how to manage the SD card on Fire HD 10 (9th,11th Gen), Fire HD 8 (8th,10th, 12th Gen), Fire 7 (9th,12th Gen), and Fire Max 11 (13th Gen).

What is the new option of using the Micro SD card on the Fire tablet?

In addition to using the SD card as external storage, you can now use a micro SD card as internal storage (adoptable storage) on Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen), Fire HD 10 Plus, Fire 7 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen), Fire HD 2020 (10th Gen),  Fire HD 8 Plus (2020),  Fire 7 2022 (12th Gen), and Fire Max 11 (13th Gen).

Since Android Marshmallow (Android 6.0), Google added adoptable storage for the micro SD in Android devices. As explained in this guide, adoptable storage allows you to use the micro SD card as internal storage. Once enabled, you can install most apps onto the micro SD card. So, the adoptable storage is extremely useful when the device has limited internal storage (e.g., less than 16GB for most users).

Because Fire OS 6 (as in Fire HD 8 2018 and Fire 7 2019) is based on Android Marshmallow, and Fire OS 7 (as in Fire HD 10 2019, Fire HD 8 2020, and Fire  HD 8 Plus) is based on Android Pie (Android 9), adoptable storage was supported in these 3 5 Fire tablets.

Fire 7 2022 (12th gen), Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen), and Fire Max 11 (13th Gen) were all released with Fire OS 8, which is based on Android 11. The adoptable storage is also supported. We will update the supported device if Amazon updates some older devices to Fire OS 6, 7, and 8.

You may see the comparison of the current Fire tablet models here or in Fire Tablet Buyer Guide 2023.

Limitations of adoptable storage (using the micro SD card as internal storage)

You need to be aware of the limitations and restrictions when using the micro SD card as the internal storage:

• You should never remove the SD card unless the tablet is powered off.
• Most apps (installed by you) will not work after you eject or remove the SD card.
• The SD card can only be read by the host tablet. The data on the micro SD card are encrypted automatically. Other devices cannot read the data. It is both good (secures your data) and bad (not portable).
• You have to format the micro SD card if you want to use the same card on other devices.
• The system will automatically decide when and how to use the micro SD card. It is none of your business.
• The overall performance of some storage-intensive apps may be slightly degraded because a micro SD card is usually slower than the actual internal storage.
• The quality of the micro SD card matters. Due to the high usage, a low-quality micro SD card may be corrupted easily. The speed also matters.

You may check this guide on the details of using the micro SD card to expand internal storage.

When should you use the micro SD card as internal storage on the Fire tablet?

Normally, if your Fire tablet (Fire HD 10 2019/2021, Fire HD 8 2020/2022,  Fire 7 2019/2022) has limited internal storage (normally less than 32GB), you may consider using the SD card as internal storage so that you can install more apps, including installing apps from Google Play store.

If your Fire tablet has 32GB internal storage, it will depend on your usage of the tablet. If you plan to install many apps and games, you probably should consider the adoptable storage option for the micro SD card.

Of course, if you have the 64GB version of Fire HD 10, Fire HD 8, or Fire HD 8 Plus, then very likely, you have sufficient internal storage, and you may choose to use the micro SD card as the portable storage. In a nutshell, it depends on the planned usage of the tablet.

When should you use the micro SD card as portable storage?

If you feel you have sufficient internal storage, it is NOT necessary to use the micro SD card to expand the internal storage.

Using the micro SD card as portable storage allows you to use the SD card flexibly. For most owners, 64GB of internal storage is sufficient. For some owners, 32GB is enough. Normally, the system will occupy about 4-6GB of storage at least. You need to have at least 2~3GB of free storage so that you can run apps smoothly.

Please note that Prime videos, Amazon Music, and Kindle can download content to the SD card when you use the SD card as portable storage.

Can you switch between portable storage and adoptable storage?

You have to format the micro SD card if you want to switch between portable storage and adoptable storage for the SD card on Fire tablets. This means you have to back up all of your data on the SD card before switching. Otherwise, you will lose all data on the SD card.

How to use the micro SD card as internal storage on Fire tablets?

By default, Fire HD 10 9th Gen (and other Fire tablets) use a micro SD card as portable storage. So if you want to use the micro SD card as portable storage, you don't need to do anything. Of course, if the SD card was not formatted in FAT32 or exFAT format, the Fire tablet will ask you to format it before using it. You can set the micro SD card as adoptable storage at any time.

• When you first insert the micro SD card.
• Switch from portable storage to adoptable storage.

Please note that switching between portable and adoptable storage needs to erase all of the data on the SD card. When you use the micro SD card on the tablet for the first time, you will see a notification in the notification panel.  Tap the notification to guide you to set up the micro SD card. As shown below, you have 3 options:

1. Use the micro SD card as tablet storage (adoptable storage).
2. Portable storage.
3. Set it up later.

If you plan to use the micro SD card to expand the tablet's internal storage, tap Tablet storage (marked as 1), as shown in the screenshot below.

Once you choose to use the SD card as tablet storage, you MUST format the card. This means all data on the card will be erased. So, if there are any useful data on the micro SD card, you should back them up to a safe location first. When you are ready, tap Format storage device, as shown in the screenshot below.

The formatting process should be fast, normally within two minutes. You will see the progress, as shown below. You should just wait and NOT interfere with the formatting process. Do not use the tablet. Do not power off the tablet.

 You can tap Done,  as shown below, once the formatting is done.

From now on, you can use the micro SD card as if it is internal storage. And you can install many more apps from the Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore without worrying about insufficient internal storage.

How to manage SD card storage on the Fire tablet?

You can manage the storage, including the micro SD card on Fire HD 10 2019, through Settings —Storage. As shown below, the storage settings have multiple entries. If you use the SD card as tablet storage (adoptable storage), you can:

• Check the internal storage usage (A).
• Move some files from the “true” internal storage to the SD card (B).
• Check SD card usage (C).
• Switch to portable storage (D).

Please note, although adoptable storage allows you to use the micro SD card as internal storage, the system does differ from the “true” internal storage and the “adopted” SD card. Some system essential files and data are always saved in the “true” internal storage.

For example, you can move some files from the internal storage to a micro SD card to free up more internal space by tapping “Move data to internal storage” (marked as B in the screenshot above).

Normally, these files are saved to the internal storage before you use the micro SD card as adoptable storage.

Please note. “internal storage” here refers to the micro SD card. As shown below, you can tap Move contents to move some movable data to the micro SD card.

You can also check the storage usage of the micro SD card by tapping “SD card” (marked as C in the screenshot ). As shown below, the detailed usage of the SD card is provided. For example, in this case, 63.57GB space of the 128GB SD card was used. Most of them (63.45GB) were used by apps and games.

If you want to switch to portable storage, you can tap “Format as portable storage” (marked as D in the screenshot). As mentioned earlier, switching between portable storage and adoptable storage needs to erase all data on the card.

Why do you MUST eject the SD card or power off the tablet if you want to remove the SD card on Fire tablets?

Regardless of the usage (portable or adoptable) of the micro SD card, you can only remove the SD card from the Fire tablet AFTER

• Ejecting the SD card or
• Powering off the tablet.

In the storage settings, Fire OS removed the ejection option.  But the pre-installed Files app and some third-party file manager apps have the option for you to eject the SD card.

Of course, the safest way to change or remove the micro SD card for the Fire tablet is to power off the tablet first.

If you remove the SD card from a Fire tablet without ejecting the SD card or powering off the tablet, the card may be corrupted, especially when you use the micro SD card as adoptable storage.

Do you have any questions about using the micro SD card on the Fire tablet?

If you have any questions or encounter any problems related to using the micro SD card as adoptable storage or portable storage on Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen), Fire HD 10 Plus, Fire HD8 2018(8th Gen), Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen), Fire HD 8 2022 (12th gen), Fire HD 8 Plus, Fire 7 (9th,12th Gen), and Fire Max 11 (13th Gen), please let us know in the comment box below.

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