I ended worrying about Samsung Galaxy storage after discovering this one digital camera setting

Smartphones have extra storage than ever today, however working out of house nonetheless happens all the time, particularly with the highly effective cameras on newer Galaxy telephones. My Galaxy S26 does not have a microSD slot, like most flagship Samsung telephones, and every time I report an extended video or wish to shoot in 4K or 8K, I fear. But after discovering one little setting, it is not a priority.

Did you realize your Samsung Galaxy can report straight to a USB-C thumb drive or exterior SSD? It works extremely nicely, saves me from worrying about house, and it is a characteristic extra Android telephones want. I’m taking a look at you, Google Pixel.

Samsung’s cameras are nice, till your storage runs out

It’s a relentless battle on 128 or 256GB telephones

As a brand new father, I’m continually taking images and movies, and it is not straightforward to maintain up with storage and delete content material I do not wish to preserve. To make issues worse, my Galaxy S26 Ultra information lovely 8K video, and I’ve taken far too many slow-motion movies at 4K and 120FPS, which completely crushes my storage limits.

Combine that with holidays, holidays, or sporting occasions, and my telephone’s been almost full for months. I discovered myself reducing my daughter’s movies brief to preserve space for storing, and that is irritating. And positive, a couple of hidden Galaxy features gave me back over 15GB of space, which was good, however I needed extra.

I’ve a 256GB telephone, and I did not suppose I’d run into storage points, however right here we’re. Even with occasional content material offloading to Google Photos, the maintenance and fixed battle stay. Since then, I’ve moved nearly each video to the cloud, and I’m now utilizing Samsung’s nifty characteristic that lets me report straight to an exterior supply or thumb drive. Here’s what that you must know.

Samsung lets the digital camera bypass inside storage

But it is determined by which mannequin you may have

Depending on which Samsung Galaxy telephone you utilize, one little choice within the digital camera settings menu does all of the work. While that is accessible on most flagship telephones, from the Galaxy S22 sequence to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, some fashions might require a further step to allow it.

To begin, open the digital camera in your Samsung Galaxy, head to Settings, and scroll down about midway till you see the Save to exterior storage choice. Flip the toggle on, and also you’re able to go. If you do not see it, you will both must open up Good Lock and search for Samsung’s digital camera module or obtain Samsung’s Camera Assistant add-on. This integrates into the digital camera software program, after which you’ll discover the exterior storage mode.

Next, end up a good USB-C flash drive or a pleasant exterior SSD, plug it into your telephone, and fireplace up the digital camera. When you report a video, you will even get a immediate asking whether or not you wish to put it aside to exterior storage. Go forward and make sure, or hit change and toggle the setting, and begin recording. Another strong choice is the tiny SanDisk Extreme Fit USB-C drive.

Conveniently, you will see a “USB-C” label close to the top-right of the display, much like the place your Galaxy telephone reveals the decision, stabilization, or whether or not HDR is enabled. Basically, it is a straightforward technique to immediately take a look at the display and know you are not utilizing treasured inside storage, however fairly offloading the video to an SSD or thumb drive.

More importantly, when you’re carried out, hit the Menu button contained in the Gallery app, select USB storage, and you may even view the footage on the spot earlier than you unplug the exterior storage.

It’s value noting that you’re going to in all probability must format the drive to exFAT first, as my Galaxy S26 did not play good with my previous USB-C drive formatted in NTFS.

And that is all there may be to it. I purchased SanDisk’s tiny Extreme Fit, which is so small you will barely discover it plugged into the underside of your telephone. It’s quick sufficient for 4K video, and it is good for holidays or particular occasions. After taking pictures infinite images and movies, I can add them to Google Photos on a PC or just preserve them saved there, as a substitute of utilizing treasured house on my telephone.

The PNY Duo Link V3 is a strong choice, too, with each USB-C and USB-A ports, making it simpler than ever to switch knowledge and movies to completely different units.

9/10

Capacity

256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

Speed

1000MB/s learn, 800MB/s write

The PNY Duo Link V3 flash drive provides each USB-C and USB-A plugs. With USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, you may count on as much as 1,000MB/s learn and 800MB/s write speeds from this flash drive. Coming in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage sizes, this all-metal flash drive makes it straightforward to carry giant quantities of quick storage with you anyplace.

Skip the telephone improve and do that as a substitute

Most flagship Galaxy telephones are fairly related today, and the one motive I’d improve is for higher battery life or extra storage. As everyone knows, it will get fairly costly while you select higher-storage fashions of a Samsung Galaxy telephone. Instead, preserve the mannequin you have already got, seize an inexpensive flash drive, and use this trick to unencumber house in your telephone.

Interestingly sufficient, Samsung and Apple each have the choice to avoid wasting video to exterior storage proper out of the field, however many different Android units don’t. If you may have a Pixel, you will in all probability must obtain a third-party digital camera app to get this performance.