Link2SD. How to use Link2SD?

The lack of free space in the system memory of Android-devices worries many owners of smartphones and tablets working on the basis of this OS. Naturally, they want to free internal memory and transfer (or install later) applications or games to a removable memory card (especially since there is a larger volume). To solve this problem, the Link2SD utility is perfect. How to use this application, we now try to understand.

What is Link2SD

The Link2SD program, or, as it is often called, Link2SD 4PDA (by forum name and unofficial site client or simply in the interpretation that it is a mobile application) is a powerful enough tool designed to get the user of a mobile gadget the ability to migrate applications or Their installation directly on a removable SD memory card.

Such cards have long won great popularity all over the world. Their use is due to the fact that they have much more volume than the internal memory of the gadget itself.

But it's not always possible to transfer or install the required application on a memory card for later storage and launch by standard methods, even when using a direct connection to a computer with the corresponding software for managing the gadget.

For such purposes, the Link2SD utility was developed. How to use all its capabilities to the maximum extent, not everyone knows. This is due to the fact that the application itself and the work with it are quite specific.

Main features of the program

So, consider the utility Link2SD. How to use the program? First of all, it is worthwhile to dwell on some of the main features of the application. As it is already clear, the Link2SD utility (4PDA) was originally designed specifically so that the user could get full access to a removable SD memory card in terms of installing new ones and transferring old programs to removable media. It is clear that in this way it is possible to free the system memory of the device itself. Moreover, inexpensive Android-gadgets with the amount of their own memory, frankly, do not shine.

There is also another feature of the Link2SD program. How to use it in terms of process automation? As easy as pie. For example, to transfer programs to another place you just need to select the necessary applications and confirm the start of the process. This will be discussed in more detail later.

But the preliminary procedures that will ensure the proper operation of the application itself, as well as the correct transfer or installation of programs on the SD card, are quite complex. It will take at least a little patience.

Preliminary steps with information on the SD card

The first thing to do is to create a so-called backup (a backup copy of the data) or simply copy all the information from the memory card to another location, say, to the hard drive of a computer or laptop.

This is done very simply. It is enough to use a standard connection via the USB interface or insert a card into the card reader. In this case, it will be defined as a regular flash drive. If a gadget management program is installed on your computer, you can use it without any problems.

Creating partitions with standard Android tools

Now about the indispensable requirements in terms of partitioning the map into sections, set by the program Link2SD. How to use the standard features of the Android OS to create partitions on a tablet or on a smartphone? Nothing complicated in this.

To begin with, it is recommended to reset the settings to the factory settings (although sometimes you can do without it). The simplest way is to use the settings menu with the choice of the "Backup and Restore" widget and then proceed to the "General Reset" command. Note, firstly, the menus and commands may differ by name, depending on the OS version, its firmware or the gadget itself. Secondly, when you reset the settings, all user files and applications will be deleted. So be careful.

In principle, you can do without it. Simply resetting the settings is considered as the most "clean" version of the preparation of the device for using the partitioning of the map into sections and installing the program Link2SD. How do I use the standard partition on my phone or tablet?

Turn off the gadget, when you turn it on again, hold down the volume down button, wait for the menu to appear. Now select the Advanced item and go to the Partition SD Card command, then specify the required volume of the partition for future applications in megabytes, confirm the action and perform a reboot. Do not get carried away: it is desirable for the second partition, which remains after the partition, to reserve at least 512 MB. See for yourself what the total amount is available.

EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition

In principle, to avoid resetting the settings with data deletion, you can use some basic utilities. One such program is EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition.

In the main window, the Resize / Partition button is selected, indicating the volume of the partition and the type of the file system. It's better if it's FAT32 (some install also ext3 / 4). Next, select the Create Partition command, enter the desired name of the partition and, without fail (!), Set the Primary parameter. Then it remains to press the Apply button and wait for the process to finish. After that, you can start the program Link2SD already under "Android" and confirm the creation of the script.

MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition

Equally effective is the MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition. It creates two partitions with the FAT321 and ext2 / 3 file systems . The principle is the same. Only here the Create As command is selected, again the Primary parameter, the name of the partition, the size of the partition, the size of the cluster, and so on.

When creating the second section of ext2, the actions are almost the same, only the selection of the file system from the drop-down menu changes (of course, the parameter Primary is again used). The size of this partition will be set automatically, based on the remaining one after the creation of the first one. After that you just need to click the Apply button. Actually, the map is prepared.

Downloading and installing Link2SD

Download the Link2SD application from anywhere. In principle, it is even on the Play Market. It is clear that before the program starts, it will be installed in the internal drive memory. Nothing wrong with that. In general, such an installation is even very desirable, but with the subsequent use of the application to transfer it to an SD card is not recommended. In extreme cases, you will have to install some additional utilities.

Transferring data to a memory card

And now we came to the question of how to use the program Link2SD, which is called, closely. In principle, there is nothing particularly complicated in this process. After starting and scanning, the Link2SD utility will display a list of applications installed in the device memory, but only those that can be moved to the memory card without problems.

For the most part, system programs are not transferable. In the list of programs you can select the desired application for transfer, but in order not to waste time, it is much easier to use the special command Multilink, which allows you to select several components. Now you just need to confirm your actions, and after the transfer is complete, try running any transferred application already from the card. If for some reason it does not work or does not start, we recommend that you return it to the original location using the Remove Link command.

Please note: after the procedures performed, when connecting to a PC via a USB interface, the computer does not see the ext2 partition. Do not be scared. This is normal.

Link2SD: Installing applications on an SD card

Unfortunately, few gadgets even with the Link2SD utility support direct installation of applications on a memory card. For example, the Play Market system is designed so that the download is made to the temporary folder of the system (after installation it is deleted), and the default installation is in the internal memory.

You can, of course, experiment with the firmware Android OS, but here is the initial installation on the internal drive and the subsequent transfer of programs to the SD-card looks simpler in this respect. And it does not take much time.

Finally it remains to add that for some devices the transfer of programs to another location can be blocked by the manufacturer. In such cases, you may need root-rights provided by some specialized utilities, as well as an additional advanced mode of access to the settings and parameters of the Super User system.

Conclusion

So, actually, we figured out how to use Link2SD, create a second partition, transfer applications to an SD card, and so on. As can be seen from the above, the main difficulty can arise only when creating partitions. By the way, there is one more problem for the owners of the Link2SD program.

How to use EXPLAY N1? Since this device is quite specific, here you need to pay attention to either the Android firmware version, or the presence of root-rights. Otherwise, the actions are similar. For some firmwares, Link2SD works even without so-called rutting.

As for the main problem of creating partitions, you need to follow only the above tips and use the possibilities of additional programs correctly. They, by the way, look more preferable than the standard tools of the Android OS, because they are installed on a computer and have a visual display of the executable actions.