Most Android smartphones come with 64 GB of storage . But if you have an old smartphone , chances are you ’ll have either 16 or 32 GB variant . Thankfully , you could easily flesh out the memory by using extraneous storage , like a penitentiary drive or a hard drive . This comes in ready to hand when you are traveling and need to watch your favorite picture show on the go .
Related : How to Use USB Flash Drive on Android and iOS
Now connecting a playpen drive to an Android is unproblematic . merely buy acheap OTG cable system , then use it to plug in your Android and Pendrive . Next , open any file manager such asSolid Explorer , take care under the machine menu , you will find your Pendrive . That ’s it .
But what about connecting an outside HDD to Android ?
For case , I want to use my 2 TB heavy drive with my Android . Will , that work ?
Well , Yes and NO .
commonly , outside hard drives do n’t work right out of the box with Android devices . Though in my testing , I found this to be a grayish area . Since every Android runs a different version of bone and has a dissimilar manufacturer , it ’s not possible to say anything for sure . For instance —
1Some downhearted - end devices(like my dad ’s moto e ) do not support OTG . And there is nothing we can do here . To rule out , if your gimmick supports OTG or not , you’re able to useUSB OTG Helper . The app is free on Google play and does not call for ROOT .
2Mid - reach devices(like moto g ) underpin OTG with playpen drive but do n’t detect external HDD initialise with NTFS and HFS+ . We can deposit this .
3 And in conclusion somehigh - end devices(like my Nexus6 ) sustain both FAT32 and NTFS volume without using any software . But , it can not read other formats like HFS or exFAT . We will see how to fix that .
Why my External HDD Don’t Work With Android?
When you connect an external hard cause to Android , you may face 2 problems .
#1 Hard Drive is not detected
You will either hear a clicking disturbance or the lights on your hard private road will not blink , this means the platter inside your parkway is not spinning decently .
Reason : Unlike pen drive , External HDDs needs a lot more exponent . And if they are not outwardly powered then it will take power from the machine itself . So , if your smartphone is not powerful enough to power an international HDD , then it will not work on .
For example , my WD 2 TB hard drive works fine with Nexus 6 but does n’t work on my raspberry principal investigator without extraneous mogul .
Solution : utilize a powered USB hub orexternally power OTG cable .
#2 Hard drive is detected but not Opening
Reason : File system wrongdoing . There are many filing cabinet organisation out there and every O.S choose one of their own . For instance , Android bear FAT32 by default and since pen driving force are also in FAT32 format , we do n’t confront any problem with penitentiary drives .
But , most external HDDs usesthe NTFS Indian file system(Windows default option FS ) and sometimes inHFS(MAC default FS ) . So this mismatch in file system results in the mistake .
relate : Why External HDD Do Not Work with All Operating System
So let ’s see how to secure it . Well , we have two option here .
#1 Format your Hard drive
you’re able to format your Hard drive to FAT32 using your computer and then use it on your Android . Since FAT32 is compatible with all osmium , it will work in good order away with your Android , in fact , after this , you will never face compatibility issue with any political program .
RelatedHow to format knockout drive on Windows , Mac , Linux , and Android
However , I do n’t advocate format HDD to FAT32 . Why ? Well , because FAT is an old file organization and miss important features like journaling ( keep datum red ink ) , encoding . And the maximum single file cabinet sizing is restrain to 4 sarin .
#2 Use 3rd Party Apps
With this method , you may retain your original File System of your HDD . Simply apply a barren app like Paragon NTFS or Stick Mount to use it on your Android . I have been using this for months and never had any problem . So let ’s see how it mould
External HDD on Android
1.USB Media Importer(Paid)
This app is plan for link devices , but based on its swordplay shop reviews , it also shape with non - nexus devices like moto - x and many others . Though , before you spend money , verify you test theUSB Photo Viewer . It ’s from the same dev but free .
Once you install this app , it will automobile - observe an outside drive and you may start using it right away . However , this is register - only i.e. you could not re-create information from your Android to external HDD . Moreover , it also does not brook HFS formatted drives .
Bottom line : First , try other detached option and if they do n’t work , go for it .
2. Total commander with USB – plugin
This is the most popular ( and also a barren ) way to use NTFS formatted HDD on Android . Here you need to install two gratis apps from Google Play .
First , install thetotal commander app – it ’s a file web browser app that will help oneself us to browse the message of our ride .
Next , installUSB plugin for Total Commander — it ’s an extension for the single file browser app that will do the genuine job i.e. mounting the external grueling drive .
Once done , connect your hard drive to your Android using OTG cable’s length . Again the app will spot your volume and you will see a notification at the bottom saying , open up the drive with Paragon UMS . However , if you do n’t see the telling , then just afford the app and freshen up it . It should work .
There is also an option to get write access . However , since this app is still in beta , the write feature did n’t work for me . But the good part is , along with NTFS , it can also read HFS formatted drive .
3.Stick Mount(Root)
This app is made by chainfire ( the developer of SuperSU ) . essentially , stick mount help you to ride an NTFS sectionalization on Android . So , you will still need to have a file manager to browse the depicted object of your drive .
InstallStick mountfrom Google play and then stick in your extraneous drive and it will automatically mount it . ordinarily , it mounts the drive underSdcard > USB repositing , but you may regain the mount location by opening the app and tap on mount option .
Bottom line : It ’s free and works well . However , it still does not let you write data on your ride , neither does it endorse HFS drive . So well examine the next option .
4.Paragon HFS, NTFS, and exFAT(Root)
Paragon is popularly known for its software to access HFS drive on Windows and NTFS campaign on MAC . And gauge what , they have an android app as well but this time it ’s free .
This app is similar to all the other app . put in the app , associate your international HDD and it will automatically mount it and show you the way . There is also an option to initialise your crusade , but it ’s hidden under options .
Bottom line : This is the best way . It ’s free and lets you both read and write , support both NTFS push and HFS . However , even though it ’s in the name , it in reality does not supportexFAT(since its Microsoft correctitude formatting ) but you could utilise stick mount for that .
If nothing works ?
Usually , an outside HDD call for you to punch in a cable to your computer ( or in this case to your Android ) . But thanks to modern technology , we now haveWireless gruelling drives . And it does what it say , i.e. it when you press a button on this HDD , it ’ll make a Hotspot , which you could link from your smartphone and then browse all the content of the cause using a File managing director app .
you’re able to stream your HDD from multiple twist ( usually not more than 3 machine ) . And it also has a built - in stamp battery , so you could utilize it while journey in a car or gear . However , on the snotty-nosed side . It ’ll be double as much for the same storage . For instance , a typical Seagate 1 TB international HDD be you around $ 60 , while aSeagate Wireless Plus 1TBwill be around $ 140 . The HDD supports NTFS by default . So , you could not apply on iOS devices .
