How to Increase Internal Storage on Asus Zenfone (ZenUI) Using SD Card (ADB Method) | Guide: Convert SD Card to Internal Storage on Android Oreo/Pie (No Root Required) | Fix Low Storage: Force “Adoptable Storage” on Asus Zenfone Lite L1 & Max Series
Hey everyone, this is Kali from TechFanciers!
We have all been there—using a budget device with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, only to be hit with the dreaded “Storage Full” notification. While many custom ROMs allow you to format an SD card as internal storage easily, stock firmwares like Asus ZenUI (Oreo/Pie) often hide this feature.
In this guide, I will show you how to force-enable Adoptable Storage. This allows your phone to treat your SD card as internal memory, letting you install apps and games directly onto it. The best part? You do not need to root your device.
Prerequisites Before we start, make sure you have:
- A High-Speed SD Card: I highly recommend a Class 10 or UHS-1 SD card. Slower cards will make your phone lag.
- Backup Your Data: This process will wipe your SD card completely. Back up your files to a PC before proceeding.
- ADB & Fastboot Drivers: Installed on your PC.
- USB Debugging Enabled: Go to Settings > System > Developer Options and enable USB Debugging.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Connect and Verify Connect your Asus phone to your PC via USB. Open the folder where your ADB tools are installed, right-click, and select “Open PowerShell/Command Window here.”
Type the following to ensure your device is connected:
adb devices
If you see your device serial number, you are good to go.
Step 2: Enter ADB Shell Type the following command to enter your phone’s internal shell environment:
adb shell
Your command prompt should change to look like ZA550KL:/ $ (or similar).
Step 3: Find Your Disk ID We need to find the specific ID assigned to your SD card. Run this command:
sm list-disks
You will see a result like disk:179,64. Note down the number part (e.g., 179,64). Yours might be different.
Step 4: The Partition Command Now, we partition the disk. You have two options:
- Option A: Fully Internal (100% App Storage) If you want the entire SD card to act as internal storage, type:
sm partition disk:179,64 private(Replace179,64with your specific disk ID found in Step 3). - Option B: Mixed Storage (50% Internal / 50% Portable) If you still want to use half the card for transferring files to a PC and half for apps, use the
mixedcommand followed by the percentage you want to keep as external/portable.sm partition disk:179,64 mixed 50(This keeps 50% as normal SD card storage and converts the rest to internal).
Step 5: Migrate Data Once the command finishes (it might take a few seconds), disconnect your phone.
- Go to Settings > Storage.
- You should now see your SD card listed under “Device Storage” (or merged with internal).
- Tap on it, click the three dots in the corner, and select Migrate Data to move your existing files and apps to the new storage.
Conclusion That’s it! You have successfully expanded your internal storage. This is a lifesaver for devices like the Zenfone Lite L1. Just remember—if you remove the SD card, apps installed on it will stop working, so keep it inserted!
Steps to achieve:
Here’s the tutorial :
• Install the ADB & Fastboot first, after the download finished, open the file named “cmd-here.exe” • Type “adb shell” then enter.
• Type “sm list-disks” then enter. • Then the words “disk: xxx,xx” will appear. Example “disk:179,64” will appear.
• Then type “sm disk partition: xxx,xx private” xxx,xx is replaced according to the number that appears on your device, on my device the number is 179,64. Then i type “sm partition disk:179,64 private” then hit enter. adb
TO ACTIVATE: Now open the Android Setting-Storage-SD Card-click the triple dot icon in the upper right corner-change type of storage-Use As Internal Storage-then hit Next (this process will format the SD card and takes about 10 minutes and also makes the SD card read-only on the device where the SD card is formatted.
TO RESTORE: To restore the SD card as before, just format it as portable storage. After it’s finished, we can now move the application installation to the SD card. ADDITIONAL, MAY IT HELPS: If the tutorial above shows that the SD card will become fully internal memory, it can’t create files, photos and more. Now if you want to make it can create files, photos, music, videos and more do this: When in the section type “sm partition disk:xxx.xx”, example you want to use 75% for portable storage, then type like this: “sm partition disk:179,64 mixed 75”. The addition of “mixed 75” means: we use 75% for portable storage (photos, music, files, etc.), 25% for internal (application and data). You can set the mixed percentage as you need, example again: if you want to use 50% of SD card is for internal and 50% for portable, type “sm partition disk:179,64 mixed 50” [50% for portable (photos, music, files, etc) and 50% for internal (applications)].
Useful Links:
Minimal ADB Fastboot Portable: https://tinyurl.com/yxpgbmal