How to set up the Camera on a Sony Xperia M: Default storage location

Are you trying to set up the camera on your Sony Xperia M so that its pictures go directly to the memory card instead of getting saved on the cell phone itself? Are you looking to verify that your phones camera is set up to automatically transfer its pictures directly to its memory card? Then look no further. This guide will illustrate, with pictures, the step-by-step instructions on how to do this on a Sony Xperia M running on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

How to setup or check the Sony Xperia M camera

Quick Instructions:

Apps > Camera > Settings > Data storage > SD card

Detailed Instructions with pictures:

Since we want to adjust, change, or check a certain setting for the Camera we need to start by opening the Camera application.

If you don’t have a Camera shortcut on your Sony Xperia M’s Home screen then tap the Applications icon to browse through your cell phones list of apps.

Click and open the Camera Application.

You should see a list of options on the side of the camera screen. You are going to want to tap and open the Settings icon which looks like a wrench and screwdriver.

You will see some additional settings that you can adjust but the setting that we want to open is the Data storage option.

On this “Data storage” screen you will be able to see the current storage location for your cell phones camera and if necessary change it to either the Internal storage (the phones memory) or the SD card (your memory card).

Additional things to consider

Moving previously captured photos to your SD card

If you just got a new memory card for your Sony Xperia M then don’t forget that the pictures that you took previously are still going to be stored to the phones storage. Your phone will not automatically transfer these files to your memory card. If you’re interested in moving files from your cell phone to its memory card then I am sure you will find How to move pictures and videos to a memory card on a Sony Xperia very helpful.

Making sure you have enough room for your future media files

As our devices get more and more advanced we are starting to require more and more storage space. This holds true with our smartphones as well and you’ll want to make sure that you have the storage available for when you need it.

I myself don’t typically recommend a memory card less than 8GB. If you are using an older memory card like a 4GB or 2GB or even worse a 1GB card then you might want to consider upgrading. I myself use this 32 GB memory card from SanDisk and I am very happy with it. Remember that when choosing a memory card it isn’t all about storage space you should consider its speed too which on memory cards is referred to as its “class”.

If you would like some tips and suggestions to keep in mind when purchasing a memory card then choosing the best memory card for your Android smartphone can be very beneficial.

Enjoy

Enjoy the comfort and knowledge that the pictures you are taking with your Sony Xperia M’s camera are getting saved directly to your memory card. This will help keep them safe should something unexpected happen to your cell phone. You will be able to pull your SD card out of your broken phone, place it into a replacement cell phone, tablet, camera, or your PC and you’ll still have access to all of your photos and images.

So make sure to take lots of pictures with your Sony Xperia M.

Thank you for reading, if you have any tips, suggestions or questions then don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. If you found this guide helpful let me know by clicking the Facebook Like button or the Google + button below. Thanks again for reading I hope you have a fantastic day.

10 thoughts on “How to set up the Camera on a Sony Xperia M: Default storage location”

    1. Thank you JaBooya

      Sometimes cell phones think that just because there are called “smartphones” that they can be smarter than us. Once you know how to use it though you can certainly feel like a genius yourself. Thanks for taking the time to post the friendly compliment JaBooya.

  1. Camera to sd card
    Thank you very much! I have a Sony Xperia Miro and after spending over a hour looking at other suggestion sites ,rooting phone ,send to PC first via USB etc I have managed to save all my pics to the sd card with your excellent step by step advice.
    The only problem I still have is when trying to make the sd card the default. On opening the camera app I do not have a settings option. Only have which camera,which scene,flash and zoom.

    1. I managed to change the default settings on the camera

      Hi James,
      I managed to change the default settings on the camera to sd card.
      I had to open the camera on the home page,then tap on the camera where you would select camera or video, then menu which gave more options including data storage. Never did find a settings option. At least everything is sorted now.
      Thanks again for solving the photos to sd with no hassle.
      Jayne

      1. Setting up the camera storage location for the Sony Xperia Miro

        Hi Jayne,

        Thank you for letting me know that you found my guide on how to transfer media files to the memory card of a Sony Xperia helpful. I do try to make my guide user friendly and easy to follow so I always appreciate positive feedback.

        Thank you for also posting a follow-up to how you were able to setup the default storage for your Sony Xperia Miro’s camera photos. Now if another visitor has the same issue they will know how to fix it, so thank you for contributing to the site. I appreciate that as well.

        Android phones have many powerful features available and once you know how to access those features and adjust them to suit your needs it can definitely make things easier in the long run.

        Keep up the good work Jayne, thanks again, and enjoy your Sony Xperia Miro.

  2. Can’t set SD card as default file save location
    Hello,
    I understand your instructions and really this is what I would expect to see on my phone (Xperia M) as I have seen it similarly on others, however when I go into my camera App, I only have very limited options. In the top corner there is a submenu which has a settings button, however when I press this there is no data storage option. Is it possible that I have an older (or newer) software version that somehow has this disabled?

    1. It’s possible…

      Hi Gordon,

      Sorry to hear that your Xperia M is a tad different and YES the version of software on your Xperia can most definitely effect how things are accessed and setup on the phone. This storage feature may not necessarily be unavailable for your Sony Xperia but you will likely need to play with your cell phone a bit and explore the settings on the device in order to try and find out where this feature is located in order to configure it to save data to the external SD card by default.

  3. Well done
    Well done. Your explanations are clear, well written, and easy to follow. Not a common ability. Thank you.

  4. Straight to the point
    Another satisfied user here who has been struggling to apply the correct setting for this action. A big Thank You from my phone and me for the clear, user-friendly explanations. Very useful indeed. Cheers. Jim.

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