Migrate data filled up my internal storage?

[erik jensen1]

migrate data filled up my internal storage

I have recently tried to migrate my data from internal storage to a 32 gb sd card that I have formatted as internal storage and it got to less than halfway before stopping and telling me that there isnt enough space. However, i was only trying to move 2 mb of data on to a 32 gb card, and now the problem is that my internal storage is now full.

My phone is a moto g3 on marshmallow 6.0

 

[Rukbat]

1. You can't "format" a card as "internal storage" - which is internal and which is external depends on how their mounted during boot. sd0 is internal and sd1 is external from the kernel's viewpoint.

2. Moving apps to the SD card only moves small pieces, and leaves links in internal storage (where Android looks for the pieces) to their location in the card. If the pieces are smaller than the links, internal storage fills when you move the app. (That depends on how the particular app is written.)

 

[Lucas Vidal]

Same problem here. Could you fix it? I don´t want to factory reset.

 

[pandaking]

Re: migrate data filled up my internal storage

I have recently tried to migrate my data from internal storage to a 32 gb sd card that I have formatted as internal storage and it got to less than halfway before stopping and telling me that there isnt enough space. However, i was only trying to move 2 mb of data on to a 32 gb card, and now the problem is that my internal storage is now full.

My phone is a moto g3 on marshmallow 6.0

Sorry to necromance, but did you manage to solve this? I've got the same issue on my Galaxy S5.

I tried to migrate data, it got about 30% of the way through, failed and now my internal card is full. I'm not sure what it's full with, as it's not apps etc. so I can't delete files or clean it up. :-

 

[pandaking]

1. You can't "format" a card as "internal storage" - which is internal and which is external depends on how their mounted during boot. sd0 is internal and sd1 is external from the kernel's viewpoint.

You most certainly can. Marshmallow's adoptable storage feature allows for this.

 

[kramer5150]

While it is possible to set up your SD as adoptable storage, the app itself may not actually be located there. It depends on the app and developer. An app whos developer does not allow it to be stored on SD, simply can not be entirely moved (my understanding). While it may appear to have been re-located, in actuality the app or pieces of it may become spread across two different storage locations, depending on what the developer has allowed.

 

[Tom Collinsworth]

I'm looking for some help on this too.. I migrated multiple apps individually to the SD card.. but when I am on Internal Storage and click the migrate data option, it goes through most of the progress then says it fails and then says nothing was migrated. What's worse is that now my internal storage is completely full (I had about a gig free before trying this option which said it would free up about 5 gig). Hoping to get some more insight...

 

[greenrhyno]

I felt bad for everyone since there is no solution online anywhere so I made an account just to post this solution.

Ok, so I had the same issue, Internal Storage on my device was getting somewhat full. I had about 6 GB full of 11 GB on my internal storage so nothing critical, but I have almost 20 GB free on my sd card formatted as internal storage. I have migrated before and it was always just really easy and at the end I had more space on the phone's internal storage.

...so I tapped on "migrate storage" from the internal storage menu. Migration failed, and my internal storage filled up. WTF?!!!? So I came here and found no solution. I tried some file explorer apps. I could not find where the extra 4 GB of data was that was filling my internal storage. I figured it was some temp file and since I didn't have enough storage to complete the temp file, when it failed migrating there was some file or files that just got "stuck".

I tried migrating again and while migrating I looked at my internal storage. It was back down to about 6 GB of 11 GB full. I figured I could live with that, and I figured the migration would fail again with my internal storage getting filled with some temp file or files. I decided I'd kill the migration right there. With no way to stop it or kill the process that I could see, I just took the chance and turned off my phone. When I turned it back on, the migration process was stopped, and my internal storage had stayed at 6 GB of 11 GB like before.

I guess I can't migrate anymore.... Maybe internal storage has to have as much space free as it has used space make a complete copy of internal storage before deciding what to migrate. This appears to be a flaw in Android. Hopefully they fix this soon. I am running android 7.0 on a motorola g4 with 16 GB external storage and a 32 GB SD card.

SOLUTION THAT WORKED FOR ME: Try this at your own risk!

1. Start migrating again.

2. Once android starts migrating, watch your internal space.

3. Once it goes back down to the previous level, turn off your phone.

4. Restart your phone.

5. You should have that temp file gone and your previous space back!

Not a complete solution because I'm sure we'd all like to actually migrate any possible data to sd card, but at least it gets the phone back to before the attempted and failed migration.

 

[Daricsz]

I didn't like the idea to stop the migration but this solution worked for me as well. Thx a lot!

I felt bad for everyone since there is no solution online anywhere so I made an account just to post this solution.

Ok, so I had the same issue, Internal Storage on my device was getting somewhat full. I had about 6 GB full of 11 GB on my internal storage so nothing critical, but I have almost 20 GB free on my sd card formatted as internal storage. I have migrated before and it was always just really easy and at the end I had more space on the phone's internal storage.

...so I tapped on "migrate storage" from the internal storage menu. Migration failed, and my internal storage filled up. WTF?!!!? So I came here and found no solution. I tried some file explorer apps. I could not find where the extra 4 GB of data was that was filling my internal storage. I figured it was some temp file and since I didn't have enough storage to complete the temp file, when it failed migrating there was some file or files that just got "stuck".

I tried migrating again and while migrating I looked at my internal storage. It was back down to about 6 GB of 11 GB full. I figured I could live with that, and I figured the migration would fail again with my internal storage getting filled with some temp file or files. I decided I'd kill the migration right there. With no way to stop it or kill the process that I could see, I just took the chance and turned off my phone. When I turned it back on, the migration process was stopped, and my internal storage had stayed at 6 GB of 11 GB like before.

I guess I can't migrate anymore.... Maybe internal storage has to have as much space free as it has used space make a complete copy of internal storage before deciding what to migrate. This appears to be a flaw in Android. Hopefully they fix this soon. I am running android 7.0 on a motorola g4 with 16 GB external storage and a 32 GB SD card.

SOLUTION THAT WORKED FOR ME: Try this at your own risk!

1. Start migrating again.

2. Once android starts migrating, watch your internal space.

3. Once it goes back down to the previous level, turn off your phone.

4. Restart your phone.

5. You should have that temp file gone and your previous space back!

Not a complete solution because I'm sure we'd all like to actually migrate any possible data to sd card, but at least it gets the phone back to before the attempted and failed migration.

 

[NoobHoob]

Thanks greenrhyno! This worked fine for my Moto 3G! I had some difficulties to get the device to shut down, but after a couple of tries it worked and I got enough free storage to at least have my apps updated.

I felt bad for everyone since there is no solution online anywhere so I made an account just to post this solution.

Ok, so I had the same issue, Internal Storage on my device was getting somewhat full. I had about 6 GB full of 11 GB on my internal storage so nothing critical, but I have almost 20 GB free on my sd card formatted as internal storage. I have migrated before and it was always just really easy and at the end I had more space on the phone's internal storage.

...so I tapped on "migrate storage" from the internal storage menu. Migration failed, and my internal storage filled up. WTF?!!!? So I came here and found no solution. I tried some file explorer apps. I could not find where the extra 4 GB of data was that was filling my internal storage. I figured it was some temp file and since I didn't have enough storage to complete the temp file, when it failed migrating there was some file or files that just got "stuck".

I tried migrating again and while migrating I looked at my internal storage. It was back down to about 6 GB of 11 GB full. I figured I could live with that, and I figured the migration would fail again with my internal storage getting filled with some temp file or files. I decided I'd kill the migration right there. With no way to stop it or kill the process that I could see, I just took the chance and turned off my phone. When I turned it back on, the migration process was stopped, and my internal storage had stayed at 6 GB of 11 GB like before.

I guess I can't migrate anymore.... Maybe internal storage has to have as much space free as it has used space make a complete copy of internal storage before deciding what to migrate. This appears to be a flaw in Android. Hopefully they fix this soon. I am running android 7.0 on a motorola g4 with 16 GB external storage and a 32 GB SD card.

SOLUTION THAT WORKED FOR ME: Try this at your own risk!

1. Start migrating again.

2. Once android starts migrating, watch your internal space.

3. Once it goes back down to the previous level, turn off your phone.

4. Restart your phone.

5. You should have that temp file gone and your previous space back!

Not a complete solution because I'm sure we'd all like to actually migrate any possible data to sd card, but at least it gets the phone back to before the attempted and failed migration.

 

[Vic S]

I'm quite a newbie to using a new Motorola G 3rd Gen as more than an emergency phone
Have not taken many photos yet the camera is not working - states internal memory nearly full.
Installed a 64Gb SD card with the intention of using it for storing photos and videos as I had done this successfully on Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet. Rather more familiar with desktop computer and the advice on Motorola website was to clear cache seemed a good idea but this has not resolved matters.
Have reformatted any SD cards inserted into the phone to give opportunity of phone to format to own requirements. If I recall correctly there was option to integrate card with apps (and memory?) or use merely as storage.
Thinking of ridding the smartphone of as many apps as possible - perhaps Google is the biggest offender? On previous phone it was difficult to get rid of the pre-installed apps.
Not much point in doing a factory reinstall without solving the problem that is likely to crop up again.
Disgraceful selling a product without necessary included software to easily monitor and adjust memory use and storage and not to be able to priortise camera.
Appreciate all the advice here and it is encouraging to this newbie to find more experienced people with similar problem

 

[Vic S]

Below in italic is a copy of the advice received from Motorola in response to sending them a copy of my message on this forum page.

I have replied:-

Are there any known problems with the Sandisk Extreme 64GB micro SD cards with Motorola phones?

They worked in my Samsung Galaxy Tab, my previous Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 phone, and partners previous Samsung Galaxy Fame? I have also used them in various cameras and for video recording.

Surely this establishes that I am capable of inserting using and removing SD cards from Android devices and if necessary inserting them into a Windows computer?

Are you asking me to go out and purchase another SD card of a different make?

Maybe the problem is elsewhere?

Will pass any further comment on this page to Motorola


Please visit the links below for instructions on how to use the SD card in your Moto G3:

- Insert SD card (https://motorola-global-en-uk.custh...en-marshmallow/topic/sd-card/insert-sd-card/1)
- Using external SD card as internal storage (https://motorola-global-en-uk.custh.../using-external-sd-card-as-internal-storage/1)
- Using external SD card as portable storage (https://motorola-global-en-uk.custh.../using-external-sd-card-as-portable-storage/1)
- Transfer data from the device to the SD card (https://motorola-global-en-uk.custh...ransfer-data-from-the-device-to-the-sd-card/1)
- Transfer data from the SD card to the device (https://motorola-global-en-uk.custh...ransfer-data-from-the-sd-card-to-the-device/1)

It would also be worth trying a different SD card with your Moto G3. If a different SD card works normally, there might be a compatibility issue
between your Moto G3 and your current SD card, in which case I would simply suggest you to change SD card to one that is compatible with your Moto G3.

Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you need further help.

 

[raul_pardo]

I felt bad for everyone since there is no solution online anywhere so I made an account just to post this solution.

Ok, so I had the same issue, Internal Storage on my device was getting somewhat full. I had about 6 GB full of 11 GB on my internal storage so nothing critical, but I have almost 20 GB free on my sd card formatted as internal storage. I have migrated before and it was always just really easy and at the end I had more space on the phone's internal storage.

...so I tapped on "migrate storage" from the internal storage menu. Migration failed, and my internal storage filled up. WTF?!!!? So I came here and found no solution. I tried some file explorer apps. I could not find where the extra 4 GB of data was that was filling my internal storage. I figured it was some temp file and since I didn't have enough storage to complete the temp file, when it failed migrating there was some file or files that just got "stuck".

I tried migrating again and while migrating I looked at my internal storage. It was back down to about 6 GB of 11 GB full. I figured I could live with that, and I figured the migration would fail again with my internal storage getting filled with some temp file or files. I decided I'd kill the migration right there. With no way to stop it or kill the process that I could see, I just took the chance and turned off my phone. When I turned it back on, the migration process was stopped, and my internal storage had stayed at 6 GB of 11 GB like before.

I guess I can't migrate anymore.... Maybe internal storage has to have as much space free as it has used space make a complete copy of internal storage before deciding what to migrate. This appears to be a flaw in Android. Hopefully they fix this soon. I am running android 7.0 on a motorola g4 with 16 GB external storage and a 32 GB SD card.

SOLUTION THAT WORKED FOR ME: Try this at your own risk!

1. Start migrating again.

2. Once android starts migrating, watch your internal space.

3. Once it goes back down to the previous level, turn off your phone.

4. Restart your phone.

5. You should have that temp file gone and your previous space back!

Not a complete solution because I'm sure we'd all like to actually migrate any possible data to sd card, but at least it gets the phone back to before the attempted and failed migration.

I applied the advised solution to my Mot G second generation and I worked, I got the lost space before I tried to migrate the data.
Thanks a lot

 

[Cowicide]

greenrhyno, just wanted to thank you for sharing your solution. I was about to trash an Android and switch permanently to an iPhone after dealing with this frustrating, time-wasting nonsense.

I did pretty much the same thing you did where I noticed I was running up my internal storage a bit and thought it would be a good idea to hit "migrate" like I've done before to free up some internal space and put it on the external SD again. Figured the extra space might be a little speed boost for virtual memory and perhaps improve the longevity of the internal storage as well by giving it more breathing room.

Like others have said, that process failed miserably with a low memory warning after the migrate process managed to fill up my internal storage almost to capacity instead of migrating any data off of it.

Out of desperation I searched around and found your post. I had started migrating a second time before I found your post and it, of course, failed again with low memory warnings. I tried your solution and tried migrating again and watched the used storage go down and forced the phone to shut down. The shut down was a hard shut down and I was worried if the phone would even turn back on again, but it did.

I actually somehow ended up not only getting my phone back working without the low memory warnings from the migrate snafu, but also ended up with more space on my internal storage than when I started somehow. So far the phone seems OK, so I guess it was just some giant temp file issue as you described that's now gone.

I would say that I’m shocked that Google would have such a terrible flaw in Android like this, but I'm not. I guess the lesson is to never try to migrate a second time after doing it once or there might be trouble.

Thank you so much. You saved me a lot of grief and perhaps Google a lost customer.

 

[Akshansh Badhwar]

I felt bad for everyone since there is no solution online anywhere so I made an account just to post this solution.

Ok, so I had the same issue, Internal Storage on my device was getting somewhat full. I had about 6 GB full of 11 GB on my internal storage so nothing critical, but I have almost 20 GB free on my sd card formatted as internal storage. I have migrated before and it was always just really easy and at the end I had more space on the phone's internal storage.

...so I tapped on "migrate storage" from the internal storage menu. Migration failed, and my internal storage filled up. WTF?!!!? So I came here and found no solution. I tried some file explorer apps. I could not find where the extra 4 GB of data was that was filling my internal storage. I figured it was some temp file and since I didn't have enough storage to complete the temp file, when it failed migrating there was some file or files that just got "stuck".

I tried migrating again and while migrating I looked at my internal storage. It was back down to about 6 GB of 11 GB full. I figured I could live with that, and I figured the migration would fail again with my internal storage getting filled with some temp file or files. I decided I'd kill the migration right there. With no way to stop it or kill the process that I could see, I just took the chance and turned off my phone. When I turned it back on, the migration process was stopped, and my internal storage had stayed at 6 GB of 11 GB like before.

I guess I can't migrate anymore.... Maybe internal storage has to have as much space free as it has used space make a complete copy of internal storage before deciding what to migrate. This appears to be a flaw in Android. Hopefully they fix this soon. I am running android 7.0 on a motorola g4 with 16 GB external storage and a 32 GB SD card.

SOLUTION THAT WORKED FOR ME: Try this at your own risk!

1. Start migrating again.

2. Once android starts migrating, watch your internal space.

3. Once it goes back down to the previous level, turn off your phone.

4. Restart your phone.

5. You should have that temp file gone and your previous space back!

Not a complete solution because I'm sure we'd all like to actually migrate any possible data to sd card, but at least it gets the phone back to before the attempted and failed migration.

Thanks a Lot it worked

 

[nkxnyiso]

What does he mean by watch ur storage... Because I don't want to do stuff without proper Intel on what I'm seeing. Someone please help.

 

[belodion]

What does he mean

Welcome.

To whom are you referring?

 

[santhosh5201]

Re: migrate data filled up my internal storage

I have recently tried to migrate my data from internal storage to a 32 gb sd card that I have formatted as internal storage and it got to less than halfway before stopping and telling me that there isnt enough space. However, i was only trying to move 2 mb of data on to a 32 gb card, and now the problem is that my internal storage is now full.

My phone is a moto g3 on marshmallow 6.0

Hello! I'm Santhosh here!
There's a way to retrieve back your lost storage space due to unexpected ending of copying action!
Go to your file manager on android and hit the "Show hidden files option".
You will positively see a file with .mtp extension! {.MTP stands for "Media Transfer Protocol". Generally shows up when you connect your android to your pc".}
Its the folder where the incompletely transferred file gets stored as junk! Deleting the file will get your space back from where you started!
GOOD LUCK!

 

[xseeded]

Re: migrate data filled up my internal storage

Short: You need to format and migrate again to make the hidden files accessible (deletable) again. They respawn only *during* migration operation.

Long: When you try to delete files that were supposed to be moved after an interrupted migration-operation, they will get deleted from the SD-Card only. When you format the SD card, that will eventally result in the same. However, if you format the SD-card into an internal storage again and repeat the data migration-process all the files that you've deleted (twice) will show up again. Android somehow made them accessible again. That´s when you can delete them permanently off your internal storage. You have to do this, before the data migration process has finished, or you will end up full circle again with the files only deletable from SD and some trash data left unaccessible on your internal storage.
I didn't check wether you have to finish quickly because only files that haven't been moved already would get deleted from internal storage. But think that way you can get them all so the links are only trasferred to SD as a final wrapup during migration.

PS: You may want to make a diff-comparision of your entire file system before- and after the SD-format in order to get a list of all the files that need to be deleted from internal storage during migration.