How do I know if my files are on my SD card?

[Android Central Question]

I recently bought a Lenovo Tab 4 8 and an SD card because it only has 16 gb of storage. When I inserted the card into the slot, a window opened prompting me to format the SD card as either internal storage of as just a file holder. I picked the "internal" option. The problem I'm having is knowing whether or not my downloaded files are saving to my SD card or my internal storage.

 

[hallux]

You don't. When you format it as internal storage the SD appears as a contiguous part of the internal storage space. If the SD is removed or fails, the device likely will need to be factory reset. Your data could actually end up split between the internal and external storage but there's no way to know on which chip it's actually located.

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[Rukbat]

What hallux explained is why some manufacturers don't even allow formatting the card as internal. It makes the card fail faster (SD cards aren't designed for being written to constantly, which is what happens). It was really developed as a very temporary measure to be able to keep the device running for a short time, until you could replace it with one with more internal storage. But people use developments to do things they're not supposed to do (like this, or moving apps to SD cards), causing problems for themselves, which they take out on the company (either on some poor associate in customer service or on the company by not buying their products any more). Nothing anyone can do but tell you that you shouldn't be doing it.