How To Access Sd Card On Chromebook

Android apps are a neat way to expand the sometimes limited capabilities of Chromebooks, only they can be a problem if yous store almost of your information on an external medium—like an SD menu, for example.

RELATED: The All-time Android Apps You Should exist Using On Your Chromebook

Fortunately, with a few commands yous can actually "force" Android apps to not merely come across external storage, but write to it as well. I will warn you, though: this does require a few shell commands, so if you're not comfortable with that, tread carefully. Shout out to Nolirium for this incredibly helpful blog post that that got me rolling with this. Thanks to the guidance establish in that location, I was able to become this this working without issue.

And then, How Does This Work?

In brusk, we'll be using bind mounts to basically "tether" a folder on the external medium to one that'south part of the internal file construction. Basically, this allows Android see the contents of the external folder, because it's linked to a binder on the internal storage, which it can see without problems.

It'southward worth noting that bounden these folders will only piece of work in Android—it won't bear on how Chrome OS sees the folders or the files within. We're going to create a folder chosen "Bound" in the root of the Downloads directory in Chrome OS and demark a folder on the external medium to this folder, and while Android will see the contents of the external folder in the Bound directory, Chrome Os will not—the Bound direct will wait completely empty. But since Chrome OS tin can natively interact with external storage, this shouldn't be an issue.

Stride One: Create Your Folders

With that, we're set to create the directories that we'll use for this. Like I said to a higher place, nosotros're going to create a folder in the Downloads directory chosen "Bound." So become ahead and open the Chrome Os Files app, and navigate to the Downloads directory.

From at that place, right click and choose "New Folder."

Name this binder "Spring."

Information technology's worth noting that can name this any you like, but for the purposes of this tutorial and the commands you'll use below, we're using "Leap."

If you have a specific set of files you want Android to be able to see on your Chromebook, go ahead and navigate to your external medium and create a new folder hither, also. Name it accordingly—I'yard using "Screenshots" for this example, and so feel costless to change it if it doesn't brand sense for your application. Only retrieve that you'll have to change office of the commands below to reflect your folder name.

Step Two: Open a Root Vanquish and Create the Bind

First, you're going to need to open up a Crosh window past pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard. A new, solid blackness window volition open up in your browser. Alternatively, you lot can install the Crosh Window app from the Chrome App Store (which also requires the Secure Shell app to be installed), but that's not necessary if it'due south something yous don't think you'll use often.

In the Crosh window, type the following:

shell

Followed by:

sudo su

It will inquire for your countersign—this should be the same one yous sign into your Chromebook with.

At this signal, you're in a root crush, which is what nosotros desire. The following commands should give you read/write access to the external folder straight from Android apps. For the purposes of this tutorial, I'm going to break them down one at at time, but keep in mind that y'all can string them together if yous'd similar—only separate each command with && symbols.

Annotation: The default championship for an external drive in Chrome Bone is "UNTITLED." If your bulldoze has been named something else, utilize that in place of "UNTITLED" in the following commands.

With that out of the mode, enter the post-obit into the root shell window:

mount --demark /media/removable/UNTITLED/Screenshots /run/arc/sdcard/default/emulated/0/Download/Jump  mount --demark /media/removable/UNTITLED/Screenshots /run/arc/sdcard/read/emulated/0/Download/Jump  mount --bind /media/removable/UNTITLED/Screenshots /run/arc/sdcard/write/emulated/0/Download/Bound

Again, modify the proper noun of the external folder to any you lot chose if it's unlike than mine.

Step Three: Profit

That's pretty much all there is to it. Similar I said earlier, this won't touch on the way Chrome Os sees your folders, only Android.

Of course, it'due south not a perfect system. Some Android apps may be able to see the contents of the bound folder, just non collaborate with them. For case, I use Skitch for annotating screenshots, and while it can run into everything in the bound folder, information technology's unable to open any of the files. This is probably in big role to practice with the fact that Skitch is no longer in active development and then it'south quite outdated, but it's all the same a good example of how imperfect this system tin be.

Besides, this demark volition not survive a reboot. So each fourth dimension you reboot the computer, you'll have to re-enter the above commands. I've also seen where some users have lost admission to the bound folder after the system goes into sleep fashion, but I haven't personally had this consequence. As with nigh workarounds similar this one, your mileage may vary.

PicSayPro showing the contents of the Bound folder.

Of course, Google is actively working on enabling SD carte du jour contents to Android apps, and then eventually we should get proper support. But until that point, this is the next best thing.

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/316056/how-to-get-android-apps-to-see-external-storage-on-chromebooks/

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