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External Storage Devices

Expandable Storage (SD/MicroSD Cards)

Many ChromeOS devices support expandable storage via a built-in SD or MicroSD card slot. Expandable Storage on ChromeOS is often used to:

  • Offload Downloads Folder - Downloads can be large, and many users take advantage of their expandable storage devices to offload the ChromeOS downloads folder to.

  • Streaming Media Storage - Many Streaming Media Providers that support the ability to download or cache content for offline viewing also support the ability to use Expandable Storage as the default download location, including Plex, YouTube, Netflix, and Google TV.

It is important to know that unlike the internal storage of your ChromeOS Device, Expandable Storage is not encrypted and should not be used to store sensitive information.

Samsung UFS Storage

In addition to MicroSD cards, select Samsung Devices may also support the use of Samsung's UFS Storage cards. UFS Storage cards have the same dimensions as a normal MicroSD card and are inserted into your Chromebooks's MicroSD storage slot in place of a MicroSD card. UFS storage cards do have a slightly different shape to differentiate them from standard MicroSD cards and several additional data contacts. UFS storage cards are significantly faster than MicroSD cards, acting similar to the speed of a traditional Solid-State Disk Drive (SSD) with the only trade-off being compatibility. UFS cards cannot be inserted into devices that do not support UFS such as generic card readers, digital cameras, mobile phones and various other devices. UFS card readers such as the card slot in your device are however backwards compatible with standard MicroSD cards.

If you wish to read a UFS card on a different device that does not support UFS storage, you can purchase a USB USF card reader from several online retailers.

Other USB Storage Devices

ChromeOS will work with any USB Storage Device that implements the "USB Mass Storage" protocol, which includes USB Flash Drives, Media Card Readers and USB Hard Drives.

USB CD-ROMS/CD-RWs/DVD-ROMS/DVD-RWs are not supported on ChromeOS.