How do I add an eSIM on my Samsung?

Before you add an eSIM on Samsung

Three checks save you trouble later:

1. Check that your phone has eSIM. Dial *#06#. If an EID (the ID number of the eSIM chip) appears next to the IMEI, the phone has eSIM. Samsung warns that eSIM may not work on a listed model, depending on the country the phone was made for [1].
2. Check that the phone is not locked to a carrier. A locked phone accepts only its own carrier's eSIM. Run a manual network search in the mobile network settings: if the phone lists other carriers' networks, it is most likely unlocked.
3. Connect to Wi-Fi. The eSIM profile downloads over the internet, so install at home before you travel.

Buying your first travel eSIM? Our first eSIM guide walks you through choosing and buying a plan in five steps.

How to add an eSIM on Samsung with a QR code

Most providers send a QR code linked to your plan, by email, on their website or in their app. Then:

1. Go to Settings > Connections > SIM manager [1].
2. Tap Add eSIM.
3. Tap Scan QR code and scan the code from your provider.
4. Wait for the plan to download and confirm the activation.
5. For a travel eSIM, turn on data roaming for the new line.

On older Galaxy models the names differ a little: the menu is called SIM card manager, and you tap Add mobile plan, then Add using QR code. Samsung also offers eSIM Simple Setup, where the plan downloads on its own after you tap Add eSIM, but that works only with the home carriers Samsung lists, not with travel eSIMs [1].

You can scan the QR code from a second screen or from a screenshot. Some travel providers skip the QR code and install the eSIM from their app instead, for example Saily, GoMoWorld and Roamless.

How to enter Samsung eSIM details manually

If your provider gives you an activation code instead of a QR code, type it in:

1. Go to Settings > Connections > SIM manager.
2. Tap Add eSIM, then Scan QR code.
3. Tap Enter activation code and type the code from your provider [1].
4. Wait for the plan to download and confirm the activation.
5. For a travel eSIM, turn on data roaming for the new line.

On older models, tap Add mobile plan and then Add using activation code. If you would rather scan, you can turn an activation code into a QR code with our free tool.

Samsung eSIM settings after installing

An installed eSIM does not mean working data yet. In Settings > Connections > SIM manager, check three things:

1. The new eSIM is switched on.
2. The eSIM is set as your mobile data line.
3. Data roaming is on for the eSIM. A travel eSIM acts as a roaming guest on the local network, even in the country it is sold for, so it needs roaming on. The provider does not charge extra for it.

Keep your home SIM on for calls and texts, so your number keeps working, but turn off data roaming on it so your home carrier does not charge you for data abroad. If data still does not come on after landing, our eSIM troubleshooting guide lists the fixes in order, and our guide to switching networks on an eSIM shows how to pick the network by hand.

Samsung eSIM installation in screenshots

The ten screenshots below follow a real installation on a Galaxy phone, from the SIM manager to a working eSIM. Tap an image to enlarge it.

How to remove or move an eSIM on Samsung

To remove an eSIM plan you no longer need:

1. Go to Settings > Connections > SIM manager.
2. Tap the eSIM plan you want to remove.
3. Switch the plan off (the toggle turns grey).
4. Tap Remove.

Take care before you delete. Samsung phones can delete all eSIMs at once, and it is easy to lose the eSIM with your own number by mistake. Some travel eSIMs also cannot be reinstalled once deleted, Holafly and Global YO among them, so switch a travel eSIM off instead of deleting it if you might need it again.

Changing phones? With Samsung's eSIM transfer you move a carrier eSIM from another Galaxy or Android phone, or from an iPhone, under Add eSIM on the new phone. It works only if your carrier offers it and the new phone is unlocked [1]. In the same SIM manager you can also convert a physical SIM to an eSIM, if your carrier allows it [1]. Travel eSIMs usually work on one device only, so ask the provider before you switch phones.

Samsung phones with eSIM

Every Galaxy S model from the S20 has eSIM, and so do the Z Flip and Z Fold foldables and some A models. The table shows how many eSIM profiles each model can hold.

* eSIM depends on the market the phone was made for. The Chinese and Hong Kong versions of the Galaxy S23 FE, for example, have no eSIM.

Samsung's own list is longer than our table: it also includes the Galaxy S25 and S26 series, the S24 FE to S26 FE, the newer Z Fold and Z Flip models, more A models and the XCover7, XCover7 Pro and XCover6 Pro [1]. For other brands, see our list of phones with eSIM.