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Files Too Large for Drives

 

This isn't so much an error as it is an inconvenience, you want to move files to a drive but get stopped by a pop-up informing you that the file is too large even though you have more than enough space free for it to be stored.

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This is caused by the designated drive's disk format type, if the drive you are trying to move the large file to is formatted as FAT-32, it will not work. 

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Sections:

  1. Intro

  2. System types explained

  3. Changing the system types

Select a section to learn more

 
 
File too large

Drive File System Types Explained

Firstly, there are 3 file types that drives can be on a Windows PC: NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT.

Each one has a limit for how big a file can be before it denies acceptance:

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  1. New Technology File System (NTFS): 256TB

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   2. File Allocation Table (FAT32): 4GB

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   3. Extensible File Allocation Table (exFAT): 256TB

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Why is it important to know about these three?

Suppose you use flash drives or any external storage for a computer.

In that case, it's good to know which system type serves which purpose

in the event of a full system backup, data migration, or something else that

requires several large files going to a drive.

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In this section, I will go over each system file type to explain the details of each one and what they are generally used for

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System Types

New Technology File System (NTFS)

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File size limit: 128PB per file

Compatibility: 

  • Windows 

  • Read-only on mac

  • Works on some Linux systems

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Why use NTFS as your drive file type?

  • Handles larger files with longer names

  • If you are using multiple drives that stay connected to the computer

  • If you are an admin who sets permissions on files

  • Best for SSDs and HDDs

 

File Allocation Table (FAT32)

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File size limit: 4GB per file

Compatibility:

  • Windows

  • Mac

  • Linux

  • Other USB devices

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Why use FAT32 as your drive file type?

  • This is the most advanced out of the three

  • This type is the most compatible with devices and has the best read and write speeds since files cannot exceed 4GB.

  • Best for flash drives and SD cards that get frequently moved

Extensible File Allocation Table (exFAT)

 

File size limit: 128PB per file

Compatibility:

  • Windows 

  • Modern versions of mac

  • Linux version Kernal 5.7 or later

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Why use exFAT?

  • Store files larger than 4GB but don't need everything NTFS offers

  • Best for portable drives that hold files larger than 4GB

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Which one should you choose?

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Long story short, the decision is simple on which one to choose

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FAT32 for Flash drives and SD cards

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NTFS for hard drives and SSDs that remain in the computer

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exFAT for portable drives that need to hold files larger than 4GB

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Changing the File System Type

Changing the file type is one of the easiest things to do, all you need to do is format the drive you want to change and select the new file type

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🚨🚨NOTE🚨🚨 Backup all data on the drive before formatting, all data will be lost after this is complete

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I will be using a blank flash drive for this example

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​(if you skipped to this section)Refer to the section above to see which system type is best for the selected drive

Format window

Step 1.) Open the File Explorer

Start>Search File Explorer

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Step 2.) Locate the drive you want to format on the left panel (navigation panel), right-click it, and select format

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Step 3.) You will now see the format window appear, Select the "File System" dropdown menu and select the system type you want.

 

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Now your drive is the file type you need it to be

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