What is FAT32 vs exFAT?

exFAT is the successor to FAT32, and addresses FAT32's biggest limitations: file and drive sizes. FAT32 can't handle partitions larger than 8TB, or files larger than 4GB, whereas exFAT can handle files and partitions up to 128 petabytes, which is 128,000 terabytes.

Should I use FAT32 or exFAT?

FAT32 has better compatibility. If you are not sure whether your device supports exFAT, we recommend formatting the memory card to FAT32.

How much faster is exFAT than FAT32?

For file delete operations, the NTFS file system delivers up to 68% of performance improvements and the exFAT file system delivers up to 24% of performance improvements over the normally used FAT32 file system.

Can I convert exFAT to FAT32?

On Disk Management, Right-click on your exFAT USB or external device, select "Format”. Step 4. Set the file system to FAT32, tick "Quick Format" and click "OK" to confirm. When the formatting process finishes, your device is ready for saving and transfer files in the FAT32 format.

Why choose exFAT over FAT32?

However, exFAT is best for portable storage devices due to more efficient power and memory management. It also allows you to use a storage device on both Windows and macOS. The FAT32 disk format is only recommended for compatibility with older operating systems.

NTFS vs FAT32 vs exFAT - Everything You Need To Know

Can all USB drives be formatted to exFAT?

If your USB is small, for example, 4GB, it may not make sense to format it to exFAT because you will never be able to store files larger than 4GB, unless you have the need to transfer files between macOS and Windows devices. For small USB drives of under 32 GB, you can format flash drive to either FAT32 or exFAT.

What are the disadvantages of exFAT?

What is the best format for a USB stick?

exFAT is the ideal file system for USB flash drives. It doesn't have the 4GB file size limit and it's compatible with most Windows and Mac operating systems. Older operating systems might require an update to properly read and write to a USB drive with an exFAT file system.

Should I format my USB FAT or exFAT?

What are the pros and cons of exFAT?

While exFAT is not quite as widely supported as FAT32, it's still compatible with many TVs, cameras and other similar devices. Most importantly, exFAT works with both Windows and macOS. The only real downside of exFAT for external hard drives is its lack of “journaling” ability.

Can I change FAT32 to exFAT without losing data?

As we all know, formatting will erase all the data in storage media. So, if you want to convert FAT32 to exFAT without losing data, you should do a backup first. Then, once you have backed up your data, you can start the conversion process.

Can exFAT be read on TV?

The FAT32 USB format is the most common format supported by TVs, although recent TVs support the ExFAT format. The ExFAT format also works when the videos you are going to show on the TV via the USB drive is larger than 4GB.

Does exFAT make files bigger?

exFAT supports greater file size and partition size limits than FAT 32. FAT 32 has a 4GB maximum file size and 8TB maximum partition size, whereas you can store files that are larger than 4GB each on a flash drive or SD card formatted with exFAT. exFAT's maximum file size limit is 16EiB (Exbibyte).

Which format is best for external hard drive?

For Windows PC only, NTFS is the best for an external hard drive. For Windows and Mac, exFAT is the best format for an external hard dive.

Should my USB stick be FAT32 or NTFS?

The FAT32 file system is suitable for smaller capacity flash memory devices (such as memory cards, USB drives, and other storage devices), while the NTFS file system is suitable for large capacity disks.

What is the maximum file size for FAT32?

The FAT32 file system uses smaller clusters than the FAT file system, has duplicate boot records, and features a root directory that can be of any size and can be located anywhere on the disk or partition. The maximum possible size for a file on a FAT32 volume is 4 GB.

How do I format a 32gb flash drive to FAT32?

At a command prompt, type cvt drive: /cvt32 and then press ENTER, where drive is the drive you want to convert to the FAT32 file system. NOTE: A drive must be at least 512 megabytes (MB) in size to be converted to the FAT32 file system.

What is the purpose of exFAT?

Enable very large files and storage devices. The exFAT file system uses 64 bits to describe file size, thereby enabling applications which depend on very large files. The exFAT file system also allows for clusters as large as 32MB, effectively enabling very large storage devices.

What happens when you format extended storage as exFAT?

When you format the USB extended storage drive, all game data saved on the drive is erased. Go to Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage. Select ... (More) > Format as exFAT.

What memory card is compatible with exFAT?

SDXC Memory Cards and 256GB CompactFlash cards are formatted natively in the exFAT file system. Flash Drives may also be formatted in exFAT.

Does Windows understand exFAT?

Yes, exFAT is compatible with all Windows and modern versions of macOS.

What devices can read exFAT?

The exFAT file system is compatibility with both Windows and Mac, so if you want to transfer data between computers with these two different operating systems, formatting a USB flash drive with exFAT is the best choice.

Does formatting a USB to FAT32 delete everything?

Will formatting a USB drive delete everything? Yes. The act of formatting a pen drive or memory stick removes all data being stored on the device.

What advantages disadvantages does exFAT have over FAT32?

Compared to FAT32, which supports a maximum file size of 4GB and volume size of 32GB on Windows format, 2TB on other operating systems, and 16TB on certain theoretical applications, exFAT supports a maximum file size of 16 exabytes while storing file size references in eight bytes instead of four bytes.