Why use FAT32 over exFAT?

If you are sure that you won't be copying or moving files larger than 4GB, Fat 32 is the way to go. On the other hand, if you need to deal with a large file, then use exFAT. On similar lines, small storage like SD Card and USB go better with FAT32, while external hard drives can use exFAT.

Should I format my USB drive FAT32 or exFAT?

FAT32 is older and useful when you need to ensure maximum compatibility with any computer or game console. exFAT is best for flash drives or external drives that will only be used with modern computers and game consoles. NTFS should be used when installing a drive in a Windows computer.

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.

What are the disadvantages of exFAT?

Does exFAT transfer slower?

Yes, exFAT is slower than NTFS. exFAT as a responsive speed for small files and a 15MB/s write speed for large files. NTFS is very slow for small files but the fastest with 25MB/s speed for large files.

NTFS vs FAT32 vs exFAT - Everything You Need To Know

Which format is best for external hard drive?

The “right” file system for your hard drive depends on how it's being used. For instance, if you're using the drive on multiple computers, exFAT is compatible on Mac and Windows. It also works for most USB thumb drives and larger externals. If you're only using Windows computers though, you'll format it as NTFS.

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.

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.

What file is too big for USB exFAT?

To fix the "File is too large for the destination file system" error, you have to format the destination drive to NTFS for exFAT. Unlike FAT32, NTFS and exFAT support storing files larger than 4GB that FAT32 can't.

Why can't I format exFAT to FAT32?

Actually, the reason why you can't format to FAT32 is that the FAT32 file system has size limit (32 GB), which is set by Microsoft manually. On a hard drive with 512-byte sectors, the real size limit of FAT32 is 2TB.

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.

Why is there no FAT32 format option?

There are a few reasons why your USB drive might not be formatting to FAT32. The first reason is that your USB drive might be larger than 32 GB. As a result, it can't be formatted to FAT32. The second reason is that your USB drive might have been formatted using a different file system, such as NTFS.

What is the maximum file size for FAT32 USB drive?

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.

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.

When should I use exFAT?

exFAT should be your preferred choice if you want to transfer large-size files and make them work on almost every platform. Due to FAT32's 4GB limitation, it is only used on USB-like devices. Fat32 is a bit limited in functionality.

Does Windows understand exFAT?

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

Should I use FAT or exFAT for USB drive?

Should I use exFAT for USB? Absolutely, exFAT is the best formatting option for portable storage devices. It is compatible with more systems than NTFS and supports larger storage sizes and file sizes than FAT32 which makes it perform external hard drives and flash drives.

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.

Is NTFS slower than exFAT?

NTFS is faster as an internal drive file system. It consistently outperforms exFAT efficiency and uses fewer system resources. However, exFAT acts faster when used as the file system for external drives as the read/write speeds are handled differently over USB connections and between operating systems.

Is exFAT good for external hard drive?

Q #2) What is the best format for a hard drive? Answer: NTFS (New Technology for File System) is the recommended format if you intend to use a drive on Windows operating system. However, if you want to use a storage device on both Windows and macOS, the best format is exFAT.

Is exFAT a reliable format?

ExFAT is an inherently less reliable system compared to NTFS or HFS simply because it only has a single index and is much more prone to corruption. If you're setting up a NAS it won't matter because SMB takes care of the access requests and the client machine won't care what the disk format is.

Should I format my old external hard drive?

If you buy an external drive—such as one of our recommended portable or desktop hard drives, portable solid-state drives, or USB 3.0 flash drives—you may need to reformat it to work with your operating system of choice, since different operating systems use different file systems to process data.

Is exFAT good for long term storage?

exFAT is only good for quick file transfers and shouldn't be considered as reliable long term storage solution.

How to change from exFAT to FAT32?