When you format an internal drive, external hard drive, flash drive, or SD card, Windows will prompt you to select the FAT32, ExFAT, and NTFS file system. But in this window there is no description of what this file system means and what is the difference between them. Therefore, in today’s article we will try to decrypt these names of file systems.

FAT32

FAT32 is the oldest file system and was introduced in Windows 95 to replace FAT16.

The age of this file system has advantages and disadvantages. You buy almost all purchased flash drives with the FAT32 file system, for maximum compatibility not only with computers, but also with game consoles and other devices that support flash drives.

Restrictions of this age: file size larger than 4GB FAT32 is not supported, so you can upload any number of files to the drive, but so that each of them is no more than 4GB. The maximum partition size in FAT32 is 8TB, but in Windows operating systems, the size of the created partition in this file system does not exceed 32GB. Although if you create a partition larger than 32GB on another system, then Windows will work with the drive, but again, if you create a partition in FAT32 larger than 32GB, then according to Microsoft, the performance of this disk significantly decreases.

While this file system is good for flash drives and other external drives, it is not very good for internal drives. It lacks the permissions and other security features built into the more modern NTFS file system. To install a modern Windows operating system, you need to create a partition only in NTFS.

Compatibility: Supported by all versions of Windows, Mac, Linux, game consoles and other USB devices.

Limitations:Maximum file size 4GB, 8TB maximum partition size. On Windows, you can create a partition no larger than 32GB.

Perfect fit: removable storage for compatibility with most devices if you use files up to 4GB.

NTFS

NTFS is the modern file system that Windows works with. All Windows operating systems format the partition to NTFS during installation. First appeared with Windows XP.

This type of file system is packed with other modern features. It supports file permissions for security, change logging, which can help you quickly recover errors if your computer suddenly restarts. It also supports shadow copies for backup, encryption, and other necessary functions.

To install a Windows system, your partition must be NTFS, and it is better to format secondary disks in this file system, for the normal operation of all applications.

But this file system is not compatible with other operating systems. It will work with all versions of Windows, but Mac OS X can only read disks in this file system, it cannot write to them. Also Linux only reads NTFS partitions, although some distributions include write support. Most game consoles do not support NTFS, for example Sony PlayStation does not support this file system, and the Xbox 360 does not support it.

Compatibility: works with all versions of Windows, read-only on Mac, also Linux read-only, and not every distro writes. Other devices – most are not supported.

Limitations: there is no limitation in file size, and in the size of the section.

Perfect fit: for the system drive, and other internal drives that will be used only in Windows.

ExFat

ExFat was introduced by Microsoft in 2006, and in another way this file system is called FAT64. Support for this file system with updates was added to Windows XP.

This file system is optimized for flash drives. One of the innovations of ExFat is the reduction in the number of overwrites of the same sector, which reduces wear and tear on the drive.

Like NTFS, ExFat is not limited in file and partition sizes. In other words, if your drive is formatted in ExFat, then you can write files larger than 4GB to it. This file system is the best choice for drives where you want a lightweight file system without file size restrictions.

ExFat is also more compatible than NTFS, if the Mac only supports NTFS reads, then ExFat fully supports both read and write. ExFat can also be available on Linux if additional software is installed.

While ExFat is more friendly with operating systems, it is often not compatible with digital cameras, and not all game consoles support this file system. And other older devices may be limited to support only FAT32.

Compatibility: Works in all versions of Windows and modern versions of Mac OS X, but requires additional software on Linux. Most older devices do not support this file system.

Limitations: there is no limitation in file size, and in the size of the section.

Perfect fit: for USB flash drives, external drives, etc. if you work with files larger than 4GB and if you want to reduce wear and tear on the drive.

NTFS is ideal for internal drives, while ExFat is more suitable for flash drives. Fat32 is mainly used for older devices that do not support other file systems.

That’s all for today, if there are additions – write comments! Good luck ?

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