FAT32 vs. exFAT vs. NTFS: What's the Difference? - How-To Geek
Aug 24, 2023 · 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 …
How to Format a USB Drive to FAT32 on Windows 11 or Windows 10
Jul 6, 2023 · We'll show you both ways to accomplish the task, so your drive is formatted in your preferred format. Formatting your drive with any file system erases all the data stored on the drive. …
How to Format a Hard Drive or SSD on Windows 11
Dec 10, 2023 · File System: A file system is a data structure that tells an operating system how to save and load files to or from a disk. Depending on the drive's size, your options will be FAT, FAT32, …
What Should I Set the Allocation Unit Size to When Formatting?
Mar 26, 2023 · We've put together some tables comparing NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT, since they're the most common formats you'll encounter, and are regularly used with USB flash drives, storage drives, …
What File System Should I Use for My USB Drive? - How-To Geek
Apr 8, 2023 · exFAT: The extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) builds on FAT32 and offers a lightweight system without all the overhead of NTFS. ext2, ext3, & ext4: The extended file system …
How to Fix Your USB Drive Not Showing Up on Windows 10 or …
Sep 27, 2025 · If you want the drive to be compatible with as many other operating systems and devices as possible, format it with the exFAT file system when Windows asks. Otherwise, if you're only using …
How to Make a USB Drive That Can Be Read on Macs and PCs
Jul 7, 2021 · That file system is called exFAT, and it's designed for flash media cross-platform compatibility. Below, we'll show you how to set up a USB drive as exFAT for both Windows and Mac.
How to Format a USB Drive on Windows 10
May 20, 2022 · ExFAT is supported by Linux, macOS, Chrome OS, and Windows, meaning it will work with the overwhelming majority of all computers you will ever encounter. The file system exFat also …
How to Format USB Drives Larger Than 32GB With FAT32 on Windows
Oct 17, 2023 · Remember, just because you can format a large drive with FAT32 doesn't mean that you should — exFAT is better in most ways, and is supported by almost every modern device.
Which Linux File System Should You Use? - How-To Geek
Mar 1, 2017 · If you're formatting an external drive you want to share with other operating systems, you shouldn't use Ext4 because Windows, macOS, and other devices can't read Ext4 file systems. You'll …