Which is better fat or fat32. File system difference - which one is better? Which file system is better exFAT, NTFS or FAT32

Let's analyze the types of file system for a flash drive, which one is still better. One user sent me a photo with the error "The file is too large for the target file system" and decided to write an article in which cases to use FAT32, NTFS and exFAT systems. He moved a file larger than 4 GB to an 8 GB flash drive. The fact is that the FAT32 system cannot process information over 4 GB, if your flash drive has a capacity of 32 GB and its file system is FAT32, then you will not be able to write a file over 4 GB to it. Consider all three file systems in windows, analyze their pros and cons.

FAT32

The old file system mode, which is usually used when buying a flash drive from the store and the reason for this is compatibility. Compatibility lies in the fact that FAT32 can be used on any computer running MAC, Windows, Linux, old PCs. The biggest limitation is that it has a 4 GB file size limit, which today has problems with formats such as 4k video, Blu-ray. In a word, if you are going to work with files that are less than 4 GB in size and the flash drive is used on different computers, with different operating systems, then the FAT32 file system is very suitable.

exFAT

An updated file system created by Microsoft to replace FAT32. Started in Windows Vista SP1 and has a maximum file size of 16 exabytes (EB), which is 1 EB = 10 18 bytes. Compatible with Mac OS and Windows, it is a very good system for sharing large files.

Minuses:

• It does not have any logging functionality in which all changes to files on disk are logged before they are actually executed.
• Not supported by Time Machine on Apple. In a word, you will not be able to backup from Apple using Time Machine software.
• A very complex structure that requires more computing power.

Pros:

• Rewrites the same sector fewer times, which is important for flash drives, extending the life of memory cells. As you know, flash drives have N-number of overwrites, then they fail.
• Large file size limit of 16 exabytes.
• The cluster size is 32 megabytes.
• Improved free space distribution, which reduces disk defragmentation.

NTFS

The latest file system created by microsoft is the modern structure of today for almost any modern internal hard drive, flash drive or ssd drive. NTFS is a new file system technology. The windows system can only be installed on NTFS. It is the default for operating system discs due to its versatility. It has all microsoft technologies: logging, no file size limit, support for file compression, long filenames, file access control for server admins and more. At home, this is the best option for using this system on disks and flash drives. There is one catch, when you insert a USB flash drive into Mac OS, you can copy information from a USB flash drive, but you cannot change it.

Output:

For USB sticks you should use exFAT if you are constantly in the Mac OS, Windows environment, moving the flash drive from one operating system to another. If you're only using windows, then NTSF is a great solution.

The choice of a file system for an ordinary user becomes relevant when formatting a hard drive, flash drive or other storage medium. The system offers several options: FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS. Almost nothing is known about the advantages and disadvantages of each, so they often choose what is heard - as a rule, this is NTFS. In fairness, it should be clarified that FAT16 today is more of a memory, and media formatting into it is only done as an experiment. The exFAT system, due to its still insignificant distribution, can also be considered, if not an exclusive, then not a universal solution - not all operating systems support it. So the choice is between two abbreviations - FAT32 and NTFS.

FAT32 is a file system based on FAT16. Basically, this file system is a file allocation spreadsheet using 32-bit entries. By the way, the abbreviation stands for File Allocation Table.

NTFS- a file system, which is a certain structure: at the beginning of the disk, a summary table (or directory) of all files, then - the actual data. The abbreviation stands for New Technology File System.

In practice, today the FAT32 file system is more often used on small removable media, NTFS - on system drives and for storing large files. FAT32 clusters are larger, therefore, disk space is used irrationally when storing a large number of small files. A large number of programs that require the presence, for example, many libraries, font files, and others, will respond slowly to a FAT32 system. NTFS provides fast access to a small file or part of a file.

In general, NTFS is noticeably slower than FAT32, but NTFS is more efficient when accessing large files. Fragmentation does not affect NTFS in any way, while FAT32 will significantly reduce performance (especially when working with medium-sized directories).

If we talk about the hardware operation of hard drives, then FAT32 will provide a sparing mode for them: when reading, the head makes fewer movements, respectively, the degree of mechanical wear will be less. However, the relevance of this property is lost in light of the negligible use of the FAT32 file system on hard drives in systems. The design of flash drives and memory cards does not imply mechanical wear.

Working with the NTFS file system requires a significant amount of RAM, so weak systems with less than 64 MB of RAM are not designed for it. Although at present such assemblies can only be found in museums or created for the sake of experiments. However, it is worth remembering that the FAT32 system does not impose requirements on the amount of RAM, especially if you take into account the option of expanding the standard memory of mobile devices. The phone simply will not be able to work with a memory card formatted in NTFS, even if it can be accessed from the operating system.

The maximum file size in FAT32 is 4 GB. NTFS theoretically supports files up to 16TB in size. The theoretical maximum disk size for FAT32 is 8 TB, while for NTFS it is about 16 exabytes. However, technologies have not yet reached the use of these properties in practice.

Another undoubted plus in the NTFS piggy bank is the ability to compress a file at the file system level. You can also talk about a higher level of system reliability, and, in addition, the ability to save the file structure in NTFS in the event of a failure.

Findings site

1. NTFS uses disk space more rationally.
2. FAT32 is faster.
3. NTFS provides high performance when working with large files.
4. FAT32 supports files up to 4 GB in size.
5. FAT32 does not require a lot of RAM.
6. NTFS provides high system reliability.

Surely, when formatting a flash drive, many users were lost when choosing a new file system for it. In fact, the layman is unlikely to know how NTFS differs from FAT32. But the differences are quite significant. In this article, we will reveal the main differences between these three formats. Of course, there are an order of magnitude more of them, but others, such as ext4 and HFS, are irrelevant within the Windows operating system, as they are used to work in distributions based on the Linux kernel and on Mac OS.

What is NTFS and FAT32?

To understand the difference between NTFS and FAT32, let's try to define them, because not every user understands all the intricacies of a computer system.

So, FAT32 and NTFS are file systems. In turn, the file system is a way of organizing all the information coming to the drive. Without it, the operating system simply will not be able to interact with all the data on a flash drive or hard drive. The presented file systems, as already noted, are not the only ones of their kind, but are considered relevant, that is, often used in Windows.

Now let's designate the criteria by which it will be possible to compare the described file systems with each other. This is necessary in order to understand how NTFS differs from FAT32. So, there are three main aspects in this matter:

1. Compatibility and system requirements.
2. Impact on drive chip wear.
3. Limit on the size and amount of recorded data.

Well, now you can proceed directly to the analysis of the question of how the FAT32 system differs from NTFS.

Criterion one: compatibility and system requirements

If you plan to use a flash drive not only for a computer, but also for other multimedia devices, then compatibility is one of the most important criteria for choosing a file system. Let's see how FAT32 differs from NTFS in terms of compatibility and system requirements.

• FAT32

FAT32 is the oldest file system presented in this article. Its data organization has been used since the popularity of the MS-DOS operating system. Of these systems, it is also the most optimized for all types of devices. That is, you can easily use it on newfangled devices like the latest Android smartphones or play music on old audio players. As for the system requirements, everything here is also loyal. FAT32 does not consume a lot of computer resources and practically does not load the processor.

When the Windows operating system received a new NT architecture by those standards, then the NTFS file system was born. Now it is considered standard for all Windows operating systems. However, despite this, it will be possible to view it on computers running Mac OS and Linux. But do not even try to play music from such a flash drive on car radios or second-tier players: with almost one hundred percent probability, you will not succeed. Also, smartphones based on Android and iOS systems will refuse to detect the connected drive via an OTG cable. Also note that the system requirements have increased.

Criterion two: impact on drive wear

We found out how the FAT32 file system differs from NTFS in terms of compatibility, now let's look at the second criterion - the effect on drive wear. The fact is that the Flash memory that any flash drive is equipped with has its own limit, after which it simply ceases to function. It is expressed in the number of allowable overwrites of data cells, that is, the less often the data is overwritten, the longer the flash drive will last.

• FAT32

If you value the durability of your flash drive, then you'd better refuse this file system. It works great with small and medium sized files, but despite this, it fragments them quite a lot. Accordingly, the number of overwrites of the same memory cells increases, and the durability of the drive, on the contrary, decreases.

As for NTFS, with this file system, the flash drive will last an order of magnitude longer than with FAT32. The developers have achieved this by introducing the technology of indexing all data, which reduces the number of overwrites of the same memory cells. But there is also a significant drawback - this system is noticeably slower in working with data.

Criterion Three: Restrictions

Two criteria have already been analyzed, now let's move on to the last one and see how NTFS differs from FAT32 in terms of the restrictions imposed when using them.

• FAT32

If we talk about the main disadvantages of the FAT32 file system, then these are undoubtedly its limitations on data recording. Due to the peculiarities of data organization, the maximum size of the recorded file should not exceed 4 GB. Of course, before this figure seemed sky-high, but now this size is more about medium than large. There is another unpleasant moment: the root directory of such a system cannot contain more than 512 files. However, it is leveled by a little trick - if the files are placed in directories, then the restriction disappears.

If we talk about NTFS, then, closing our eyes to all the technical points, we can say that there are no restrictions on writing data. Of course, they exist, but to achieve them in our time is simply unrealistic. This applies to both the size of the recorded file and the number of files in the root directory.

So we figured out what is the difference between the NTFS and FAT32 file systems, now we can give some recommendations on their choice.

1. If you plan to use a flash drive to play media files in old-style players, then it is better to use FAT32.
2. If you need to write large files to the drive, then you definitely need to format the flash drive in NTFS.
3. If you need a high data write speed, it is recommended to use FAT32.
4. To prolong the life of your flash drive, format it to NTFS.

Conclusion

All the nuances of using the NTFS and FAT32 file systems were discussed above. We hope this article was useful for you and you were able to understand what are the differences between these seemingly two similar systems.

Greetings!

Whatever the storage medium is - be it a hard drive, an SSD drive or a flash drive (MicroSD, microSDXC, USB-Flash Drive, etc.), they all need a file system so that they can write and read data from them.

There are a number of file systems, but in this article we will consider the most popular and, accordingly, used ones.

The presented information is very useful in situations where you need to format a hard disk (SSD drive) or one of its partitions, a flash drive, etc.

FAT16, FAT32 file system - history and features

Let's start with the file system FAT16(also called simply FAT) - it was created primarily for the MS DOS operating system, and its support was available in Windows 95 and Windows 98. The limit on the maximum size of a single file was 2 Gigabytes. Exactly the same could be the maximum partition size.

The dominance of FAT16 did not last long, it was soon replaced by the FAT32 file system - it was standard for Windows 95 and Windows 98, although for compatibility purposes, as mentioned above, these operating systems also supported FAT16.

In FAT32, the maximum file size was already 4 GB. Those. the number of files can be any, but the size of any of them cannot exceed 4 gigabytes. And the maximum partition size could be theoretically 8 Terabytes, but in Windows it was artificially limited. For example, in Windows 98, the size of a partition could not exceed 137 GB.

You may have a natural question why, after so many years, flash drives and small hard drives can be formatted into this file system. The answer to this question is below.

• Compatibility: FAT32 is still universally supported by major operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Linux, various standalone devices (set-top boxes, MP3 players, phones, smartphones, etc.) and embedded systems.
• Restrictions: If you try to write a file that is larger than 4 gigabytes, you will not be able to do this and an error will pop up. There are solutions to this problem.

  There are also partition size limits - although FAT32 theoretically supports storage media up to 8 Terabytes, in Windows XP (and later) you will not be able to format a disk or partition larger than 32 GB to FAT32. This limitation was introduced by Microsoft in order to maintain optimal performance when working with this file system.

• Today, this file system is successfully used on flash drives and drives in order to ensure maximum compatibility with the widest class of devices.

  Another advantage is the absence of redundant writing / reading of "technical data" in the process of interacting with this file system. For Flash disks, which have a limited resource for reading / writing memory cells, this is undoubtedly a blessing.

NTFS file system - description, application and key properties

File system NTFS today is relevant and ubiquitous. First debuting in Windows XP, it continues to be used in all modern versions of Microsoft's operating system, including the latest Windows 10.

Its developers did their best, endowing this file system with many features that were dictated by modern realities. For example, due to the recording of technical information of all ongoing file operations, it was significantly possible to increase the reliability of data safety in the event of a sharp blackout of the media.

Also in NTFS was added the ability to set the rights to files and folders, which significantly raises the overall security when working in Windows. Do not forget about the possibility of creating shadow copies of files and data during the operation of a system that actively uses the Windows OS in order to ensure high performance when backing up data, encrypting and simply operating the operating system normally.

Naturally, this is not a complete list of what the modern NTFS file system offers.

As mentioned above, this file system is standard for Windows XP and subsequent released operating systems from Microsoft. During the installation of the operating system, you will not even be able to select a file system - the hard drive or SSD will be formatted strictly in NTFS.

Due to the significant complication of the principles of the NTFS file system and some licensing issues, it has very limited support from other operating systems and devices.

For example, the MacOS operating system can only read data from media that uses NTFS, but it can no longer write data to media with this file system.

In Linux the situation is better. Although standard Linux can only read data from NTFS media, some final Linux distributions also add support for writing to NTFS drives.

As for standalone devices, game consoles (Sony PlayStation, Xbox 360), etc., in most cases NTFS is not supported by them.

• Compatibility: Fully supported in all modern OS versions from Microsoft. Macintosh (MacOS) only supports reading, while Linux supports reading and, in some final distributions, also writing. As for other devices, in most cases it is not supported at all.
• Restrictions: There are no restrictions on the number and size of files and folders.
• Optimal scope: The file system was created with an eye to use for hard drives (and later SSDs), mainly in the Windows environment.

ExFat file system - what it is, what it was created for

ExFat(also called FAT64) is a file system that debuted in 2006, designed for flash drives. During its development, all the best from FAT32 was taken and its inherent limitations were eliminated. ExFat has no limits on the maximum file size that can be written to media with a given file system.

Also, the situation with the elimination of an excessive number of technical read / write operations has been further improved in order to ensure the maximum speed of basic file operations with a minimum impact on memory cells in order to prevent and delay their wear as much as possible.

If we talk about compatibility, then the situation with it is much better when compared with the same NTFS. MacOS has full support for read/write operations, and support from Linux is available, provided that you install several packages from the repository.

As for external devices, the situation with ExFat support is improving, but it is definitely impossible to guarantee support on all devices.

• Compatibility: It has full support on Windows starting with Windows XP, on MacOS and Linux OS (you may need to install a support package from the repository).

  Old standalone devices (MP3 players, cameras, etc.) may not be supported.

• Restrictions: This file system does not have any restrictions on both the maximum file size and their number.
• Optimal scope: Any flash drives and drives (MicroSD, microSDXC, USB Flash drive, etc.) larger than 4 GB. A flash drive with this file system will show high speed performance and last longer than if it uses NTFS.

Summary

To summarize the above, it turns out that the NTFS file system should be used for hard (HDD) and SSD drives that are installed inside the computer, and ExFat for external flash drives.
And FAT32 is best used for flash drives of small size (up to 4 gigabytes), as well as flash drives that are used in older devices and do not understand ExFat.

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Every time a user is going to format a drive, be it a hard drive or a regular flash drive, he is faced with the question of which file system to choose: NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT. The differences between them for a simple user are insignificant, if not completely absent, so the features of each file system will be described further in the text.

What is a file system

Before listing the differences between FAT32 and NTFS, it is worth understanding what it is all about. As could be deduced from the above, these are file systems. They are needed for the only thing: allowing users to interact with data on the drive using operating system tools. In simple terms, a file system is a library in which there are files on the shelves instead of books.

There are actually many more file systems than what was presented above. Of the unmentioned, one can single out, for example, ext4 and HFC, which are used in Linux and Mac OS operating systems, respectively. But only three will be analyzed in the article: FAT32, NTFS and exFAT, because they are the most popular, if not the only ones, within the Windows operating system.

For the convenience of determining the differences between NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT file systems, we will compare them according to three most important criteria: compatibility, impact on drive wear and limitations.

Compatibility

Let's start with perhaps the most important aspect - compatibility. The difference between FAT32 and NTFS and exFAT in this regard is quite large, but first things first.

This file system is the oldest one presented. Accordingly, for the most part, all devices support it, ranging from desktop computers based on the Windows XP operating system to radio tape recorders installed in cars. All advanced operating systems work with it: Windows, Linux, Mac OS. If desired, flash drives with this file system can also be viewed on smartphones, however, this will require a special OTG adapter.

NTFS is considered to be the Windows file system. So this is no accident. It was created by developers from Microsoft at the time when their system switched to the NT architecture, hence the name. This fact imposes some restrictions on its compatibility. So, you can easily use the same flash drive on computers running Windows and Linux, and using additional software on Mac OS computers, but the old player will refuse to recognize the device.

This file system is newfangled. Hence its main drawback - poor compatibility. You can use a flash drive with this file system only within the Windows OS and on Android and iOS smartphones.

Impact on chip wear

Now let's look at the difference between FAT32 and NTFS for a flash drive in terms of the impact on its wear. The fact is that any flash drive has restrictions on overwriting memory cells, respectively, the more often the flash drive is overwritten, the sooner it will become unusable.

Here the situation is exactly the opposite of the previous one - FAT32 has an organization that is great for working with small files, but it also manages to fragment them, resulting in a large number of overwrites in individual memory cells.

Since NTFS is a newer file system compared to FAT32, things are better with the impact on flash drive wear. Due to the introduction of file indexing technology into it, the developers managed to reduce the number of their fragmentation. It follows that with the NTFS system, your flash drive will last an order of magnitude longer.

If NTFS is newer than FAT32, then exFAT is the newest. She knows how to handle a flash drive best of all, extending its service life to the maximum. So this is because the developers originally created it for portable drives.

Write Data Size Limits

If you have written large files to a flash drive, then most likely you are familiar with the situation when an error appears in such cases. This is due to the limitations of the file system. What are the differences between FAT32 and NTFS in this regard?

Perhaps, FAT32 again loses to its "competitors" in this matter. Due to its "age" is not able to fit a file larger than 4 gigabytes. At the time when it was created, this indicator was unattainable, but everything has changed, and 4 gigabytes is now a very small value. Among other things, you will not be able to write more than 512 files to the root directory on a FAT32 flash drive.

This file system already copes with loads that the previous one cannot withstand. In fact, there are limitations in it, but in the near future it will not be possible to approach them in any way, therefore it is now generally accepted that they are simply absent. You can easily write as many files as you want to the root directory and place a file of any size on the drive.

If NTFS has no restrictions, then exFAT even more so. You will only encounter an error if you try to write a file larger than 16 zettabytes, which is simply unrealistic, because there is no such file and there is no flash drive of this size. Well, it is better to keep silent about the number of files in the root directory.

Which file system to choose

So we looked at all the differences between FAT32 and NTFS and exFAT. As a result, we can give some recommendations for choosing a file system:

• If you want to use your flash drive to play media files on older devices, then choose FAT32.
• If you value the durability of your drive, format it to NTFS, and preferably exFAT.
• When working with big data, categorically refuse the FAT32 file system.
• If data writing speed is important to you, use exFAT, and if you are still working with small files, then FAT32.

Conclusion

We hope you now understand the difference between FAT32, NTFS and exFAT. Above, we tried to analyze all their features and nuances. It is up to you to choose which of the listed file systems suits you best.