exFAT vs FAT32
NTFS5 NTFS exFAT FAT32 FAT16 FAT12; Max Volume Size: 2 64 clusters – 1 cluster: 2 32 clusters – 1 cluster: 128PB: 32GB for all OS, 2TB for some OS: 2GB for all OS, 4GB for some OS: 16MB: Max Files on Volume. NTFS is regarded as the most modern file system which is widely used on system drive by default. FAT32 owns greater compatibility with other operating systems. Also, FAT32 is current the most widespread one. ExFAT is regarded as an alternative file system to replace FAT32, with greater compatibility than NTFS on more devices and operating systems. ExFAT or extended FAT is the modified and advanced file system which is used to fill the space of FAT32. It is mainly used in modern digital cameras and in ball games. Moreover, it is also used to format the high capacity SDXC memory cards.
One of the oldest file systems today, FAT32 works with all versions of Mac and Windows operating systems. However, it's not very compatible with new technologies. One of the top disadvantages of FAT32 is that it can only accommodate files that are up to 4GB in size. The name of the exFAT and Fat32 is similar where both of them contains the word FAT. Minecraft special offer. You may ask if is the exFAT the same as FAT32. ExFAT and FAT32 are not the same but the exFAT is an update to the FAT32 file system with modern features. We may call that FAT32 +NTFS = exFAT in general.
FAT32 (32 Bit File Allocation Table) is arguably the most popular file system in the world today. Despite its inferiority to current file systems, it is still in use today in many devices. exFAT is a proposed replacement for FAT32 that addresses many of its limitations. The main difference between exFAT and FAT32 is their maximum capacities. exFAT can theoretically be used for partitions of up to 64ZB but 512TB is the recommended level. In comparison, FAT32 has a maximum theoretical partition size of 16TB with 32GB being the more typical size.
It is not only the space of the partition that is limited with FAT32. FAT32 cannot hold files that have a size of 4GB or more. It might seem large for a single file, but if you frequently archive things like videos and high-resolution photos, 4GB is relatively small. exFAT does have a file size limit, but it is set at 16EB or 1 million TB; a value hundreds of thousands of times the current biggest hard drives.
One of the major flaws of FAT32 is the rapid fragmentation of files. This is because the constant creation and deletion of files creates noncontiguous areas of free space. When large files are placed into these spaces, they are broken into many pieces to fit. exFAT uses a free space bitmap just like other modern file systems. This allows exFAT to find contiguous space where the file will fit, thereby reducing the occurrence of fragmentation.
As FAT32 has been around much longer, it is understandable why it has the greatest amount of support from devices. Unreal tournament mobile. Virtually all computer operating systems support FAT32 as well standalone devices like TVs, media players, and such. exFAT isn't recognized by many operating systems, especially older ones, and is virtually unused in standalone electronics. exFAT may gradually be accepted as larger capacity cards begin to appear, but it is yet to be seen.
Something that is also worth noting is the limitation that exFAT sets on the number of files you can have in a given directory. It is set at just over 2.7 million files which is still a pretty large number. In comparison, FAT32 doesn't impose such a limit. Instead, it is the number of clusters that limit the number of files as two files cannot occupy a single cluster.
Summary:
1.exFAT allows for higher drive capacities than FAT32.
2.exFAT has a larger file size limit than FAT32.
3.exFAT uses a free space bitmap while Fat32 doesn't.
4.FAT32 has greater support than exFAT.
5.FAT32 doesn't have file number limits while exFAT does.
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What Is exFAT?
exFAT is an acronym for Extended File Allocation Table which is a file system introduced by Microsoft in 2006. https://bioconcussran1970.mystrikingly.com/blog/dpx-player-for-mac. It is created to be used on flash memory like USB flash drives, SD cards and so on.
The name of exFAT gives a hint for its precursors: FAT file system. exFAT is a newer version of the FAT32 file system, and you can think it this way: it is a middle ground between FAT32 and NTFS file system (New Technology File System).
The Pros of exFAT
exFAT is a file system that is optimized for flash drives. For that purpose, exFAT has some of the main features that distinguish it from other file systems:
- exFAT is a lightweight file system that does not require maintenance of a large amount of hardware resources.
- It offers support for huge partitions, of up to 128 pebibytes, while 512 exbibytes is recommended.
- It supports huge file stored that is much larger than the 4GB limit imposed by FAT32. If you're curious, the theoretical file size limit is 16 exbibytes, but this exceeds the maximum partition dimension, so the actual size limit of a file stored on exFAT is the same as the partition limit: 128 pebibytes.
- Cluster size up to 32MB.
- exFAT adopts the remaining space allocation table, the performance of remaining space allocation improved.
- The maximum number of files in the same directory can reach 2,796,202.
- exFAT is more compatible with a lot of devices and operating systems than NTFS.
The Cons of exFAT
exFAT lacks the support of journaling (in fact, to some extent it is not a disadvantage, and we will explain the reasons in the next part). The journaling feature allows the file system to keep records of the changes made to the files stored on it. This is useful when data corruption occurs because the logs can be used to recover corrupted data.
exFAT does not have this feature, which means that data can be more susceptible to corruption in the event of an unexpected shutdown or the inability to safely eject a removable drive formatted in this way.
Its file allocation tables and file allocations themselves do not support multi-user environments and are susceptible to large file fragmentation. Few other file systems have this issue.
It is not quite as widely-supported as FAT32 does.
What's the Benefits When You Choose exFAT for A Removable Media
We take the USB flash drive as an example to explain this issue. First of all, we mentioned that exFAT is between FAT and NTFS. Though for performance it cannot compare to NTFS, it does have features better than FAT32 which you can find in the pros of exFAT(last part).
Here we list one typical point. The USB flash drive which is formatted with FAT32 file system cannot have a single file over 4GB. Although there are few opportunities for a single file to exceed 4GB, it does not mean that there are not: original files for BD/HD movies, uncompressed audio files for lossless music lovers, ISO files for DVDs, etc., if you want a full backup, you must choose exFAT over FAT32 as the storage format.
Then you might ask why not choose NTFS? Yes, NTFS is a more powerful file system, but it is targeted 'log' file system requires frequent recording of disks during reading and writing, while a USB flash drive has a limit on the number of reading and writing, therefore, theoretically a USB flash drive which uses the NTFS format will have a relatively short lifetime. And the compatibility is a problem too.
What's more? 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.
What Is Exfat Vs Fat32
In summary, if you want to format a USB flash drive but don't know which file system to choose, here are the advices:
Ntfs Vs Fat32 Vs Exfat For Usb
- It is generally recommended to use the FAT32 format, which has the greatest compatibility.
- If you want a better performance experience, want to store large files, or use the drive between Mac and Windows, you can choose the exFAT format (might not be recognized by some devices other than the computer).
- NTFS format is not recommended.
