Choosing the right format for USB flash drives matters. Here’s why

Technically, it has never been a problem to format USB drives with a storage capacity of more than 32GB with the FAT32 file system. Only Windows itself has never been able to do this, so you always have to resort to external tools.

This is set to change in the future.

Last summer, Microsoft announced that the operating system’s internal format command would also support storage media up to 2TB with FAT32. Compared to the previous 32GB limit, this is more than 60 times as much.

Although the new function is currently only available in some Insider pre-release versions of Windows 11, if it runs smoothly in the preview builds, it will be included in the normal operating system in the coming months.

Further reading: These apps turn your flash drive into a portable PC survival kit

This step will make it easier for many less tech-savvy PC users in particular to use flash drives with 64GB or more storage capacity more universally than before.

This brings us right to the heart of the matter, because the most important advantage of FAT32 over many other file systems is its great compatibility: drives formatted in this way guarantee read and write access on practically all devices and with the most important operating systems without any problems.

Why the file system is important

As a rule, you don’t even need to think about file systems and formatting options, because both internal and external drives simply work. For example, the PC hard drive is automatically formatted correctly when Windows is reinstalled.

And USB sticks and (micro)SD memory cards are already pre-formatted, so you usually just have to plug them in or insert them.

Incompatibility note: Although this ISO file, which is a good six GB in size, fits on the eight GB stick in principle, the FAT32 file system used only allows file sizes of up to four GB.

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However, especially with mobile storage devices, something suddenly and unexpectedly does not work. For example, because you want to use the stick or memory card on a computer with a different operating system, a router, a television, or another consumer electronics device.

Windows also acknowledges any attempt to save a file larger than 4GB on a FAT32-formatted USB stick with an error message — in this case, the maximum file size of this file system has simply been exceeded.

These are just two examples from a whole series of scenarios in which functions are impaired or errors occur. And not because the storage medium, the device socket, or anything else is defective, but simply because the file system used is not suitable and has been selected incorrectly.

In such cases, it is usually sufficient to switch to the correct format for the intended use.

Our guide explains how to solve such problems and emphasizes the practical aspects. Which file system is suitable for which application, how to solve formatting problems, and how to work around Windows restrictions.

What exactly is a file system?

Although the function for formatting the memory card in digital cameras differs from manufacturer to manufacturer, the process is basically always similar.

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A little background knowledge helps to explain which file system is suitable for which devices or purposes.

The file system, which has already been mentioned several times, is crucial when formatting and partitioning drives. This refers to the filing system of a storage medium: i.e. where and how which data is stored, changed, deleted, or encrypted.

Both for historical reasons and due to constantly increasing requirements, there are now well over 100 different file systems.

We will therefore limit ourselves to the most important ones for PCs and IT and consumer electronics devices that are used in many households. These include routers, televisions, smart TV players, digital cameras, games consoles, and smartphones.

The two file systems FAT32 and exFAT are almost universally usable. The abbreviation FAT stands for “File Allocation Table.” FAT-formatted drives are recognized by many devices and all major PC operating systems, including full access rights when writing.

This makes them ideal for exchanging data via mobile drives such as USB sticks, memory cards, and, in some cases, hard drives. On the other hand, FAT offers practically no access control, user administration, compression, and encryption.

The NTFS standard file system for hard drives in Windows PCs supports all of this, and the “New Technology File System” is also much better suited to large drives and files. Microsoft’s latest file system ReFS (Resilient File System) has not yet been able to establish itself.

Note: When configuring a boot stick as a live system or for the Windows installation, the file system is usually selected automatically. This applies to the function for creating boot media in various software as well as with Rufus for boot sticks.

Always the right file system

FAT32 works so universally that you can hardly go wrong with it. The biggest limitation, as we have already pointed out, is the file size limit of 4GB. This limitation is encountered more and more frequently with backups, ISO files and videos, not only on PCs but also on other devices. This is especially true for devices that record or save videos.

Some TVs, film, and action cams therefore split longer recordings automatically, while others can and must be switched to exFAT (extended FAT). For newer devices, exFAT may therefore be the better choice.

To find out whether an older device supports this file system, please refer to the technical data, the operating instructions, or simply try it out.

Changes to the file system without data loss are not possible with Windows, but only with external programs. Shown here using the example of Partition Master from Easeus.

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On the PC, you can change the file system of mobile drives with Windows on-board tools (see box “Caution, data loss!”) or with one of the following partitioning tools:

With Aomei Partition Assistant Standard, Easeus Partition Master Free, or Minitool Partition Wizard Free. The latter only supports FAT to NTFS. These programs do not delete any data, unlike the Windows internal functions, so you do not need to back them up separately before converting the file system.

Many cameras, televisions, and other devices also offer the option of formatting the inserted or plugged-in drive in the operating menu. This automatically ensures the correct format. Sometimes this is even the only option for using a drive on a specific device.

Further reading: How long does data last on a USB flash drive?

Again, please refer to the relevant device instructions to find out where you can find the internal formatting function. Please note that recordings stored on the TV are always encrypted and therefore linked to the individual TV set. The videos cannot be played on the PC.

The popular Fritzbox routers from AVM accept all common file systems for USB drives as network hard drives: NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and the Linux formats ext2, ext3 and ext4.

For other routers, please contact the device manufacturer. And what about games consoles? The Playstation from Sony supports external drives with FAT32 and exFAT, the Xbox models from Microsoft also support NTFS, and Nintendo only recommends FAT32 for its Switch.

Finally, there is no description of how USB sticks can be connected to Android smartphones. To do this, first check whether your phone even supports the function using the “USB OTG Checker” app from the Google Play Store.

This is by no means always the case. The abbreviation OTG stands for “On the Go” and describes the possibility of connecting peripheral devices such as USB sticks, mouse or keyboard, printers, and the like.

If your mobile phone supports OTG, you will also need an OTG adapter. This is a short cable with a USB plug (usually USB-C) at one end and a USB-A socket for plugging in the USB stick at the other. OTG adapters are available from Amazon and other retailers from around $5.

Watch out for data loss!

You can change the file system of a drive in various ways using Windows on-board tools. The easiest way is to right-click on the Explorer drive and select “Format” from the context menu.

Secondly, via the classic “Disk Management” and thirdly, in Windows 11, also via “System > Storage > Disks and Volumes” in the Settings app.

While Windows explicitly points out the loss of data when reformatting in the first two ways, this warning is missing in option three in Windows 11!

Caution! When reformatting via the Settings app in Windows 11, there is no warning that this process will delete all files on the drive.

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Important: Unlike the conversion function of Aomei Partition Assistant Standard, Easeus Partition Master Free and Minitool Partition Wizard Free, reformatting with Windows on-board tools always deletes all data stored on a drive or partition.

You should therefore back up all data stored on a hard drive before changing the file system.