ExFAT – Difference Between Three File Systems. Short Bytes: FAT32, NTFS, exFAT are three different files systems used to store data in a storage device. Created by Microsoft, they have their pros and cons which you might want to know and will allow you to use them wisely. So despite the disadvantages, ExFAT is your best option for cross-platform hard drives. RELATED: How to Read a Mac-Formatted Drive on a Windows PC. Case Sensitive: Avoid Unless You Know Why You Want It. APFS and Mac OS Extended both offer a “Case Sensitive” option, but macOS does not use this setting by default.
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HomeTech NewsFAT32 vs.NTFS vs. exFAT – Features,Compatibility,Differences
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exFAT vs NTFS : FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT are three types of file systems that are used for storing data in a storage device primarily hard disk. These systems decide as for how data should be sorted and stored in the storage device.
FAT32orFile Allocation Table this file system is used for storing large data and apps.New Technology File System(NTFS) is one of the most file systems that provide inexhaustible space of 16 EB which equals to 18,446,744,073,709,550,592 bytes.
exFAT or Extended FAT file system is mostly deployed in digital cameras. Although the three files systems are great methods to store files, they do have some pros and cons that make them better or worse.
Contents
- 1 Differences between exFat vs NTFS vs FAT32 :
Differences between exFat vs NTFS vs FAT32 :
Let us looks at some of the most notable differences between exFAT vs NTFSvsFAT32.
#1 Compatibility
- FAT32: The FAT32 file system is compatible with Windows, Mac and the Linux operating systems. It is also compatible with gaming consoles as well as with any device with a USB port.
- NTFS: The NTFS file system us compatible mostly with Microsoft operating systems such as Windows and Microsoft Xbox One. However, it is also accessible as read-only with Mac and Linux.
- exFAT: The exFAT is the most dynamic file system when it comes to compatibility. The file system is compatible with Windows XP and later versions, Mac OSX 10.6.5 and above, Linux (using FUSE) and Android.
#2 Usage
- FAT32: The FAT32 file system is best used with removable storage devices.
- NTFS: The NTFS is best suitable for internal hard drives. It can be used with system drive of Windows as well any other system partition that is used to install software.
- exFAT: The exFAT is best used with external hard drives or flash drives. The drives that you choose to run with exFAT should have file space of more than 4GB.
#3 Pros
- FAT32: FAT32 is a cross-platform file system that makes it most used and preferred the method of storing files. It is light in weight, unlike its peers.
- NTFS: The NTFS has huge storage space which makes it one of the best file systems to use. It has great partition size as well.
- exFAT: The exFAT is like a mixture of FAT32 and NTFS. It can be cross-platform and boosts unlimited file and partition size.
#4 Cons
- FAT32: Unlike exFAT and NTFS, FAT32 has limited file size of up to 4GB and a partition size of up to 16TB.
- NTFS: NTFS although boosts unlimited file size space, its usage is restricted to Windows operating devices only. In short, the NTFS cannot be used cross-platform.
- exFAT: The usage of exFAT is also restricted to Microsoft license obligations which make it not so preferred file system to store data.
#5 Features
- FAT32: The FAT 32 file system includes features that are supported by the operating system of personal computers. Its features make it one of the easiest methods to store data and files.
- NTFS: The NTFS boosts some of the most modern features. The file system is equipped with security files that help recover any lost file or solve any error that may occur in case of system breakdown. The NTFS features include hard links, encryption, shadow copies for backups, disk quota limits and a lot more.
- exFAT: the exFAT has one feature that is similar to the NTFS that is file size. Using the exFAT one can store files that are larger than 4GB. It is also a lightweight file system that comes with unlimited storage space.
The exFAT vs NTFS vsFAT32, as mentioned above, must have now cleared in your mind as which file system is the best among them and why. There are many file systems other than the exFAT, NTFS and FAT32.
However, these three are most preferred and used. The three file systems are used by professionals as well as individuals for shifting data and storing large sized apps and file in a safe manner.
The unlimited space offered by the two files systems exFAT and NTFS has put them at loggerhead. Looking at their features one can easily decide as which one is actually better. The file systems have their own pros and cons that can be explored when used. Try the file system that sounds most appealing to you and decide by yourself.
The file systems can either be installed on your drive by purchasing it if you don’t have it already or you can seek the help of a technical specialist to help you get a hand on the file system. If you have a large sized file to be taken care of then you should go for NTFS or exFAT. In case, you are looking for a file system that can be used on multiple platforms then FAT32 should be your choice.
Posted February 27, 2008 by David Kirk in Microsoft Vista, Windows
Last Updated on
Microsoft introduced the new exFAT file system with Vista SP1. Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) is the successor to the old FAT32 file system. What are the advanatages and disadvantages to this new file system? What are the differences between exFAT and FAT32? When is exFAT preferred over NTFS?
Microsoft released the exFAT file system with Vista SP1. The file system that had been rumored to be released with the original Vista was finally available to the public on a wide scale. This article will explain the issues that exist with FAT32 that exFAT has been designed to fix. Surprisingly to many people, exFAT even may be better than the much loved NTFS in some circumstances.
FAT32 is the file system with which most windows users are most familiar. Windows first supported FAT32 with Windows 95 OSR2 and increased support for it through XP.
FAT32 issues and problems –
By default windows systems can only format a drive up to 32 GB. Additional software works around this issue. When formatted at these bigger sizes, FAT32 becomes increasingly inefficient.
The maximum file size on a FAT32 formatted drive is around 4 GB. With DVD and high resolution DVD formats now available, this limit is commonly reached.
Dealing with fragmentation and free disk space calculations can become painfully resource intensive in large FAT32 systems.
A FAT32 directory can have 65,536 directory entries. Each file or subdirectory can take up multiple entries; therefore, FAT32 directories are limited with how many files it can hold.
exFAT Advantages
File size limit is now 16 exabytes.
Format size limits and files per directory limits are practically eliminated.
Like HPFS, exFAT uses free space bitmaps to reduce fragmentation and free space allocation/detection issues.
Like HTFS, permission systems should be able to be attached through an access control list (ACL). It is unclear if or when Vista will include this feature, however.
exFAT was first released with CE 6.0 but finally hit the mainstream with Vista SP1. Obviously, exFAT has several strengths over FAT32. Then why In the past have most power-users of Microsoft systems have opted to format/convert to a NTFS file system instead?
Interestingly enough, exFAT is not used and was not designed for formatting hard drives. It is only recommended in flash memory storage and other external devices only. This is why it is currently not considered a huge competitor to NTFS on hard drives.
However, exFAT should be a true competitor to NTFS on flash-based systems with limited processing power and memory. NTFS on flash memory has been known to be inefficient for quite some time. exFAT’s smaller footprint/overhead makes it ideal for this purpose. Of course, only if your definition of “ideal” allows software to be proprietary and not open source.
Vista will happily read FAT, exFAT, and NTFS from flash. ReadyBoost will not work with exFAT formatted flash drives in Vista, however. Windows 7 will read all three formats and can ReadyBoost exFat flash drives. Modern versions of OS X after Snow Leopard (10.6.5) added exFat read and write capabilities.
In conclusion, FAT32 is a simple system. The simplicity of FAT32 causes it to lose efficiency at large sizes but allows it to run with less resources. The complexity of NTFS increases features but requires more memory and processing power. exFAT is an improved and more complex system than FAT but is designed for flash drives only.
This article has been updated to include information about Windows 7 and OS X.
About David Kirk
David Kirk is one of the original founders of tech-recipes and is currently serving as editor-in-chief. Not only has he been crafting tutorials for over ten years, but in his other life he also enjoys taking care of critically ill patients as an ICU physician.
View more articles by David Kirk
View more articles by David Kirk
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