How to Fix “The File is too Large for the Destination File System”

Are you trying to copy big size files (>4GB) on your flash drive but getting an error ‘the file is too large for the destination file system‘. If yes then below you will know how to fix this error. To fix the problem first check out the cause of the problem.

The File is too large for the destination file system

Reason for the Error:

By default, the USB Flash Drive is formatted with the FAT32 format. And the FAT32 File Size Limit is 4GB. This is the reason for the error ‘the file is too large for the destination file system’ during file transfer to pen drive or external SD card. FAT32 does not give permission to users to copy big files, the size of each individual file may not exceed 4GB. We can solve this problem easily within a minute. In this post, you will know How to Copy Big Files to Your USB Flash Drive. If you are wondering that what is FAT then read about it at the last of this post.
The error occurred to most of the user while copying large files (more than 4GB). And if you are one of them then you don’t have to worry about it. We have an easy solution to fix the error in a minute.

Fix “The File is too Large for the Destination File System”

Step 1: Insert USB Flash Drive or External SD card in PC and then assign a new drive letter to it.

Step 2: Open My Computer and locate the drive then select the drive and then format your drive to NTFS format.

->Format your Drive by right click on the drive. The File is too large for the destination file system

Step 3: Select NTFS format and then click on Start then press OK, after completion press OK and then close. The File is too large for the destination file system

Now you can transfer the big size file to your USB flash drive and the error “the file is too large for the destination file system” is fixed.

This was an easy fix for the error. I hope that this method worked for you. I can imagine how free you feel right now after solving the issue. The same happens with my USB Drive too.

More Information:

  • FAT12 file size limit is 32MB
  • FAT32 file size Limit is 4GB
  • NTFS file size limit is 256TB

With the Max file size limit of NTFS, we can transfer any file because almost all the files are under 256TB. If you have any idea that any single file in the world which is more than 256TB in size.

You May Also Like | How to Fix Windows cannot be Installed to this Disk (GPT/MBR problem)

Difference between NTFS and FAT

NTFS which stands for New Technology File System and was launched by Microsoft is 1993. It is the Drive format which is more secure and supports larger files. NTFS is better Format than FAT in every aspect like compression, security, compatibility, file size etc.

FAT which stands for File Allocation Table is the drive format used in older Windows. FAT was used by default in the Windows OS which came before Windows XP. There are some extensions of FAT which are FAT12 and FAT32. Both have some specific amount of file size limit. There are many limitations you will face using FAT. Now you know one of them.

Which Operating System uses the NTFS File System?

NTFS was launched in 1993 but it came much in use from 2001 with Windows XP. NTFS is the default Drive format for Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10. And later on, we can also see it in coming Windows versions.

What is the Maximum File Size of NTFS?

The Maximum file size limit of NTFS is 256TB minus 64KB using 64GB Cluster. And the file size limit of NTFS is 16TB minus 4KB using the 4KB cluster.

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AUTHOR.

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Haneet Singh

Haneet is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of YTECHB. He has a huge passion for tinkering with latest smartphones, wearables, smart home devices, smart TVs, and more. As an avid Apple Ecosystem user, he loves customizing his iPhone and iPad to suit his needs. For tips, you can connect Haneet at haneetsingh@outlook.com In 2019, Haneet and the YTECHB team exclusively shared the wallpapers of iPhone 11 right before the launch event. In 2020, Haneet alongside his team members shared exclusive renders and official photos of two Samsung Galaxy smartphones - the Galaxy M11, and Galaxy M21. Later, the YTECHB team leaks information about Motorola's feature phones and Razr 3. In the last few months, our team shared Galaxy S24 Ultra leaks and more. You may come across his work getting mentioned in The Times of India, India Today, Hindustan Times, NDTV, TechRadar, Digital Trends, Yahoo News, GSMArena, Android Authority, Android Central, Android Headlines, SamMobile, XDA, 9to5Google, and many other publications. He works across news, updates, features, guides, and more. If YTECHB writes about it, you can expect him to be involved in some way.

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