Even though FAT32 supports disk sizes of up to 2TB, and even though Windows can read FAT32 file systems of up to 2TB, Windows can’t actually create them. The maximum file system limit Windows can create with FAT32 is 32GB, a limitation that dates back to Windows 95 which has never been changed. It seems Microsoft is finally changing this with the latest Insider Preview build of Windows 11, as the format command can now finally create FAT32 file systems of up to 2TB.
When formatting disks from the command line using the format command, we’ve increased the FAT32 size limit from 32GB to 2TB.
↫ Amanda Langowski and Brandon LeBlanc
Sadly, this only works through the format command; it’s not yet reflected in the graphical user interface, which is just so typically Microsoft. Of course, most of us will be using exFAT at this point for tasks that require an interoperable file system, but not every device accepts exFAT properly, and even those that do sometimes have issues with exFAT that are not present when using FAT32.
A more interesting new addition in this preview build is the Windows Sandbox Client Preview.
This build includes the new Windows Sandbox Client Preview that is now updated via the Microsoft Store. As part of this preview, we’re introducing runtime clipboard redirection, audio/video input control, and the ability to share folders with the host at runtime. You can access these via the new “…” icon at the upper right on the app. Additionally, this preview includes a super early version of command line support (commands may change over time). You can use ‘wsb.exe –help’ command for more information.
↫ Amanda Langowski and Brandon LeBlanc
Windows Sandbox is a pretty cool feature that provides a lightweight desktop environment in which you can run applications entirely sandboxed, separate from your actual Windows installation. Changes and files made in the sandbox do not persist, unless the sandbox is shut down from within the sandbox itself. There’s a whole variety of uses this could be good for, and having it integrated into Windows is awesome.
Windows Sandbox is available in Windows Pro or Enterprise – not Home – and is quite easy to use. Open up its window, copy/paste an executable to the sandbox, and run it inside the sandbox. As said, after closing the sandbox, all your changes will be lost. That process is still a bit clunky, but with a bit more work it should be possible for Microsoft to smooth this out, and, say, add an option in the right-click menu to just launch any executable in the sandbox that way.
Even if it’s a command-line only feature, the fact you won’t have to use third-party utilities or a Linux distro to format a USB stick for use with standalone MP3 players (which typically don’t support exFAT) is good news. Too bad they’ll probably not port this change to Windows 10.
Also, I am used to the command-line “format” tool anyway because the GUI format tool only allows for some fairly large allocation units on exFAT (I am talking 128KB minimum here for 2TB drives), which means your text files will occupy a minimum of 128KB if you use the GUI format tool. Using the command-line format tool allows for allocation units as small as 2KB or 4KB, which means your files don’t suffer a “size on disk” inflation when copying them from NTFS partitions to exFAT partitions.
It is a welcome change, albeit a comically late one. Everybody’s used to 3rd party tools, or using a different OS.
kurkosdr,
Yes, this is a reasonable compromise.
You really do not want to enable FAT32 by default as it is a very inefficient file system and not optimized for flash drives. But if you absolutely need it, the option should be there for advanced users.
IMO it should exist in the GUI but not be the default in the dropdown menu. FAT32 is the only truly universally-compatible filesystem out there, and some devices like standalone MP3 players (and even some standalone video players) don’t support anything else. So, it shouldn’t be the default but shouldn’t be buried in the command-line utility either.
kurkosdr,
That is a fair point.
But the amount of new devices that require FAT32 is diminishing, like those require 2.4GHz Wifi, or micro-USB ports.
And the subset that requires FAT32 but also allows larger cards is itself very small.
I think, over time FAT32 would be left only as a backwards compatibility relic.
Every single computer out there that uses UEFI to boot has a FAT32 filesystem. The EFI system partition requires the use of FAT32.
Now I format my exfat microsds and drives at 16k because it’s the minimum size that doesn’t give problems in Android (at least in the devices I own).
I believe win9x didn’t have the 32gb limitation at all, it’s only when they ported fat32 to win2k (nt5) that they added the arbitrary 32gb limit.
It was an arbitrary GUI limitation according to Dave’s Garage YouTube channel. He claims to be the author of the original dialog.
Shiunbird,
I accept that people living in the time didn’t have such large disks, and the values they went with were probably common back then. It still seems short sighted to me to program an arbitrary limit. Programming 32bit types has a natural non-arbitrary limit. So why does the UI impose an arbitrary value that’s beneath the maximum allowable range for the format? Obviously they didn’t care, but a bit more forward-thinking on the part of the GUI programmer would have avoided the problem. I understand that there simply was never a project to fix it, but an arbitrary limit shouldn’t have been used in the first place unless they were actually instructed to do so.
I am pretty sure it does not extend back to win 95 and was probably introduced in XP. Even if dave says otherwise. We all get older and forget.
I of course could be wrong. I am not going to test old windows either way. I am sure it was artificial;ly introduced later under NT (maybe even win 2k). But who used fat32 even then? (every tv or device I have supports NTFS and not often exfat, so I use NTFS like I always have done. I include old dvd players in this. I am sure not all did and I chose good ones and I think not being in the US probably helps).