FAT32
Also known as: fat32 format, 4GB file limit, fat 32
FAT32 is an older file system with the widest compatibility — nearly every device and operating system reads it. Its key drawback is a hard 4 GB limit on the size of any single file, which makes it unsuitable for large videos or disk images.
- Read by nearly every device and operating system
- Hard 4 GB limit per single file
- Use exFAT instead for large videos or disk images
The most compatible format
FAT32 dates to the 1990s and is supported almost universally: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, cameras, game consoles, car stereos, and TVs all read it. That is why small USB sticks and SD cards often ship formatted as FAT32.
The trade-off for that reach is age. FAT32 lacks modern features and, most importantly, cannot store a single file larger than 4 GB, no matter how much free space the drive has.
When to choose something newer
If you need to store a file over 4 GB — a long 4K clip, a big disk image, or a large archive — reformat the drive as exFAT instead, which keeps wide compatibility without the file-size cap. For a Windows internal drive, NTFS is the better choice.