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Difference Between FAT32 and NTFS
File System provides a way to organize files and to manage the drives in the computer systems. File system basically specifies how data will be stored in a form of file and folders. It provides the Metadata about the files like name, permission, size and other attributes.
There are two popular file systems namely, FAT32 and NTFS, used in the Windows Operating System. Read this article to learn more about FAT32 and NTFS and how these two file systems are different from each other
What is FAT32?
FAT32 stands for File Allocation Table 32. It is the oldest of the file system available in Windows. It was introduced in 1995 to replace the older FAT16 systems used by MS-DOS and Windows 3. The individual files on a FAT32 drive can't be more than 4 GB in size.
A FAT32 partition would have to be less than 8 TB, which is considered a limitation, unless a very high capacity drive is required. Modern versions of Windows can't use a drive that has been formatted with FAT32. FAT32 is compatible with all versions of Windows, Mac, Linux, game consoles, and basically anything that comes with a USB port.
What is NTFS?
NTFS stands for New Technology File System. It is a modern file system, used by default by Windows OS. The system drive is formatted with NTFS file system when Windows OS is installed. It has file size and partition size limits which are very high, hence there is no chance of user running up against it. NTFS was first seen in consumer versions of Windows (XP). It was originally known as Windows NT.
NTFS supports modern features that can't be found on FAT32 and exFAT. It supports file permissions for security. It comes with a change journal that helps to recover from errors quickly (in case of a computer crash). It provides shadow copies for backups, encryption, disk quota limits, and hard links. It is compatible with all Windows versions. But, NTFS is read-only compatible with Mac OS. Also, it may not be completely compatible with Linux distributions.
Difference between FAT32 and NTFS
The following table highlights all the major differences between FAT32 and NTFS
|
Key |
FAT32 |
NTFS |
|---|---|---|
|
Introduction |
FAT32 was introduced with Windows 95 to replace older FAT16 file system used in DOS and Windows 3. |
NTFS was introduced with Windows NT and widespread usage happened with Windows XP. |
|
Features |
Easy to use and format. Quick to access. |
NTFS supports file permissions, change journal, helps quickly recover from error when computer crashes, shadows copies for backup, provides encryption, disk quota limits, hard linking, etc. |
|
Compatibility |
Works with all versions of Windows, MAC, Linux, etc. Any drive having USB port can use FAT32. |
Compatible with all versions of Windows, Read-Only with MAC and some version of Linux |
|
Limitation |
Maximum file size 4 GB, Maximum partition file size 8 TB. |
No file size or partition size limits. |
|
Ideal Use |
Best for removable drives having max size of 8 TB |
Best for Windows System and Internal Drive used by Windows. |
|
Security |
FAT32 provides security only in network |
NTFS provides security in local and network system. |
|
Fault Tolerance |
FAT32 does not have the feature of fault tolerance. |
NTFS has auto repair feature. |
Conclusion
Both these file systems are used on Windows systems. The most significant difference between the two is that FAT32 file system has the maximum file size 4 GB and maximum partition file size 8 TB, whereas NTFS does not have such file size or partition size limits.