The file is large for the final file system that is. The file is too large for the destination file system
As part of this article, I will tell you about the error "The file is too large for the final file system", what it comes from and what you can do.
The size of a hard drive or flash drive is the characteristic that users most often pay attention to. It’s simple, the larger the size, the more useful and useless information can be stored. You need to create a backup copy, just copy the files. However, not everyone thinks about how this whole process happens. Therefore, you may encounter such errors. And the most unpleasant thing here is that the error “The file is too large for the target file system” can appear at the very inopportune moment. For example, when you are in a hurry.
Previously, the size of disks was not so large, so file systems (the technology for distributing data from files and directories in hardware devices) were calculated, albeit with a margin, but still within certain assumptions. At the time of the advent of FAT32, it was believed that files of 4GB or more in size were simply rare, or rather, it was generally unlikely to be an achievable limit for home life. Therefore, these 4 GB are maximum limit file size. This is where the error occurs.
Of course, today this figure seems ridiculous. However, FAT32 existed for a very long time and was considered one of best standards that time. Therefore, it is supported by almost any operating systems (not just Windows) and equipment.
When flash drives began to appear, their size was so small (16 MB, 128 MB, etc.) that FAT32 was chosen as the main file system technology. Nobody expected that flash drives of this size would appear so soon.
And due to the fact that all equipment and operating systems relied on this format, external drives and flash drives are still produced with this file system by default. What beginners don't know regular users, and, as a result, encounter problems when copying large volumes data.
By the way, this is what the error “The file is too large for the target file system” looks like:
A lot of time has passed since then, and it is not surprising that corresponding file systems have appeared where there is no such problem. For example, Microsoft created for Windows NTFS format, which today is the main one for Windows 7 and higher.
Note: Here it is worth understanding that other operating systems or equipment may not support this format. Therefore, this point should be checked in advance. However, today this format is supported more and more.
If you've been reading carefully, you've probably already guessed that the only solution to this problem is formatting external drive or flash drives into the desired format, namely conversion from FAT32 to NTFS (in the case of Windows). How to do this is described in detail in the article How to format a hard drive. It describes in detail the sequence of actions, and also has a link to an article for the case of a flash drive (or external drive).
Some important tips:
1. Remember that formatting deletes data. Therefore, before performing any actions, be sure to save your data to another disk or another flash drive. But not to the next directory! It will also be deleted.
2. Some operating systems (including Windows) have tools for converting file systems without clearing data. However, it is important to understand that if during this process there are failures (for example, power surges), then the data may be lost or it will take a lot of time to recover it. Therefore, even in this case, it is strongly recommended to take care of creating a backup copy.
Many users sooner or later encounter a situation where, when copying a sufficiently large file to a flash drive, the system displays a message stating that such an operation is impossible.
Often the first decision is to check the availability free space on the flash drive and delete other files. But in fact, such an error has nothing to do with volume USB flash drives(it can be either 8 or 32 or more GB in size) and its load. In this article, we will take a closer look at what is causing this problem and how it can be solved.
By default most USB flash drives has the so-called FAT32 file system. It is productive and fast in terms of working with files, but has one drawback - the system does not support recording files larger than 4 gigabytes. That is, you can copy to it as much as you like various files(within the capacity of the flash drive), but maximum size each of them should not be more than 4 GB.
Not only a flash drive, but also hard section The disk may be formatted in the FAT32 file system. In this case we will also meet system message Windows says it is not allowed to write such a file.
Comparison table between FAT and NTFS.
What to do if the file size is very large?
If the file being recorded consists of several small ones, you can simply divide it into parts and record them separately. But most often we need to upload a whole file larger than 4 GB, for example, an ISO image with a game or a voluminous movie. In this case, you will need to format the flash drive in a different file system - NTFS.
Formatting is a simple process that even a beginner can handle.
Step 1. We transfer all important files from the flash drive to another medium, since after formatting everything will be deleted.
Step 2. In Explorer, go to the “My Computer” tab and right-click on the flash drive display, then select “Format”.
Step 3. The specified formatting method is fast (with clearing the table of contents) and the file system we need (in in this case- NTFS).
Step 4. Click “Start” and wait for the formatting process to finish (as a rule, this lasts no more than a couple of minutes).
Ready! Now the flash drive is suitable for recording files of any size.
On a note! You can check which one is on your flash drive or disk in the “Properties” section.
To select this option:
How to record a large file without losing all the data
Since formatting deletes all information on a flash drive or disk, this option is not suitable for everyone. For example, if the disk contains an operating system or a large number of files that are not very convenient to temporarily transfer to another medium. There is another way that will help you transfer big file to a flash drive without data formatting - conversion from FAT32 to NTFS.
Step 1. Launch "Command Prompt". To do this, select “Start”, in the line that appears, type the command “cmd”, press the “Enter” button.
Step 2. In the window that appears, enter or copy next text: "convert X: /fs:ntfs". Press the “Enter” button.
On a note!“X” here is the letter of the flash drive or the selected partition, you may have a different letter, make no mistake!
Step 3. We are waiting for the FAT32 file system to be converted to NTFS system(a message will appear indicating that the conversion is complete).
Video - File too large for target file system
Alternative options for storing large files
Today, in order to store large files, it is not necessary to use flash drives and convert the file system. Cloud services solve the problem of storage and transmission large files, allow you to quickly and easily access them via the Internet, regardless of the power of your computer.
Cloud technologies help avoid such unpleasant situations as loss important files due to unexpected failure of a disk or flash drive.
Table of the most famous cloud services.
| Cloud services | Image | Features of the service |
|---|---|---|
 | Up to 10 GB - free (with the possibility of increasing up to 50 GB). Integrated with Yandex mail and other services. High speed synchronization, files are scanned by DrWeb antivirus | |
 | Up to 5 GB free. Built into standard Windows Explorer 10 so no need additional installation. Conveniently share documents Microsoft Office 365 | |
 | You can store up to 15 GB for free. Integration with mail and office Google package Docs | |
 | 2 GB is free, but can be upgraded to 16 GB. It is possible to download applications for smartphones or desktop applications and simply move files to the Dropbox folder | |
| Mega |  | 50 GB - free. Supports end-to-end encryption stored content. There is multi-download and download of the entire folder |
| Cloud Mail.Ru |  | You can store 100 GB for free. High synchronization speed. There is a utility for creating and storing screenshots, for creating and editing documents. Integration with Mail.ru mail |
Video - How to use Yandex.Disk and why?
Flash drives and external hard CDs have long been very popular. With their help, you can easily transfer large amounts of information from one computer to another. But sometimes, when you next copy a file of more than 4 gigabytes to them, the error “The file is too large for the target file system” may appear. What this means and how to fix it this error and will be discussed in this article.
Error "The file is too large for the destination file system"
Reasons for the error
This error, which tells you that the file being copied is too large to be copied to a flash drive or hard drive, appears only in one case - if the file system of the media being copied to has the format FAT32 or FAT16.
The thing is that the file FAT system has a maximum file size limit of about 4GB. At the same time, there may be much more free space on your flash drive than the size of the file you are copying, whose size is more than 4 GB.
How to check the file system of a flash drive?
This is done simply. You just need to insert the flash drive into USB port and go to the computer, where all local and connected drives are displayed. Find your flash drive there, click on it right click mouse and select " Properties«.
Flash card properties
In the window that opens, look at the value in the line “ File system". If it is different from “NTFS”, then it will have to be changed.
Determining the file system of a flash drive
How to fix the error?
There are two options for fixing the "File is too large for target file system" error. One of them is fast, the other is slow.
First and quick option- reformatting the flash drive to NTFS, but here it is worth considering that all data from it will be deleted. Therefore, you can first copy them to your computer.
Reformatting a flash drive to NTFS
The second and slowest option is to convert the file system to NTFS. Its execution time depends on the speed of the flash drive, its size and the amount of data on it. It is worth noting that in this case all data will remain in place.
Conversion occurs via command line, .
After starting the command line you need to enter the command convert H: /FS:NTFS.
Converting the file system of a flash card to NTFS
In this case the letter H, this is the letter under which your flash drive is displayed in the “ My computer". In the command described above, you need to change it to your own.
Determining the flash drive letter for the file system conversion command
Once you enter the command convert H: /FS:NTFS, the conversion of the file system of your flash drive will begin, which will end with the display of the message “ Conversion complete«.
You can now safely copy a file that previously gave you the “File is too large for the destination file system” error.
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Join us on VK! Hello friends, you are absolutely right, most of the flash drives sold in stores are formatted in the FAT32 file system and if you want to copy a file larger than 4 GB to such a flash drive, the error “The file is too large for the target file system” will appear. Why? Yes, because the maximum possible file size for a volume formatted in FAT32 is 4 GB or 4,294,967,295 bytes. This means that the file size cannot be larger than this value. The same information applies not only to the flash drive, but also to the partition hard drive, if it is formatted in the FAT32 file system.
How to win in this situation? The fact that a flash drive can be formatted into the NTFS file system is understandable, but what if there are already files on the flash drive and it’s simply too difficult to copy them somewhere?
Firstly, you can simply convert your flash drive to the NTFS file system without losing data in the command line using the convert command and then copy your 4.7 GB ISO image to it. Details with screenshots below.
Secondly, you can split ISO file into several parts and then assemble, I will explain how to do this later in the article.
Thirdly, if it comes to an ISO image with a capacity of 4.7 GB, then you can simply archive it with the WinRAR archiver program, after archiving your file will be approximately 3.3 GB, you can easily copy such a file to your flash drive and then unzip it.
Fourthly, if it comes to an entire hard drive partition, then it can also be converted to the NTFS file system without losing data.
Now about everything in detail.
How to convert a FAT32 flash drive to NTFS file system without losing data in the command line
We connect the flash drive to the computer and the flash drive, for example, is identified by the letter L:.
As you can see, there are files on my flash drive; nothing should happen to them during conversion.
Open the command line as an administrator and enter the command convert L: /FS:NTFS (where L: the letter of the flash drive, in your case the flash drive may have a different letter!) and press Enter, that’s all, converting my flash drive from the FAT32 file system to NTFS file system without data loss took 30 seconds. The files on the flash drive are safe and sound. Now, when copying a file to a flash drive with a capacity of more than 4 GB, the error “the file is too large for the target file system” will not occur.
How to split an ISO image into several parts and then assemble these parts into one
For this purpose, we can use the most famous WinRAR archiver
http://www.win-rar.ru/product/winrar/
Right-click on our image and select “Add to archive”
The “Archive name and parameters” window will open, in the lower left corner of the window we see “Divide into volumes of size”, select here the unit of measurement for the amount of information GB and set the size to 2 GB, this means that our image will be divided into two archives of 2 GB each - Obraz igra.part1.rar and Obraz igra.part2.rar. If you select MB, then set the number to 2000. Click OK, and the short process of archiving and dividing our file begins.
After the process is completed, copy the two images to a flash drive formatted in FAT32, go home, copy the files from the flash drive to your computer and assemble the image. Right-click on the Obraz igra.part1 archive and select “Extract to image”. A minute later a folder appears with our intact and functional ISO way volume 4.7 GB.
How to convert to NTFS partition hard drive formatted in FAT32 without data loss
With the command already familiar to you, you can convert even drive C: with installed operating system, we have a whole article about this, please read. At the same time, you will find out how else these two file systems differ from each other.
Good day, friends! Today we will talk about how to write a large file to a flash drive if during the process a message pops up stating that “the file is too large.” Many users who have encountered such a “jamb” are perplexed: “I have a flash drive for...twenty gigabytes, but the file weighs nothing at all! Well, what the hell does she want?” Well, at least I had approximately these thoughts when a similar situation first arose :) Sound familiar? Let's decide!
Writing a large file to a flash drive
In fact, the reason lies in this: The format of your drive, which so stubbornly refuses to write the volumes of data we need, is now in FAT/FAT32. One of the features of FAT32 is the impossibility of writing a file larger than 4 gigabytes (We won’t calculate it to the nearest kopeck, but in fact the limit is even slightly less than 4 gigabytes). And there is only one solution: format the drive into a suitable file system.
Don’t be alarmed, this matter is completely elementary if the disk is not bootable (the OS you are running is not installed on it). We proceed step by step:
- If there are some files left on the flash drive, of course, they need to be copied to another medium, because... when formatting ALL will be deleted. Keep this in mind :)
- So, our carrier is cleared of everything necessary and is ready for rebirth, let’s go to My Computer.
- We right-click on the disk we need and select “Format”
- Select the NTFS file system and quick way formatting with clearing tables of contents.
- Click “Start” and wait. Usually the process does not take more than a minute.
All! Now your flash drive is ready to store much more bulky files, and the message “The file is too large for the target file system” will no longer bother you.
By right-clicking on the disk and selecting properties, we can see the current FS of the drive:
Where I have FAT32 you will already have NTFS. It’s just that there is no need to format now, so I showed that there is :) As you can see, everything is very simple and fast, so even if the term “formatting” scared you, now you don’t have to be afraid of it. Of course, formatting a hard drive partition with an installed operating system is another matter, but now is the chance to meet HDD in FAT, not NTFS, is negligible. But flash drives and other bells and whistles - yes. But we have already dealt with them, so I wish you a long service life and reliable storage. Good luck! 🙂