Any drawbacks from using exFAT?


  1. Posts : 46
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #1

    Any drawbacks from using exFAT?


    Hi everyone,
    I work with a significantly large amount of files which I store in a 2GB flash drive, and, today, I came across an issue of the FAT format, which is that you can't have more than 161 files/folders in a directory.
    As the exFAT format is newer, I thought about changing to that one since it will suit my needs.

    Now this is my noob question, is there any disadvantage in using exFAT relatively to FAT in my flash drive?

    Thanks in advance,
    Pedro.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       #2
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
       #3

    Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the limit 512 files per folder in FAT16, not 161, and 65,534 in FAt32?
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  4. Posts : 2,497
    Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
       #4

    The FAT32 file system is limited to 512 file entries in the root of the drive. But as long file names will require 2 or more file entries the actual number of files may be substantially less. There is no limit on the number of files in a subdirectory.

    A problem with exFAT is compatibility with other operating systems. It requires Vista or later, XP with an added driver. It is also supported by some later versions of Mac OSX.
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  5. Posts : 46
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    LMiller7 said:
    The FAT32 file system is limited to 512 file entries in the root of the drive. But as long file names will require 2 or more file entries the actual number of files may be substantially less. There is no limit on the number of files in a subdirectory.

    A problem with exFAT is compatibility with other operating systems. It requires Vista or later, XP with an added driver. It is also supported by some later versions of Mac OSX.
    My flash drive is formatted on FAT, not FAT32. And 512 entries on the root still seems little, however a lot more than what I have right now.
    I read exFAT will lose data if you remove the drive when it is writing, though, which seems to be a drawback
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  6. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
       #6

    LMiller7 said:
    The FAT32 file system is limited to 512 file entries in the root of the drive. But as long file names will require 2 or more file entries the actual number of files may be substantially less. There is no limit on the number of files in a subdirectory.

    A problem with exFAT is compatibility with other operating systems. It requires Vista or later, XP with an added driver. It is also supported by some later versions of Mac OSX.
    Sorry but isn't that wrong? Max files on the root of FAT (FAT16) is 512 but on FAT32 it's 65,534.
      My Computer


 

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