NTFS vs exFAT

[txvmrd]

I have two 80GB partitions. One is formatted exFAT and the other NTFS. I'm trying to copy all the files from the NTFS partition but they won't fit onto the exFAT. Is exFAT less efficient space-wise?

 

[LMiller7]

exFat can be less space efficient. I believe the default exFat cluster size is 32K. NTFS by default uses 4K clusters. That means the minimum space used by a file is 32K. and each file will waste about 16K. If you have a large number of files that can waste enough space to cause the issue you are having.

Unless you have a specific need for exFat it is generally best to stick with NTFS.

 

[townsbg]

You should be able to customize the cluster size. But really that space wasted is only for small files. There are other features that you lose by switching the exfat. Namely no encryption and compression, except by third party programs.

 

[txvmrd]

Is exFAT comparable to NTFS performance-wise? Is there a reason VeraCrypt containers are formatted as exFAT by default?

 

[Megahertz07]

NTFS is a M$ creation and isn't compatible with some OSs.
FAT, FAT32 and exFAT are compatible with ALL OSs.
exFAT was created to overcome FAT32 size limitations.

exFAT is mainly used on external devices as big USB flash disks or USB HDDs.
exFAT - Wikipedia