Fixes for 'File Is Too Large for Destination

File System' on USB/External Hard Drive

Yesterday, when I tried to copy some large files including Windows 10 ISO files, the backup
images of my operating system, movies, personal video files, and other data to my 32 GB
external hard drive, I received the error message saying "The file is too large for the destination
file system." I don't know why it happened as there was enough free space on the disk. Can
anyone help?"

What's The Reason for The 'file is too large' Error?

When facing the "The file is too large for the destination file system" issue in Windows 10/8/7,
you might get confused about why you would not be able to copy the file to your USB flash
drive when there is sufficient free space.

The problem occurs because one of the files you want to transfer is larger than 4 GB and your
USB flash drive is using the FAT32 file system, of which the maximum file size is 4GB. For a
FAT16 USB flash drive, the maximum file size is 2GB. There is a built-in limitation in the
FAT32 file system: Although the total size of the files you can store on a FAT32 drive could be
up to 2TB, you cannot save an individual file that exceeds 4GB on it.

2 Efficient Solutions to Fix Your Problem

After figuring out the reason for "The file is too large for the destination file system" issue, you
can fix it with ease, that is to convert the file system from FAT32/FAT16 to NTFS. Here we will
introduce you to two easy solutions. We will show you how to use these two methods to fix the
"The file is too large for the destination file system" error with simple steps.

Solution 1: Formatting FAT32 to NTFS with Windows built-in feature

Formatting is the easiest way for you to convert FAT32 to NTFS. But notice that it will erase all
the existing data on the drive. So, it is recommended only when there are no files on your
external hard drive or USB flash drive. If there are files existing on your storage device, you can
back them up by manually copying or using free backup software in advance. Here's how to do it
with Windows built-in format feature.

Step 1: Connect your USB flash drive to the computer.

Step 2: Right-click on the USB drive or external hard drive and click "Format".

Step 3: Change the type to NTFS.

Done!! Now you have fixed the issue "The file is too large for the destination file system" and
can successfully copy a file larger than 4GB to the external USB drive or hard drive.
Solution 2: Converting FAT32 to NTFS without data loss

If you want to finish this task in a more convenient way, here's a better solution. Converting
FAT32 to NTFS without data loss using the partition tool - EaseUS Partition Master. This
popular third-party partition software is an optimal choice. It allows you to fix "The file is too
large for the destination file system" issue without formatting as well as data loss. The program
works well in Windows 10/8/7 or any other previous versions.

Download EaseUS Partition Master now, and here is the detailed guide.

Step 1: Install and launch EaseUS Partition Master on your computer.

Step 2: Select a FAT32 partition, right-click on it and select "Convert to NTFS". If you need to
convert a storage device such as SD card or USB flash drive to NTFS, insert it into your PC first
and repeat the previous operation.
Step 3: Click "OK" on the pop-up dialog box to continue.
Step 4: Go to the upper left corner, click the "Execute 1 Operation" button and you will see the
operation details. Click "Apply" and "Finish" when the process completes.
After finishing all the steps, you can copy files larger than 4GB successfully. Apart from
converting file system, EaseUS Partition Master also enables you to clone OS to SSD, resize
partitions, and delete partitions as well.

The Bottom Line

Once you understand "the file is too large for the destination file system" is caused by the FAT32
file system, the solution is specific: change the file system. If you use the Windows built-in
features or utilities to convert the file system, you need to back up the files on the storage device
first since the operations will erase the files on your device. Thus, if you want to convert FAT32
to another file system directly without data loss, using EaseUS Partition Master is more
advisable for you.
4 Solutions to “The file is too large for the destination file system” Issue in
Windows

You may receive the message – “The file is too large for the destination file system” when you
attempt to copy a file to an external drive. In this article, we will focus on this issue to provide
you with 4 effective solutions.

Have you ever received the message – “The file is too large for the destination file system” when
you copy or move a file to a drive? As it suggests, this problem is exactly involved with the file
system of destination drive.

File system controls how files are stored, identified and organized in the drive. In Windows, the
most common file systems are FAT, FAT32, and NTFS. FAT, known as FAT16, only supports
an individual file up to 2GB in maximum size. For FAT32, the supported maximum size of a
single file is 4GB. In comparison, for NTFS, the maximum size of a single file is increased to
16TB.

Based on mentioned above, “The file is too large for the destination file system” issue results
from the limit of maximum size of the destination drive file system. Hence, you can check your
drive file system. Most of time, it may be either FAT or FAT32. Then, what you can do is to
convert file system to NTFS. Here are 4 ways to get it. But, you have to back up drive at first.
Otherwise, you will be required to attempt data recovery afterwards, similar to PST recovery.

1. Reformat in Windows Explorer

• First off, go to “Start Menu” and click “Computer”.

• • Then, in Windows Explorer, locate and pitch on the destination drive.

• • Next, right click and choose “Format” from the context menu.
• • After that, in the popup dialog box, select “NTFS” in “File System” field.

• • Finally, click “Start” button.

2. Reformat in Disk Management

• At first, press “Win” + “R” to bring up “Run” dialog box.

• • Then, input the “diskmgmt.msc” in the “Open” field and press “Enter” key.

• • Subsequently, in “Disk Management” window, locate the destination drive.

• • Later, right click it and choose “Format” option.

• • In the small popup dialog box, choose “NTFS” in “File System” box.

• • Ultimately, click “OK”.

3. Change File System in Command Prompt

• For a start, trigger “Run” like the Step 1 in the above way.
• • Then, type “cmd” and press “Enter” key button.

• • Next, in the displayed Command Prompt window, input the following line:

convert drive letter: /fs: file system

For instance, you want to convert Drive F to NTFS file system, use:

convert F: /fs: ntfs

• Eventually, press “Enter” button.

• • Now, just wait convert.exe to complete the process.

4. Convert File System by Third Party Tool

Aside from the inbuilt methods provided by Windows, you could resort to a third party tool as
well. There are a plenty of tools for file system conversion in today’s market. Any the unreliable
may make irreversible damage to both drive and data. Therefore, you should choose a
trustworthy, experienced and well-known tool to have a try.

Author Introduction:

Shirley Zhang is a data recovery expert in DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data
recovery technologies, including corrupt mdf and outlook repair software products. For more
information visit www.datanumen.com