Microsoft removes maximum FAT32 partition size limit in Windows 11
![Microsoft removes maximum FAT32 partition size limit in Windows 11 Microsoft removes maximum FAT32 partition size limit in Windows 11](/media/post_big/fat32-file-recovery.jpg)
Microsoft has announced the removal of the FAT32 partition size limit in Windows 11, increasing it from 32GB to 2TB. This change applies to formatting discs via the command line, while the graphical formatting interface remains with the same limit for now.
Here's What We Know
The 32GB limit was introduced over 30 years ago with Windows 95 and has remained unchanged due to concerns about "cluster slack". Users can now create FAT32 partitions of up to 2TB without the use of third-party tools. However, the 4GB limit on individual file sizes for FAT32 remains in place.
Although FAT32 is less frequently used compared to exFAT, it is still in demand for older devices that require USB drives or SD cards formatted in FAT32. As such, you can expect that in future builds of Windows 11, the graphical formatting interface will also be updated to support the new partition sizes.