You may have Faced this error message when you were trying to copy a file from your computer to a USB drive or SD card:
The file is too large for the destination file system. This error happens because you’re trying to copy a file that is larger than the maximum file size allowed on the storage device.
Fortunately, there are some ways to resolve this issue. This article will show you how to fix file too large for destination file system? in Windows 10 and other versions of Windows.
What’s The Reason For The ‘File Is Too Large Error?
So, you’re facing the problem of “file destination is too big for file system” in your Windows, you may be confused as to why you can’t copy the file to your USB flash drive even though your PC has enough free space.
If you’ve ever created a backup, you’ve probably encountered an error: “The file destination is too large for the file system.” This is usually because the file system you are copying to does not support large files.
For example, if you copy a Windows 10 ISO image file to a USB drive, you may encounter this problem.
This is because the FAT32 file system used on most USB drives only supports files up to 4 GB in size. And to get around this limit, you can use some methods.
How To Fix File Too Large For Destination File System?
Formatting FAT32 to NTFS With Windows Built-In Feature
First of all, formatting is the easiest way for you to convert FAT32 to NTFS. But one limitation is that formatting will erase all data from your drive. Therefore, it is recommended only when there are no files on your external hard drive or USB flash drive. If files exist across your device, you can back them up in advance by manually copying them or using free backup software.
To fix the error and copy a file that is too large for a FAT32 file system, you can convert your USB flash drive to NTFS, which has no such limitation.
To do that, you can use the built-in format feature in Windows.
1. Right-click on the USB flash drive and select format.
2. In the format window, select NTFS in the file system drop-down menu.
3. Click start to begin formatting.
Depending on how much data you need to transfer, it will take some time, but after that, you will be able to transfer files of any size to your USB flash drive without getting an error message.
Converting FAT32 to NTFS Without Data Loss
Download EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition – secure and free software that helps you convert FAT32 to NTFS / exFAT without losing any data on your USB flash drive, external hard drive, SD card, memory card.
This third-party partition software is the best choice. This program allows you to fix the “file is too large for destination file system” problem without formatting as well as data loss. It works great with Windows 10/8/7 or any other previous version.
1. Firstly, install and open EaseUS Partition Master on your computer.
2. Select the FAT32 partition, right-click on the partition and select “Convert to NTFS.” If you require to convert a storage device such as an SD card or USB flash drive to NTFS, then insert it into your PC first and repeat the previous operation.
3. Next, click “OK” on the pop-up dialog box to continue.
4. Now may the converting process will start automatically. Wait until the operation process is complete.
After completing all the above-instructed steps, you can successfully copy files larger than 4GB. In addition to converting the file system, EaseUS Partition Master enables you to clone the OS to SSD, resize partitions, and delete partitions.
Reformat in Disk Management
1. Open disk management (Right-click on My Computer-> Manage-> Disk Management).
2. Find the destination partition and right-click on it to select the format option.
3. In the pop-up window, choose NTFS under the file system section and click OK button or format button to start the formatting process.
Reformat in Windows Explorer
If you’re trying to copy a file to a drive and receiving the “file too large for destination file system” error, you can reformat the drive in Windows Explorer.
1. Firstly open Windows Explorer and select the drive you want to reformat.
2. Right-click on the drive and choose format.
3. In the file system drop-down, select NTFS.
4. Click Start and wait for the drive to finish being reformatted.
You can now copy files larger than 4GB to the drive.
The Bottom Line
Once you realize that the “file destination is too large for the file system” is due to the FAT32 file system, the solution is certain: change the file system. Each of the methods outlined above will be helpful to you and will help you solve your problem. If you want to convert FAT32 directly to another file system without losing data, using EaseUS Partition Master is more advisable for you. And if you use the Windows built-in features, you will need to back up first as these actions will erase the files on your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I fix files too large for a destination?
A: The main cause of this problem is almost always a filesystem limitation. Although many different filesystems are available for Windows and Linux, the two most common are NTFS and ext4. Both of these support files are larger than 4GB (up to 16TB), but only when you format them using the exFAT filesystem.
Q: Can I format the drive without losing all my files?
A: Most of the time, yes. If these steps don’t work for your USB drive, you may need first to try a file recovery program like Recuva. Be aware that these programs can take hours or days to scan large drives (500GB+).
Q: How can I transfer large files to a pen drive?
A: A few ways to transfer large files to a pen drive are: 1. Connect your pen drive to your computer and use a data cable. 2. Connect your pen drive to the computer and use a wireless adapter. 3. Transfer files from your computer to the pen drive wirelessly. 4. Install a USB port on your computer and plug in the pen drive. 5. Use a cloud storage service.