The limitation on FAT32 partition size of 32GB is going to be lifted by Microsoft in its new Windows 11, a restriction that has been on since almost thirty years ago. In this update, FAT32 is expected to be able to handle the partition sizes of up to 2 terabytes.
It’s important to note that this change only affects formatting done through the command line, while in graphical format dialog will still limit it at 32 GB, unless Microsoft decides to rectify this feature that has been ignored for long in subsequent releases.
This cap of 32GB began during the development cycle of Windows95 over three decades ago. Earlier this year former windows developer Dave Plummer mentioned that he had designed the dialog box where he set it at FAT32’s limit at 32 GB.
While Windows has long been capable of reading FAT32 partitions up to 2 TB, users had previously relied on third-party tools to create such partitions on their operating systems. Microsoft is anticipated to enhance the GUI format in future Windows 11 builds to permit all users to create fully-sized FAT32 partitions.
Despite the increase in partition size, FAT32 still imposes a 4 GB limit on individual file sizes. Although FAT32 is not as popular as newer alternatives like exFAT, it remains in use for many older devices that require FAT32-formatted USB drives or SD cards.
