Microsoft has finally decided to do with the 32GB size restriction, for FAT32 partitions, in Windows 11 a change that users have been eagerly anticipating. Despite the fact that FAT32 can actually support volumes up to 2TB this limit has persisted in the operating system for thirty years. The announcement of this update came from the Windows team through a blog post detailing the Windows 11 Canary test build.
For now this change only applies to the format command line while the traditional format dialog box will still stick to the FAT32 size limit. However there is optimism that Microsoft will eventually address this standing issue by updating it in Windows 11 builds.
The History of the 32GB Limit
The restriction of 32GB, for FAT32 partitions traces its origins back to the era of Windows 95 than three decades ago. Dave Plummer, a Windows developer recently disclosed that he arbitrarily set this limit while working on the format dialog box one morning. This decision has since become a lasting consequence.
While efforts are underway to increase the partition limit for FAT32 it’s worth noting that there remains a 4GB cap on file sizes stored within a FAT32 volume. Despite the declining popularity of FAT32 in favor of options like exFAT it continues to be utilized by devices on USB drives or SD cards formatted with FAT32. Microsofts move towards expanding support for this legacy file system signifies a step, towards modernization.
