Extended File System (exFAT)
Understanding of underlying mechanisms of data storage, organization and data recovery.
Extended File System (exFAT) is a successor of FAT family of file systems (FAT12/16/32). It has similar design though renders many significant
improvements:
- Larger volume and file size limits
- Native Unicode file names
- Bigger boot area allowing a larger boot code
- Better performance
- Time zone offset support
- OEM parameters support
exFAT vs. FAT32 Comparison
| Feature | FAT32 | exFAT |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Volume Size | 8 TB* | 128 PB |
| Maximum File Size | 4 GB | 16 EB |
| Maximum Cluster Size | 32 KB ** | 32 MB |
| Maximum Cluster Count | 228 | 232 |
| Maximum File Name Length | 255 | 255 |
| Date/Time resolution | 2 s | 10 ms |
| MBR Partition Type Identifier | 0x0B, 0x0C | 0x07 |
Note: Windows cannot format FAT32 volumes bigger than 32GB, though itsupports larger volumes created by third party
implementations; 16 TB is the maximum volume size if formatted with 64KB cluster
Note: According to Microsoft KB184006 clusters cannot be 64KB or larger, though some third party implementations support
up to 64KB.