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Item too large for the volume’s format? Try these solutions
3 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
When trying to transfer large files from your computer or Mac to a flash stick, an external hard drive, sd card, or similar, you sometimes get anerrorsaying that that theitem can’t be copied because it is too large for the volume’sformat.
Still, you know that you have plenty of space on your stick or hard drive. So why does this happen?
This limitation is due to the formatting type of your external storage device, which is almost always (MS-DOS)FAT32. Files larger than 4GB can not be stored on a FAT32 volume.
The solution, in this case, is to format the device asexFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) or NTFS (NT File System).
How can I avoid the item too large for the volume’s format error?
Format as exFAT
OR
Before proceeding, you should back up or copy the files stored on the respective device elsewhere, and then copy them back, becauseformattingthe device will delete the information on it.
Note that the exFAT file system allows a single file larger than 4GB to be stored on the device.
Looking for the best external hard drive to store your files? Here are our suggestions.
Format as NTFS
The steps are the same as above, but only if you have a PC. NTFSformatis only readable on Mac, but it can’t be written.
Before beginning, back up your files, as advised, and also optimize the flash drive for performance using the following steps:
As notified, after performing these steps andformattingyour device, you should only remove it from your computer using theSafely Remove Hardwareoption from the quick menu. Otherwise, you could damage the device.
We hope you found the article useful. Any suggestion or comment is welcome in the comments section below.
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More about the topics:external hard drive,external USB drive
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
