When moving a big file on Windows PC, if you receive an error The File Is Too Large for the Destination File System Error on Windows, this post will help you resolve it. It usually means that the file is bigger than 4 GB and moving to the destination is an old formatted USB drive. This article lists why this problem occurs in your system and how to solve it.
Why Does File Is Too Large for Destination File System Error Occur?
Windows can easily move large size files, but the problem occurs on drives that are still using the FAT 32 file system. While the format is versatile and works in the cross-platform scenario, it doesn’t work well when moving large files.
One of the biggest drawbacks of the FAT32 file system is that it is limited to a maximum file size of 4 GB. So, it becomes tough to move files of sizes more than 4GB. The funny part is that even though FAT32 has storage of about 2TB, it is still not possible to save a single file with a size of more than 4GB.
Fix: File Is Too Large for Destination File System
If you face the error of moving a large file on your PC, try some of the following methods to fix it:
- Split Large Files
- Compress Files
- Format Destination Drive To NTFS
Let’s try to understand these methods in detail.
1. Split Large Files
One way to fix this error is to split the large-sized file to save it on your PC. Here we have used WinRAR as an example, but you can use any software that can split and rejoin the files later.
- The first thing you need to do is right-click on the folder of the file you want to compress and split.
- Then you have to select the option to Add to archive from the list of options. Large files will be split into smaller files. This method can easily share files containing videos, movies, documents, and images.
- Now, you can see the option with the name Split to volumes, bytes. Then you have to choose the profiles, or you can also type the maximum size of the output file. Another way is to choose preset profiles.
- Then you will get the default values in values of kb. You have to convert KB to MB or GB.
- Finally, hit OK to end the process. After clicking the OK option, WinRAR will begin to compress the source file.
- The source file will be split into smaller files. Now you can copy them to the USB drive.
2. Compress Folders
Windows offers compress options for folders. So if you have a large file, you can copy it to a folder and then compress it.
- Right-click on the folder and select properties
- Under the General tab, find and click the Advanced button
- In the Advanced Attributes window, check the box next to Compress content to save the disk and apply.
- It will prompt if you want to apply for this folder or all subfolders and files inside it. Select the second option.
- Wait for the process to complete.
3. Format Storage Into the NTFS File System
Try this method if you cannot get the results with the above two methods. You can format storage into an NTFS file system by using two methods. Ensure you have taken a backup of the files on the USB or external storage.
Using Windows Explorer
Follow these steps to format drives to the NTFS file system using Windows Explorer:
- Open File Explorer
- Now, you have to search for the drive and right-click. Click on the option Format.
- The next step is to select NTFS as your file system and go to Quick Format.
- Now, you have to tap on Start to start the formatting process.
Using Disk Management
A second method is to convert a USB drive into the NTFS system. The steps are as follows:
- The first step is to right-click on the option This PC. Now, choose Manage and select the option of Disk Management.
- You have to right-click on the USB flash drive or your hard drive. The next thing you have to do is press the Format button.
- The next step is to change the option of a USB file system to an NTFS system. You have to also put a tick mark on the option of Quick Format.
- Finally, tap on the option of OK to confirm the change.
You have learned how to fix large-sized file errors by various methods easily. If every method in the above fails to split your files, you can even choose a file splitter to split a large file into smaller parts to fix the error. We hope you found this article helpful.
How To Skip FAT32 4 GB File Limit?
You can skip the FAT32 4 GB file limit by formatting the destination drive to the NTFS file system or using the Disk Management tool in Windows.
Can File Compression With WinRAR Corrupt Files?
While compressing files with WinRAR, it is always recommended to take a backup of the files if something goes sideways. Files don’t get corrupted generally during compression with WinRAR. However, selecting too small a size can increase the risk of file corruption.
