We use hard drives, USB flash drives, or portable SD cards to store, manage, and organize our data. Have you ever thought about how the data are stored on these storage devices? A physical disk (storage device) can only understand 0s or 1s, and it is the file system that gives meaning to such data. The file systems commonly used are NTFS and FAT, which the computer uses to store the data.
If you want to know the file system used by your storage device, you can check the properties of your storage device. You can also explore the difference between HDD and SSD if you are interested.
Difference Between NTFS and FAT32 File Systems
In this article, we will discuss the differences between the NTFS and FAT32 file systems that are used by the Windows operating system. Both of these file systems were developed by Microsoft in 1977 to meet certain requirements.
Today, we will provide you with essential information about these file systems to help you choose the right file system type for your needs.
NTFS stands for New Technology File System, and FAT32 stands for File Allocation Table. We will explain the differences between the two file formats in simple terms. We will focus on several aspects to make it easy for you to understand.
1. Compatibility
FAT32 is the most used file system among the two. It has happened many times that a Micro SD card does not work in NTFS format, but after formatting using the FAT32 file system, it starts working again.
FAT32 supports almost every operating system, which makes it the ideal choice for pen drives or flash drives. Although it has some limitations, FAT32 is undoubtedly more popular among the two.
2. Storage Limitations
A FAT32 file system drive can allocate a maximum capacity of 8 TB, which also requires sufficient knowledge to tweak hard drives. With the NTFS file system, there is no such limitation.
One can store any volume of data on an NTFS drive. Many experts believe that an NTFS drive can store up to 2 to the power of 64 bytes.
3. Labelling Limitations
With the FAT32 file system, a user can label a file or folder with just 8 characters and up to 3 characters for file extensions. However, with the NTFS file system, that threshold is up to 255 characters.
Another problem with FAT32 is the lack of support for non-English characters. NTFS is very smooth in this regard and reads every language character without any difficulty.
4. Disk Fragmentation Issues
The general tendency of the FAT32 file system is to create more fragmented files, as it is its default behavior when saving new files. Therefore, the drive becomes slow at times.
With NTFS, however, there are no such issues. It smartly allocates larger spaces to save every file, resulting in a lesser number of fragmented files.
5. Security Issues
One of the biggest threats when using the FAT32 file system is a high percentage of file corruption during power failures. NTFS keeps a record of the files and folders, which can be restored if there is any power outage.
Generally, it provides a fair amount of file recovery, while the option is completely missing in FAT32.
6. Memory & Storage Management
The overall structure of the FAT32 file system allows it to consume less memory capacity and use comparatively low storage. NTFS formulates a record of actions that allows it to recover files.
Therefore, it consumes more memory and storage capacity. However, the NTFS file system comes with the option to compress files or folders, which can be used to save space on hard drives.
7. File Encryption Option
The NTFS file system comes with encryption options along with security features like user rights. This option provides added security and accessibility to the files. FAT32 completely lacks this option.
Conclusion
After understanding the basic differences between both file systems, we can say that overall, NTFS is a more suitable option among the two. NTFS has better storage capacity and encounters no issues with labeling files or security. However, FAT32 is more compatible due to its multi-OS support. It also consumes less memory capacity and storage.
So, if you want to choose the best file system for your basic hard drive, NTFS is a better option, and if you are using a flash drive or a pen drive, make sure it is running on the FAT32 file system to get the optimum result.
