FAT32

FAT32 is a file system in the File Allocation Table (FAT) family. It was introduced with Windows 95 OSR2 in 1996 to replace FAT16 for volumes larger than FAT16 could handle. FAT32 uses 28-bit addressing for data clusters, allowing a much larger number of clusters than FAT16 while keeping compatibility with older FAT variants and simple on-disk structures.

Structure: Each FAT32 volume has a boot sector (including a BIOS Parameter Block), reserved sectors, one or more copies of the File Allocation Table, and a data region. The root directory is not fixed; it is located in the data area like other directories. VFAT extension adds support for long file names.

Limits: The maximum size of a single file on FAT32 is 4 GB minus 1 byte. The maximum volume size is technically up to about 8 TB with large cluster sizes, but many tools and operating systems impose lower limits. The file system does not support built-in file permissions like NTFS, lacks journaling, and has limited metadata; there is no native encryption or compression.

Usage and compatibility: FAT32 is widely supported across Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is commonly used on USB flash drives, SD cards, and other removable media. It remains popular for cross-platform interchange and devices with limited operating system support. For very large files or advanced features, alternatives such as exFAT or NTFS may be more appropriate.