In Windows, what file system should I use? (2024)

NTFS and FAT32 are two file systems used in Windows operatingsystems. Their features and differences are described below.

NTFS

NTFS, short for NT File System, is the most secure and robust filesystem for Windows 7, Vista, andXP. It provides security by supporting access control andownership privileges, meaning you can set permission for groups orindividual users to access certain files.

NTFS 5.0 was released with Windows 2000, and is also used in WindowsVista and XP. NTFS offers the following features:

• NTFS supports compression of individual files and folders whichcan be read and written to while they are compressed.
• NTFS is a recoverable file system, meaning it has the ability toundo or redo operations that failed due to such problems as systemfailure or power loss.

In addition to the above features, NTFS 5.0 also provides thefollowing functionality:

• Disk quotas: Administrators can limit the amount ofdisk space users can consume on a per-volume basis. The three quotalevels are: Off, Tracking, and Enforced.
• Encryption: The NTFS 5.0 file system canautomatically encrypt and decrypt file data as it is read and writtento the disk.
• Reparse points: Programs can trap open operationsagainst objects in the file system and run their own code beforereturning file data. This feature can be used to extend file systemfeatures such as mount points, which you can use to redirect data readand written from a folder to another volume or physical disk.
• Sparse files: Allows programs tocreate very large files, but to consume disk space only as needed.
• USN Journal: Provides a persistent log ofall changes made to files on the volume.

FAT32

FAT32 is the file system used in some older versions of MicrosoftWindows. You can also install the FAT32 files system on Windows XP (allversions), and even Windows Server 2003. However, for all operatingsystems capable of running it, both UITS and Microsoftstrongly recommend using NTFS instead. Although FATperforms better on smaller volumes (under 500 MB), NTFS out-performsit on larger volumes.

Advantages of FAT32

• FAT32 supports disk partitions as large as 2 TB. FAT16supports partitions up to only 2 GB.
• FAT32 wastes much less disk space on large partitions, since theminimum cluster size is a mere 4 KB for partitions under 8 GB.

Disadvantages of FAT32

• FAT32 does not allow compression using DriveSpace.
• FAT32 is not compatible with older disk management software,motherboards, and BIOSes.
• FAT32 may be slightly slower than FAT16, depending on disk size.
• None of the FAT file systems provide the file security,compression, fault tolerance, or crash recovery abilities that NTFSdoes.

For more about FAT32, refer to the Microsoft Windows 98Solution Center.