After being unchanged for nearly 30 years, Microsoft will soon remove the 32GB size limit in its FAT32 partitions for Windows 11, increasing it to 2TB. The announcement via its blog post mentions it will be initially introduced via Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27686 and will be available via its Canary Channel.
Windows Insider 'XenoPanther' was able to get this Insider Preview version and showcased this increase in format size by creating a FAT32 format with 114.6GB through quick format via the command prompt.
This is the output formatting a volume as FAT32 in 27686 pic.twitter.com/LcOsEZqMf3August 15, 2024
The 32GB limit was originally placed during Windows 95's development and has remained unchanged until now. While there isn't any explanation why this wasn't increased at an earlier date, former Microsoft developer Dave Plummer recalls a situation via X and said that it was more of an arbitrary choice made back then.
Microsoft already supports the increase in size limit to 2TB for FAT32 but could not create one with an extended limit via Disk Management. FAT32 is useful as it is compatible with many operating systems and any device with a USB port. While there is exFAT which was introduced with Windows XP, many older operating systems and devices do not recognise this format. Hence simply increasing the ability to format FAT32 with a higher size limit has its merits.
Moreover, Windows can read larger FAT32 file systems. The only way to create one was either through other operating systems, PowerShell or third-party applications. With this integration, one can now create larger FAT32 partitions without jumping through hoops. For the moment, it is confirmed that this is possible through a command line prompt by using DISKPART.EXE while its GUI-based Disk Management will only allow 32GB.
Surely, having the ability to do so via Disk Management will be straightforward. But there are certain situations where the GUI-based built-in option is not able to format in certain scenarios as pointed out by PassMark Software. Windows Disk Management function needs some improvements, including the ability to increase FAT32 format up to 2TB.
Other Additions to Windows 11 Preview Build 27686
Along with this change, Microsoft will be adding the following in its upcoming Canary Build:
- The main addition is the new Windows Sandbox Client Preview which introduces clipboard redirection, audio/ video input control and the ability to share folders with the host at runtime.
- Adding the 'Detach Virtual Hard Disk (VHD/ VHDX) button to Settings makes it much simpler to detach your VHD/VHDx as needed
- Periodic networking test in the background to collect diagnostic data up to 10MB per day via Ethernet, WiFi and connections that are not marked as metered.
Several issues have been fixed, such as VHDs not being able to automatically re-mount and the battery icon in the lock screen being out of sync with the actual battery level of your PC.
Though not all changes done in Canary Channel's Preview Build necessarily carry over to public releases, one could assume this will eventually be implemented in future releases, hopefully with the inclusion in its GUI-based Disk Management.
