When I try to copy a big MP4 video files (approx 12 GB) to a 32 GB SanDisk USB, I get an error message that the file is too large for the destination file system. What should I do?
Sounds like somebody reformatted your USB drive as FAT32. The manufactured drive is formatted as exFAT which will handle large files. To support your large files you need to reformat the drive back to exFAT or return it to the seller for a replacement.
The reason for this error is that your USB drive is currently using the FAT32 file system, which does not support transferring single files larger than 4 GB.
To resolve this issue, you need to convert the USB drive’s file system to NTFS or exFAT. Neither of these file formats imposes a limit on the size of a single file.
You can reformat the USB drive by following these steps. (Note: Formatting will erase all data on the USB drive. Please back up all important files on the USB drive to your computer’s hard drive or another large-capacity external hard drive before proceeding.)
Insert your SanDisk USB drive into your computer.
-
Open This PC: Double-click “This PC” or “My Computer” on the desktop.
-
Right-click your USB drive: Locate your USB drive letter, right-click, and select “Format…”.
-
Change the file system: In the “File system” drop-down menu, select exFAT (you can also choose NTFS if you are only using it on Windows).
-
Start formatting: Keep the allocation unit size at the default, check “Quick format”, and click “Start”. [A related guide for Mac users: File Is Too Large for the Volume’s Format: Meaning & Fix ]
