The file 'filename' is too large for the destination file system....??? Sandisk Flash Drive 128 Gigabytes

I just a bought a 128 Gigabyte USB 3.0 flash drive because I wanted to transfer 3 files that are clearly below the 128 Gigabyte threshold.

What is the problem?

How do I resolve it asap?

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Is the drive used? If the drive’s format is exFAT there is no limit on file size, which is how they are manufactured. If the drive’s format is FAT then the max file size is 4 GB

Thanks for sharing ed_p,

I was able to find a solution. The flashdrive was formatted as FAT, I just needed to reformat it.

Always like to hear happy endings. Thanks for the update Wes.

You’re welcome!

I think the error occurs because your flash drive is formatted with FAT32, which has a 4 GB file size limit. Even though the drive has 128 GB of space, FAT32 won’t support storing files larger than 4 GB.

If you want to check the format of the flash drive, follow these steps:

Right-click the drive in File Explorer and click Properties. If it shows FAT32, you’ll need to format the flash drive to another filesystem that does not have this restriction, such as exFAT or NTFS. (Important: Reformatting the drive will erase all data, so make sure to back up any files you want to keep.)

  • Right-click the flash drive in File Explorer > Format.
  • Choose exFAT or NTFS depending on your needs.
  • Click Start and wait for the reformat process to complete.

After reformatting, you should no longer encounter any errors when transferring files larger than 4 GB. [ Explore related topic: File Is Too Large for the Volume’s Format: Meaning & Fix ]