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More devices support exFAT than support NTFS, but someparticularly older onesmay only support FAT32.

The Format dialog in Windows doesnt explain the difference, so we will.

It specifies how data is stored on the drive and what types of information can be attached to filesfilenames, permissions, and other attributes.

Windows supports three different file systems.

Windows uses NTFS for its system drive and, by default, for most non-removable drives.

FAT32 is an older file system thats not as efficient as NTFS and doesnt support as big a feature set, but does offer greater compatibility with other operating systems.

FAT is a modern replacement for FAT32and more devices and operating systems support it than NTFSbut its not nearly as widespread as FAT32.

When you install Windows, it formats your system drive with the NTFS file system.

NTFS has file size and partition size limits that are so theoretically huge you wont run up against them.

NTFS first appeared in consumer versions of Windows with Windows XP, though it originally debuted with Windows NT.

NTFS supports file permissions for security, a change journal that can help quickly recover errors if your computer crashes, shadow copies for backups, encryption, disk quota limits, hard links, and various other features.

Many of these are crucial for an operating system driveespecially file permissions.

If you have a secondary drive alongside Windows and you plan on installing programs to it, you should probably go ahead and make it NTFS, too.

And, if you have any drives where compatibility isnt really an issuebecause you know youll just be using them on Windows systemsgo ahead and choose NTFS.

Itll work with all recent versions of Windowsall the way back to Windows XPbut it has limited compatibility with other operating systems.

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By default, Mac OS X can only read NTFS drives, not write to them.

Some Linux distributions may enable NTFS-writing support, but some may be read-only.

Even Microsofts own Xbox 360 cant read NTFS drives, although the new Xbox One can.

Other deviceswith the exception of Microsofts Xbox Oneprobably wont support NTFS.

It was introduced all the way back in Windows 95 to replace the older FAT16 file system used in MS-DOS and Windows 3.

Flash drives you purchase will often come formatted with FAT32 for maximum compatibility across not just modern computers, but other devices like game consoles and anything with a USB port.

Individual files on a FAT32 drive cant be over 4 GB in sizethats the maximum.

A FAT32 partition must also be less than 8 TB, which admittedly is less of a limitation unless youre using super-high-capacity drives.

It lacks the permissions and other security features built into the more modern NTFS file system.

Also, modern versions of Windows can no longer be installed to a drive formatted with FAT32; they must be installed to drives formatted with NTFS.

The PlayStation 4 supports exFAT; the PlayStation 3 does not.

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