The ExFAT is a newer version of the FAT32 file system that surpasses the limits of the old format. Although the File System could support drives and partitions up to 8 Terabytes (TB), if you use windows to format your drive/create a partition, you are limited to 32GB – for no real apparent reason.įor these reasons, SD cards larger than 32GB are not (and should not be) formatted using the FAT32 file system.This is quite an old file system and in today’s world suffers from important limitations: This is why every “swappable” memory, like SD cards and thumb drives, are pre-formatted by the manufacturer in one of these two formats. While, in principle, you can format an SD card to use any file system you like, it is not a wise choice to use a file system that can only be read by one operative system if you want the widest compatibility.Ī file system every type of computer can natively read is the FAT32 file system and the newer exFAT. Those file systems are all different and it may not be possible to read data from NTFS drives with a Mac without buying third-party software. Windows computers use the NTFS file system, Mac computers use the APFS file system, and Linux machines use the EXT3/EXT4 file systems. There are several file systems available for computers, depending on the OS (Operating System) that is installed. SD cards are non-volatile read/write memories that fit on your thumb. SD cards are like the solid-state hard drives in your computer and as such, they use a File System to organize, read and write data. 12) Conclusion What Format Do SD Cards Use?

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