Quick Solution: Want to see the fix in action then check out my video.
When you try to transfer or copy a file that is larger than 4GB to Pen Drives / USB Drives then you may see this error “File is too large for the destination file system”.
If you are seeing this then don’t worry because there is nothing wrong with your Pen Drive / USB Drive.
The reason for File is too large for the destination file system
Most of the Pen Drives / USB Drives are formatted in FAT32 file system format and the FAT32 file system comes with the limitation that you can’t transfer a file larger than 4GB in size. So you cannot store any file that is larger than 4GB on your Pen Drive / USB Drive if it is formatted in the FAT32 file system.
Solution for error File is too large for the destination file system | Know how to transfer files of more than 4GB To Pen Drives or USB Storage Drives
Now you know the reason that it is the FAT32 file system format of your Pen Drive/USB Drive. So to fix this issue all you need to do is change the file system format of Pen Drive / USB Drive. You can do this by formatting your Pen Drive / USB Drive.
Follow the steps below to Change File System Format | Format your Pen Drive or USB Drive
Caution:- Backup the data on your drive as the process will delete everything on your Pen Drive / USB Drive
Start here:- Connect Your Pen Drive / USB Drive to a Computer / Laptop. Once the drive is recognized it will show under “Devices and Drives and Removable Disk” on your computer/laptop. That is basically where you see all your laptop or pc drives under My Computer.
Right-click on Pen Drive Volume and select format.
When you will click on format You will see a few options. Here from the option – File system – select NTFS. So now you will be formatting your drive to the NTFS File System.
From the next option “Allocation Unit Size” select “DEFAULT ALLOCATION SIZE”.
You can assign a Volume Label like A: / B: something like this. This will help you recognize your Pen Drive once connected to any PC.
From Format Options select “Quick Format”.
Once you have made these changes then click on Start.
Now your PC will show formatting the removable disk. After a few seconds, it will show that the formatting process is completed.
Once this processing of formatting the Pen drive to the NTFS System is completed then You will be able to transfer a file larger than 4GB in size to your Pen Drive / USB Drive.
That’s how it is easy to fix.
What Else You Must Know
Every file system comes with pros and cons. Many times, we connect our USB drives to Android TV and Smart TV. Not every TV brand supports the NTFS file system. At that time check out which format is accepted by the device to which you want your Pen drive to be connected. Then you can easily format your Pen Drive / USB Drive to that particular format.