In windows server 2016 , Size and Size on disk is same.?

Question

Hi All,

Thanks in advance.

I have tried to copy folder of 61 GB from Server A to Server B. When i looked at the properties of the folder the size is 61Gb and Size on Disk is 899MB. In the similar way, i have copied the same folder from Server A to Server C and here the folder size is 61GB and Size on Disk is also 61GB . Could anyone please let me know why there is a difference?.

Image for reference:

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/getfile/1565194

source link: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/ed9613a2-f2c9-4992-a210-5ce30e6a73b6/in-windows-server-2016-size-and-size-on-disk-is-same?forum=ws2016

Answer 1

Welcome to our new Microsoft Q&A Platform.

1. Size is the actual size of the file or the folder. So if you were to transfer the file or folder to another drive, CD, DVD or USB drive, this would be the actual size in bytes that is being copied.

Size on disk means the size that is being taken up on the disk (your hard drive).

Generally, Size on disk will be larger than Size.

https://www.watchingthenet.com/whats-the-difference-between-size-and-size-on-disk-in-folder-properties-windows.html

2. However, sometimes, due to built in compression, the file is actually smaller on the disk. A file can also appear to be smaller on disk if the file is a sparse file. In that scenario, file size refers to the logical size of the file, whereas size on disk refers to the physical size of the sparse file.

https://superuser.com/questions/518414/how-can-the-size-on-disk-be-smaller-than-size

(Note, it is a third-party article, since it may change its content without notification, we do not guarantee its security.)

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