What is the maximum number of files I can place into one sub-folder in FAT32

Anonymous
2013-06-14T16:19:57+00:00

FAT32 maximum number of files in a folder

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2013-06-14T17:24:48+00:00

The maximum size for a FAT32 directory is 65536 32bit entries. A file will require at least 2 entries depending on the length of the filename. Long filenames are stored in 16bit UNICODE characters and only thirteen characters are stored per directory entry.

Large directories should be avoided for performance reasons. For example, adding a file requires all existing entries to be scanned to avoid duplicates.

The FAT32 specification can be downloaded here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463080.aspx

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-06-14T16:42:02+00:00

    The entry limit is 65534 for a directory however if long filenames are used a single file can take 2 entries. So the number limit is actually a range of 32767-65534.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-06-14T16:51:56+00:00

    Why are you using FAT32? Is this a conventional internal drive or a removable drive? If you have lots of files on an internal drive NTFS is more desirable. You might use FAT32 if you had just a few very large files on the partition or certain types of removable drives.

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