“The file is too large for the destination file system”

Problem

When trying to copy files larger than 4GB to an external hard drive you may experience the following error:
“The file is too large for the destination file system”.

Cause

The file system on that drive is FAT32 which does not support files bigger than 4GB.

Solution

In order to copy files larger, you will need to convert it to the NTFS file system.
Please note, that by converting a drive to NTFS, you may experience problems using the drive on a Mac computer. Click here for more information.

Easy Solution

This method will wipe all data on the drive. To convert the drive without losing any data, please see the Advanced Solution by clicking the tab above.

1. Click the Start button.
2. Click Computer (or My Computer).
3. Right click on your external hard drive and click Format.
4. Make sure the “File system” dropdown box is set to NTFS.
5. Click Start.

Advanced Solution

This example assumes that the external hard drive has the letter G assigned to it. Please replace G for the appropriate letter.

1. Open a Command Prompt as an Administrator.
2. Type “convert g: /fs:ntfs /nosecurity” without quotes and press Enter.
3. You will see the following:
   “The type of the file system is FAT32.
   Enter current volume label for drive G:”
4. Then type in the current name the drive has (viewable in Computer / My Computer).

Wait for it to finish and close the Command Prompt.