Microsoft's Bold Move: Revisiting FAT32 Partition Limits
Earlier this week, Microsoft made a notable adjustment to its long-standing disk formatting policies with the introduction of the latest Windows 11 Insider Canary Preview Build. This update raises the maximum FAT32 partition size limit from 32GB to an impressive 2TB when utilizing the command line. This change marks a significant shift from a limitation that has persisted for nearly three decades, originally set by the format’s creator during the era of Windows NT 4.0.
Revisiting the Past
While FAT32 may not be the go-to file system in today’s tech landscape—having largely been supplanted by exFAT, especially in SD cards—the decision to increase the partition limit seems more like a gesture of reconciliation than a practical enhancement. It resembles a modern-day equivalent of posthumously exonerating a historical figure, rather than a move driven by current user needs. Notably, the Windows graphical user interface (GUI) for partitioning still enforces the 32GB cap, which further diminishes the likelihood that many users will experience any substantial benefits from this update.
In a fascinating retrospective, retired Microsoft system engineer Dave Plummer shared insights into the origins of the 32GB limit during a 2021 episode of his YouTube channel, “Dave’s Garage.” Plummer recounted that he selected this cap on a seemingly ordinary Tuesday morning in the mid-1990s, believing it would soon become obsolete. “I picked the number 32GB as the limit and went on with my day,” he recalled, noting that he only began to question his choice when SD cards eventually reached that very size.
Plummer also addressed a common misconception regarding the motivation behind the 32GB cap, asserting that it was not a strategic move by Microsoft to promote the NTFS format. He clarified that NTFS had already gained significant traction and that Microsoft did not profit from its licensing. Instead, he emphasized that the cap was primarily intended to optimize storage efficiency, particularly concerning smaller files, rather than to serve any corporate agenda.
For those with a keen interest in the intricacies of ‘90s disk formats, Plummer’s video offers a deeper dive into the seemingly arbitrary decision that, unbeknownst to him at the time, would endure for nearly three decades.
