Definition: FAT32
(File Allocation Table32) The 32-bit version of the FAT file system. Employed on Windows PCs prior to the more advanced NTFS file system, the FAT32 format is widely used for USB drives, flash memory cards and external hard drives for compatibility between platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android tablets, etc.).
More Advanced than FAT16
Introduced in 1996, FAT32 was a major advancement over FAT16 in storage capacity (see table below). It also supported long file names rather than the eight-character convention in DOS (see 8.3 names). In the event of disk failure, FAT32 can relocate the root directory on the disk and use the backup copy of the FAT table. FAT32 also reduced cluster waste by having smaller cluster sizes at a time when drives were so small that any reduction was meaningful (see cluster). For more about the FAT architecture, see FAT and file system. See exFAT and NTFS.
A Flash Drive in a Mac
More Advanced than FAT16
Introduced in 1996, FAT32 was a major advancement over FAT16 in storage capacity (see table below). It also supported long file names rather than the eight-character convention in DOS (see 8.3 names). In the event of disk failure, FAT32 can relocate the root directory on the disk and use the backup copy of the FAT table. FAT32 also reduced cluster waste by having smaller cluster sizes at a time when drives were so small that any reduction was meaningful (see cluster). For more about the FAT architecture, see FAT and file system. See exFAT and NTFS.
The Mac's Get Info (equivalent to Windows Properties) classifies the 2GB USB drive in the machine as an "MS-DOS" device. Curious about the 1969 date? See epoch.
FAT16 FAT32 NTFS
Maximum
Size of 4GB 2TB 2TB+
Partition
Maximum
Size of Size of
File 2GB 4GB Drive
OS DOS
Support OS/2
Win3x
Win95 Win95(OSR2)
Win98 Win98
WinNT WinNT WinNT(SP4)
Win2K Win2K Win2K
WinXP WinXP WinXP
WinVista WinVista
Win7 Win7
Win8 Win8
Win10 Win10