
If the FAT cluster size is greater than 4 KB, then the clusters are converted down to 4 KB in NTFS.

#BEST HDD FORMAT FOR MAC COMPATIBILITY WINDOWS#
When you use the Convert.exe utility to convert a FAT partition to NTFS, Windows always uses the original FAT cluster size as the NTFS cluster size for cluster sizes up to 4 KB. You can do this by using the /A: switch together with the Format command or by specifying a larger cluster size in the Format dialog box in Windows Explorer. The format command won't use clusters larger than 4 KB unless the user specifically overrides the default settings.


This is because NTFS file compression is not possible on drives that have a larger cluster size. Using the FORMAT command from the command line without specifying a cluster size.įormatting a volume from Windows Explorer when the Allocation Unit box in the Format dialog box lists Default Allocation Size.īy default, the maximum cluster size for NTFS under Windows NT 4.0 and later versions of Windows is 4 kilobytes (KB). The default values are used by Windows when one of the following methods is used to format the partition: More InformationĪ hard disk partition (also known as a volume) can be formatted to NTFS, FAT, or exFAT. These defaults are selected to reduce the space that is lost and to reduce the fragmentation that occurs on the partition. If no cluster size is specified when you format a partition, defaults are selected based on the size of the partition. On the typical hard disk partition, the average amount of space that is lost in this manner can be calculated by using the equation (cluster size)/2 * (number of files). When file sizes do not come out to an even multiple of the cluster size, additional space must be used to hold the file (up to the next multiple of the cluster size). Cluster size represents the smallest amount of disk space that can be used to hold a file. Less SummaryĪll file systems that are used by Windows organize your hard disk based on cluster size (also known as allocation unit size).
#BEST HDD FORMAT FOR MAC COMPATIBILITY WINDOWS 10#
Windows 10 Pro released in July 2015 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86) Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86) Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition (32-bit x86) Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web Edition Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Windows Server 2008 Standard Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition Windows Vista Enterprise Windows Vista Home Basic Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Starter Windows Vista Ultimate Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Microsoft Windows XP Professional Microsoft Windows XP Starter Edition Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Windows 7 Enterprise Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Ultimate Windows 8 Windows 8 Enterprise Windows 8 Pro Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Windows Server 2012 Essentials Windows Server 2012 Foundation Windows Server 2012 Foundation Windows Server 2012 Standard Windows Server 2012 Standard More.
