CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)Applications and SoftwareEasy

A user wants to move a large collection of photos and videos from their desktop PC to a new external hard drive. The external drive is currently formatted with exFAT. What is the maximum individual file size that can be stored on this exFAT drive?

  1. A4 GB
  2. BNo practical limit
  3. C16 EB
  4. D2 TB
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C. 16 EB

exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is designed for large flash storage devices and external drives. It supports a theoretical maximum file size of 16 EB (Exabytes), which is significantly larger than the limits of FAT32 and effectively provides 'no practical limit' for typical user files.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. 4 GB is the maximum file size for FAT32.
  • B. While it's a very large limit, there is a theoretical maximum, so 'no practical limit' isn't precise enough.
  • D. 2 TB is a common practical partition size limit for FAT32, but not an exFAT file size limit.

exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)

A Microsoft file system optimized for flash memory such as USB flash drives and SD cards. It addresses the limitations of FAT32 in terms of file size and partition size.

  • Supports very large files (up to 16 EB).
  • Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux).
  • Does not support journaling.

Memory trick: ExFAT: Extended For All Terabytes (and beyond).

More Applications and Software questions