Microsoft is increasing the FAT32 partition size limit in Windows 11. The change is currently available in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27686 for the Canary Channel.
Previously, FAT32 partitions were capped at 32GB. This update raises the limit to 2TB. However, the increased size limit only applies when formatting disks from the command line using the format command.
The formatting tool in Windows retains the 32GB limit for now. Microsoft hasn’t updated the GUI yet, leaving users with the choice between the command line or third-party tools for creating larger FAT32 partitions.
Take note that the maximum individual file size on a FAT32 volume remains 4GB. Despite the rise of exFAT and other alternatives, FAT32 persists due to its broad compatibility with older devices that require USB drives or SD cards formatted with FAT32.
Aside from the increased partition size, Microsoft also made optimizations to improve battery life for systems running Build 27686+. They also fixed a bug where the battery icon displayed on the lock screen might be out of sync with the actual battery level of the PC.
