Resolving the "Item cannot be copied because its size exceeds the volume format limit" Error

Updated By

Tracy King 

Written By

Linda 

Last Updated on April 19, 2024

Error: Size exceeds the limit of the disk format.

"Yesterday, when I tried to copy an ISO file from macOS to a USB drive, I encountered an error message: 'The item can't be copied because it's too large for the volume's format'. What does 'too large for the volume's format' mean? Why does this problem occur?"

Many people still use USB flash drives or external hard drives to transfer files between computers. And when it comes to data transfer on USB storage devices, the “File Too Large for the File System” issue is not uncommon.

This article will teach you how to fix the “The item can't be copied because it's too large for the volume's format” error on both a Mac and a Windows computer.

Also read: On Windows, the file is too large for the destination file system: The file is too large for the destination file system.

#2 Why do I get the "file too large to fit on volume" error?

The reason for the "Cannot copy because the file or folder is larger than the disk format allows" error is that you are trying to transfer the file to a USB or hard drive formatted with the FAT32 file system, which only supports partitions up to 32 GB in size and individual files up to 4 GB.

This happens when you try to copy a file larger than 4 GB from your computer or Mac to a USB drive, SD card, or other memory card formatted with FAT32. This is due to a limitation of the FAT32 format.

In this case, you need to format the device to exFAT (eXtended File Allocation Table) or NTFS (New Technology File System). Learn about the differences between FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT.

Fixing "File Too Large for Volume's Format" on Mac

If you encounter volume format issues when copying files between your Mac and a USB drive, you can reformat the drive to exFAT.

exFAT is a file system introduced by Microsoft for use in USB flash drives and is compatible with macOS. It addresses the issue of files larger than 4GB that are not supported by FAT32 and other formats. For flash drives, exFAT is more suitable than the NTFS file system.

This guide is about formatting a USB flash drive to exFAT on a Mac; if this section resolved your issue, read on, and don't hesitate to share this article to help more users.

Compared to the FAT file system, the theoretical maximum volume size for exFAT is 64 EB, with the currently supported maximum volume size being 128 PB. The maximum size for a single file is 16 EB, and the maximum number of files in the same directory is 2,796,202.

How to Format a USB Flash Drive as exFAT on a Mac

Step 1: Open your Mac. Launch Disk Utility either via Spotlight search or from Applications/Utilities.

Step 2: Select your USB drive or external hard drive on the left.

Select the USB drive

Click the “Erase” tab. The Disk Utility window will pop up.

Step 4: Give it a name, select GUID Partition Map as the Scheme. From the Format dropdown, choose exFAT and give the drive a name. Click “Erase.”

Fix the "Volume Format Too Large" Error on Windows 11/10

Aside from exFAT, you can also format FAT32 to NTFS file system if you want to transfer files larger than 4GB to a USB drive on Windows 11/10. This will completely solve the storage capacity limitation and supports sizes up to 16 EB.

There are two ways to convert from FAT32 to NTFS: one is to convert FAT32 to NTFS without losing data, and the other is to format the hard drive to NTFS, which will erase all files. Here's how to do it.

Convert FAT32 to NTFS without data loss using free disk converter

tools Partition Master Free is an ultimate Windows disk management tool that offers a one-stop solution for disk partitioning, making it easy for all types of Windows users to have full control over their storage devices. It even provides a disk converter feature that lets users switch between NTFS and FAT32 disk types and convert file system formats for free.

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To resolve the issue of being unable to copy large files on Windows 11/10 due to the file size limitation in FAT32, follow these steps to convert it to NTFS:

Step 1. Install and launch Partition Master on your computer.

Step 2: Right-click on a FAT32 partition in the Partition Manager and select "Advanced," then "Convert NTFS to FAT."

Step 3: Click “Proceed” in the dialog box that appears.

Step 4: Click the "Apply" button to start the conversion process. Wait for it to finish.

In addition to converting FAT32 to NTFS and NTFS to FAT32, the free partition manager is also good at various partition conversion jobs, including:

• Convert disk style from MBR to GPT without losing data, or vice versa.
• Convert primary partition to logical partition and vice versa.
• Convert dynamic disk to basic disk and vice versa.

Users can also use this software to resize/move partitions, allocate space from one drive to another, clone hard drive for in-place upgrade of the hard drive or computer, merge partitions, and create/delete/format/wipe partitions, etc.

Format USB Drive as NTFS on Windows 11/10 in Two Ways

You can also format the USB drive to NTFS through Disk Management or File Explorer. Make sure to back up your files first.

Convert to NTFS format via Disk Management

Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your computer.

Step 2. Right-click the Start button and select Disk Management.

Step 3: Right-click on your USB drive and select “Format.”

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to set a new label for the drive, and choose NTFS as the format. Click "OK" to complete the formatting process.

Format FAT32 to NTFS in File Explorer

Step 1: Press Win+E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Right-click on your external hard drive and select "Format."

Step 3: Choose the file system and give the USB drive a new label. Wait for the formatting to finish.

Video Tutorial: How to Fix “File Too Large for Volume” Error

This video demonstrates these fixes. You can use it as a reference for resolving this issue in Windows. Details here:

Bottom line

When you try to copy a file from a Windows or Mac computer to a USB drive, SD card, flash drive, external hard drive, or similar device, you might see an error like “The item can't be copied because it's too large for the volume's format” due to limitations with the FAT32 file system.

This issue can be easily resolved by formatting the drive to exFAT or NTFS file system. You can accomplish this with the above step-by-step guide.

The best way to fix the Volume Format Too Large issue in Windows 11/10 is to use a free Partition Manager tool to simply convert FAT32 to NTFS with a click – no data loss, nothing to worry about.

"Frequently Asked Questions about the error 'Project cannot be copied because its size exceeds the format limit of the volume'"

The error "The item can't be copied because it's too large for the volume's format" typically occurs on a Mac when the file system of the destination device doesn't support large files.

The best solution to this issue is to change the file system to a compatible one. For more information about this topic, please follow and look for answers here:

How do I fix the "The item can't be copied because it's too large for the volume's format" error on a Mac?

Connect the removable device with the error to a Mac computer. Open Disk Utility, select the device that shows the "Volume size is too large for the format" error, and click "Erase." Set the file system format of the target device to "ExFAT," then click "Erase."

2. How do I change the volume format of a USB? To modify the volume format of a USB device, you typically need to make adjustments on your computer. Here are the general steps: 1. **Connect the USB Device**: Insert the USB drive into a USB port on your computer. 2. **Open File Explorer**: On Windows, click the folder icon on the taskbar; on a Mac, open Finder. 3. **Locate the USB Device**: In File Explorer or Finder, find and double-click your USB device to open it. 4. **Check the File System**: Ensure that the file system of the USB is FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT, as these formats support audio files. If it's not one of these, you might need to reformat the USB (which will erase all data, so back up important files first). 5. **Change Volume Format**: By "volume format," it's often referred to as the audio file's encoding format, like MP3, WAV, AAC, etc. You'll need an audio conversion software (like Audacity or Format Factory) to convert your audio files to the desired format. 6. **Convert Audio Files**: Open the conversion software, select the audio files to convert, choose the target format, and initiate the conversion. 7. **Save to USB**: After conversion, copy the newly formatted audio files onto your USB device. Note that "volume format" could also refer to volume levels or gain settings in some contexts. If that's the case, you might adjust the USB device's volume through an audio player or your operating system's settings.

Plug the USB into a Windows computer. In File Explorer, open the USB and back up any important files elsewhere. Right-click the USB and select "Format." Set a new file system format for the USB, then click "OK."

What can I do if the file is too large to copy?

1. First, change the file system of the target device to NTFS or exFAT. 2. Use a file transfer software like Todo PCTrans to move all files in one go. 3. Compress oversized files beforehand, if necessary.